The Six Bardos New Year Retreat 2017

Happiness in Life, Peace in Death:
The Six Bardos

New Year Retreat January 20-22, 2017

It’s time to register for our upcoming retreat with Khenpo Karten Rinpoche, scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 20-22, 2017. This will be a most precious opportunity to share an in-depth teaching by Rinpoche on The Six Bardos.

Brief Description of Teaching

What is the bardo ? The Tibetan word bardo means the intermediate state, which is our state of existence before and after death. There are altogether six bardos from the moment of conception till death.

The purpose of understanding the bardo is to use every spiritual experience in this life as a preparation for the moment of death and the next rebirth. Khenpo Karten Rinpoche will teach on:

1. How to achieve happiness in this life with the first three bardos: Kyenay Bardo (the bardo of birth and life), Milam Bardo (the practice of dream yoga in the dream state) and Samten Bardo (the bardo of meditation or concentrative absorption);

2. How to achieve peace at the moment of dying through the final three bardos: Chinkai Bardo (the bardo of dying at the moment of death until complete dissolution of outer and inner elements), Chonyi Bardo (luminosity of our true nature) and Sipa Bardo (the bardo of our new form which is determined by our karmic accumulations and actions).

Retreat Schedule

Location of Retreat-Manjushri Dharma Center

The retreat was originally to be held at Villa Angelica Sisters of Notre Dame House of Prayer and Retreat Center, however, the sisters double booked our weekend, and we have moved the location to the Manjushri Dharma Center in Pacific Grove. (724 Forest Avenue, PG, CA 93950)

About the Retreat

We will gather at the Manjushri Dharma Center for this three-day retreat which will include guided meditation and teachings by Rinpoche and Geshe Lobsang Kunshuk, a friend of Rinpoche’s visiting from South India, and an excellent teacher in his own right. Expert interpretation will be provided by our Tibetan specialist David Molk. All teaching sessions will take place in the Manjushri Dharma Center gompa. Seating for the sessions will be on cushions on the floor or chairs.

Lunches at the retreat will be served on Saturday and Sunday and will include simple, healthy and vegetarian dishes. If you have special food needs, please bring what you need. Retreat participants are responsible for breakfast and dinner on their own, although coffee, tea and snacks will be available during breaks.

Retreat Fee: $150.00

The retreat fee has been reduced to 150.00 for all participants. Fee includes lunches and printed teaching materials. Payment is due in full at registration. Partial refund if canceled two weeks before retreat.

Registration and Payment

Please register online here or by mail sent to the address below. Payment is not needed at the time of registration.

Payment notes:

Please pay by credit or debit card, check or money order in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. or Canadian bank. We cannot accept foreign cash or bank drafts.

PLEASE NOTE: Anyone with financial concerns is asked to contact Rachel Christopherson at [email protected] or 831-901-3156. Khenpo Karten Rinpoche wishes that no person be turned away because of financial need.

CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD PAYMENTS: Please use the Manjushri Dharma Center giving page at: https://manjushridharmacenter.org/give/

CHECK OR MONEY ORDER PAYMENTS: Please make checks payable to “Manjushri Dharma Center.” Mail checks to Manjushri Dharma Center, 724 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. Alternatively, checks can be left in the donation box at the Manjushri Dharma Center.

We are continuing to take registrations, and walk-ins are welcome

More About the Teaching

The Root Text

Participants will be given copies of “The Root Verses on the Six Bardos,” from the terma of Karma Lingpa.
Karma Lingpa (born 1326) was a 14th century tertön (a revealer of spiritual treasures or terma) who revealed the Shyitro Gongpa Rangdrol cycle, from which come the teachings on the six bardos and the Bardo Tödrol Chenmo, aka the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Precepts

Precepts are a set of commitments observed by laypeople during periods of intensive meditation practice or in conjunction with special teachings or holy days. Precepts are taken to help purify our minds and support our spiritual practice while engaging in retreat. Here is a link to the text we will use as our precept prayer for this retreat: The Ritual of Mahayana Sojong, taken from the text The Kagyu Monlan Book Supplement.

Description of the Six Bardos: Wikipedia

Photo credits:

Image of 41 Peaceful Deities, courtesy of RigpaWiki

Image of Villa Angelica courtesy of Stephanie Koehler (from 20161 retreat)

Image of KK Rinpoche and Geshe Lobsang courtesy of Stephanie Koehler (from 2016 retreat)

Reflections and Photos from 2017 New Year Retreat

From Khenpo Karten Rinpoche Facebook Post, January 23, 2017: “Such a wonderful retreat for 2017! This was our fifth annual retreat, and we were joined by Geshe Lobsang Kanshuk, my dear friend and Dharma brother from south India. Thank you to everyone who participated. ‘May all beings minds turn towards Dharma; May that Dharma become the path; May the path be free from deception; May deception arise as innate wisdom.” (Four Dharmas of Gampopa)'”

Group Photo from last day