She was an experienced meditator in Western mindfulness. He was a Tibetan Lama, looking for a place to share the ancient wisdom of Eastern Buddhist traditions.
Together, after two months of meeting, Dara Prothro of Zoetic Mindfulness Retreat and Lama Tashi Norbu have aligned their journeys and cultivated a sort of “spiritual amusement park” on the outskirts of San Marcos.
Zoetic, which means “vitality or liveliness” in Greek, hosts a 2,500 square foot lodge, sitting on 30 acres of forest surrounded by nothing. That’s the appeal, according to Prothro. Just like the practice she promotes, everything is left behind.
“It’s easier to connect with nature out here when you leave the city,” said Prothro. “On the drive out here, you kind of feel like you’re already a little calmer because you can feel San Marcos behind you.”
The space is dedicated to various wellness classes, including meditation, yoga, Thai Chi and Dharma discussions. In addition, Zoetic also offers threeday overnight silent retreats, where participants are led through mindfulness practices guided by Prothro and her team.
Prothro has 20-years’ experience in Vipassana and Theravada Buddhist meditation traditions. She said she started Zoetic after feeling gratitude for completing a personal project that gave her a sense of wonderment and appreciation for what mindfulness and meditation could really do.
“Mindfulness is simply paying attention to what is happening in the present moment and not being judgmental,” she said. “I’m an instructor. I give instructions for meditation. I point out the doorway, and maybe you can see if it works for you.
This is science-based instruction that works with repetition.”
As Zoetic nears its one-year anniversary in August, the new addition of Norbu, who is originally from Bhutan, has sparked enthusiasm for both mindfulness and Tibetan Buddhism for those looking to connect with their higher self.
“We are explorers of the outside, but in the east, they search inside,” Prothro said. “This place is about bridging the gap and bringing that attitude to more Americans.”
Norbu has been the resident monk at Zoetic since May after meeting Prothro at a retreat near Austin in April. His background in Tibetan Buddhism and fine art led him to employment working as a muralist and painter for the Dalai Lama before coming to the U.S.
He has been touring the country at the request of the Dalai Lama to spread the teachings of the Buddha, also known as the Dharma in Buddhist traditions.
“Dara (Prothro) is doing a great fortune for the area,” Norbu said. “She provides good karma. She has a lot of questions. Some of them are very sacred that we don’t go around and teach everywhere.”
Recently, Norbu recognized Prothro as a ngakpa, a lay term for a person who teaches and engages in tantric practices and is not a nun or a monk. To receive the distinction, a person must complete 180,000 Buddhist prostrations within two years.
“I told her that I recognized her as a good teacher,” Norbu said. “You may say it’s a privilege. This is a person you appoint who has some qualifications to teach.”
In addition, Norbu’s background covers various Tibetan rituals and customs, such as Thangka painting, a traditional style of painting on cloth or fabric, and creating Tibetan sand mandalas.
As a trained artist, Norbu studied in Europe and is the founder of the Museum of Contemporary Tibetan Art in Emmen, Netherlands, the first and only registered Tibetan art museum outside of Tibet.
The museum and his U.S. tour has allowed him to record 2,000,000 interactions with Americans and Europeans, both through art and Buddhist teachings.
“That is how I am recognized as a Lama,” he said. “I go because of my duty, because the Dalai Lama is 90 years old, so we have some responsibility. We share the ancient teachings with the modern world to fuse the ancient with the modern.”
To further his teachings, Norbu provides sacred Tibetan tattoos based on the recipient’s personal Buddhist deity, where a unique mantra is chanted during the session to share the Dharma.
“It’s a blessing from a Lama,” Norbu said. “It’s a nice spiritual connection about their personal Buddhist deity that is linked with them for eons until they achieve enlightenment.”
For Prothro, Norbu’s presence and her mindfulness instruction are shaping the future of Zoetic. The space regularly hosts Fire-Moon parties on the new and full moons, where attendees walk on fire and set intentions for the upcoming cycle.
“To be able to break through your limiting beliefs is a huge thing for so many of us,” she said. “I remember how I felt on my first fire walk, which is why I wanted to bring it here. Someday, we’d like to build a meditation amusement park, with trails dedicated to sense experience, like sight and sound and elevated walking paths.”
Norbu will return to Zoetic, located at 300 Water Tower Road, in September to continue his residency after a brief tour of the West Coast.
For more information on Lama Tashi Norbu, visit lamatashinorbu. org. To sign up for classes and to view programs offered at Zoetic, visit zoeticmindfulness.com.
