Kalachakra Dark Retreat (3 Isolations)

This retreat is in-person at Suchandra Institute. It is offered in English. You can still fly and partipcate, read the sadhana in your own langauges and do the practice sessions. Translation may be possible but not guaranteed to organize potentially for Rinpoche’s teaching if needed and for the meditation interview for qualified students.

RETREAT SESSIONS
You can choose any combination of weeks.
WEEK 1: 25th September – 2nd October (Sunday to Sunday)
WEEK 2: 2nd October – 9th October
WEEK 3: 9th October – 16th October
WEEK 4: 16th October – 23th October

We are grateful to be able to offer the Three Isolations (Wensum) Retreat at the beautiful Kalachakra Kalapa Retreat Center in the Austrian mountains. This dark retreat is a rare opportunity to practice in a similar way to how aspiring yogis practice during a traditional 3-year retreat. The retreat will support the participants to cultivate the Three Isolations of Body, Speech and Mind as a solid ground for entering into the Kalachakra Completion Stage of the Six Vajra Yogas.

Tudor Sucala has kindly offered to lead this year’s in-person retreat at the Kalachakra Retreat Center. He is one of Rinpoche’s senior students and has previously completed two long wensum retreats.

Online Teaching and Personal Meditation Guidance from Khentrul Rinpoche
The retreat will have 4 weeks in total. Participants are welcome to take part in all of them or the weeks of your choosing. Khentrul Rinpoche will give 1 teaching per week and personal meditation interviews via zoom, in order to discuss meditation progress and help alleviate obstacles to the practice. We will organize it and provide all the necessary devices.

REQUIREMENTS
All participants must have received the Four Higher Empowerments of Kalachakra with instructions for the Three Isolations from Shar Khentrul Rinpoche. Everyone who has already taken these Higher Empowerments is automatically approved for participation. If you have not received them yet and have the aspiration to do so, fulfill the request here.

(Note: the Four Higher Empowerments of Kalachakra are not the same Kalachakra Empowerments which Rinpoche gave in Hong Kong in 2020 and in other places as in Vienna in 2019, which are called “The 7 Empowerments of a Growing Child”. If you are not sure that you have received the Four Higher Empowerments, write to us before starting your registration.)

Oral Transmission In September Required
Rinpoche has agreed that his new concise sadhana “Secret Dakini Treasure” may be included in the daily schedule as well. You must participate in his oral transmission and commentary for the new Sadhana that will be given in September. See Dzokden.org for details.

Retreat Infos and Guidelines
This is a strict retreat. The retreat will be closed and in silence. No visitors, no computers, no mobile phones. Participants are expected to follow the retreat guidelines respectfully, not only for their own practice’s success, but for avoiding disturbing others as well. Participation in the group sessions is obligatory, unless important health conditions do not allow it. If this is the case, this should be discussed in advance with the retreat leader and if necessary with Rinpoche as well. Personal phones and other electronic devices (laptops etc.) will be stored in the office. If someone needs to contact you in case of emergency, they can write an e-mail to [email protected] and call at +43 676 395 8898. Both e-mailbox and phone will be checked once a day during lunch time.

Materials and Guidelines
Bring your Profound Path of Vajra Book with its commentary “The Hidden Treasure” and the Higher Empowerments Booklet as a reference for your practice. Other reading materials not directly related to the wensum practice are not allowed. Rinpoche has agreed that his new concise sadhana “Secret Dakini Treasure” may be included in the daily schedule as well. You must participate in his oral transmission and commentary for the new Sadhana that will be given in September. See Dzokden.org for details.

Pay it Forward – Volunteer Opportunities
This is a strict retreat where the participants should avoid engaging in too much physical activity and unnecessarily interacting with others. Because of that, we need at least one volunteer for cooking (breakfast, lunch and light dinner). Depending on the number of participants, more than one volunteer may be needed. The volunteer will have a space separate from the retreatants and can enjoy all the retreat center spaces, except for the Gompa during the practice sessions. Differently from the participants, the volunteer can have access to electronic devices, WLAN etc. This is an extraordinary opportunity to generate merit and create the causes for yourself engaging in this practice in the future. Rinpoche strongly encourages us to support our dharma brothers and sisters through volunteering.

If you are considering this opportunity, please write as soon as possible to [email protected], so that we can arrange a video call in order to plan your participation. It is not necessary to volunteer for the whole retreat. You can offer as much as possible according to your possibilities.