FOUR Higher Empowerments & FIRST Vajra Yoga of Kālachakra: Empowerment, Teachings & Retreat

Upon completion of the 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. (Shar Khentrul Rinpoche, Unveiling Your Sacred Truth 3)

The event encompasses 1) two days of preparations with Preliminary Practices, Guru Pūjā, Kālachakra-Tsok, and a walk and practice in the nature with Rinpoche, 2) The Four Higher Empowerments of Kālachakra for both groups (Wesum Practitioners & First Yoga Practitioners), 3) Transmission and Teachings for Wensum (Kālachakra Dark Meditation) for those taking the Higher Empowerments, and First Vajra Yoga Teachings (for those approved for First Yoga), 4) printed booklets about the respective pratice in English (Romanian, Chinese, Italian, and German are also available), 5) A private audience with Rinpoche (upon request) to discuss your practice, 6) Retreat with practice sessions (Wensum and First Vajra Yoga in two seperate groups) guided by senior students, 7) food and accommodation at the Dzokden Kalapa Retreat Center, and 8) for those receiving the First Vajra Yoga, in addition, the Vajra Robes Empowerment with authorization to use the Vajra Yoga Robes.

SCHEDULE (7 nights)

July 16 afternoon — Arrivals, Welcome Meeting and Introductions, Introductory Ritual | Check-in from 2:00 to 4:00 PM 

July 17 — Kālachakra Preliminary Practices, Kālachakra-Tsok, Walk and practice in the nature around Kalapa Retreat Center with Rinpoche

July 18 (Full Moon) — Four Higher Empowerments (both groups together) and Transmissions 

July 18 – 23 —  Practice Retreat, Teachings, and Personal Audiences with Rinpoche

July 23 — Last practice session and Check-out from 10:00 – 11:30 AM

*If you wish/need to stay one or more additional nights before/after the event, write us so that we can inform you of the conditions.

Preparation: You need to prepare yourself as much as you can with all the Kālachakra Preliminary Practices and Shar Khentrul Rinpoche’s books. 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 (there you also find the recorded chanting). 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. Bring your own vajra, bell, ḍamaru, or other ritual instruments to use in occasional pūjās.

Materials: Everything must be on paper because electronic devices are not allowed at all after the strict retreat begins. Bring your printed book “The Profound Path of Vajra Yoga.” Also bring your 1) printed booklet of the “Four Higher Empowerments” Booklet, 2) your mingchuk (meditation mask), and 3) your gomthak (meditation belt) — if you are, however, receiving the Higher Empowerments for the first time, you will get these three items in person from Rinpoche as a blessed gift. You can borrow printed texts of Guru Pūjā and Tsok to use during the event. Reading materials not directly related to this practice are not allowed during the strict retreat period.

After the Empowerments on July 18, the strict retreat period will begin. It will be closed and silent. During this period, participants are not allowed to leave the Retreat Center (unless because of unforeseen health needs, or if you are leaving merely to overnight in the hotel and come back the day after, etc.), receive visitors, or use mobile phones, tablet devices, pads, smartwatches, laptops, computers, etc. 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. 

The daily schedule consists of four practice sessions and occasional teachings or 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. 

During this retreat, a participant accumulates around 20 hours of their main practice (or much more if one does longer sessions or practice/study in between).

Note for practitioners from the United States of America: Rinpoche will offer a similar event in the US for the first time, in November 2027. Therefore, if you are from the US, we strongly encourage you to attend it in the US to support your local sangha. That said, you can of course attend both events (in Austria and the US). If you are from the US and can attend only in Austria, please write to [email protected] to explain your reasons so that we can consider an exception.

When completing the registration form, indicate if you have allergies or strong food intolerances that need to be considered (please only those that are really relevant for your health). While we can not serve you individually, we can inform you of the contents of the served dishes. In case you are on a very restricted diet, we suggest booking the DRA, where you can cook in a separate kitchen.

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. 

Off-Site Accommodations Options for hotel accommodation are available in Bad Schwanberg town. Please search for and book the reservations yourself. You will also need to organize a daily taxi (if you have no car). 

FAQ:  Please note that 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 within our context. We encourage practitioners to save up and create the conditions to participate. In ancient times, practitioners have given everything they had to the Vajra Master for similar teachings. 2) If you absolutely cannot commit to attending for the entire period, please let us know in advance. Leaving early is not recommended at all, 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 beforehand). If you are approved for leaving earlier, please note that we cannot offer you a special registration cost. The cost is for the 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 the spaces 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. During your stay, we can provide free access to an online course or recorded retreat at our digital learning center if you would like support for your practice and study while you are volunteering. Alternatively, if you have already received these teachings and want to volunteer full-time for the whole period, you can also participate in the sessions of the retreat event for free.

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 availability. That being said, we prefer the participation of someone who can commit to the whole period.

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 — around 108 EAP hours in total | Assistant Cook — around 88 EAP hours in total

To again take part in this important event, in the interest of your spiritual progress, Rinpoche 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.

If you have found, however, that unfortunately, your confidence in your own choice for the Jonang Lineage, the Kālachakra path, or Shar Khentrul Rinpoche has weakened in the time since you last took the last teaching retreats, Rinpoche 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 EAP. In this way, you will accumulate stores of merit for this path while rebuilding your confidence. Thus, by changing your conditions, your future participation will be one of benefit and success. 

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, from Graz, take the S6 (S-Bahn) towards Wies-Eibiswald for about 45 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 on whether/when a pick-up will be organized between 14:00 and 15:30. If you miss the pick-up from Kalapa, you need to book yourself a private taxi and cover the expense yourself ([email protected], phone +43 3462 2627).