Kalachakra Winter Dark Retreat: Wensum & Vajra Yogas
In-person only (event in English; practice sessions in Tibetan and English; practice materials available in multiple languages)
February 5 (Friday) – 14 (Sunday)
We are delighted to offer a Practice Retreat combining both Wensum and Vajra Yoga practitioners of various levels, around the auspicious Losar period. This 9-night retreat in the Winter is a rare opportunity to practice similarly to how aspiring yogins practice during the traditional three-year Kālachakra retreat of the Jonangpas, in a uniquely beautiful natural setting in the Austrian mountains. Different from the large teaching events in the Summer, the practice retreat in the Winter has a much smaller number of meditators and an intimate atmosphere inspiring deep contemplation. You are encouraged to take part in the entire period, but you can leave earlier if absolutely needed.
Rafa Lobsang Dorje will lead the retreat with Vajra Master Shar Khentrul Rinpoche’s blessing. Lobsang Dorje received the Higher Empowerments from Rinpoche in 2017 and has participated in more than twenty Wensum and Vajra Yoga retreats in group and solitary settings. He has been leading long retreats at Kalapa since 2021. Rinpoche may join remotely via Zoom in case there is a request from participants for a personal audience.
We welcome any level of practitioner from Wensum onwards. Depending on the level of practice of the participants registered, specific spaces or opportunities to focus on their main practice might be separately organized. Details will be announced in a preparation email 1-2 week(s) before the event starts.
SCHEDULE overview
February 5 (Friday): 14:00 – 16:00 arrival and check-in | 17:00 – 18:00 Sang Offering Pūja at the Kālachakra-Stūpa | 18:00 Dinner | 19:30 – 21:00 Introductory Ritual in the Temple
February 6 – 13: Strict Practice Retreat (February 13: break of formal silence after the 3rd session)
February 14: 06:30 – 08:20 Practice Session | 08:30 – 09:00 Breakfast | 09:00 – 10:00 Karma Yoga | 10:00 – 10:30 Kalapa Shop open | 10:30 – 11:30 Check-out
REQUIREMENTS
All participants must have received at least the Four Higher Empowerments of Kālachakra from Shar Khentrul Rinpoche. Everyone who has already taken them is automatically approved for participation. If you have not received them yet and have the aspiration to do so in the future, fulfill the request here.
PHYSICAL & MENTAL HEALTH: Attending a retreat at Dzokden Kalapa is a serious undertaking that will require your mental and physical health. If you are currently suffering from, or have recently suffered from, any significant physical, psychiatric, or psychological illness, it is your responsibility to obtain written permission beforehand from your healthcare providers or your therapist to participate.
Retreat Infos and Guidelines
Retreat Infos and Guidelines
Between February 6 (morning of the 2nd event day) and the 3rd session on February 13 (day before the last event day), the strict retreat part will take place; it will be closed and silent. During this period, participants are not allowed to receive visitors or use computers, tablets, mobile phones, electronic watches, and so forth, even for Dharma purposes. We can store personal phones and other electronic devices. If someone needs to contact you in case of emergency, they can email [email protected] or call/message +43 676 395 8898. Both the e-mailbox and phone will be checked at least once daily (including the spam folder).
The daily schedule consists of four practice sessions and occasionally additional dharma activities. Practice sessions will be conducted in English and Tibetan. If English is a strong language barrier to you, you can bring copies of the texts in your own language as well and read them silently when the group recites in English. Practitioners are welcome to address their questions related to the practice to the retreat leader. They can also request one personal audience with Rinpoche (remotely).
How to prepare myself for this retreat
In addition to the sādhanas “Divine Ladder” and “Enlightening the Heart,” you will need to know the sādhana “Secret Dakini Treasure”. For the latter, you must register here for the oral commentary Rinpoche gave if you have not already done so (chanting recording is inside the course). We encourage you to study beforehand all the sādhanas as much as you can, including the chantings, because there will be regular sessions of chanting in Tibetan. Get access here to the Divine Ladder chantings of our lineage.
Guru Pūjā and Kālachakra-Tsok will be held on special occasions; please bring your own vajra and bell, and your Vajra Robes (if you do not have them, we can borrow Dzokden Sangha Robes for you). We strongly encourage you to additionally register for their two associated courses at the learning center to prepare yourself in advance. If you wish (not mandatory), bring also ḍamaru, conch, or other ritual instruments to use during musical offerings.
Food and Accommodation
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 in advance if you have allergies, food intolerances, or other important health or mental conditions that we need to consider. Although we cannot promise to avoid using items you cannot eat, we will inform you daily in writing which dishes contain items you should not eat.
DARK MEDITATION APARTMENT available: the DRA — Dark Retreat Apartment — with two rooms, one separate kitchen, 2 separate toilets, and one separate bath, is available during the retreat period. It can be used by one or two participants. If you would like to book the DRA additionally, see more info about the DRA here.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
We need one volunteer to cook breakfast, lunch, and a light dinner for the participants. Unlike the participants, the volunteer 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. If you are part of the Enlightened Activities Program and need to gather participation for attending Completion Stage teachings with Rinpoche, your participation as a volunteer for this event can be counted (around 100 EAP hours in total).
If you are considering this opportunity, please write as soon as possible to [email protected] so that we can arrange a video call to plan your participation. During your stay, we can provide free access to a recorded retreat/course at our digital learning center. Alternatively, if you have already received the Four Higher Empowerments and want to volunteer full-time for this event, you can then participate in all activities of the retreat for free, so far you can plan the breaks from your volunteer work accordingly.
Getting 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 to the right 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 50 minutes 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 1-2 week(s) before the event.
Speakers
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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 Editorial Coordinator of new translations, and at Kalapa as Program Director and Retreat Leader.
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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).