General Spiritual Director
Completing powerful retreats before the Spring Festival
May 19, 2024
In an Atmosphere of Great Joy and Faith
Practitioners around the world are taking time this January to engage in retreat. Wonderful events are being organized globally, providing opportunities for people to retreat from their usual busy pace of life. They can slow down, look inwards, and engage in their spiritual practice more deeply. See this post for retreats in Argentina, South Africa, and Germany.
Argentina
Over 40 individuals joined the Urban Retreat: Introduction to Meditation at KMC Argentina, guided by Resident Teacher Gen Kelsang Rinchung. The teachings focused on how meditation practice can help us to achieve inner peace. Everyone enjoyed taking a break from their usual daily routine to explore the practice of meditation.
South Africa
During the first two weeks of January, the community of KMC Durban engaged in two retreats. In the first, ‘Change your Habits’, Gen Jampel, our Resident Teacher guided us through the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, according to the presentation in The Mirror of Dharma with Additions by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
With this foundation in our hearts, we engaged in a short Vajrayogini retreat, ‘Joyful Journey to Keajra’ in which we explored the practice of the eleven yogas of Vajrayogini.
“This has been a life-changing experience.”
“I can not believe my good fortune to have had the conditions to attend this retreat, I wish for everyone to have the good fortune I’ve had.”
“Words can’t describe the profound movement in my heart.”
“The clarity of these instructions is unsurpassed.”
Vajrapani KBC Johannesburg, situated in a very urban setting, hosted its final January Retreat this past weekend with Gen Mila, the Resident Teacher, guiding each session on the Practise of the Three Superior Heaps. We are immensely grateful for this practice. Thank you, Venerable Geshe-la.
We are now ready to start the year with positive energy and a wish to increase our offering of Kadam Dharma in Johannesburg and surrounding areas.
Thank you for this empowering and enlightening retreat. I felt so light and positive during the sessions; it was a heart-opening experience. I am so grateful that I joined!
Germany
The second and third week of Tharpaland’s annual Winter Retreat was dedicated to Vajrayogini generation stage and completion stage practice, as well as the transference of consciousness practice. Fortunate disciples from Germany and Switzerland had the opportunity to engage in tummo meditation and the meditation on the union of appearance and emptiness, and finally the Uncommon Yoga of Inconceivability, emphasizing some heart practices of the Ganden Oral Lineage.
The teachings were offered under the loving and skilful guidance of Tharpaland’s Resident Teacher and German National Spiritual Director, Gen Ananda. These blessed and very focussed two weeks of retreat were a perfect preparation for receiving the teachings at this year's International Summer Festival!
