Online and in-person in Austria at Dzokden Kalapa. In English with the potential of live translation in other languages (TBA).
This page is only for the FREE public teaching which will open the weekend teaching retreat. If you would like to register for the ONLINE weekend retreat, please click here.
Or if you would like to register to attend the weekend retreat IN-PERSON, please click here.
We are delighted to announce that Rinpoché accepted our request to present his exciting new tantra book, ”The Tantric Path of Desire” in Austria.
Preconceptions and misunderstandings about tantra have spread everywhere. Both in Western countries, as well as Asian countries where these teachings originated. Lost amidst extreme views and with a lack of proper clarification, it is difficult for practitioners to reach the essence of the tantric teachings.
For Rinpoché, there is no doubt that different types of persons, including lay devotees, monastics, and non-religious ones, have the potential to learn the essence of tantric practice. This is because the tantric approach is closely aligned with our existing nature.
“In the tantric path, nothing that is naturally present in our mind needs to be eliminated. Instead, we learn means for putting these mental phenomena to work for us. When all these phenomena are subjugated by the brilliance of pure and true reality, they become our friends.” (Khentrul Rinpoché).
In this public teaching, Rinpoché will introduce the topic in general in preparation for the weekend retreat that will follow.
Schedule by Timezone
Vienna Time (CEST) — FRIDAY July 26, 2024 / 7:00 PM — 8:30 PM – Session 1: Free Public Teaching: Tantric Path of Desire Melbourne, Australia — SATURDAY July 27, 2024 / 3:00 AM — 4:30 AM – Session 1: Free Public Teaching: Tantric Path of Desire Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mongolia, Singapore and Taiwan — SATURDAY July 27, 2024 / 1:00 AM — 2:30 AM – Session 1: Free Public Teaching: Tantric Path of Desire Romania — FRIDAY July 26, 2024 / 8:00 PM — 9:30 PM – Session 1: Free Public Teaching: Tantric Path of Desire São Paulo, Brazil — FRIDAY July 26, 2024 / 2:00 PM — 3:30 PM – Session 1: Free Public Teaching: Tantric Path of Desire East Coast USA, Toronto — FRIDAY July 26, 2024 / 1:00 PM — 2:30 PM – Session 1: Free Public Teaching: Tantric Path of Desire West Coast USA — FRIDAY July 26, 2024 / 10:00 AM — 11:30 AM – Session 1: Free Public Teaching: Tantric Path of Desire
This event is available both In-person and Online. This page is for Online registration only. If you wish to register for the In-person event, please click here.
Learn the Most Powerful Spiritual Protection Practice Done before the Kalachakra Empowerment Vajra Vega, the wrathful form of Shri Kalachakra and the King of the Wrathful Deities, is the protector aspect in Kalachakra. There are many benefits to establishing a connection with Vajra Vega. The essence of Vajravega is that he represents the non-conceptual primordial wisdom that arises when the winds enter the central channel. This is the method by which the root ignorance of conceptuality is cut. It is also the basis or container where the precious six vajra yogas arise. When we establish a wheel of protection with Vajra Vega, we are symbolically stopping the arising of dualistic appearances and abiding within the non-conceptual wisdom. Vajra Vega is considered the King of Spiritual Protection, and his 60 retinues are incredibly powerful. Khentrul Rinpoche has never before agreed to bestow this practice on students before keeping it to a very limited number. This powerful practice forms a vajra-protective sphere containing Vajra Vega and 60 protectors. It is performed at the start of a Kalachakra empowerment ceremony to secure the space. It is also done in some of the extensive Kalachakra Sadhanas. Robert Thurman requested the VajraVega Jenang and other special practices on the mind Mandala. For this reason, Yeshe Wangmo requested Rinpoche grant this wheel of protection practice that is so special and rare. Khentrul Rinpoche agreed to give this specific practice especially due to Robert Thurman’s initial request for Vajra Vega. Who is Vajra Vega?
For those joining in person, there will be several in-person-only activities. Retreatants will be a part of creating the empowerment mandala and tormas of the retinues as well as a King of Kalachakra Fire Puja, among other exclusive offerings.
It is very important and special for us to connect with this aspect of Kalachakra in our lifetime to benefit from the connection in the Bardo state after death. While we must do our best to create karmic propensities to realize our own sacred truth during this life, if we do not then in the Bardo state after death, we may be able to recognise Vajra Vega in the sea of wrathful Deities and be liberated. For this reason, we also have several smaller practices that can help increase our connection and familiarity with Vajra Vega. Mudra and ritual instruction classes will be led by Yeshe Wangmo.
Included in the Retreat both Online and In-Person — Vajra Vega Jenang (wrathful Kalachakra) Blessing Empowerment — Oral Transmission and practice text of Praises of Vajra Vega — Oral Transmission and practice text of Short Practice of Vajra Vega — Oral Transmission and practice text of Vajra Vega’s Wheel of Protection Sadhana — Khentrul Rinpoche will give a short Commentary on the Wheel of Protection Sadhana — Teaching by Bob Thurman — Teaching on Dharma Protectors and the importance of their rituals — Lesson in how to make the torma and tea offering to Dharma Protectors — Specific Mudras related to Vajra Vega and the Wheel of Protection and the 12 Kalachakra Offerings according to Jonang — Instruction on how to perform the ritual with the mudras are lead by Yeshe Wangmo Included In-person Retreat Only —The King of Kalachakra Jinsek Fire Puja — Torma Making Class — Vajra Vega’s Retinue and Vajra Vega’s Torma — Sand Mandala Construction
WHO CAN COME In-Person students must have already taken the Kalachakra Empowerment (wang) or plan to take it in the future. The participant must already believe that the Kalachakra tantra is an important practice they wish to continue with in this life. Khentrul Rinpoche is being generous in offering the in-person attendees the opportunity to attend this retreat even just with the intention to take it in the future, rather than insisting on prior initiation as is customary
Online participants must have already taken the Kalachakra Wang before.
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES TO BRING -Damaru -Bell and Dorje -Serkyem (Golden Tea Offering Set)
HYBRID FORMAT This workshop will be online and in person. Oral transmissions and empowerment must be received in real-time (i.e. not via video replay). Recordings will be added to learn.dzokden.org after the retreat. Everyone enrolled in person or online will be able to access the course.
ABOUT KHENTRUL RINPOCHE Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoché 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 various 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. Thought to be extinct by many Western scholars, he found it held the most advanced teachings of Kalachakra (wheel of time), containing profound methods to harmonize our external environment with the inner world of body and mind.
Since 2014, he has traveled to more than thirty countries, guiding students to realize their own sacred truth of limitless potential through a clear, systematic step-by-step presentation of the Kalachakra Path to enlightenment. By teaching people how to cultivate a flexible mind and remove bias, Khentrul Rinpoché aspires to create compassion-based communities, transforming this world into a golden age of global peace and harmony.
Schedule by Timezone
EAST COAST USA, TORONTO *Below is the complete schedule for the Retreat. Schedules listed in italicized are Online sessions.
MONDAY August 19, 2024 3:00 PM — 6:00 PM – Arrival & Check-in 6:00 PM — 7:00 PM – Dinner 7:30 PM – Welcome Teaching on Kalachakra, the Path and how Vajra Vega and Protectors fit in (Robert Thurman & Khentrul Rinpoche) (online)
TUESDAY August 20, 2024 7:00 AM — 8:00 AM – Early Morning Yoga (Yeshe Wangmo) 8:00 AM — 9:00 AM – Breakfast 9:30 AM — 12:00 PM – Making Vajravega Tormas, Sand Mandala, Hall Set up 12:30 PM- 1:30 PM – Lunch 1:30 PM — 4:00 PM – Free Time for Spa Treatments, Relaxation, etc. 4:00 PM — 6:00 PM – Making Vajravega Tormas, Sand Mandala, Hall Set up 6:00 PM — 7:00 PM – Dinner 7:30 PM – Teaching on Vajravega, Protector Deity, and Forms of Protection on the Spiritual Path (online)
WEDNESDAY August 21, 2024 7:00 AM — 8:00 AM – Early Morning Yoga (Yeshe Wangmo) 8:00 AM — 9:00 AM – Breakfast 9:30 AM — 12:00 PM – Vajra vega Initiation (Khentrul Rinpoche) (online) 12:30 PM- 1:30 PM – Lunch 1:30 PM — 4:00 PM – Free Time for Spa Treatments, Relaxation, etc. 4:00 PM — 6:00 PM – Intro to the Mahayana Philosophical Support for Kalachakra and the Role of Kalachakra as Vajravega (Robert Thurman) (online) 6:00 PM — 7:00 PM – Dinner 7:30 PM – Practice Session and Oral Transmission of Praises of Vajravega and on the Short Sadhana (Khentrul Rinpoche & Yeshe Wangmo) (online)
THURSDAY August 22, 2024 7:00 AM — 8:00 AM – Early Morning Yoga (Yeshe Wangmo) 8:00 AM — 9:00 AM – Breakfast 9:30 AM — 12:00 PM – Oral Transmission and Intro to the Vajravega Wheel of Protection Commentary (Khentrul Rinpoche) (online) 12:30 PM — 1:30 PM – Lunch 1:30 PM — 4:00 PM – Free Time for Spa Treatments, Relaxation, etc. 4:00 PM — 6:00 PM – Vajravega Sadhana Practice and Lesson on Making Torma and Tea Offerings (Robert Thurman/Yeshe Wangmo) (online) 6:00 PM — 7:00 PM – Dinner 7:30 PM – Jangchub Choeling Nunnery gives a Talk and Traditional Tibetan Dance
FRIDAY August 23, 2024 7:00 AM — 8:00 AM – Early Morning Yoga (Yeshe Wangmo) 8:00 AM — 9:00 AM – Breakfast 9:30 AM — 12:00 PM – Continued Commentary on Vajravega Wheel of Protection (Khentrul Rinpoche) (online) 12:30 PM — 1:30 PM – Lunch 1:30 PM — 4:00 PM – Free Time for Spa Treatments, Relaxation, etc. 4:00 PM — 6:00 PM – Vajravega Sadhana Practice (Robert Thurman/Yeshe Wangmo) (online) 6:00 PM — 7:00 PM – Dinner 7:30 PM – Jangchub Choeling Nunnery Chöd Practice
SATURDAY August 24, 2024 7:00 AM — 8:00 AM – Early Morning Yoga (Yeshe Wangmo) 8:00 AM — 9:00 AM – Breakfast 9:30 AM — 12:00 PM – Kalachakra Royal Jinsek Fire Puja (Khentrul Rinpoche) 12:30 PM — 1:30 PM – Lunch 1:30 PM — 4:00 PM – Free Time for Spa Treatments, Relaxation, etc. 4:00 PM — 6:00 PM – Wheel of Protection Practice (Robert Thurman/Yeshe Wangmo) (online) 6:00 PM — 7:00 PM – Dinner 7:30 PM – Kalachakra, Peace and the Golden Age (Khentrul Rinpoche/Robert Thurman) (online)
SUNDAY August 25, 2024 7:00 AM — 11:00 AM – Check Out of Rooms by 11am 7:00 AM — 8:00 AM – Early Morning Yoga (Yeshe Wangmo) 8:00 AM — 9:00 AM – Breakfast 9:30 AM — 12:00 PM – Final Practice Session (Khentrul Rinpoche/Robert Thurman/Yeshe Wangmo) (online) 12:30 PM — 1:30 PM – Lunch & Departure
*Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time.
Financial aid for online attendance Email [email protected] to request further financial aid. You must clearly state your financial reasons for needing the scholarship and your qualifications, as this is a supplementary practice as well as very unusual if not unheard of to be offered.
This is a FREE event and available both In-person and Online.
Experience the profound spiritual journey of grand Sur Puja, a sacred practice of immense significance. Khentrul Rinpoche will practice two powerful Sur Pujas: one written by Patrul Rinpoche, known as Patrul Sur Ginma, and another written by Bamda Gelek Gyatso and Lama Luthak. So, both Nyingmapa’s and Jonangpa ‘s Sur will be practiced.
Sur Puja is a universal practice that is open to all and without restrictions. It offers immense benefits to all sentient beings, with a special focus on those who have passed away and those in the bardo. This practice allows us to make offerings to a multitude of beings, enlightened or otherwise, to benefit them.
The Sur Puja involves the burning of offerings in fire, symbolizing one of the female Buddhas, Gökarmo (Pāṇḍarāvasinī), the consort of Amitabha. This nurturing mother nature bestows her blessings on these beings through the fire.
The Sur Puja is particularly beneficial for those who have passed away, be they relatives, pets, or any being with whom you share a special connection. It is also an effective practice for repaying karmic debts accumulated over countless lifetimes. For those who want to be connected to this, we can write the name of a special person, animal, or pet on the 6-realm mantra wheel and offer it for you.
Through the Sur Puja, we provide physical offerings and impart the Dharma, guiding these beings towards liberation. This practice can help beings in lower realms attain higher rebirths, ultimately leading them towards enlightenment. Join us in this significant practice and contribute to the well-being of all sentient beings. Ullambana
The Ullambana Festival, or the Filial Piety Festival, is a significant event in Chinese Buddhism. It provides a unique opportunity for individuals to express their appreciation toward their parents.
Understanding the Ullambana Festival: «Ullambana” is derived from Sanskrit, signifying “rescue from being inverted.” The phrase “inverted” symbolizes the torment in hell. Individuals with negative karma may be reincarnated in hell and undergo severe punishment after death. Consequently, the Ullambana Festival embodies the concept of liberating those who are enduring agony in hell. It also allows everyone to honor their filial responsibilities towards their parents and forefathers.
The Genesis of the Ullambana Festival The Ullambana tradition traces its roots back to the tale of Maudgalyayana (also known as Moggalana in Pali), one of Buddha’s esteemed disciples, who rescued his mother from the realm of famished spirits. Upon achieving Arahantship, Moggallana immediately remembered his late mother. Using his divine vision to explore all domains, he discovered that his mother had been reborn in the realm of famished spirits, suffering from extreme hunger and thirst due to her disproportionately large abdomen and minuscule neck.
Moved by his mother’s plight, Moggallana collected food in his alms bowl and attempted to feed his mother using his supernatural abilities. However, her selfishness and greed caused the food to transform into flaming coals before she could consume it. Distressed by his inability to alleviate his mother’s suffering despite his extraordinary powers, Moggallana sought Buddha’s guidance.
Buddha advised him to wait until the seventh lunar month and make substantial offerings to the monks on Pavarana day, marking the conclusion of the 3-month Rain Retreat. This would result in enormous blessings due to the monks’ rigorous spiritual practices during these three months. Transferring these blessings to his mother would liberate her from the realm of famished spirits and facilitate her rebirth in a divine realm.
Following Buddha’s counsel, Moggallana saved his mother and numerous famished spirits, enabling their reincarnation in heavenly realms. This inspiring narrative led to the annual celebration of the Ullambana Festival in the seventh lunar month, now referred to as the Ullambana month. This festival allows people to express gratitude towards their parents, grandparents, and ancestors.
Known as the month of absolution for the deceased, individuals respectfully present offerings to the Three Jewels during this time, transferring their merits to their ancestors. This act may liberate their ancestors from the realms of famished spirits and hell.
Khentrul Rinpoche will practice Sur and recite the prayer for rebirth in Shambhala to dedicate all living beings to the second golden age. Meanwhile, dedications will be arranged during pujas in monasteries in Tibetan areas.
Schedule by Timezone
East Coast USA, Toronto – SUNDAY August 18, 2024 / 2:00 PM Melbourne, Australia – MONDAY August 19, 2024 / 4:00 AM Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mongolia, Singapore and Taiwan – MONDAY August 19, 2024 / 2:00 AM Central Europe and South Africa – SUNDAY August 18, 2024 / 8:00 PM São Paulo, Brazil – SUNDAY August 18, 2024 / 3:00 PM West Coast USA – SUNDAY August 18, 2024 / 11:00 AM
This is a paid event and available both Online and In-person.
Amitabha is the most well-known Buddha after Buddha Shakyamuni himself. Some Chinese traditions only focus on Amitabha, and many Tibetans also focus on him because, in the Amitabha sutra, it is said he has taken many vows to help sentient beings easily be reborn in his Pureland of Sukhavati, the Land of Bliss.
Amitabha Pureland is one of the well-known easiest pure lands to get to, although perhaps harder to reach than the Bodhisattva realm of Shambhala. Through this empowerment, one can connect with and work to cultivate unwavering faith and devotion to Amitabha. If one is reborn in his pure land, the path to Buddhahood is natural.
Two of Khentrul Rinpoche’s Lamas, including his root Guru Lama Lobsang Trinlé emphasized Amitabha a lot, especially for non-monastic householder practitioners. Even though Lama Lobsang Trinlé was a Kalachakra master, he spent his whole life practicing and extensively teaching Amitabha to everyone. He eventually bestowed not only his hat but also his precious practice text of Amitabha to Khentrul Rinpoche. It had become warn out because he had used it for so many years. Lama Lutrin instructed Khentrul Rinpoche to teach this practice to Amitabha to many people in the future. Up until now, Khentrul Rinpoche has focused on sharing his passion for Shambhala and the Golden Age, so he has not had a chance to emphasize Amitaha enough. But now he sees that it is the right time to start emphasizing and sharing these teachings to fulfill his responsibility to his precious teacher. Many of the people with great faith and devotion feel at peace upon death, They often see Amitabha before they die and feel at peace and secure after they have become dedicated to this practice. A Jonang Lama and a Khandro said that Khentrul Rinpoche’s own mother went to Sukhavati so the practice is very powerful. Khentrul Rinpoche received this empowerment and practice many times from Nyingma Lama, Zhigli Khenpo Tenzin Zangpo and Lama Lobsang Trinley.
Rinpoche will give the empowerment and a practice with it.
Schedule by Timezone
East Coast USA, Toronto – SATURDAY September 14, 2024 / 10:00 AM — 1:00 PM Melbourne, Australia – SUNDAY September 15, 2024 / 12:00 AM — 3:00 AM Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mongolia, Singapore and Taiwan – SATURDAY September 14, 2024 / 10:00 PM — 1:00 AM (SUNDAY September 15, 2024) Central Europe and South Africa – SATURDAY September 14, 2024 / 4:00 PM — 7:00 PM São Paulo, Brazil – SATURDAY September 14, 2024 / 11:00 AM — 2:00 PM West Coast USA – SATURDAY September 14, 2024 / 7:00 AM — 10:00 AM
While the Buddha taught that life is suffering, he also taught that there is a way to become free from suffering. In this evening’s talk, Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoche will teach powerful mind-training techniques from the Sutrayana path of Buddhism to help us learn to cope with life and transform it. While we can’t prevent life’s challenges, we can become skillful in dealing with them.
Suffering can appear in our lives in so many forms, such as the easy-to-do identify suffering of illness, job loss, divorce, or other adverse life circumstances. Or suffering can be subtle and sneaky in the form of passing radiantly joyful emotions that are so wonderful we wish they would never leave. Even the best ice cream will melt in the hot sun if not eaten.
While our feelings and emotions can change momentarily, it does not mean we must be thrown into turmoil by sadness, jealousy, anger, hatred, or frustration. Nor does that mean we must reject our emotions and experiences, hide them, or shame them away. The Buddha taught many precise antidotes that can be learned and used for each emotion to help us work through them as they arise. When this happens we can better achieve all of our life priorities in work, family, or spiritual realization. These sutra antidotes can help practitioners at all levels. Even a tantric student wishing to work directly with emotion’s energy may find themselves in a moment when reducing the emotion’s intensity is necessary before transforming it.
Schedule by Timezone
Central Europe and South Africa – FRIDAY June 28, 2024 / 6:00 PM Melbourne, Australia – SATURDAY June 29, 2024 / 2:00 AM Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mongolia, Singapore and Taiwan – SATURDAY June 29, 2024 / 12:00 AM Sao Paulo, Brazil – FRIDAY June 28, 2024 / 1:00 PM East Coast USA, Toronto – FRIDAY June 28, 2024 / 12:00 PM West Coast USA – FRIDAY June 28, 2024 / 9:00 AM
Offer Dana to Rinpoche
If you would like to offer Dana to Rinpoche virtually, you can do so here on Dzokden’s website. All donations to Dzokden are unrestricted contributions that allow us to direct the funds to Rinpoche’s projects based on their priority.
