This event is available both In-person and Online.
Invited by King Trisong Detson, Guru Rinpoche brought the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni to Tibet. Generally referred to as Guru Rinpoche, which means “precious master,“ he dispels all negativity, freeing beings from their troubles and disturbances.
When Guru Rinpoche appeared on earth, he came as a human being. In order to dissolve our attachment to dualistic conceptions and destroy fixations, he exhibited extraordinary manifestations. The Eight Emanations of Guru Rinpoche embody his most beneficial activities and demonstrate the flexibility and illusory nature of appearances.
Who is Guru Rinpoche?
We’re unimaginably lucky to hear from Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), the leader who transformed Tibet into a Buddhist country and is arguably the reincarnation the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni) predicted would be his last reincarnation. More than a millennium ago, Guru Rinpoche made many prophecies scattered in text across many lineages of Tibet. Those were compiled in recent years into a text titled, “An Encouragement to Avert the Hindrances of Dark Times in the Year of the Iron Dog.” (Source: The Saving Each Other Together (SEOT) Project)
Refuge Vow
Until you have taken refuge, you have not committed your spiritual practice to a life direction. And once you take the refuge vow, you are recognizing that you yourself have Buddha nature and can unveil it. To do that, you need the support of a guide, (the Buddha), instructions on how to reveal your nature (the Dharma) and friends on the journey to keep you moving in the right direction (the Sangha). Taking refuge changes your life priorities and firmly plants you moving in the direction towards your Buddha nature. This is the first step as an official Buddhist on the path. While you can take it in your heart which is the most important form, you can also take it with a Buddhist master. It represents turning toward a genuine spiritual path that can be of benefit not only to ourselves but to others as well. Khentrul Rinpoche will offer this vow to those who would like to take it. Since this is the moment you recognize yourself as part of the family of the Buddhas, you are given a new name, a refuge name which has profound meaning based on the qualities of the ultimate truth which you will work to cultivate and reveal in yourself. You can receive one in person or request one online.
Bodhisattva Vow
For those who want to know the truth of their nature, but also want everyone else to know the truth of their nature – there is the Bodhisattva Vow. This is a ceremony to commit to or to validate your choice to help all sentient beings in the 10 directions and 3 times to know their own sacred truth. It’s a commitment to help others awaken no matter what it takes, no matter how long, and no matter when it happens. It is a commitment to be here for their benefit. This is a step to cultivating the heart of love and compassion and the warrior spirit and energy that will stop at nothing to help other people see their truth.
The Bodhisattva Vow can only be taken after you have taken the Refuge Vow. In taking this vow, you move from a path of individual awakening to one of communal awakening commit to love and compassion as your path.
Schedule by Timezone
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mongolia, Singapore and Taiwan
SUNDAY December 8, 2024
7:00 AM – 9:00 AM — Session 1: Teachings on Guru Rinpoche, Refuge and Bodhisattva Aspirations 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM — Session 2: Refuge and Bodhisattva Vows
This is a FREE event and will be available both Online and In-person.
Please select the RSVP ticket if you wish to join for the Online or In-person event.
Khentrul Rinpoche and Judith Simmer-Brown sit down for a fireside chat on the feminine aspect of Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism has for centuries been dominated by male Guru figures in patriarchal society. This lead women in Tibet to pray to be reborn a man and many women in western society question whether there are only male buddhas? This is far from the nature of what is actually taught in Dharma. In Kalachakra Tantra we have the ultimate union of both the feminine and masculine aspect both of which we need to realize enlightenment. So today Rinpoche and Judith sit down for a very special conversation to talk about the divine feminine aspect of practice and why all of us need these qualities in our lives. This is not a rejection of the male qualities. Sometimes when there is a talk on the feminine qualities or Khentrul Rinpoche has mentioned that there will be female Kalki in Shambhala, students wonder if this is a backlash or a rejection to the masculine. The answer is no. It’s an integration of all aspects of our nature. We are very fortunate to have Judith here to talk to us about this as she is the author of Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism and has for a long time taught and explained this aspect.
About Judith Simmer-Brown
Judith Simmer-Brown, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies Emeritx at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where she has taught since 1978. As Buddhist practitioner since the early 1970’s, she became a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1974, and served as an acharya in Shambhala from 2000-2022. Her books are Dakini’s Warm Breath (Shambhala 2001)and Meditation and the Classroom: Contemplative Pedagogy for Religious Studies (SUNY 2011). She and her husband, Richard, have two adult children and four grandchildren.
About Khentrul Rinpoché
Khentrul Rinpoché Jamphel Lodrö is the founder and spiritual director of Dzokden. Rinpoche is the author of Unveiling Your Sacred Truth, The Great Middle Way: Clarifying the Jonang View of Other-Emptiness, A Happier Life, and The Hidden Treasure of the Profound Path.Rinpoche spent the first 20 years of his life herding yak and chanting mantras on the plateaus of Tibet. Inspired by the bodhisattvas, he left his family to study in a variety of monasteries under the guidance of over twenty-five masters in all the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Due to his non-sectarian approach, he earned himself the title of Rimé (unbiased) Master and was identified as the reincarnation of the famous Kalachakra Master Ngawang Chözin Gyatso. While at the core of his teachings is the recognition that there is great value in the diversity of all spiritual traditions found in this world; he focuses on the Jonang-Shambhala tradition. Kalachakra (wheel of time) teachings contain profound methods to harmonize our external environment with the inner world of body and mind, ultimately bringing about the golden age of peace and harmony (Dzokden).
Schedule by Timezone
Boulder, Colorado – FRIDAY September 20, 2024 / 7:00 PM Melbourne, Australia – SATURDAY September 21, 2024 / 11:00 AM Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mongolia, Singapore and Taiwan – SATURDAY September 21, 2024 / 9:00 AM Hanoi, Vietnam – SATURDAY September 21, 2024 / 8:00 AM Romania – SATURDAY September 21, 2024 / 4:00 AM Central Europe and South Africa – SATURDAY September 21, 2024 / 3:00 AM Sao Paulo, Brazil – FRIDAY September 20, 2024 / 10:00 PM East Coast USA, Toronto – FRIDAY September 20, 2024 / 9:00 PM West Coast USA – FRIDAY September 20, 2024 / 6:00 PM
Zoom Information
Zoom information for online session will be sent via email after registration.
This is a paid event and will be available both Online and In-person.
8 Shambhala Dharma Kings Empowerment with Khentrul Rinpoche
Khentrul Rinpoche will bestow his mind terma of the 8 Shambhala Dharma King Empowerment at the Boulder Shambhala center. This is a rare opportunity for establishing a direct connection with the Rigdens of Shambhala. Rinpoche will also give an introductory teaching and a Q&A session after the empowerment as well as oral transmission of the mantras and the text.
About the Kings of Shambhala The Kalki Kings are the Dharma Kings of the Sublime Realm of Shambhala who were able to skillfully unite their entire realm through the Kalachakra teachings. Their effort went much more beyond only alleviating biased differences like races, conflicting religious approaches, classes etc. They helped propagate and make the Kalachakra teachings in such a way, that their realm transformed into a pure Bodhisattva realm, happy and peaceful, where spiritual practice flourishes. Differently from wordly kings which are focused on protecting and expanding their territories, the Kalkis are Kings of the dharma, bodhisattva beings who manifest as great leaders out of their compassion and wisdom.
“In general we say that the Kalki Kings are inseparable from the 8 great bodhisattvas and the 10 wrathful dakas. They are incredibly powerful. For me, the Shambhala kings are much more special because of their particular connection with our own world. The Bodhisattvas and dakas possess a subtle body form, like a body of a being of the god realm, and so, only some individuals can connect with them. But the Shambhala Kings and Kalkis appeared in Shambhala as human beings, so that many people could benefit through connecting with them. And, of course, they manifest themselves not as an ordinary human being, but as an exceptional, extraordinary human being.
I have been dedicating myself intensively to prepare for this empowerment. I feel a strong connection with the Kalkis and I have no doubt that they are the greatest hope of our world for the manifestation of the Second Golden Age of Peace and Harmony.” (Khentrul Rinpoche)
WHO IS THIS FOR or HOW TO PREPARE MYSELF? There are no prerequisites at all. It is suitable for all levels of practitioners. If you want to prepare yourself, you can do the online course Introduction to the Ngöndro available at our learning center. If you are already practicing dharma, you may benefit from the oral commentaries Rinpoche gave about his Shambhala prayers; they can be accessed in his official Youtube Channel. For knowing more about Shambhala and the Kalki Kings, we suggest the book “The Realm of Shambhala” by Rinpoche.
Schedule by Timezone
Boulder, Colorado
SATURDAY September 21, 2024
10:00 AM — Empowerment and Teaching
1:00 PM — Oral Transmission and Practice
HOW THE ONLINE EMPOWERMENT WILL WORK 1) Register for each attendee that will be receiving the empowerment. You will be added to the course on learn.dzokden.org 2) You must receive the empowerment online in real-time. We do not record the empowerments.
3) You will receive access to the zoom for each of the sessions. They will NOT include any oral transmissions or Empowerments.
This is a paid event and will be available both Online and In-person.
Included in the event: – Empowerment of Marichi Tara – Oral Transmission of 2 Marichi Sadhanas – Teachings on Marichi and Shambhala
The Goddess Marichi, 21st Tara and the Dharma Proctor of Shambhala
The radiant Goddess Marichi is the 21st Tara, blazing ahead of the sun. She is the Dharma protector of Kalapa at the center of the pure land of Shambhala. In Jetsun Taranatha’s teachings on the Taras she is at the completion stage of the Tara practice. Very powerful, she is the color of the sunset, a wondrous, glowing orange. She comes ahead of the dawning sun of great bliss and, like the sun, her blessings pervade everywhere.
She is worshiped all across Asia in many traditions. In Chinese astrology she is known as the Mother of the Big dipper, the goddess of astrology and of all 9 planets. In Japan the Ninja warriors worshiped her for her magical power of invisibility, a power the Ninja desire to possess. Khentrul Rinpoche’s Personal Dharma Protector Marichi (also known as Marīcī and Özer Chenma) came to Rinpoche’s life when he was a young boy herding yak cattles in Tibet. Without fences, it was quite difficult to take care of them. Some yaks hide themselves from the boy Rinpoche under rocks, and so used to spend the night in danger of being attacked by wolves. To help protect them, his family shared with him the Marichi mantra and the faith in her when he was still very young.
“I do not know exactly why, perhaps because of having no doubt when doing this or because of a special connection, when I recited her mantra and did the ritual according to the traditional manner of protecting the yaks, I have 100% guarantee that the yaks would be safe during the night. I never had problems with yaks being killed by the wolves since then, really never. So I kept that in mind and I recited innumerable mantras, many times, when I took care of them. So, afterwards, anytime when we had an obstacle I always relied on her.”
“So this is why the Tibetan says that praying for Marichi helps. But, of course, it does not help everyone individually, as it depends for example on the individual connection and on the level of faith. You must have no doubt at all. I have indestructible faith in Marichi since my childhood, so this helped me to develop many connections with her during my life.”
WHO IS THIS FOR or HOW TO PREPARE MYSELF? There are no prerequisites at all. It is suitable for all levels of practitioners. Previous Buddhist study and practice are helpful but not mandatory.
Kalachakra Practitioners – She is the protector of the pureland connected to Shambhala. Dzokden Practitioners – This empowerment helps your Drolmi Kazug Wishfulfilling Vase Practice
SCHEDULE BY TIMEZONE
Boulder, Colorado
SUNDAY September 22, 2024
10:00 AM — Empowerment and Teaching
1:00 PM — Oral Transmissions, Shambhala Teachings Marichi Practices
HOW THE ONLINE EMPOWERMENT WILL WORK 1) Register for each attendee that will be receiving the empowerment. You will be added to the course on learn.dzokden.org 2) You must receive the empowerment online in real-time. We do not record the empowerments.
3) You will receive access to the zoom for each of the sessions as well as the recordings after the event for everything except for the oral transmissions and empowerment.
This is a paid event and will be available both Online and In-Person. This page is for Online registration only.
PRACTICAL TEACHING INCLUDES -Understand the Bardos from the Kalachakra Perspective -What to do when you or a loved one dies -How to spot opportunities for liberation in the Bardo of dying
Who is this course for? Open to anyone who wants to understand how to prepare for your own or someone else’s death.
What will you learn? You will learn an overview of the 6 bardos, focusing on how the bardos dying and the the bardo before rebirth.
How will this benefit you? Death is one of the best opportunities. This series of teachings helps you understand how to prepare best for it.
Course Curriculum In this practical teaching, Khentrul Rinpoche will discuss the step by step instructions for what to do for our loved ones at the time of death, through their dying process and the subsequent prayers and practice we can do once our loved one has passed away. We do not have to be an incredible yogi to benefit from these teachings. Everyone can create conditions in this life, for their loved ones to have a peaceful death and a beneficial future rebirth.
Schedule by Timezone
Washington DC, USA
SATURDAY September 7, 2024
3:00 PM — Session 1: 2024 Sacred Transition: Dying, Death and the Bardo
5:00 PM — Session 2: 2024 Sacred Transition: Dying, Death and the Bardo
SUNDAY September 8, 2024
3:00 PM — Session 3: 2024 Sacred Transition: Dying, Death and the Bardo
5:00 PM — Session 4: 2024 Sacred Transition: Dying, Death and the Bardo
