Retreats

What are qualities that we can grow to feel internally grounded and to act from a positive, wholesome place in our relationships with others? Discover the Six Perfections, or Paramis, at this Dharma Foundations Retreat.Becoming a Work of Art - Dharma Foundations Retreat During this retreat, we will study six aspects of consciousness that we may cultivate to become our own inner and outer works of art. These six aspects are called the paramis in Sanskrit, and have been taught in the buddhadharma for more than two thousand years.Why Take Becoming a Work of Art An Essential Dharma Foundations Retreat October 11-13, 2019  Why Become a Work of Art?Would you rather create one work of art or become a work of art? Our Teacher Namgyal Rinpoche said that it is "better to be a work of art than make a work of art".  In a culture that values external achievements, we often forget the hidden gem inside us. This gem creates bliss, wisdom, and radiance, and it is fiercely worth growing. Let your internal works of art flourish during our foundational three-day retreat.  Why Study the Paramis, the PerfectionsIs the Buddhist body of practice or philosophical canon somewhat new to you? If so, this course will provide you with fundamental resources around which to develop a practice for the rest of your life. Every meditative practice in our tradition, at some point, comes back to the Paramis, also known as the six perfections. These form a flawless path that carries us straight […]

The final exploration in our three-part series, this two-week retreat focuses on Bardo Yoga and Transference of Consciousness Yoga.Six Yogas of Naropa Bardo Yoga There are six bardos, yet you only encounter four during your lifetime. Bardo Yoga is the yoga of the intermediate or liminal state. As it includes aspects of illusory body yoga and dream yoga, it’s recommended that participants have done both of those practices.  Transference of Consciousness Yoga Transference of Consciousness Yoga practice helps us prepare for when consciousness leaves this organism at the time of death. Practices include dissolving the sufferings of the six realms into a bindu which travels upwards in the central channel. Also called the yoga of changing places, this yoga speaks to other worlds and maintaining the light of sleep (as in lucid dreaming) or the light after death. As in other yogas, its successful practice relies on practicing the Paramis.  About the 2019 Six Yogas of Naropa Retreat Bardo Yoga and Transference of Consciousness Yoga December 6-22, 2019The Six Yogas of Naropa are one of the central practices of the Tibetan Kagyu lineage, to which we belong. These practices form a path to freedom through the development of deep understanding into the way things and formations arise and pass away. Meanwhile, the teachings are grounded in the deep understanding of the fundamental principles and practices of Tantra. PREREQUISITES: Who can attend this retreat? This retreat requires the following three pre-requisites: 1 million Chenrezig mantras completed. 100,000 long Vajrasattva mantras completed 100,000 […]

Registration ends November 20, 2020 Kasiṇa meditation is a concentration meditation (samatha, jhāna) intended to settle the mind and create a foundation for liberation. Important Announcement and Change This is a two week retreat and the Teachers have added a one week option. The Teachers recognize that circumstances may make it difficult for some people to attend both weeks. Attending the full two weeks is ideal. If you choose to take the one week option it is the first week, December 4 - 12, 2020. The teachers will be offering a Chenrezi Wongkur at the beginning of the first week. This empowerment will be streamed live, enabling both online and onsite participation. (Exact time and date to be announced.)Winter Meditation Retreat: The Kasinas Settling the Mind, Cultivating Concentration (Jhāna) The ten kasina are part of the forty kammatthana: objects of meditation. They are described in detail by Buddhaghosa in the meditation section of the Visuddhimagga. Kasina meditation is a concentration meditation (variously known in different traditions as samatha, dhyana, or jhana meditations), intended to settle the mind of the practitioner and create a foundation for further practices of meditation. In the early stages of kasina meditation, a physical object is used as the object of meditation, being focused upon by the practitioner until an eidetic (after-image) image of the object forms in the practitioners mind. In more advanced levels of kasina meditation, only a mental image of the kasina is used as an object of meditation. Experience Acariya Doug Duncan […]