Date(s) - June 10, 2020 - June 14, 2020
All Day
Intrinsic Awareness
Teachings on Natural Liberation through Naked Perception
Teachings by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Khenpo Kunga
The University of St. Thomas
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
This event has been postponed due to COVID-19 virus concerns. Communication will be sent to current registrants with instructions on refunds. We will soon be announcing a webpage on Tergar.org for ongoing updates and support for practitioners at this challenging time. Stay tuned!
Teachings are in English. Mandarin Chinese and Spanish translation will be offered.
In this retreat, Mingyur Rinpoche will offer practical meditation instructions on pure awareness. He will draw his explanations from a profound text from the Dzogchen lineage entitled The Introduction to Awareness: Natural Liberation through Naked Perception from a compendium of teachings known as The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a comprehensive guide to both living and dying as originally taught by the great master, Padmasambhava. The text comes from a larger corpus of teachings, the Profound Dharma of Self-Liberation through the Intention of the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones, revealed by Karma Lingpa (1326-1386). It is the best-known work of Nyingma literature. In the chapter Rinpoche will be teaching from, we find guidance for the meditator on how to recognize the mind’s true nature. This mirror-like pure awareness is untainted by thoughts and emotions and is the basis from which all our experiences arise.
Retreat Program
The daily schedule will include teaching sessions with Mingyur Rinpoche and 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 Lamas and Instructors.
Prerequisites
This Path of Liberation retreat is open to those who have completed Levels 1 and 2 of the Path of Liberation, including the practice requirements, and have also attended a Transmission 3 and 4 (Deepening Recognition) retreat. If you qualify and attend Transmission 3 and 4 in 2020 (June 4 through 10, 2020), you can also register for this retreat. If you are unclear whether your experience meets these requirements, please email [email protected].
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is a much-loved and accomplished Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher. With a rare ability to present the ancient wisdom of Tibet in a fresh, engaging manner, Rinpoche’s profound teachings and playful sense of humor have endeared him to students around the world. His first book, The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into over twenty languages. In early June 2011, Mingyur Rinpoche walked out of his monastery in Bodhgaya, India and began a “wandering retreat” through the Himalayas and the plains of India that lasted four and a half years. When not attending to the monasteries under his care in India and Nepal, Rinpoche spends time each year traveling and teaching worldwide. Read more…
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 participated in a traditional three-year meditation retreat. Following this period of intense meditation practice, he entered the renowned Dzongsar monastic college near Dharamsala in Northwest India. Khenpo studied there for eleven years and received his Khenpo degree (roughly equivalent to a PhD). Read more…
RETREAT DETAILS
Location:
The University of St. Thomas
2115 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55105
The University of St. Thomas is situated in Saint Paul about halfway between downtown Minneapolis and downtown Saint Paul, just a few blocks from the Mississippi River. The closest major airport is Minneapolis/Saint Paul International (MSP) – seven miles or a 20-minute taxi drive away.
Note on the retreat venue: Several community members have told us that holding the Tergar annual retreat at the University of St. Thomas creates a significant burden for many who identify as LGBTQ. This is due to opposition to same-sex marriages and other institutional practices of the Catholic Church, which oversees the University. Tergar is committed to creating a welcoming community for all. Tergar leadership is interested in pursuing ways to create a retreat container at the University of St. Thomas that actively supports our LGBTQ community members and others impacted. If you have any ideas that you would like to share, please email [email protected].
Schedule:
Check in for retreat begins at 3:00 p.m. on June 10. Dinner is at 6:00 p.m., and the first teaching is at 7:30 p.m. The retreat will conclude by noon on June 14, with an optional lunch at noon. In order to attend the retreat, you will need to arrive no later than the opening day. It will not be possible to start your retreat later in the program.
Food:
Three vegetarian meals will be served each day in a cafeteria that also offers non-vegetarian food. While the kitchen at the University of St. Thomas is not able to cater to special dietary needs, vegan protein and gluten-free options will be available.
Precepts and Silence:
While attending the retreat, all participants are expected to abide by the Five Precepts for lay practitioners, which are to abstain from the following: killing, taking that which is not given, engaging in sexual activity, telling lies, and taking recreational intoxicants. We will maintain periods of silence throughout this retreat, the length of which will vary, so there will be less silence in the beginning and end of the retreat and a period of complete silence in the middle.
Program Fee for Commuters: $525 per person. We are not able to offer a rate without meals.
Program Fee with Accommodations: There are four different room options. All options include four (4) nights of accommodations. No accommodations are available pre- and post-event dates.
1. Program Fee $525 plus Single Room in Apartment @$272 = $797 per person; Apartment with four single rooms with shared kitchen, living area and two shared bathrooms. Includes air-conditioning.
2. Program Fee $525 plus Single Dormitory Room @$168 = $693per person; Traditional style dormitory rooms. Shared common rooms and bathrooms are located in each corridor. Does not include air conditioning.
3. Program Fee $525 plus Double Shared Room in Apartment @$212 = $737 per person; Large room shared by two residents with private bathroom, microwave, and refrigerator. Many rooms include air conditioning.
4. Program Fee $525 plus Double Shared Dormitory Room @$128 = $653 per person; Traditional style dormitory rooms. Shared common rooms and bathrooms are located in each corridor. Does not include air conditioning. All shared dormitory rooms are single-gender only.
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 May 20. 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: FAPX2020 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 complete the financial aid form at this link. We will contact you within five business days to confirm and give you further registration instructions.
- Tergar Community Leadership Discount: If you would like to request a discount for leadership enrichment, please complete the request form here. A list of those eligible for the discount is included in the form. We will contact you within five business days to confirm and give you further registration instructions.
Cancellation Policy:
All cancellations up to April 29 will be charged a fee of $50. For any cancellations between April 29 and May 27, the fee is $200. After May 27, cancellations are subject to full penalty.
Please Note: If you are interested in also attending these programs, you must register separately.
- Joy of Living – Awareness, Compassion and Wisdom, May 30-June 4
- Path of Liberation – Transmission 1-4, June 4-10
- Path of Liberation – Transmission 5, Recognizing the Buddha Within (White Tara), June 14-17
Contact:
If you have any questions about the retreat or registration, please contact us at:
[email protected].
This retreat has been cancelled.
Location
University of St. Thomas, St Paul MN, United States