Photo by Liza Matthews
The Third Entering the Vajra World Retreat Has Concluded
Details about future retreats will be posted here in September
This retreat was fantastic! I could tell that there was a ton of care and consideration behind the scenes, and what I experienced as a participant was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
Retreat content and teachers were fabulous. I enjoyed every bit of my experiences at the retreat. Teachers were open, gentle and available for participants.
Just perfection - The teachings and content mattered so much to me.... I also loved the difference in style with the teachers and really looked forward to every single talk.
All the aspects of this retreat were done exceptionally well!!!! Planning, communication, schedule, study week, practice week were amazingly well done.
In this digital age, when so much dharma comes to us through the screens of laptops, tablets and phones, the idea of a month-long, in-person retreat might seem as quaint as film cameras and vinyl records. You might well wonder, Nowadays, who has time for such things? Even though it may seem unreasonable, if you long for the profound transformation that the Buddhist teachings offer, we encourage you to find the time. There is nothing like intensive meditation practice and study, supported by a community of like-minded practitioners, to deepen your understanding and meditative experience and provide you with a foundation for a life-long dharma journey.
Modelled after the three-month Seminaries conducted by Trungpa Rinpoche, the Preparatory Course and Entering the Vajra World Retreat, offer a contemporary version of the deep training that Trungpa Rinpoche provided his students. The unique features of this approach are: immersive group practice in shamatha-vipashyana meditation, along with thorough study of all three vehicles of Tibetan Buddhism, perfumed with the profound view of Mahamudra and Ati.
The Preparatory Course covers basic teachings of the foundational vehicle and an introduction to the mahayana. During this course, refuge and bodhisattva vows are offered to those participants who have not previously taken them. In 2027 these courses will be offered both as a 13-week online course, and as a nine-day retreat at Dorje Denma Ling in Nova Scotia.
The Entering the Vajra World Retreat alternates weeks of intensive practice of sitting and walking meditation, with study weeks of reading, lectures, small-group tutorials and meditation practice. During the third week of the retreat, participants may request vajrayana transmission, which is given by a senior student of Trungpa Rinpoche. In the fourth week of the retreat, participants have an opportunity to try the Kagyu ngöndro practice in a supportive setting.
Those participants who have completed the Entering the Vajra World retreat may return during the following years for two-week Practice Intensives that take place during the second two weeks of the main retreat. This track takes people deeper into the vajrayana teachings, and gives them a chance to do intensive vajrayana practice.
There is also a Vajrayogini track for people who want to learn, or deepen, their practice of this sadhana, with the support of senior faculty members.
“Proper training consists of practice and study put together. When you practice properly, you also begin to develop a state of mind that allows you to study properly. This twofold system of study and practice is very, very old. We used this system in Tibet, and it was also used quite a lot in India. Traditional monastic discipline consisted of alternating periods of practice and study. Nalanda University and Vikramashila University, among others, used this twofold system to train people’s minds and at the same time develop their intellects. In turn, those ancient centers of learning produced great teachers and scholars like Padmasambhava, Atisha, and Naropa.
Maybe you could be one of those people!”
—Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
“Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s teachings are part of my bloodstream. They continually inspire my deep passion for the Buddhist path. Trungpa Rinpoche gave us instructions for finding a fundamental and ultimate sense of freedom. He addressed our underlying dissatisfaction and anxiety. He taught us to give in right on the spot, to make friends with ourselves, at all times and in all situations.
It is very wonderful that Trungpa Rinpoche’s students continue to offer intensive training in his tradition at the Three-Yanas Retreats. They provide an opportunity to do a lot of sitting and to receive very supportive teachings in the magical atmosphere of Drala Mountain Center. If you’re willing to have your certainty about reality questioned rather than confirmed, through both intensive sitting practice and rigorous study, these retreats are genuine places to take part in Trungpa Rinpoche’s tradition.”
—Pema Chödrön
