Vajrasattva Purification Weekend Retreat

Learn the mantra! Click here for a recording.

Here are links to the recordings of the two Retreat Prep Sessions:

• 2015-06-20 Vajrasattva Practice Retreat Prep 1
• 2015-07-16 Vajrasattva Practice Retreat Prep 2

Lama Zopa Rinopoche says we would be "crazy" not to do purification practice every day. Vajrasattva purification practice is based on the four opponent powers (regret, refuge, remedy and resolve) and is a powerful daily practice to help make the mind happier about mistakes and purify negative karma. Geshe Gelek has taught the basics of Vajrasattva practice monthly since February and strongly encourages students to attend this retreat to get a deeper experience of the practice. We hope you can join us for a weekend focused on purifcation led by Kadampa Center founder Don Brown.

The Vajrasattva Retreat will be held at the beautiful Avila Retreat Center in Durham, Friday evening (including dinner) through noon on Sunday. Online registration will be posted as soon as possible. Approximate cost per person for the food/lodging fees will be $160-175; Kadampa Center offers the teachings freely, however, so donations are greatly appreciated to help us with our costs as well.

Prerequisites for the retreat

At the advice of the retreat leader, Don Brown, to get the most out of the retreat students who attend should meet the following pre-requisites:

• Have taken refuge
• At least an intellectual familiarity with the Three Principal Aspects of the Path
• A familiarity with the Vajrasattva practice using the visualization with consort. Don will lead practice sessions on Saturday, June 20 at 10 a.m. and on Thursday, July 16, at 7 p.m. so those who have not done the practice before can learn it and add it to their practice before the retreat.

There will be several opportunities at the center prior to the retreat to learn and practice the Vajrasattva visualization, and the instructions are available as a free publication from Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. In addition, the free pulication The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism from LYWA has a good introduction by Lama Yeshe to the Three Principal Aspects of the Path.

For questions or help taking refuge, please email assistantspc@kadampa-center.org.

The oral transmission of a mantra creates a connection to the lineage teachers and makes saying the mantra even more powerful. Geshe Gelek will be giving the oral transmission of the Vajrasattva mantra during Vajrasattva practice on Saka Dawa, June 2nd, at 7:00pm. Retreatants are encouraged to attend this practice if possible.

While participating in the retreat, we also ask that you follow the five Mahayana precepts:
1. No Killing (including insects)
2. No Lying
3. No Stealing (including borrowing without asking)
4. No Sexual Misconduct
5. No Use of Intoxicants such as Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs     

About Don Brown

Kadampa Center was founded by Don Brown, a heart student of Lama Yeshe. At the advice of Lama Yeshe, Don took on the role of a teacher. Don has served the center ever since in various roles that include the first Center Director, Spiritual Program Coordinator, Discovering Buddhism facilitator, and board member. Geshe Gelek, our senior resident teacher, asked Don to lead this retreat based on his experience doing a three-month Heruka Vajrasattva retreat and his extensive knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism.

From Don Brown about the retreat

Lama Yeshe said it succinctly, “Whenever you encounter interruptions or obstacles in your practice (or life), don’t get discouraged or depressed.  Realize instead that you need to purify…the practitioner of purification is brave: ‘I can do it, I’ve made mistakes and I am sure there is a solution to my problems.’”  This is in fact what Vajrasattva purification practice is all about!

Lama Tsong Khapa’s advice:  “To attain spiritual realizations one must combine meditation on the path to enlightenment (lam rim) with purification, accumulation of merit and praying to one’s lama as a Buddha.”  The yoga method of Vajrasattva involves all of these with special emphasis on purification. 

Great breaking news about the upcoming Vajrasattva purification retreat!
Participants that have been wanting to do the preliminary practice of 100K Vajrasattva mantras can use this retreat to jumpstart that incredibly worthwhile and inspiring feat.  Geshe Gelek has given his blessing for students to continue the practice at home (or on the road) if they can do at least one session per day until the mantra count is completed.

Lama Yeshe, who is founder of the FPMT and therefore the source of all the Dharma ever taught at Kadampa Center, was a great advocate of Vajrasattva purification practice.  He once expressed the hope that all his students would make the time to do the retreat at least once before they died.  There is no better time than the present!

Lama’s last and possibly most important advice to us beginners:  “When in retreat you shouldn’t push yourself too much…you should think that the pleasure of retreat is like a nightclub.  You’re getting blissful wisdom so enjoy yourself.

About Avila

Avila is a beautiful and quiet residential retreat center, providing an ideal spiritual place for practice. The buildings are handicapped accessible. We have reserved a limited amount of rooms for up to 30 people, with a choice of a single room with a shared hallway bath or a cottage shared room on a first come first served basis. The shared rooms are in a quad - two beds in each room and a shared bath in the middle. Shared accommodations will be assigned separately for men and women.

The food will be vegetarian for the entire weekend. The venue is unable to provide specialty food for vegan, gluten-free, or other restricted diets, so participants are encouraged to bring supplements for their meals if they have dietary restrictions.

Arrivals are 6:00-7:00pm on Friday evening (dinner will be provided), and checkout is by noon on Sunday (lunch is not included in the retreat).

Registration

Click here to register for the retreat.