Close-up of natural wood grain rings forming a textured, concentric pattern.
Close-up of natural wood grain rings forming a textured, concentric pattern.
Dale Asrael headshot

News & Updates

Dale Asrael, MA

University Professor

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Mindfulness Based Transpersonal Counseling Concentration, Master of Divinity

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS:

COURSES TAUGHT:

Buddhist Meditation Practicum I and II, 1991–2006 / Psychology of Meditation I, 1992–present / Contemplative Teaching, 2006–present / Contemplative Teacher, 2005–6 / Mindfulness Instructor Training, Levels I, II, III 2000–present / Touching the Moment and Taming the Wild Horse, meditation retreats, 1995–present / Meditation Practicum I: Cultivating Awareness in Everyday Life, 1993–2002 / Meditation Practicum II: Developing Compassion for Oneself and Others, 1994–present / Extending Mindfulness 2015 / The Compassionate Counselor 2019–2021 / Traditional Daoist Qigong

Dale Asrael, MA, University Professor, has taught as Core Faculty in MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling since 1993. She founded, and is the principal instructor for, Naropa University Mindfulness Instructor Training program, which recently completed its twentieth annual session.

She has been a practitioner and teacher of Buddhadharma and meditation for more than forty-five years in the lineage of Naropa’s founder, Trungpa Rinpoche. She studied for many years with the Zen teacher Charlotte Joko Beck. She presents, teaches programs, and leads meditation retreats internationally, and is an authorized teacher of traditional Daoist Qigong.

PUBLICATIONS:

  • “Love of Wisdom Puts You on the Spot” in Meditation in the Classroom
  • “No Hidden Corners” in Shadows and Light
  • “Compassionate Abiding” in Brilliant Sanity

YOU ARE READY.

This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

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Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian liberal arts university that is recognized as the birthplace of the mindfulness movement. Naropa offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs that emphasize professional and personal growth, intellectual development, and cultivating compassion. 

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Contemplative education brings together the best of Western scholarship and Eastern world wisdom traditions. Therefore, your pursuit of wisdom at Naropa means learning both about academic subjects and about your own place in the world. This innovative approach places Naropa on the cutting edge of the newest and most effective methods of teaching and learning.  

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Through its incredibly vibrant and welcoming community,  “Naropa offers a home for those who aren’t willing to conform to convention—the mystic, the healer, the prophet, the rebel, the artist, the revolutionary, the oddball—those who are incredible contributors to the evolution of society and of our planet.”—Core Associate Professor Zvi Ish-Shalom

The Naropa Difference

How is Naropa different from other universities? At Naropa, a liberal arts education balances rigorous academics with powerful interpersonal skills and self-awareness to educate the whole person. Naropa’s contemplative approach is inspired by Buddhist philosophy and the conviction that we can build a diverse, contemplative, enlightened society when we have transformed education to affirm the basic goodness of every person. 

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Naropa University campuses are closed on 12/17/2025. 

Due to adverse weather conditions of high winds and planned power outages, all Naropa campuses will be closed today.