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Foundation for the
Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition

CLOSING UPDATE: REGISTRATIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED UNTIL WEDNESDAY 9 JUNE!!!

Tantric Buddhism—the Vajrayana—is the swiftest path to achieving Enlightenment in order to be of benefit to others. In the West, there are sometimes opportunities to receive Tantric Initiations and brief commentaries, but it’s very rare and difficult to receive detailed, clear and comprehensive instructions on how one actually uses Tantric practices in order to progress along the path so as to achieve the results.

During these 7 days of teachings, Rinpoche will explain precisely how one engages in Vajrayana practices in order to gain realizations so as to be of the greatest possible benefit to others. Rinpoche will be commenting on a text—The Condensed Meaning of the Path of the Vajrayana—which teaches the essential practices of all four classes of Tantra with a special emphasis on the path of Highest Yoga Tantra. This text covers more than other standard texts on Tantric Grounds & Paths; it actually contains the essence of all the teachings in Lama Tsongkhapa’s Great Path of Secret Mantra. So, it teaches everything from the basics of Deity Yoga up to the secret, essential points for realizing the Illusory Body, Clear Light, and other advanced realizations of the tantric path.

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 Monday, June 14 in the mid-afternoon

Depart: Sunday, June 20 mid-afternoon

Pre-requisites:  Khensur Rinpoche has indicated that a pre-requisite for attending this retreat is that one must have previously received a full Initiation of Highest Yoga (such as Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, 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’re 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: $300 (charged by Sanctuary retreat center) - Food: $300 - 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 Residential Option Retreat: $840-980

Camping: Camping fee $210 (charged by Sanctuary retreat center) - Food: $300 - 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 Camping Option Retreat: $710-860

Commuting: Commuter fee: $150 (charged by Sanctuary retreat center) - Food: $300 - 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 Commuting Option Retreat: $650-800

Included in these costs: Participation in all aspects of the retreat; dinner on Monday; breakfast, lunch & dinner on Tuesday 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); a spiral bound copy of the text: The Condensed Meaning of the Path of the Vajra Vehicle: The Essence of the Nectar of the Great Secret which was especially translated for FPMT Centers hosting teachings on this topic; 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 these. Marpa the translator had to climb the Himalayas a number of times, wandering through Tibet , Nepal and India to receive these teachings from Naropa and Maitripa. 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.

Meditations & Discussion Sessions: In terms of the actual daily schedule during the retreat, Rinpoche has agreed to teach 2-3 sessions per day. In addition to Rinpoche’s teaching sessions, there will also be sessions of guided meditation and some sessions for discussion of topics Rinpoche has covered in classes. Participants are welcome to attend as many of the teaching and meditation sessions as they can but it is not required that one attend all sessions. There will also be some free time during the day for personal meditation, exercise, etc. The grounds of Am Kolel Sanctuary are very beautiful.

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, please download the registration form (PDF) and mail it along with your deposit of $350. Your deposit can also be submitted via PayPal, but please mail the registration form. Email registration can not be accepted. A confirmation email will be sent to you.

(Cancellation Policy: Once you have registered, if you cancel before May 8th, you will receive back your deposit minus a $50 cancellation fee. If you cancel after May 8th, 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.)

Suggested Readings:

(There are no required texts to read prior to the retreat. For those who wish to begin their studies before the retreat, though, some relevant texts are listed below. The root text itself will be handed out on the first day of the retreat as you register; we are not able to mail out copies of the root text itself in advance.)

Tantra in Tibet, by Tsong-ka-pa, Ed. & Trans. by Jeffrey Hopkins, George, Allen & Unwin Publisher.

Deity Yoga, by H.H. The Dalai Lama, Tsong-ka-pa, & Jeffrey Hopkins, SnowLion Publications.

Yoga Tantra, by H.H. The Dalai Lama, Tsong-ka-pa, & Jeffrey Hopkins, SnowLion Publications.

The Union of Bliss & Emptiness, by H.H. The Dalai Lama, SnowLion Publications.

Introduction to Tantra, by Lama Thubten Yeshe, Wisdom Publications.

Tantric Ethics, by Tsongkhapa, trans. by Gareth Sparham, Wisdom Publications.

Paths and Grounds of Guhyasamaja According to Arya Nagarjuna, by Yangchen Gawai

Lodoe with commentary by Geshe Losang Tsephel, Library of Tibetan Works & Archives.

Tantric Techniques, by Jeffrey Hopkins, SnowLion Publications.

Tsong Khapa's Six Yoga's of Naropa, by Glenn Mullin, SnowLion Publications.

Recordings: Ven Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Tantric Grounds and Paths.

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

last updated: June 2, 2010

The Guhyasamaja Center, P.O. Box 1511, Centreville, VA 20122, (703) 774-9692
The Guhyasamaja Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
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