The Luminous Wilderness: Awakening with the Five Elements
May 22–28, 2026
Buddhist Path, On Land Retreats, The Natural World
Program Start Date & Time: 5:30 pm Orientation on May 22nd
Program End Date & Time: 12:30 pm on May 28th
Spiritual traditions from all over the world honor the sacred interconnectedness between the human, non-human, and the living world. From the shamanic traditions of South America to the Buddhist and Dzogchen traditions of Tibet, practitioners have long relied on the power of the natural world to awaken insight and remind us of who we really are and why we are here.
Join us in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains to awaken to the living wisdom of the five elements – earth, water, fire, air, and space. Root yourself in the stability of earth, flow with the adaptability of water, ignite the transformative fire of awareness, breathe with the freedom of air, and rest in the vast openness of space. This retreat explores the five elements – not merely as physical phenomena, but as living teachers that mirror the mind’s vast, luminous nature.
Through guided outdoor meditation, silent walking, and contemplative observation, we will relax into integration with the natural world. These practices, rooted in the Tibetan contemplative traditions of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, reveal how the mind’s innate clarity and the earth’s elements are inseparable. By engaging with all five elements, participants awaken to the interconnectedness of life and embody the wisdom of awareness in daily living.
By rekindling our innate inseparability with the natural world, we simultaneously discover the spacious, luminous, and awake qualities of our own being. Within this web of connection, we discover that liberation from suffering and the freedom to realize our aspirations are not about transcending the human condition, but about finding the inherent freedom within it.
This retreat is suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike. Participants should be able to hike 3-4 miles per day at altitude.
Who is this retreat for?
Anyone! Particularly for Buddhist practitioners who are interested in exploring their interconnectedness with the living world as a source for recognizing their innate nature.
What will participants get out of this retreat?
Participants will discover how the five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space—offer portals into the recognition of who we really are in this Dzogchen and Mahamudra-inspired wilderness retreat. Through outdoor meditation, hiking, and mindful connection with the land, practitioners will learn to how to rest in presence and experience the world as a living expression of mind itself. Through awakening our cellular memories of the innate primordial awareness that unites us all, participants will return home with a renewed sense of clarity, balance, and belonging within the great ecology of being.
Retreat Faculty
Lama Elizabeth Monson, PhD
Lama Elizabeth Monson, PhD, is the Spiritual Co-Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Managing Teacher at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. Liz was authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism after over 35 years of studying, practicing, and teaching Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu and […]
