1st Vajra Yoga of Kalachakra: Empowerment, Teachings & Retreat with Khentrul Rinpoché

Upon completion of the two outer, the five inner, and the two unique preliminary practices of the Kālachakra Path, we are ready to enter the indestructible and profound path of the Six Vajra Yogas of Kālachakra. These advanced yogic techniques are like a wish-fulfilling jewel with the capacity to grant us everything our hearts desire in the blink of an eye. For a diligent practitioner whose mind is sufficiently pure, enlightenment can be achieved within only a few short human years. Even mastery of a single Vajra Yoga is enough to ensure one is never again reborn into the suffering cycle of death and rebirth. (Khentrul Rinpoche, “Unveiling Your Sacred Truth 3”)

The event encompasses 1) two days of preparations with Preliminary Practices, Guru Pūja, Kālachakra-Tsok, and a walk in the nature with Rinpoché, 2) The Four Higher Empowerments of Kālachakra (Rinpoché will bestow them again for the sake of your spiritual progress), 3) Transmission and Teachings for the 1st Vajra Yoga, 4) a printed booklet about the 1st Vajra Yoga in English (Romanian, German, and more languages are also available), 5) If needed, a personal audiences with Rinpoché (upon request), 6) one week of Retreat with practice sessions guided by senior students, as well as 7) food and accommodations at the Dzokden Kalapa Retreat Center. 

Special session in 2025: on the opening day of the event, Rinpoché will bestow the second 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 (10 nights)

18th of July afternoon — Arrivals, Welcome Meeting and Introductions, Teaching | Check-in 2 PM – 4 PM — PLEASE MAKE SURE TO ARRIVE WITHIN THIS PERIOD

19th of July — Kālachakra Preliminary Practices, Guru Pūjā Ritual and Kālachakra-Tsok, Walk in the nature around Dzokden Kalapa Retreat Center with Rinpoche

20th of July — Ḍākinī Day – Four Higher Empowerments for the 1st Yoga participants 

20th – 27th of July — Transmission and Teaching for the 1st Vajra Yoga, 1st Vajra Yoga Retreat; personal audiences with Rinpoché

28th August — concluding Tsok and check-out after lunch 

How to prepare for this retreat: We strongly encourage you to prepare yourself as much as you can with all the 9 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.

We recommend that you also attend the Wensum retreats of this year so that you can be better prepared for the 1st Vajra Yoga Retreat: Wensum Practice Retreat in the Winter and Higher Empowerments & Wensum Retreat in the Summer.

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,” the “Four Higher Empowerments” Booklet; your blindfold, and your meditation belt. You can 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. Reading materials not directly related to this practice are not allowed during the retreat period. If you have already participated before, bring also your own “1st Yoga Booklet.”

After the Empowerments on July 19th, the strict retreat will begin. It will be closed and in silence. During this period, participants are not allowed to receive visitors or use 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 consists of four practice sessions of 1st Vajra Yoga practice 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. 

The fee for the retreat includes three vegetarian meals and shared accommodations at the Dzokden Kalapa Retreat Center. Please inform us ([email protected]) in advance if you have allergies, food intolerances, or other important health or mental conditions that we need to consider. 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.

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 1st Vajra Yoga teachings 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.

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 1st Vajra Yoga and want to take it 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 1st Vajra Yoga, 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 1st Vajra Yoga before).

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.