KARMA AND PURIFICATION RETREAT BASED ON THE 35 BUDDHAS OF CONFESSION PRAYER
FROM 1 MARCH (7pm) TO 3 MARCH 2024 (5pm)
Description
When we try to engage in virtuous activities such as study, reflection or meditation, are we able to keep our minds clear, alert and focused? In contrast, what happens when the activity in question is an entertaining social event? Isn't our mind clearer and more enthusiastic?
If our mental state is so obscure, weary, and easily distracted when we want to engage in spiritual practice, it is partly due to the force of the habits we have acquired to date, and to the presence of obscurations and defilements that clutter our minds.
Hence the importance of carrying out purification practices with the aim of purifying ourselves, through the 4 forces of confession and a good understanding of the law of karma and its effects, from negative karmas accumulated since beginningless time, and of giving greater strength and vigour to our mind so that it can more readily engage in virtuous activities.
Generally speaking, Buddha Sâkyamuni taught many methods, but among the most powerful and effective purification practices is the prayer of confession to the 35 Buddhas in which the Buddhas are evoked by pronouncing their names.
Retreat's procedure
The retreat will takes place entirely online via Zoom. It is also possible to attend it at Yiga Tcheudzine's temple in Veneux-les-Sablons, by specifying this on the registration form (places are limited).
It comprises 4 daily sessions of around 2 hours each. The sessions alternate between recitations with or without prostrations (Six Preliminary Practices and Prayer to the 35 Buddhas), and numerous meditations linked to the topic of Karma and its effects and the forces of purification.
A general explanation of the practice will be given by a senior student during the first session on the 1st day, and numerous documents will guide you during each session.
Conditions for participation
This retreat is based on faith in the Three Jewels and includes Buddhist prayers. It is open to Buddhist practitioners who meet certain criteria:
- to regularly attend the teachings of Venerable Rinpoché;
- to have a fairly good knowledge of the basics of Buddhism and especially of karma and its effects;
- already have at least some familiarity with the prayer to the 35 Buddhas.
With Rinpoché's agreement, certain exceptions can be made. If you do not meet these criteria, please write to the organizing team at the email address below.
Since the retreat is being held online, there is no limit to the number of places available, but all applications are subject to Rinpoché's approval. As the retreat programme is quite intense, before registering, please make sure that you are able to complete it, as in principle once started, any retreat should be completed.
Discipline
The principle of a retreat is to move away from our usual preoccupations in order to devote ourselves to spiritual activities, so retreatants are encouraged to remain within the confines of their retreat place throughout the retreat and to limit contact with non-retreatants.
To facilitate our concentration, we should refrain from non-virtuous activity through our three doors (body, speech and mind) and especially avoid distractions such as telephone, internet, TV, radio, newspapers and magazines…
The out-of-session periods constitute the retreat as much as the practice sessions themselves. Calm, recollection and discipline are therefore required at all times, including when carrying out our essential daily activities such as preparation of meals, housework, and so forth.
Mahayana Upasatha Vows
Taking the 24-hour vows is excellent, but we must be mindful that our state of health and abilities should be sufficiently robust to allow us to take them without impairing our concentration.
For those who have not previously received such vows from a qualified person, it will not be possible to take them during this retreat. There will be no collective ceremony.
Texts
All the texts needed for the retreat will be available for download at the bottom of this page, once you have received the email from the organisers confirming your registration :
- The retreat booklet containing recitations for each session and indications for practice;
- The tables : 1- the ten dark karmic paths and their effects; 2- The four general traits of karma; 3- The four remedial forces;
- The poster with the names of the 35 Buddhas (optional - recitation aid);
- Teachings on karma and commentaries on how to practice the prayer to the 35 Buddhas could enrich your practice (optional – to read between sessions).
Membership
To participate in the retreat, you need to be a current member of one of Venerable Dagpo Rinpoché's centres. If you have not yet renewed your membership for the current year, please do so by contacting your centre before the retreat.
For those attending the retreat at Yiga Tcheudzine, you must be a member of the Institut Guépèle. It will be possible for you to settle this on arrival.
Contribution
Traditionally, the Buddha's teachings should be accessible to all free of charge. Sometimes administrative costs are incurred in running a programme and participants are asked to make a contribution to cover these costs. For this online retreat, no contribution is required from participants.
If you wish, you can make a donation to the Ganden Ling Institute, which is organizing this retreat.
⇒ MAKE A DONATION ⇐
Special case: For retreatants at Yiga Tcheudzine, an operating fee of €26/day will be due and can be settled on arrival.
Contact
If the information you are looking for is not provided here, or if you encounter any other technical difficulties, you can contact the organizing team at the following e-mail address, specifying "PURIFICATION RETREAT 2024 " as the subject of your message:
⇒ gandenling.retraites@gmail.com ⇐
How to register ?
To facilitate the organizers' work, we recommend that you register as early as possible, especially if you are planning to attend the retreat at Yiga Tcheudzine.
Registration is mandatory by February 16, 2024, at the latest and can only be done using the link below.
We advise you to log in or create your account on the site (icon at top right) before registering for the retreat. This way, the form will be pre-filled.
NB : the form may appear in French. If so, kindly switch the website language to English (upper right corner of the website page).
⇒ REGISTRATION ⇐
Access to Zoom codes and specific retreat documents
Once you have received the e-mail indicating that your registration has been validated (this may take a few days! Be careful, it may arrive in your spam/junk mail folder, so be sure to check it), please log in to your personal account* on the site using the icon in the top right-hand corner. Then return to this page, where you will find (at the bottom of the page) the ZOOM codes for the retreat and all the documents you need for this retreat.
*Hint: if you have received the validation email for your registration and you still see the registration link on the retreat page, this means that you are not logged in to your personal account on the site. If you already have an account, simply log in to the site using your usual login details. If you are not registered on the site, please create your account using the same email address you used to register for the retreat.
If you have not received confirmation after a few days or if you are experiencing login problems, please contact us at the above e-mail address.