THIRD Vajra Yoga of Kālachakra: PRACTICE RETREAT
in-person only
This page is for registration for the THIRD Vajra Yoga PRACTICE RETREAT WEEK(S):
WEEK 2: September 6 – 13 (7 nights)
WEEK 3: September 13 – 20 (7 nights)
This is the first time we have the precious chance to offer a Practice Retreat with a focus on the Third Vajra Yoga in Europe, so do not miss this precious opportunity!
This group retreat will support the participants in establishing their Third Vajra Yoga practices. By having a solid foundation for their own individual practice after the retreat, practitioners will be better able to complete the Third Vajra Yoga practices and prepare for the next steps. You are welcome to take part in any of the weeks of your choosing.
REQUIREMENTS: All participants must have received the Third Vajra Yoga of Kālachakra by Shar Khentrul Rinpoche on the event preceding this one.
Online Meditation Guidance from Shar Khentrul Rinpoche + In-person Retreat
Each participant can request a personal audience with Rinpoche (remotely via Zoom) to discuss their meditation progress and help alleviate any obstacles to their practice. Rinpoche may also join remotely to give a group teaching (upon participants’ request) if he feels that it is necessary. Rafa Lobsang Dorje will lead the practice retreat in person with Rinpoche’s blessing.
(How to register for one or multiple weeks? When registering below, simply select a date of your participation, and the numbers 1 or 2 of “tickets” corresponding to the number of weeks that you would like to attend.)
To register for the THIRD VAJRA YOGA EMPOWERMENT, TEACHING, and RETREAT WEEK 1, you need to additionally register here.
Retreat Information and Guidelines
The retreat guidelines are the same as those of preceding practice retreats. Additional details:
1. Participants are welcome to address their questions related to the practice in written form to the retreat leader. They can request personal audiences with Rinpoche (remotely via Zoom) as well, to be confirmed depending on Rinpoche’s availability.
2. Recitation in your own language: as the practice retreat weeks have a much smaller number of participants, you might be given the opportunity to recite once the sādhana texts in your own language, so bring your translated materials with you as well.
Check out after breakfast on the last day of the week of your choice. (If you absolutely need to leave earlier, that is possible. Just inform us in advance of your plans.)
DANA for KHENTRUL RINPOCHE: Rinpoche has kindly agreed to give audiences remotely and to support the retreat leader and organizers. If you wish to show your generosity to Rinpoche’s precious teachings and his immense efforts for the Kālachakra Dharma, you can offer Dana for Rinpoche on the Dzokden website here.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need one volunteer to cook breakfast, lunch, and a light dinner for a small group of participants. The volunteer 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, external volunteers can access electronic devices. This is an extraordinary opportunity to generate merit and create the causes to be able to engage in this practice yourself in the future. Rinpoche 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.
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 possibilities. That being said, we prefer the participation of someone who can commit to the whole period. Here is the full description of the role: Main Cook Practice Retreat.
If you are part of the EAP — Enlightened Activities Program — and need to gather participation for attending Completion Stage teachings, your participation as a volunteer for this event can be counted: Main Cook Pratice Retreat — around 80 EAP hours in total for one week / 160 EAP hours for both weeks.
How to get to Kalapa?
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.
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, keep the right side towards Garanas and follow the signs to “Kalachakra Kalapa Center” uphill for about 8 km to reach the center.
By train: 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, we will send additional info via email some weeks before the event.
Speakers
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Shar Khentrul RinpocheSpiritual Director, Rimé Teacher, Kālachakra Vajra Master, AuthorShar Khentrul Rinpoche Jamphel Lodrö is the founder and spiritual director of Dzokden and Dzokden Kalapa. 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 Kālachakra 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-Śhambhala tradition. Kālachakra (Wheel of Time) teachings contain profound methods to harmonize our external environment with the inner world of body and mind, eventually bringing about the Golden Age of Peace and Harmony (Dzokden).
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Rafa Lobsang DorjeProgram Director, Retreat Leader, EditorRafa Lobsang Dorje began his connection with Buddhism in 2008, after practicing other spiritual traditions in his homeland of Brazil. In Europe, India, Nepal, Mongolia, and Tibet, he had the precious opportunity to receive teachings, transmissions, and empowerments from masters of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as from the Theravāda tradition, and he participated in both group and solitary retreats.
In 2015, while in Austria, he was fortunate to meet his Root Guru, Shar Khentrul Rinpoche, from whom he has since received a vast and profound wealth of Dharma, ranging from foundational subjects to the Kālachakra Vajra Yogas. Since 2016, he has been teaching Lu Jong (Tibetan Healing Yoga). In 2018, Rinpoche authorized and encouraged him to teach the Dharma.
In 2020, he significantly reduced his professional work as a composer in order to dedicate himself full-time to serving Rinpoche’s altruistic vision. He currently serves the Dzokden Saṅgha as an Editor and Coordinator of new translations, and at Kalapa as Program Director and Retreat Leader.