ONLINE 2023 Event Schedule

*ONLINE Arya Tara Practice  / March  21, 28

*ONLINE Jewel Ornament of Liberation / March 21, 28

*ONLINE Guided Meditation / March 19

ONLINE ONLY RETREATS
*Jewel Ornament of Liberation Ongoing Series/ Khenpo Tenzin
*Mindfulness Meditation  Ongoing Series/ Khenpo Tenzin
*Guru Rinpoche / March 24-26 / H.E. Garchen Rinpoche and Lamas
*Purifying The Causes / April 1 / Lopon Barbara Du Bois
*Nyune Ne / April 4 -6 / Lama Bu Nima
*Long Life Event / April 12 -15 / H.E. Garchen Rinpoche and Visiting Lamas
*Mahamudra Teachings / April 16 -17 / H.E. Garchen Rinpoche
*Tara Teachings and Refuge / May 12 -14 / H.E. Garchen Rinpoche
* Teachings TBA / September 3 -7  / H.E. Garchen Rinpoche

Arya Tara and
Jangchok for the Deceased

with
HE Garchen Rinpoche
and the Garchen Institute Lamas

Next session  – March 19

10am -12pm PDT (UTC-7)

Meditation Series on Mindfulness

with Venerable Khenpo Tenzin

Next Class: March 19
3pm -4pm PDT (UTC-7)

Classes Every Sunday
when there is no other event

(Click here to check calendar)

Arya Tara Practice
for H.E. Garchen Rinpoche’s Long Life

with the Garchen Institute Lamas

Next livestream sessions: March 14, 21, 28
8am -9am PDT (UTC-7)

Jewel Ornament of Liberation

with
Venerable Khenpo Tenzin

Next classes: March 14, 21, 28
10am – 12pm PDT (UTC-7)

Next Question and Answer session: TBA
1:30pm – 2:45pm PDT (UTC-7)
Click here to login to Zoom session
ID : 218 378 3697
Password: Ratna88

We are delighted to offer a new online teaching series on this invaluable teaching by Gampopa, the father of the Kagyu tradition in Tibet and principal disciple of Jestun Milarepa. 

“For more than eight centuries, this text has provided a complete foundation for Buddhist study and practice – covering the initial entry into the path and continuing through to the achievement of Buddhahood. It includes teachings on Buddha-nature, finding a spiritual master, impermanence, karma, the cultivation of bodhicitta, the development of the six perfections, the ten Bodhisattva bhumis, Buddhahood, and the activities of a Buddha.”

Gampopa masterfully outlines the entire path to enlightenment, speaking to practitioners at all levels, whether you are just beginning or have been studying and practicing for many years!. His timeless advice is remarkably relevant in today’s challenging world. 

Venerable Khenpo Tenzin’s clear and inspired explanations will illuminate the meaning of this profound text and guide us on to how to practice these precious instructions. The English translation used by Venerable Khenpo Tenzin is Ornament of Precious Liberation translated by Ken Holmes and can be purchased here. Purchase of the text is optional.

Each Tuesday Khenpo Tenzin will teach from 10am -12pm. We encourage you to email your questions after each class during the week to registration@garchen.net. Only when another event is scheduled will the Tuesday class be postponed. Be sure to check the specific class dates below.

Khenpo Tenzin will answer the questions in a zoom session on some Sunday afternoons from 2pm – 3pm. See dates listed below. 

SCHEDULE
Tuesday 10am -12pm /Jewel Ornament of Liberation
Sunday 1:30pm -3pm / Zoom Questions and Answers sessions dates – May 15
Log in information for the zoom sessions/ Questions and Answers
ID : 218 378 3697
Password: Ratna88

DONATIONS
We are offering all of our online dharma programs for free. However we are only able to do so because of the generosity of the sangha. Donations cover the offerings to Khenpo Tenzin and costs to provide this programing. Donations of any size are gratefully accepted.

 Click to Donate

Join us for this excellent opportunity to deepen
your Dharma knowledge, understanding and experience.

MAY ALL BEINGS BENEFIT!

Annual
Guru Rinpoche
Mantra Accumulation Retreat

with

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche
and
Garchen Institute Lamas

March 24 -26

9am -12pm and 2 -5pm PDT (UTC-7)

ONLINE ONLY

Join us for this powerful practice to relieve the suffering of beings through elimination of self-grasping and generation of bodhichitta (the intent to benefit all sentient beings). 

Guru Rinpoche (‘Precious Master’) established the Buddhadharma in Tibet. His name, Padmasambhava, means “Lotus-born” and refers both to his pure birth from a lotus, and to his completely awakened state — he incarnated as a fully enlightened being.

The profound practice of Guru Rinpoche can transform and purify afflictive emotions – such as anger, jealousy and attachment – into wisdom and compassion, thus creating great merit while removing outer, inner and secret obstacles. The ultimate result will be the two-fold attainment of ordinary and supreme siddhis. Ordinary siddhis include long life, good health, peace and happiness, as well as the ability to fulfill all of your bodhichitta aspirations. The supreme siddhi is enlightenment.

The practice of Guru Rinpoche is especially beneficial during the present degenerate age in which beings experience very strong afflictive emotions. Guru Rinpoche predicted secret mantra would be of great benefit during the height of the degenerate age when many sicknesses of mind and body prevail and in times of war. He said that during this time we should continuously supplicate him by reciting his mantra:

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG.

We hold this Guru Rinpoche Mantra Accumulation practice annually because it is the wish of both H.E. Garchen Rinpoche & Drubwang Konchog Norbu Rinpoche that we conduct the practices of Amitabha, Chenrezik, & Guru Rinpoche every year. These three practices are the condensed essences of the three kayas of the Buddha.

EMPOWERMENT

For those of you who have not received the Guru Rinpoche empowerment, please do so BEFORE the retreat begins. Click here for the empowerment from H.E Garchen Rinpoche.

Join us in this precious opportunity to invoke the blessings of Guru Rinpoche, for the benefit all beings and submit your daily accumulations on our website home page starting on March 24th.

Texts will be posted by March 20th.

DONATIONS

We offer all of our online dharma programming and retreats for free by relying on your donations. All donations are welcome and greatly appreciated. CLICK TO DONATE 

May All the Suffering of Sentient Beings Be Vanquished!

Medicine Buddha Puja

To Help End The Pandemic

Garchen Institute Lamas

Next practice: March 29th
8am-9am PDT (UTC-7)

Message from H.E. Garchen Rinpoche

To all my dharma friends in the world,

I request you all to begin the accumulation of 100 million Medicine Buddha mantras on the occasion of H.H.  the Drikung Kyabgon Chokyi Nangwa’s 80th Birthday Celebration. 

Also now it seems that unless we perform many strong pujas and practices it will be very difficult to stop the pandemic in the world.  And if we cannot stop it, then a lot of precious human lives get wasted and it’s very difficult to end it because of the karma and obscurations of sentient beings.  If we were to recite 100 million Medicine Buddha mantras that would help bring an end to the pandemic.

 In brief anyone who wishes to stop the spread of this deadly disease should recite the Medicine Buddha mantra.  It doesn’t matter what lineage or faith you practice or who you are – the person or the lineage makes no difference.  When you recite the Medicine Buddha mantra then ideally you will not get the disease and even if you get it, you will not die from it. So that is how the mantra recitation makes a difference. So please keep this in mind. 

When you submit your mantra accumulations it is like putting money in your bank. If you only have your personal bank account the interest that is earned is small. However by everyone submitting their mantras together it is like putting all our money in the same bank account and then more interest is earned and the merit becomes much more powerful.

Some people do not know how to dedicate their virtuous activites. However if you submit your mantras all together, then your merit will be dedicated properly and never be exhausted. Just like a small river can dry up but a vast ocean will never dry up.

The Garchen Institute will host a Medicine Buddha Puja once a month.

Be sure to keep submitting your mantra accumulations!

Calling on the worldwide sangha to come together to help extinquish the pandemic!

Purifying The Causes

with

Lopön Barbara Du Bois

POSTPONED DUE TO ROAD FLOODING

Now on April 1
10am – 12pm and 2-4pm PDT (UTC-7)

ONLINE ONLY

From H.E. Garchen Rinpoche we are hearing this: We are living in times when beings are overcome by their thoughts of hatred, anger, and jealousy—and these are actually the causes of all harm in the world, even bringing us to try to destroy one another. These causes are within the people, created by the minds of human beings. “Therefore, it is most important to change this state of mind, to cultivate a mind of love and compassion for one another,” Rinpoche says.

He is speaking to us. We are the people of this world and these times, the human beings called to change our minds—and the time is now. 

The Dharma gives us many skillful methods for cultivating the mind of love and compassion. They all work, if we actually follow them. Sometimes, however, our mental-emotional afflictions can appear to undermine our positive intentions, as if we are helpless under the weight of our karmic propensities. I have experienced this personally, and perhaps you have, too. Therefore, in our day together we shall consider the process we call purification, by which seeds of negative cause in the mindstream can be cleared away, allowing beauteous bodhicitta to be recognized and to flourish. For this, we will engage together the profound, gracious, cleansing, purifying, healing practice of Vajrasattva. 

“Purify based on love,” the holy guru tells us.

Our practice text and related documents will be available on the Institute web portal closer to the date.

SCHEDULE
Saturday March 18th,  10am -12pm /2 -4pm

DONATIONS
We are offering all of our online dharma programs for free. However we are only able to do so because of the generosity of the sangha. Donations cover the offerings to Lopön Barbara Du Bois and costs to provide this programing. Donations of any size are gratefully accepted.

 Click to Donate

True Nature Retreat

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche
Khenpo Tenzin
Krishna Das and Band
Nina Rao
Joyanna Maria Ananda
Kathleen Davis

April 26 -30

Click to Register

Due to popular demand we are happy to offer our second True Nature Retreat!

Welcoming beginners as well as seasoned yogis to join this popular gathering at the Garchen Institute! A powerful combination of teachings, meditation, chanting and movement will bring you into a more embodied and heart centered state at this holy destination. 

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche will give pith instructions on the ultimate essence of mind and body, illuminating your true nature. We are delighted to welcome Krishna Das and his band to lead us in truly heart opening devotional chanting.

Khenpo Tenzin will teach on the 5 skandhas/aggregates and guide us in meditations on Shamata and Vipassana.

From the lineage of the great Dzogchen master Khenpo Munsel, who is Garchen Rinpoche’s root guru, come the Tibetan Qigong practices taught by our qualified guide Kathleen Davis.

Nina Rao will lead us in beautiful chanting to prime us for the experience of the joyous heart centered yoga practices taught by the gifted Joyanna Maria Ananda. 

Registration required for in person attendance. Space is limited.  

ONLINE streaming of H.E. Garchen Rinpoche’s teaching April 27-30
No Registration Needed – Livestream on our YouTube Channel

2023 ONLINE Retreat Program:

Click Here to register

Preliminary Practice Retreats

So many students have the aspiration to put into practice the extraordinary teachings that H.E. Garchen Rinpoche has tirelessly given over the last 20 years in the West. Whether you are new to Buddhism or have recieved many teachings and empowerments, the preliminary pratices are profoundly essential on the path of awakening.

Garchen Institute is pleased to continue our Preliminary Practice Retreat Program Online to help students fulfill their aspirations.  These online retreats of varying lengths encompass the scope of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and, in particular, those of the Drikung Kagyu tradition as taught by H. E. Garchen Rinpoche.

We will begin by offering preliminary practice retreats, also called ngöndro retreats, in the spring of 2023. These retreats provide structure and support and are the method for developing the foundation of all practice. The full program of preliminary practice retreats are designed to build on each other.

 Year-round Nyungne / Nyingne Practice

Led by Venerable Lama Bu Nima

April 4-6, 2023

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche has given this specific message regarding the Nyungne practice series:

“Geshe Ngawang Phuntsok Rinpoche said: “The Nyungne ritual is simple but has great benefits.” As said in The Benefits of the Mahayana Sojong Vows, “Completing this practice even just once, one could take rebirth in the human or god realm; one could gain a precious human body that leads to temporary happiness and, ultimately, to enlightenment.”

This practice is now available online, and those who join may receive great merits.

Lama Bu Nima attended the first Nyungne I led in Gargon in 1982, and he has done many more since. He continues to conduct this practice in the traditional way. And now he is responsible for leading this monthly Nyungne retreat.”

This event is hosted by Garchen Dharma Society (GDS)

• Email: GDSNyungNe@gmail.com
• Register for participation by Zoom — Registration will be closed one week before the practice date.
• Online Guide of NyungNe/NyingNe Retreat（線上紐涅/捏涅指南） 

 Registration closes one week prior for each NyungNe/NyingNe Retreat.

SCHEDULE FOR 2023

January 5 -7
February 4 -6
April 4-6

DONATIONS

To make offerings to Lama Bu Nima click here , choose general donation and indicate in the note box that it is a pass through offering for Lama Bu Nima.  (Pass through offerings to individuals are not tax deductible)

To make offerings to Ani Dagme go to paypal and use this name to send her offerings: @namoguru

To make an offering to Garchen Dharma Society (GDS)  please email them directly for instructions. GDSNyungNe@gmail.com

To make an offering to Garchen Buddhist Institute click here.  All donations are tax deductible.

All Donations are greatly appreciated and allow us to continue to offer Dharma programs for free.

 Cakrasamvara Empowerment, Teachings
& Drupcho

Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche
and
Garchen Institute Lamas

Drupcho: July 2 – 9, 2022

Cakrasamvara Drupcho: Empowerment, Teachings and Practice

Cakrasamvara is highest yoga tantra practice in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition.  Cakrasamvara is the main yidam of all Kagyu lineages, and the central deity practiced in the Fivefold Path of Mahamudra of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage. Cakrasamvara is centered around using bliss and emptiness to recognize and rest in our true nature or Buddha essence.

 It is the path that has been relied upon by the hundred of siddhas of India and Tibet. It is the swift path for those with faith, diligence, and wisdom. It is the heart nectar of the Buddha’s teachings.

Yidam practice is a very special tantric path in which one transforms one’s normal, samsaric experience of reality into an extraordinary experience of the true state of all phenomena.

Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will bestow the profound Cakrasamvara empowerment, lead practice sessions and give teachings.

Cakrasamavara practice sessions will be led by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche and the Garchen Institute Lamas. 

Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche is a master teacher of the Cakrasamvara practice and three-year retreat master at the Garchen Institute. Click Here for longer bio.

REQUIRED COMMITTMENT

Anyone who wants to receive the Cakrasamvara empowerment and do the practice must commit to the samaya. The samaya is to never lose your love and to recite 100,000 Cakrasamvara mantras in your lifetime. The mantra for accumulation

ༀ་ཤྲཱི་བཛྲ་ཧེ་ཧེ་རུ་རུ་ཀཾ་ཧུཾ་ཧཱུྂ་ཕཊ་ཌཱ་ཀི་ནཱི་ཛཱ་ལ་སཾ་ཝ་རཾ་སྭཱ་ཧཱ།

OṀ ŚRĪ VAJRA HE HE RU RU KAṂ HUṂ HŪṀ PHAṬ ḌĀKINĪ JĀLA SAṂVARAṂ SVĀHĀ

EMPOWERMENT

You will need a blindfold. Typically a red cloth, wide enough to cover your eyes and hook over each ear is used.

ATTENDANCE

This online retreat was recorded and is available on an ongoing basis. Click here for required registration.

Cakrasamvara empowerment and practice sessions on YouTube, mantra recordings, and texts are available only to those who have registered for the retreat. Video links will be emailed to you for full access.

DONATIONS

We are offering all of our online dharma programs for free. However we are only able to do so because of the generosity of the sangha. The suggested donation of $175 for the Cakrasamvara Drupcho retreat will help cover the offerings to Drupon Rinchen Dorje Rinpoche and costs to provide this programing. Please know that this is only a suggestion and donations of any size are gratefully accepted.  Click to Donate

VAJRAKILAYA 

Teachings and Drupcho

Recording with 

His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche
Lama Thubten Nyima
Garchen Institute Lamas

Recorded November 13 -17, 2021

OPEN FOR ONGOING REGISTRATION

Throughout time and space, Buddhas annd Bodhisattvas have been called to initiate the hearts and minds of their students. Come great ones and with your vajra thunderbolt of wisdom and your hinderance demolishing phurba to once and for all dispel the samsaric seeds of unknowing. Lord of Death, with your spear and trident pierce the veil of ignorance to free us from the path of karmic repetition. 

Wrathful Vajrakilaya is the yidam deity who embodies the enlightened activity of all the Buddhas. Vajrakilaya is a wrathful manifestation of Vajrasattva, the Buddha of Purification. This practice focuses on removing intense inner and outer obstacles to peace, happiness, and enlightenment within oneself, the environment and the world at large. 

The samaya (sacred promise to your teacher) for taking this empowerment is to never to lose your love for others and ideally do a daily practice of Vajrakilaya or at mininmum recite the Vajrakilaya mantra daily.

This is a wonderful opportunity to practice in this amazingly powerful mandala, for the benefit of all beings.

ATTENDANCE

This online retreat was recorded and is available on an ongoing basis. Click here for required registration.

Vajrakilaya empowerment and practice sessions on YouTube, mantra recordings, and texts are available only to those who have registered for the retreat. Video links will be emailed to you for full access.

Manjushri YAMANTAKA

Online Empowerment and Retreat in our YouTube Library

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche

and Garchen Institute Lamas

* It is possible to receive this empowerment and do this practice after our 2023 online Yamantaka Drupcho in February. We encourage you to participate live at that time. Signup will be posted in the coming weeks. Click here for more info.