Higher Empowerments of Kalachakra & Dark Retreat with Khentrul Rinpoché

About the Event and Schedule

Up to this point of our spiritual path, our use of conceptual methods has been instrumental in removing our many layers of misconception, but as they are embedded in the dualistic mind, these methods function as a subtle barrier to experiencing our definitive nature. For this reason, we need now to abandon them in favor of a direct approach that works without conceptual fabrications. We can achieve this transformation from conceptual to non-conceptual in two steps. Firstly we are introduced to the Kālachakra view by receiving the Four Higher Empowerments. Secondly, with the establishment of this view, we use the unique meditation technique of the Three Isolations (Wensum) to cut the proliferation of thoughts and abide in the nature of the mind. (Khentrul Rinpoché).

The retreat encompasses: 

1)  A day of preparations with Preliminary Practices, Teaching, Guru Pūjā, Kālachakra-Tsok, and a walk in the nature with Rinpoché,

2) The Kālachakra Four Higher Empowerments,

3) Teaching-Transmission of the Wensum (Three Isolations) Practice,

4) a printed booklet about the Empowerments and Practice,

5) “Secret Ḍākinī Treasure” Sādhana oral transmission (upon request) 

6) If needed, a personal audience with Rinpoché (upon request),

7) Kalachakra Dark Meditation Retreat (Three Isolations / Wensum) with practice sessions guided by senior students, as well as:

8) Food and accommodations at the Dzokden Kalapa Retreat Center.

Special session in 2025: on the opening day of the event, Rinpoché will bestow the first part of a commentary on Dolpopa’s inspiring text “Aspiration Prayer for the Two Stages of the Vajra Path.” To provide people around the globe with the opportunity to connect with these teachings and the Kālachakra Temple at Kalapa, we will stream this session online. The remaining sessions of the event will be in-person only.

SCHEDULE

3rd July afternoon – Arrivals, Welcome Meeting and Introductions, Teaching | Check-in 2 PM – 4 PM — PLEASE MAKE SURE TO ARRIVE WITHIN THIS PERIOD

4th July – Kālachakra Preliminary Practices, Guru Pūjā Ritual, and Kālachakra-Tsok, Walk in the nature around Dzokden Kalapa Retreat Center with Rinpoché

5th July – Four Higher Empowerments and Teaching-Transmission of the Three Isolations (Wensum) practice

5th – 13th July – Wensum Practice Retreat; Personal Audiences with Rinpoché

13th July – Concluding Tsok, and Check-out after lunch 

How to Prepare and Materials

How to prepare for this retreat: We strongly encourage you to prepare yourself as much as you can with the Kālachakra Preliminary Practices. In addition to the longer sādhanas “Divine Ladder” and “Enlightening the Heart”, you will need to know the sādhana “Secret Ḍākinī Treasure”. For the latter, you must register here for the recorded commentary if you have not already received it previously (there you find also the recorded chanting). We encourage you to study all the sādhanas and pūjās as much as you can, including the transliterations and chantings.

Please make sure to register for, study, and practice as much as you can the GURU PŪJĀ and the KĀLACHAKRA-TSOK to prepare yourself so that you know these rituals and their meanings very well beforehand. Both courses have texts and teachings translated into many languages. Inside you find the chantings and practical explanations as well. If you wish (not mandatory), bring your own vajra, bell, ḍamaru, or other ritual instruments.

Materials: You can borrow printed texts of Guru Pūjā and Tsok from the temple to use during the event. Please bring your printed practice book “The Profound Path of Vajra Yoga”. You bring also Rinpoché’s commentary “The Hidden Treasure” and “Unveiling Your Sacred Truth 3” as a reference for your practice. Everything must be on paper because electronic devices are not allowed after the strict retreat begins. Other reading materials not directly related to the Wensum practice are not allowed during the retreat period. For the Ngondro preparation session, bring your own maṇḍala set. If you have already participated before, bring also your “Four Higher Empowerments Booklet”, your blindfold, and your meditation belt. If you are new, you will receive these as a gift during the empowerment ceremony.

Retreat Information and Guidelines

After the Four Higher Empowerments on July 5th, the strict retreat will begin. It will be closed and in silence. During this period, participants are not allowed to receive visitors or use mobile phones, tablet devices, pads, smart watches, laptops, computers, and so forth. We can store these in our office if you wish. If someone needs to contact you in case of an emergency, they can email [email protected] or call +43 676 395 8898 and we will inform you. Rinpoché advises participants to follow the retreat guidelines respectfully, not only for the success of their own practice but also to avoid disturbing others.

The daily schedule of the practice retreat consists of four Wensum sessions and additional activities such as occasional teachings or personal audiences. Participation in two daily group sessions is mandatory unless health conditions completely prevent you from taking part. The remaining two sessions can be practiced in your own room if you prefer. Practice sessions will be conducted in English and Tibetan. If you absolutely prefer, you can bring copies of the texts in your own language as well and read them silently while the group recites in English.

Registration

The fee for the retreat includes three vegetarian meals and shared accommodations at the Dzokden Kalapa Retreat Center. We cannot offer space for individual rooms for participants of this event. However, you can alternatively bring your own tent and sleep outside near the Kālachakra Stūpa (see registration options below).

Off-Site Accommodations: If you absolutely need an individual room, many options for accommodations are available near the retreat center’s area, in the Garanas region, and in the town of Bad Schwanberg. In this case, please search for and book the necessary reservations yourself.

FAQ: Please note it takes incredible merit to have the conditions for this project to happen: 1) We have made a large effort to keep the cost reasonable. We encourage practitioners to save up and create the conditions to participate. In the past, people have given everything they had to the Vajra Master for this opportunity. 2) If you cannot commit to attending for the entire period, please let us know in advance the exact date and time of your earlier check-out. Leaving earlier is not recommended but we can make an exception if you have no other option or really cannot stay the entire period (please let us know the reasons by email). Please note that we cannot offer you a special registration cost. The cost is for the entire event, regardless of whether you can stay for the entire period or not.

Volunteer Opportunities

In this retreat, participants should avoid engaging in too much physical activity. We need one volunteer to cook breakfast, lunch, and a light dinner for the participants, and a second volunteer as a cook helper. The volunteers will be able to enjoy all the areas in the retreat center except for the Kālachakra Temple where the participants will practice. Unlike the participants, the external volunteers can access electronic devices, the internet, and so forth. This is an extraordinary opportunity to generate merit and create the causes to be able to engage in this practice yourself in the future. Rinpoché strongly encourages us to support our dharma brothers and sisters by volunteering.

During your stay, we can provide free access to an online course or recorded retreat at our digital learning center if you would like to support your practice and study while you are volunteering. Alternatively, if you have already received the Four Higher Empowerments and want to volunteer full-time for the whole period, you can also participate in the sessions of the event in the temple for free whenever you have a break from your volunteer work.

If you are considering this opportunity, please write as soon as possible to [email protected]. You can also volunteer for only a portion of the event; you can offer as much as possible according to your capability. That being said, we prefer the participation of someone who can commit to the whole period.

Note for Veteran Practitioners

To again take part in this important event, in the interest of your spiritual progress, Rinpoché requests that all his students reaffirm their commitments to the path, the lineage, and to him. This can be done in the registration process when booking your participation. Thus, those who have previously taken the Higher Empowerments and want to take them again, do not need to submit a separate application.

If you have found however that unfortunately, your confidence in your own choice for the Jonang Lineage, the Kālachakra path, or Shar Khentrul Rinpoché has weakened in the time since you last took the Higher Empowerments, Rinpoché has stated that you should refrain from registering on this occasion. He feels there is a greater benefit to waiting for the next opportunity and in the meantime, reigniting your confidence through further practice of the preliminaries of the Jonang Ngondro, listening to his teachings and reading his books as much as you can, and dedicating yourself as much as you can to the Enlightened Activities Program. In this way, you will accumulate vast stores of merit for this path while naturally rebuilding your confidence. Thus, by changing your conditions, your future participation will be one of benefit and success. The important is to keep in the right direction and to not give up! (Generally speaking, for the sake of your own spiritual progress, Rinpoché reserves the right to ask additional questions, request interviews, and reject specific registrations — even if you attended the Higher Empowerments before).

How to get to Kalapa

Dzokden Kalapa Retreat Center, Garanas 41, Bad Schwanberg, zip code 8541, Austria, Südweststeiermark. The nearest airport is in Graz, Austria. To travel to Kalapa by train, start at the main train station in Graz. From there, take the S6 or S61 S-Bahn towards Wies-Eibiswald for about an hour to the Bad Schwanberg station. (Timetable information)

To travel from the Bad Schwanberg train station to the retreat center, a relatively inexpensive taxi service supported by the government is available that will take you directly to the Retreat Center, which is referred to as “Buddhistisches Zentrum” by this taxi service. For more information, please visit their website: Regio Mobil. The taxi must be ordered at least some hours in advance, but visitors are recommended to do so much earlier or on the days before you intend to arrive. On weekdays, this taxi service operates between the hours of 6.00 a.m. and 8.00 p.m. On weekends it does not operate during the evening. As the journey is quite long (about 20 minutes), the service should be scheduled for at least half an hour before the closing hours provided above. For trips on Sundays or public holidays please schedule the taxi service by 5 p.m. on the day before you intend to arrive.

To order: +43 (0)50 16 17 18 Cost: €6.00 total regardless of how many people are taking the taxi. Our Station Number for the Regio Taxi: 41080 / Buddhistisches Zentrum.

Alternative: if you are arriving or departing outside the Regio Mobil taxi working hours, you can book another taxi service e.g. the Wein Mobil taxi for €37,50, working hours from 10:00 to 23:30. In this case, the station number is D927. The reservation is made by calling the same number as above.

By car: From the Graz-West motorway junction (A2/A9), get on the A2 towards Klagenfurt/Italy and take the Lieboch exit. Then, continue on Federal Road 76 towards Eibiswald. After about 30 km, you will reach Bad Schwanberg. At the end of the main square in Bad Schwanberg, turn left towards Garanas. After the bridge, turn right towards Garanas and follow the signs to “Kalachakra Kalapa Center” uphill for about 8 km to reach the center.

Registration Cost

Sangha SUPPORTER – 1650 Euro

With this option, your generosity will also support other practitioners who may need a reduced registration cost. This includes the full program, a bunk bed in a shared room and 3 meals a day for the duration of the event. If you need additional days to come early or stay longer email [email protected] and we will work with you to arrange the additional days and explain you the conditions.

NORMAL Registration – 1150 Euro

This includes the full program, a bunk bed in a shared room and 3 meals a day for the duration of the event. If you need additional days to come early or stay longer email [email protected] and we will work with you to arrange the additional days and explain you the conditions.

TENT Option – 950 Euro

This option is for those who prefer to stay in a tent at the retreat center. You need to bring your own tent and your own sleeping bag. This includes the full program, a place to set up your own tent and 3 a day meals for the duration of the event. If you need additional days to come early or stay longer email [email protected] and we will work with you to arrange the additional days and inform you about the conditions.

Overnight OFF-SITE – 900 Euro

This registration is for those who prefer to book their stay in an accommodation in a hotel outside the retreat center. This includes the full program and meals while you are on site.

Scholarship REDUCED Registration – 850 Euro

Reduced registration for those with reduced income or facing financial challenges. If you are unable to pay the full registration fee at once, please contact us so we can offer a payment plan to ensure you can attend while you pay in parcels. This registration option includes the full program, a bunk bed in a shared room (or a tent spot — please let us know your preference when registering!), and 3 meals a day for the duration of the event.