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THREE-MONTH VAJRASATTVA RETREAT
Due
to the building work at Tushita dates for 2008 will not be decided
before February 2008. Traditionally the retreat takes place during the rainy season from
mid June to mid September.
 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 Vows.
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. If a
person's behaviour becomes disturbing to the group, Tushita management
has the right to ask them to leave.
-
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.
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RETREAT STRUCTURE
There are no
set dates for 2008 yet!
 Participants are required to arrive at Tushita no
later
than ? June. The Orientation Week will take place ? June - ?
June
and include 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 begin on the evening
of ? June and end on the ? September with a fire puja.
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 are expected to 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 years, 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 practising 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. There will also be other experienced
Dharma students specifically designated as support people for the
Vajrasattva Retreat. 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
Generally, the group takes precepts together on
special
precept days as advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Tibetan 30th (new moon),
Tibetan 8th (waxing half moon), Tibetan 15th (full moon), and other
special Buddhist holidays when merit multiplies many millions of times!
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 strongly recommended to read 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 Y our 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.
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WHAT TO EXPECT
 Weather
The Vajrasattva retreat is held over the monsoon
months. This is a time when we get a LOT of rain. 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 quite warm during this time, although the nights can be
cool.
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.
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B ASIC DISCIPLINE FOR ALL RETREATERS
1. Please
observe the following five precepts:
- Respect all life: do not intentionally kill
any living being, even small insects.
- Respect other's property: do not steal or take
anything not freely given.
- Be honest and straightforward: do not lie or
intentionally deceive others.
- Be celibate: no sex
- Be alert and mindful: avoid intoxicants, such
as cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs.
2. Be considerate of
others, especially others in retreat:
- No singing or playing music.
- Please be very aware of how you dress
–
this is a semi-monastic environment so wearing revealing clothing
(including shorts) is not appropriate. Please no sunbathing
exposing one's body.
- Keep silence around rooms and around course
participants and retreaters who are in silence.
- Observe whatever rules about keeping silence
the group decides upon for the retreat.
3. Gompa etiquette:
- Do not point your feet towards the teachers,
the altar or any holy object.
- Do not put Dharma materials – prayer
books, texts, Dharma books or notebooks with Dharma in them –
on
the floor, or sit or step over them.
- Do not lie down in the Gompa between sessions.
- No idle chit-chat in the Gompa.
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DISCIPLINE FOR THE VAJRASATTVA RETREAT
- Please be gentle
in your behaviour and sensitive to fellow group retreaters.
- Retreaters must attend all sessions
of the retreat unless sick. The Retreat Leader must be informed if you
are sick and therefore unable to attend a session.
- Retreaters must come to all sessions on time.
- Do not
do practices other than the Vajrsattva practice during
session times.
- If the Retreat Leader or Centre Director feels
it is necessary to call a meeting
during the retreat to discuss retreat matters, it is
compulsory for all retreaters to attend.
- It is not
permitted to go down to McLeod Ganj or other places
outside your retreat boundaries
during the retreat except in the case of an emergency. Please
settle all travel arrangements, calls, emails etc. before the retreat
begins.
- If couples
wish to do this retreat, we require them to remain as separate from
each other as possible. Retreat is an individual process and only by
distancing oneself from one's partner can the maximum benefit be
gained. So we ask you to not sit next to each other in the Gompa or
spend time in each other's rooms.
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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. Here are a few views from some
who finished the retreat in 1999...
“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.”
“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!”
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MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION:
Registration must be
completed by ____. Places are limited so please book early!
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MAY ALL BEINGS BE HAPPY!
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