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Six Yogas of Naropa Retreat

Inner Fire, Illusory Body, & Dream Yoga

June 27 update: Sorry, the retreat is full, there is no waiting list.

The Six Yogas of Naropa are the most well-known completion stage yogic practices in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.  They contain the essential and complete tantric practices necessary for attaining enlightenment in one lifetime.  The great Indian scholar and yogi, Naropa, compiled these practices in a highly practical way from various original tantras.  And, these practices were used by Tibet’s great yogis such as Marpa, Milarepa, Je Tsonghkapa, and Gyalwa Ensapa to attain enlightenment for the welfare of others.

It’s extremely rare to be able to receive teachings on the Six Yogas of Naropa.  In some traditions, they are only given in the context of a three year retreat.  These methods help you to generate great bliss in union with the wisdom realizing the ultimate nature of reality in order to gain enlightenment most quickly to benefit others.  Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche is incredibly, unbelievably generous in offering to teach the 6 Yogas of Naropa here in the West!

This will be a six day, experiential retreat on the Six Yogas.  Khensur Rinpoche will teach the relevant meditation and yogic techniques in detail, and there will be time to practice the meditations under Rinpoche’s guidance and to ask questions.  Khensur Rinpoche himself specifically advised that this be a residential retreat so that people can not just learn the theory of these yogas but can also gain direct experience.  So, each day of the retreat will include teachings by Khensur Rinpoche, meditation sessions to practice what Rinpoche has taught, and time to meditate on one’s own as well. 

Gyume Khensur Rinpoche is incredibly kind in accepting the center’s request to teach and lead a retreat on this subject.  Khensur Rinpoche is the former abbot of Gyumed Tantric College in India and a senior teacher at Sera Monastery.  Khensur Rinpoche is one of a very limited number of living masters of these profound tantric teachings. 

Schedule:                    Arrive on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 in the mid-afternoon

                                    Depart on Sunday, July 5, 2009 in the mid-afternoon

Pre-requisites:            As this practice comes from the completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra, to attend this retreat one must have previously received a full Initiation of Highest Yoga (such as Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, Kalachakra, Guhyasamaja, Yamantaka, or Kalachakra).  One must also have a sincere faith in the Buddha’s teachings in general and in Buddhist tantric practices in particular.  Also, as there are a limited number of spaces for this retreat, preference will be given to those who register to attend the full retreat.  Also, in accordance with the policies of Guhyasamaja Center, this retreat is not open to those who are doing the practice of Shugden (which has been strongly discouraged by His Holiness the Dalai Lama). 

Location:                    Am Kolel Sanctuary & Renewal Center, Beallsville, MD  (we are renting out this whole facility for the length of the retreat; location is closest to Dulles airport and is about an hour from Washington, D.C.)

Directions: http://www.sanctuaryretreatcenter.com

Costs:

• Residential     Lodging: $275 (charged by Sanctuary retreat center)

                                    Food:   $150

Donation: $200-350 (to help cover lodging and food for Khensur Rinpoche, translator, attendant, & cook; offering to Rinpoche; stipend to translator; advertising; copies; insurance; etc.)

                                    ---Total Cost for Residential Retreat: $625-775

• Camping         Camping fee: $240 (charged by Sanctuary retreat center)

                              Food: $175

Donation: $200-350 (to help cover lodging and food for Khensur Rinpoche, translator and attendant; offering to Rinpoche; stipend to translator; advertising; insurance; etc.)

                                    ---Total cost if camping: $515-665

• Commuting     Commuter fee:  $125 (charged by Sanctuary retreat center)

                                    Food: $150

Donation:  $200-350 (to help cover lodging and food for Khensur Rinpoche, translator and attendant; offering to Rinpoche; stipend to translator; advertising; insurance; etc.)

                                    ---Total cost if commuting: $475-$625

Included in these costs: Participation in all aspects of the retreat; dinner on Tuesday; breakfast, lunch & dinner on Wednesday thru Saturday; breakfast & lunch on Sunday; coffee, tea & light snacks throughout the retreat; lodging, a camping site, or commuter fee covered (note that lodging within the Sanctuary Retreat facility is 2-4 people per room); hand-out of pages to aid in visualization; helping to cover costs for translator, etc. as noted above.  All meals will be vegetarian.  Participants will be asked to help out with light tasks such as clearing and washing the dishes, chopping vegetables, etc.

In ancient India and Tibet, disciples often had to undergo many hardships and trials to receive teachings such as those on the Six Yogas of Naropa.  Marpa the translator had to climb the Himalayas a number of times, wandering through Tibet, Nepal and India to receive these teachings from Naropa.  Milarepa famously bore many difficulties to receive just these teachings from Marpa.  Even today, some lamas require their students to complete the Ngon Dro practices and enter a three year retreat in order to receive these teachings which are almost never given in the West.  So, for serious students of Tibetan Buddhism, this is a very precious opportunity for study and practice with a genuine tantric Buddhist master.

Registration:

Spaces are quite limited for this retreat and are likely to fill up quickly.  So, our suggestion is to reserve your place by registering early.  To register, download the registration form and mail it along with your deposit of $300 for residential participants and $200 for campers or commuters. 

(Cancellation Policy: Once you have registered, if you cancel before May 8^th, you will receive back your deposit minus a $50 cancellation fee.  If you cancel after May 8^th, then your deposit will only be refundable if someone else takes your place on the retreat again minus the $50 cancellation fee.  If more people attempt to register than we have space for, then we will keep a waiting list for spaces.) 

Donations via PayPal:

Nearby Hotels

We need to make sure that we fill the beds at the retreat center, however, if you must stay off-site, here are some local hotels. Note: we are not holding rooms at these hotels, so there's no group rate.

Extended Stay America Washington, D.C. - Germantown

Homestead Washington, D.C. - Germantown

Hampton Inn Germantown/Gaithersburg

8.4 Miles From 19520 Darnestown Rd, Beallsville, MD 20839-3308 Germantown Hotel Info: 866-538-1349. $107.95

Holiday Inn At Carradoc Hall

Comfort Suites Leesburg

Questions? Email Lorne Ladner: RetreatRegistration "at" guhyasamaja.org

Suggested Readings:

The Bliss of Inner Fire, by Lama Thubten Yeshe, Wisdom Publications.
TsongKhapa's Six Yoga's of Naropa, by Glenn Mullin, SnowLion Publications.
The Practice of the Six Yoga's of Naropa trans by Glenn Mullin, Snow Lion Publications.

The Guhyasamaja Center, P.O. Box 1511, Centreville, VA 20122, (703) 774-9692
The Guhyasamaja Center is a religious non-profit 501(c)(3) organization registered in the State of Virginia.
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