Date(s) - January 2, 2020 - January 7, 2020
All Day
Experiencing Buddha Nature
A Retreat on the Bardos of Death and Dying
With Tergar Lama Khenpo Kunga
Middleton, Wisconsin, USA
This retreat is currently sold out. You can add your name to the waiting list by clicking on the register button below.
The practice of meditation allows us to connect with a source of inner peace and well-being that we can experience at any time, even when we find ourselves in chaotic or challenging circumstances. In the Tibetan Buddhist bardo teachings, life’s challenges can be used as opportunities to foster awakening, and the process of dying is said to present a potent opportunity to experience to the luminous nature of awareness, or buddha nature. For more than a thousand years, meditation practices that enable us to explore these states of consciousness have been valued as profound methods for transforming the mind and preparing for the moment of death.
In this retreat, Khenpo Kunga will offer teachings on the three bardos, or transitions, associated with death and dying, and how we can learn to live more fully by exploring these experiences. The daily schedule will include periods of silent meditation, teachings, and discussions with Khenpo Kunga, and opportunities for interviews and small group discussions with Tergar instructors. The teachings given at this retreat provide the transmissions needed to begin formal Buddhist practice in the Tergar Community, referred to as the Path of Liberation. These transmissions include “pointing out” teachings on the nature of mind, refuge vows (the vows to formally enter the Buddhist path), and the transmissions to begin practicing the foundational practices (ngondro) or Nectar of the Path.
This retreat is open to all individuals who meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Have attended all three Joy of Living Levels, Calming the Mind (Level 1), Opening the Heart (Level 2), and Awakening Wisdom (Level 3), and completed the associated practice requirements
- Have completed the full preliminary practices (the 4 x 100,000 ngöndro)
- Have had a daily meditation practice for at least five years and attended either group or solitary practice retreats (with 6+ hours of formal meditation practice each day) under the guidance of a Buddhist teacher for a total of at least thirty days.
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When:
January 2-7, 2020
The retreat begins on Wednesday, January 2 at 7:00 p.m. and ends Tuesday, January 7 with lunch at 11:30 a.m.
Schedule:
The daily schedule begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. It will include teaching sessions with Khenpo Kunga as well as six to eight hours of meditation per day (practiced in twenty- to thirty-minute sessions). The retreat will also include periods of silence, group discussions, and opportunities to have individual interviews with Tergar Instructors.
Costs:
- Program, lunches and dinners at Holy Wisdom: $525 (does not include accommodations)
There are also a limited number of rooms available at Holy Wisdom. Please indicate when you register if you would like to stay at Holy Wisdom. For those who would like to stay at the retreat center, please select one of these options when you register.
- Program, All Meals and Holy Wisdom Double Room: $775 (price per person sharing a room with two beds)
- Program, All Meals and Holy Wisdom Single Room: $900
Madison-area residents are encouraged to commute daily to permit out-of-town participants to attend.
Payment Notes:
- Donations: We strive to offer programs like this one as broadly as we can, regardless of ability to pay. Please consider adding an additional donation during registration or at the event to help share these teachings with as many people as possible.
- Partial Payment: You will have the opportunity to choose to make a 50% deposit while registering with the remaining balance due by December 15. The deposit option will only be available up to 21 days prior to the program.
- Discount for those on a limited income: Tergar offers a 20% discount (less $105) off the program price for those on a limited income, such as seniors and students. Please use the discount code: HW-20 when registering.
- Requests for Financial Assistance of more than 20% off the program price: If your ability to pay makes it difficult to attend this program, we will make every effort to help. Please email us at [email protected]. We will contact you within five business days to confirm and give you further registration instructions.
Additional Local Accommodations:
We have negotiated discounted rates with free shuttle service with the Baymont Inn and Suites Madison West. Rates are $72 + tax for a single and $82 + tax for a double. They will hold a block of rooms for Retreat Registrants until December 5, 2019. Contact them directly to register at 608-831-7711 and mention that you are participating in a Tergar retreat at Holy Wisdom.
Meals:
The retreat center will provide vegetarian meals. Please indicate during registration if you have other dietary restrictions.
Cancellation Policy:
For cancellations before November 15, there will be a $50 administration fee. For cancellations between November 15 and December 18, there will be a cancellation fee of $250. Cancellations after December 18 will be subject to full cancellation penalties.
For more information:
[email protected]
About Khenpo Kunga:
Khenpo Kunga became a monk at a young age and began his education at Tergar monastery, where he studied the rituals, prayers, and other traditional practices of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. At fifteen, he entered an extended meditation retreat and spent three years mastering the profound contemplative practices of the Kagyü lineage. Following this period of intense meditation practice, he entered the renowned Dzongsar monastic college near Dharamsala in Northwest India. After studying there for eleven years and receiving his Khenpo degree (equivalent to a PhD), he taught at Dzongsar college for three additional years. Khenpo Kunga’s primary teacher is Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, though he has studied with many other revered masters as well. In recent years, Khenpo Kunga has taught in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Europe and the United States as one of the main teachers for the worldwide network of Tergar monasteries, meditation centers, and meditation groups.
Location
Holy Wisdom Monastery, Middleton WI, United States