Vajrasattva Retreat

We offer this retreat once every two years. The next Vajrasattva retreat will take place in 2027!

This retreat is limited to a maximum of 18 participants – early registration is recommended.

The Vajrasattva practice is said to be particularly powerful for purifying the impure energy of the mind and the negative actions of body and speech that arise from it. In all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the Vajrasattva practice is one of the preliminary practices.

Sometimes our Dharma practice doesn’t seem to bring good results. This is because our negative karma is creating obstacles. Doing this Vajrasattva practice can purify these negative mental imprints, thus removing the obstacles and suffering that result from our negative habits.

The Heruka Vajrasattva sadhana used during the retreat was composed by Lama Yeshe, founder of Tushita Meditation Centre. He once expressed the hope that all of his students would make the time to do this retreat at least once before they died.

Pre-Requisites to Join the Retreat

In order to participate in this retreat, you MUST:

• Be a Buddhist. This means you must have taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, committing yourself to follow the Buddhist path. It is absolutely necessary to have taken the refuge vow (during a formal refuge ceremony with a qualified lama) in order to be qualified to take the higher vows and Initiation required to do a tantric practice such as this Vajrasattva Retreat.
• Have taken the Vajrasattva Initiation, which will require taking the aspiring and engaging Bodhisattva Vow. Tushita will arrange for these Vows and Initiation to be given during the Orientation Week.
• Be in stable mental health with no recent history of mental illness. During the Orientation Week, all retreaters must have an interview with the Retreat Leader and/or Spiritual Programme Coordinator to check suitability.
• Have significant experience in the Lam Rim (the graduated path to enlightenment). This includes both study of Lam Rim topics AND Lam Rim retreat experience, such as several 10-day Lam Rim courses, a one-month Lam Rim retreat, or several individual Lam Rim retreats.
• Check with your teacher, if now is an appropriate time to do this retreat.
• Come with a strong determination to complete the entire retreat! Some people doing this retreat will have a commitment to complete 100,000 mantras or to do a three-month retreat, and others may have no commitments at all. The commitment will vary according to the Lama giving Initiation. In any case, please be aware that this retreat is not a holiday! It is hard and intensive work and one needs a firm motivation and determination to cope with the difficulties which inevitably arise.
• Have read all information on this website about the retreat, the Rules of Discipline and The Retreat Environment, and agree to follow the discipline of the retreat. If a person’s behaviour becomes disruptive to the group, Tushita management has the right to ask them to leave.

 

Vajrasattva Group Retreat Schedule

There will be an Orientation Week, which includes the following preparations for the retreat:

• Interview with the Retreat Leader and/or Spiritual Programme Coordinator
• Vajrasattva Initiation and instructions on the practice
• Preparation of the meditation room
• Opportunities to become acquainted with your fellow retreaters

The Vajrasattva practice will end with a fire puja on the final day.

Because this is a group retreat, your presence in the group and your support of your fellow retreaters is essential in making this a positive experience for everyone. Therefore, you must stay for the full three months, even if you complete your mantra commitment earlier.

Doing a Group Retreat

There are many advantages to doing Vajrasattva retreat as a group here at Tushita Meditation Centre:

• Because this retreat has taken place here annually for many decades, the area is very blessed and conducive to this particular practice.
• A special Vajrasattva Gompa was built specifically for hosting this retreat.
• The Vajrasattva Gompa, which is situated beside Lama Yeshe’s Stupa, is home to a statue of Lama Yeshe in Heruka Vajrasattva aspect with consort.
• The Vajrasattva Gompa also has many hundreds of Vajrasattva clay images (tsa tsa’s) beautifully lining the walls.
• McLeod Ganj is home to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and many other highly realised Lamas, meditators and practitioners.
• During the monsoon, the pine forests and changing views across the mountains above and the plains below provide a beautiful and peaceful environment in which to do retreat.

It is essential to remember that this is a group retreat. There might be personality clashes when living and practicing so closely with others. A big part of this retreat is learning to be relaxed and give oneself and others the space and support to do the practice at a comfortable level for each person.

The Retreat Leader, Centre Director, and Spiritual Programme Coordinator will be available during the retreat if you need to discuss anything with them. Although much of the retreat will be in silence, it does not mean you cannot seek out help and guidance when needed!

Retreat Leader

There is a Retreat Leader who guides all sessions for the first few weeks. Gradually the retreaters take turns leading the sessions themselves and the Retreat Leader is then available for questions, to help with any difficulties that may arise and to give personal support. As the retreat comes to an end, the Retreat Leader will guide the group through the final stages.

Silence

During the first and third months of the retreat, participants will keep silence from the last session at night until lunch the next day. Participants will keep strict silence for the whole of the second month of the retreat. Furthermore, we will request the Vajrasattva retreaters to please keep silence around others who are in silence.

To help the retreat be a deep experience with as few distractions as possible, all conversations are restricted to within the group, retreat leader, and office staff. Retreaters must not leave Tushita property for the duration of the retreat and will also not receive or send letters or e-mails during the retreat (emergency email can be marked “Urgent” and we can deliver it to you. All other emails and letters will be kept until the end of the retreat.)

Daily Schedule

On the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, each day will begin with a 2-hour session of Combined Jorcho and Lama Choepa practice, with time for Vajrasattva mantra recitation. Then throughout the day there will be three 2-hour sessions of the Vajrasattva sadhana with mantra recitation. All sessions will include Prostrations to the 35 Confessional Buddhas and a Lam Rim meditation as a motivation. There are breaks for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for relaxing. Once per week there will be one of the following: a Dharma video, a question & answer session, OR a group discussion.

Eight Mahayana Precepts

We encourage retreatants to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts for the entire three months of the retreat. Please discuss with the Spiritual Programme Coordinator during your registration process if you feel you are not able to follow these recommendations.

Recommended Reading

It is a good idea to read at least some of these books before coming to the Vajrasattva retreat. You will get a better idea of what to expect and more awareness of why it’s so beneficial to do this retreat. With the help of these books, you’ll attain a firm understanding of how to get the most benefit from the retreat.

It is a requirement of the retreat that all prospective retreatants read Becoming Vajrasattva; The Tantric Path of Purification by Lama Yeshe (Wisdom Publications) before arriving for the retreat.

We also encourage you to read Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche’s Teachings from the Vajrasattva Retreat (Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive).

Other suggested titles include:

• Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, The Door to Satisfaction, Wisdom Publications
• Lama Thubten Yeshe, Introduction to Tantra, Wisdom Publications
• Chogyam Trungpa, Journey Without a Goal, Shambhala
• Lama Tsong Khapa, Preparing for Tantra, Classics of Middle Asia
• Pabonka Rinpoche, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. Wisdom Publications

There is a comprehensive Library here at Tushita, but you may also want to bring a few of your favourite books with you, particularly Lam Rim (Stages of the Path) and Lojong (Thought Transformation) texts.

You will be supplied with a sadhana and photo of Vajrasattva and a prayer book containing all of the prayers that you will need during the retreat.

What to Expect

Weather

The Vajrasattva retreat is held over the monsoon months. This is a time when we get a LOT of rain and mold is common. The days are often filled with white mist swirling around the trees surrounding the Centre, and the sun sometimes stays away for days on end. Thus it’s an excellent time for doing retreat as there’s little to do outside! But it can feel a little oppressive if you are not expecting it. The temperature is still quite warm during this time, although the nights can be cool.

Read more – Weather / When to Visit.

Food & Accommodation

Tushita offers simple vegetarian food – a blend of Western, Tibetan and Indian cuisine. We do use dairy products. Tushita cannot cater for any special diets! So please don’t put us in the position to say no by asking.

Tushita’s accommodation is fairly basic compared to the West. Please don’t expect high quality luxury rooms – they don’t exist here! But what we can offer is basic facilities that are quite adequate for retreating.

Feedback from previous Vajrasattva retreaters

Pure Pleasure, Pure Pain – The Vajrasattva Retreat

Some say it’s heaven, some say it’s hell and many think it’s both – the annual three month Vajrasattva retreat at Tushita is usually a stern test for all those who dare to do it.

Tushita is a very good place, in a way magical, set in a beautiful forest with gorgeous views and filled with a healthy population of charming dogs, slugs, monkeys and honest people working to better themselves for the sake of all beings. We were well cared for by the staff who were generous with support and respect for what we were doing. With a sincere sensitivity, they gave us all the mental and physical space we needed, always dealing with details of practical affairs as they came up, and sympathetically staying clear out of our way when we were in the crunch of the difficult times of purification.
– Retreatant, 1999 Vajrasattva Retreat

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. For me, I think this retreat was a back-to-basics experience – certainly not some mystical tantric experience – but really just working with very basic Lam Rim. What this retreat gave me was the opportunity to really look at my mind – what did I find? I found it is not fun to do this retreat – it is very painful. But it is in these moments of real pain, that we grow a little. We understand a little more. This is the cutting edge of our practice. So in hindsight, the darkest moments, the worst of times, are in fact, the best of times.

As His Holiness says “We have no choice but to get on the Path and move towards Buddhahood” Even if it takes 100,000 lives. The alternative is to remain a slave of our negative emotions of karma and delusion.

Despite it’s difficulties, this retreat has been the best time of my life – no doubt. One main reason has been the incredible inspiration all the other Vajrasattva retreaters have been. It’s been great sitting at the back of the Gompa, as I could spy on everyone when I’m distracted. I see everyone trying so hard, working so hard, it’s wonderful. They have been my dearest friends, my support, my mirror and my guru – it doesn’t get any better than this!
– Retreatant, 1999 Vajrasattva Retreat

The Vajrasattva retreat at Tushita, what an incredible few months it was. To have the opportunity to really dive into the practice, to work with the mind, and to live at this wonderful centre was truly amazing. 

Often in life I do something and then quickly move onto the next thing, taking forward little from the experience other than good memories. But after the Vajrasattva retreat I am already aware of how much it has helped shape and impact my Dharma practice and therefore my life. Now having very slightly better understandings of some of the lam rim topics, having a tiny better understanding of tantra, and for a little more of my attachment to samsaric pleasures fall away, is contributing to having a great impact on my practice and my priorities since leaving the retreat. And if this is what one gains from merely scratching the surface of tantric practice, then how exciting it is to continue and go deeper. 

My visualisation is still weak and my concentration is still poor, but my footing on the Dharma path is that much stronger and secure, and for this my heart is filled with joy and gratitude. To gain an experience that encourages Bodhicitta to grow in the heart, and to deepen one’s commitment to the practice as a means of truly benefiting others is incredible.

I love Tushita, I have since my 10 day introduction course, and to spend those months in the wonderful, supportive, and loving environment which is created by all the staff and volunteers, eating delicious food, and practicing with fellow Dharma brothers and sisters is so precious. So from the depths of my heart I rejoice and wish all those the best who also have the fortune to do this awesome retreat in the future. 
– Retreatant, 2025 Vajrasattva Retreat

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