CHÖD Empowerment and Retreat with Khentrul Rinpoche

Food and On-Site Accommodations
The fee for the retreat includes three vegetarian meals and shared accommodations at the beautiful 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 are able to offer various male and female dormitory spaces from four to eight participants in each room. You can alternatively bring your own tent and camp near the Kalachakra Stupa (see registration options). As we wish to host as many students as possible and offer everyone the opportunity to meet Rinpoche in person, for this retreat it is not possible to reserve an individual room inside the retreat center. Parking in the area of Kalapa is very limited. If you are staying with us for the whole retreat, we encourage you to find a place in the town to park to help day travellers reach the site. 

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 Bad Schwanberg. In this case, please search for and book the necessary reservations yourself. 

Schedule
Vienna Time (CEST)
Lines in italics are relevant only for those attending in-person.

FRIDAY 4th August
14:00 to 16:00 – Check-in at Kalapa Retreat Center.
17:00 – Welcome Meeting at the Yoga Room (mandatory)
18:00 – Dinner
19:30 – 21:00 – Public Teaching with RINPOCHE –  Overcoming Fears and Limitations: The Practice of Chöd

SATURDAY 5th August
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – Vajrasattva Purification as a Preliminary Practice for the Empowerment
(sadhana “Divine Ladder” is published in the Vajra Book”)
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 13:00 – CHÖD EMPOWERMENT part 1
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16.30 –  CHÖD EMPOWERMENT part 2 (Tsok)
and ORAL TRANSMISSION of the Sadhanas
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for rest, dharma discussions, self-study and self-practice
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – CHÖD Practice Session 

SUNDAY 6th August
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – CHÖD Group Practice Session
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 12:30 –  CHÖD Group Session offline (for those at Kalapa) 
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16.30 – CHÖD Q&A with RINPOCHE
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for rest, dharma discussions, self-study, and self-practice
Optional Yoga Class
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – CHÖD Group Practice Session

MONDAY 7th August
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – CHÖD Group Practice Session
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 12:30 – Dharma Discussion in small groups (for those at Kalapa)
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16:30 – CHÖD Group Practice Session
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for rest, dharma discussions, self-study, and self-practice
Optional Yoga Class
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – Teaching with RINPOCHE

TUESDAY 8th August
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – CHÖD Group Practice Session
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 12:30 – Individual Chöd Practice in the nature area (for those at Kalapa)
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16:30 – CHÖD Group Practice Session
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for rest, dharma discussions, self-study, and self-practice Optional Yoga Class
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – Teaching with RINPOCHE

WEDNESDAY 9th August
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – CHÖD Group Practice Session
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 12:30 – Dharma Discussion in small groups (for those in-person in Kalapa)
+Online Session (for those attending online)
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16:30 – CHÖD Group Practice Session
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for rest, dharma discussions, self-study, and self-practice
Optional Yoga Class
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – Teaching with RINPOCHE

THURSDAY 10th August
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – CHÖD Group Practice Session
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 12:30 – CHÖD practice with Rinpoche and Closing Session
13:00 – Lunch / Departure

Optional extras for practice
To enhance your practice, you can purchase some additional items as suitable. Our Dzokden Kalapa store is run by volunteers, and all purchases directly support Rinpoche’s altruistic projects. Although you can take and receive the empowerment and participate in the retreat even without any of these items, they are recommended as traditional supports for Chöd practice. If you are attending in-person, you can order it online through our Kalapa store and pick it up upon arrival. At this time we can only offer in-person pickup for orders made before mid June. 

• Chöd Drum (2 sizes)
  Made by artisans in Nepal. Each ritual drum comes with a brocade case and tail. This high-quality drum is made of Sengdeng wood.
• Kangling Thigh Bone Trumpet (made out of wood)
  Made by artisans in Kathmandu, Nepal. Naturally, obtaining a Kangling made of real bone is very difficult in these modern times. As an alternative, many people worldwide use trumpets made from wood. Comes with a case. 
• Vajra and Bell (Small or Large Size)
  Made with metal by artisans in Dehradun India. The color of the brocade case may vary from the one shown in the image. 

Additional Info for those attending in person: If you are participating in person and need live translation, you must provide your own internet connection and bring earphones to listen to the translated teachings provided over the internet using your tablet or mobile device in the temple. Laptops or notebook computers are not allowed in the temple. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a wireless internet connection for participants owing to technical limitations.

If you are a translator who is joining the retreat in person, please let us know in advance so that we can reserve a space for you to translate during the teachings. Space is available for a maximum of about four translators in total, and live translation will not be performed in the temple itself. Instead, in-person translators will participate in the event over an internet connection provided at the retreat center so that their translation can be broadcast to the online audience. You need also to register yourself as an in-person participant.

How to get to Kalapa?
Kalachakra Kalapa Center, Garanas 41, Bad Schwanberg, zip code 8541, Austria, Südweststeiermark.
Nearest airport is in Graz, Austria.

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, 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 the following website: Regio Mobil. The taxi must be ordered at least one hour in advance, but visitors are recommended to do so much earlier or on the day 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 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.
Alternatively you can book a normal taxi service or similar.

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 Schwanberg. At the end of the main square in 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.