8 Shambhala Dharma Kings Empowerment & Retreat with Khentrul Rinpoche
For online only attendance, register on Dzokden
https://dzokden.org/events/online-or-in-person-8-shambhala-dharma-kings-empowerment-retreat-with-khentrul-rinpoche-5/
We are incredibly fortunate that Rinpoche will reveal this mind terma and bestow for the first time the “8 Shambhala Dharma Kings Empowerment” in the Kalachakra Kalapa Center. This is a rare opportunity for establishing a direct connection with the Sublime Realm of Shambhala in this incredibly short lineage transmission direct from the Shambhala Kings to Khentrul Rinpoche. Khentrul Rinpoche will also give an introductory teaching and a Q&A session after the empowerment. The practice sessions after the empowerment will be guided by his senior students.
About the Kings of Shambhala
The Dharma Kings of the Sublime Realm of Shambhala were able to skillfully introduce their realm to the Kalachakra teachings. Their effort went much more beyond only alleviating biased differences like races, conflicting religious approaches, classes etc. They helped propagate and make the Kalachakra teachings in such a way, that their realm started to transform into a pure Bodhisattva realm, happy and peaceful, where spiritual practice flourishes. Differently from wordly kings which are focused on protecting and expanding their territories, the Dharma Kings are Kings of the Dharma, Bodhisattva beings who manifest as great leaders out of their compassion and wisdom. Suchandra is the Dharma King who directly requested the Kalachakra Teachings to the Buddha Shakyamuni and afterwards brought these teachings to Shambhala. In this Empowerment, Rinpoche includes also Suchandra’s father who ruled in Shambhala before Suchandra.
“In general we say that the Dharma Kings are inseparable from the 8 great bodhisattvas and the 10 wrathful dakas. They are incredibly powerful. For me, the Shambhala Kings are much more special because of their particular connection with our own world. The bodhisattvas and dakas possess a subtle body form, like a body of a being of the god realm, and so, only some individuals can connect with them. But the Shambhala Kings appeared in Shambhala as human beings, so that many people could benefit through connecting with them. And, of course, they manifest themselves not as an ordinary human being, but as an exceptional, extraordinary human being.
I have been dedicating myself intensively to prepare for this empowerment. I feel a strong connection with them and I have no doubt that they are the greatest hope of our world for the manifestation of the Second Golden Age of Peace and Harmony.” (Khentrul Rinpoche)
Land Consecration for the Golden Age
On the final day of the retreat, Rinpoche will make offerings and consecrate the land for it to bring about the Golden Age of Peace and Harmony. Participants can raise prayer flags and celebrate with a Guru Puja and Kalachakra Tsok in the Kalachakra Temple.
WHO IS THIS FOR or HOW TO PREPARE MYSELF?
There are no prerequisites at all. It is suitable for all levels of practitioners. If you want to prepare yourself, you can do the online course Introduction to the Ngöndro available at our learning center. If you are already practicing dharma, you may benefit from the oral commentaries Rinpoche gave about his Shambhala prayers; they can be accessed in his official Youtube Channel. For knowing more about Shambhala and the Kalki Kings, we suggest the book “The Realm of Shambhala” by Rinpoche.
In-Person Schedule
The infos in italics are relevant ONLY for those attending in-person.
FRIDAY 8th July
14:00 to 16:30 – Check-in at Kalachakra Kalapa Retreat Center. Relax and enjoy the Austrian mountains.
17:00 – Meeting at the Yoga Room: Guidelines and Retreat Center Tour
18:00 – Dinner
19:30 – 21:00 – Public Teaching with RINPOCHE: The Shambhala Dharma Kings & the Coming Golden Age on Earth with Khentrul Rinpoche
SATURDAY 9th July
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – Preliminary Practice for the Empowerment (“Practice for Connecting with the Sublime Realm of Shambhala” of the Rimé Prayer Book)
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 13:00 – 8 Shambhala Dharma Kings EMPOWERMENT part 1
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16.30 – 8 Shambhala Dharma Kings EMPOWERMENT part 2
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for dharma discussions or self-study / self-practice
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 1
SUNDAY 10th July
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 1 in the Kalachakra Temple
(alternative program for in-person attendance: Yoga Class in the Yoga Room)
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 12:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 2
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16.30 – Dharma Kings Q&A with RINPOCHE & ORAL TRANSMISSION of the Sadhana
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for dharma discussions or self-study / self-practice
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 3
MONDAY 11th July
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 1 in the Kalachakra Temple
(alternative program for in-person attendance: Yoga Class in the Yoga Room)
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 12:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 2
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 3
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for dharma discussions or self-study / self-practice
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 4
TUESDAY 12th July
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 1 in the Kalachakra Temple
(alternative program for in-person attendance: Yoga Class in the Yoga Room)
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
11.00 – 12:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 2
13:00 – Lunch and Break
15.00 – 16:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 3
17.00 – 18.00 – Free time for dharma discussions or self-study / self-practice
18.00 – Dinner
19.30 – 21.00 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 4
WEDNESDAY 13th July
06.30 – Wake Up Gong
07:00 – 08:30 – Dharma Kings Practice Session 1 in the Kalachakra Temple
(alternative program for in-person attendance: Yoga Class in the Yoga Room)
08.30 – Breakfast
09:30 – 10:30 – Karma Yoga
10.30 – 13:00 – full moon public event – flag raising & blessing of Kalapa land for the Retreat Center to manifest the Golden Age + Guru Puja & Kalachakra Tsok in the temple
13:00 – Lunch / Departure
Translations Offered for the Teaching
If you are an in-person participant and need live translation, you must provide your own internet connection and bring earphones to listen to the teachings through your mobile or tablet in the temple. Space for notebooks in the temple are not possible. Unfortunately we can not share our WLAN or WIFI for participants because the translators need it as well.
A note for those attending in-person: if you are a translator who is joining the retreat also in-person, please let us know in advance so that we can reserve a space for you to translate during the teachings. Space is limited to circa 4 translators in total. You will not be able to be in the temple while translating.
FAQ
All the teachings and the practice retreat will be recorded and can be accessed afterwards in our online learning center. We encourage you to take part in as many live sessions as possible, but, if your time zone is not compatible, you can listen to them later. As usual, empowerment and oral transmission must be attended live and are not recorded.
Food and Accomodation Options
The food is provided 3x a day and is vegetarian. If you have any medical food allergies that we should be aware of please email [email protected] to let us know. For those attending in-person, we will also offer optional supplementary practice guided by Rinpoches’ students who are qualified yoga teachers.
On-Site Accomodations
The Residential Retreat fee includes three vegetarian meals and accommodation at the wonderful Kalachakra Kalapa Center on the Austrian mountains. Please inform us in advance about allergies and food intolerances and other important health and mental conditions. We are able to offer different male and female dormitory spaces from 3 to 8 participants in each room. It is also possible to camp in the region around the stupa inside the Retreat Center. 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. For those who wish to enjoy the wooded nature, to camp on site, please bring your own tent. You can reserve a camping spot in the check out. All accomodations include 3 meals a day.
Please note: Parking in the area of Kalapa is very limited. If you are staying with us for the whole retreat, we encourage you to drop off then find a space to park at a distance to help day travellers reach the site.
Off-Site Accomodations
If you need an individual room for you, there are many options of sleeping places in the near of the retreat center, in the Garanas region, as well as in the town Bad Schwanberg which offer different levels of accomodation which you can search for and book it yourself. We can help you find a place in case you do not speak German (write to [email protected])
Covid Requirements
Getting to Kalapa
Garanas 41
8541 Bad Schwanberg
Nearest airport is in Graz, Austria.
How to get to us:
By train:
Starting point is Graz main train station (IC and EC station). From there, take the S6 or S61 S-Bahn in the direction of Wies-Eibiswald, about an hour to the Schwanberg station. timetable information
From the Bad Schwanberg train station to the retreat center, it is possible to take a taxi (for more information: Regio Mobil ) directly to the Kalachakra Kalapa Center with (stop at: Buddhist Center). The taxi must be ordered some hours in advance. For journeys on weekends and public holidays, order by 5 p.m. the day before!
To order: +43 (0)50 16 17 18
Tarif: €6.00
By car:
From the Graz-West motorway junction (A2/A9) on the A2 in the direction of Klagenfurt/Italy to the Lieboch exit. Continue on federal road 76 in the direction of Eibiswald. After approx. 30 km you will reach Schwanberg. At the end of the main square in Schwanberg, turn left in the direction of Garanas, after the bridge, turn right in the direction of Garanas and follow the signs “Kalachakra Kalapa Center”, uphill for approx. 8 km, to the center.
Offerings to Rinpoche
Beyond the empowerments, Khentrul Rinpoche has kindly agreed to give teaching sessions and to support the retreat leaders which will guide the practice sessions. If you wish to show your generosity to Rinpoche’s precious teachings and to his immense efforts, you can do it in-person at the end of the retreat or, if you are attending online, offer Dana for Rinpoche on the Dzokden website here.
Speaker
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Khentrul Rinpoche
Khentrul Rinpoché Jamphel Lodrö is the founder and spiritual director of Dzokden. 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 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. Kalachakra (wheel of time) teachings contain profound methods to harmonize our external environment with the inner world of body and mind, ultimately bringing about the golden age of peace and harmony (dzokden).