ONLINE 2023 Event Schedule

Annual Secret Accomplishment Practice of
VAJRAKILAYA Drupchen

His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
and
Garchen Institute Lamas

September 23 – October 1
Arrival date September 22

In-Person Registration is CLOSED

ONLINE Registration is still OPEN

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.

This is a reminder that H.E. Garchen Rinpoche is instructing everyone to take the Vajrakilaya empowerment online before September 22.  Please make sure to take the empowerment before the start of drupchen.

The Vajrakilaya Sadhana will be available the day before the start of drupchen, to those who registered to participate online.

TRUE NATURE Retreat

His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
Venerable Khenpo Tenzin
Krishna Das and Band
Joyanna Maria Ananda
Kathleen Davis

October 12 – October 15
Arrival Date October 12
Optional 4th Night Accommodation and Breakfast on October 16

Due to popular demand we are happy to offer our third 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. Band members include: Krishna Das, Ty Burhoe, David Estes and Genevere Walker.

Venerable Khenpo Tenzin will guide us in meditations on our natural state of mind.

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.

Joyous heart centered yoga practices will be taught by the gifted Joyanna Maria Ananda.
Registration required for in person attendance. Space is limited.

Ultimate Essence of Mind and Body Teachings
H.E. Garchen Rinpoche

Guided Meditation on Natural State of Mind
Venerable Khenpo Tenzin

Kirtan Concerts – Krishna Das & Band

Yoga – Joyanna Maria Ananda

Tibetan Qigong – Kathleen Davis

Schedule Overview
October 12 |  Arrival time between 1 – 5pm.   Evening meditation 7pm -8pm
October 13 – 15 | Program

Preliminary Practice in Person Retreat

Venerable Khenpo Tenzin

October 24 – December 23
Arrival Date October 23

Many of you around the world have expressed interest in engaging in the foundational preliminary practices! We are happy to offer the first in person two month ngondro retreat guided by Venerable Khenpo Tenzin at the Garchen Buddhist Institute. It is a rare opportunity to deepen your understanding and practice of the preliminaries within this guided structured retreat at this sacred blessed destination.

The retreat will include instructions on all 5 ngondro practices and time to engage in each practice. The idea is for each participant to get experience in each of the ngondro practices so you can continue on your own in the future to eventually complete the preliminary practices.

A total of 5 participants can join this two month ngondro retreat. It will be held at Tashi Gatsal Ling House, which was named by H.E. Garchen Rinpoche and means ‘Auspicious Isle of Delight’. Each participant will have their own room to practice and will do four practice sessions a day. There will be a common shrine space where the group will assemble for teachings with Khenpo Tenzin. Khenpo will give teachings two times a week with an additional question and answer session per week. Everyone will be cloistered in this retreat house benefiting from the collective group energy generated by each person’s practice. The retreat will be silent.

We are sending this invitation to register for this retreat to you all first since you have been participating in the online ngondro program with Khenpo Tenzin and have made a commitment to completing your ngondro.

The cost of the retreat is $3000 which includes accommodations and program fees. You will be responsible for paying for your groceries and cooking your meals daily. Our staff will do all of the shopping weekly for your retreat.

We will only host this retreat if there is a minimum of 4 participants.
Click here to fill out an application if you are interested in attending this retreat.
Once you have filled out your application, email it to: questions@garchen.net

Application deadline September 24, 2023

If you have any questions email questions@garchen.net

We hope five of you have the causes and conditions to gather for this blessed retreat and can deepen your practice together under the skilled guidance of Khenpo Tenzin.

AYRA TARA PRACTICE

for H.E. GARCHEN RINPOCHE’S LONG LIFE

with the Garchen Institute Lamas

September 19
8am–9pm PDT (UTC-7)

ARYA TARA & JANGCHOK FOR THE LIVING

His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
and the Garchen Institute Lamas

Next Session – October 8
10am–12pm PDT (UTC-7)

MEDITATION SERIES ON MINDFULNESS

with Venerable Khenpo Tenzin

Next Class: October 8
3pm – 4pm PDT (UTC-7)

Classes Every Sunday when there is no other event

(Click here to check calendar)

MEDICINE BUDDHA PUJA

to HELP END THE PANDEMIC
with the Garchen Institute Lamas

Next practice: October 22
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!

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.

Online Preliminary / Ngondro Practices 2023