Gen-la Chokyi Dhakpa, a former Breckenridge resident and now a trained Buddhist Teacher, will lead two major retreats, Oct. 17-18 and Oct. 19 – 21 at Summit Peaks Lodge in Silverthorne. The retreats, hosted by the Summit Dharma Center, are open to anyone interested in learning more about Tibetan Buddhist teachings. The first retreat dubbed “Vast as the Heavens, Deep as the Sea: Cultivating Boddhicitta,” will teach retreatants how to re-set their mind with a true love for others. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that caring for others is the best way to discover true peace and happiness for one’s own self. Through instruction and meditation attendees will unearth a peace only discovered when one can stop worrying about their own needs and form an altruistic mindset. The second retreat, “Mahamudra: Eliminating the Darkness of Ignorance,” will introduce attendees to what is considered one of the most important meditation practices anyone studying Buddhism can learn. These practices can help one discover – as Gen-la Chokyi Dhakpa puts it, “You don’t have to believe everything you think.” This retreat will focus on a teaching from a text by His Holiness the 9th Karmapa, a great master of the Kagyu lineage of Buddhism.In addition to the two October retreats, The Summit Dharma Center (SDC) offers weekly Buddhism classes and retreats via their advanced internet broadcast technology and with in-person teachers in Frisco, Vail, Carbondale and Denver. They also reach international communities via the web. Classes meet in Vail, at the Vail Chapel, Wednesday evenings and in Frisco, beneath the Frisco Mall, each Monday evening.The October retreats will be held at the beautiful and newly remodeled Summit Peaks Lodge, just north of I-70 at the Silverthorne exit. The suggested donation for each retreat is $200. Lodging is available and requires separate payment of $20 per night. Visit http://www.summitdharmacenter.org or call (303) 665-2393 to learn more about ongoing classes and the two October retreats.