Tuesday-Sunday, September 23th-28th
Chenrezig Empowerment and Mani Drubchen Retreat
with Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche, Guest Lama (TBD) and Virginia Blum
The Mani Drubchen Practice Retreat offers a rare and precious opportunity to receive powerful blessings through an authentic lineage. This Drubchen continues a tradition of practice maintained in Tibet for centuries.In- Person and Online
Registeration is required to attend
The practice sadhana and the empowerment come directly from Rigdzin Chökyi Dragpa's arrangements from the Mani Kabum. The Mani Kabum is one of the most significant termas (treasure revelations) in Tibetan Buddhism. It is attributed to Tibet's first great Dharma king, Songsten Gampo (7th century), who is revered as an emanation of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion.
The Mani Drubchen holds profound personal significance for Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche. It was the first practice retreat he attended in Tibet after the easing of religious restrictions. Drupon Rinpoche's home monastery, Drong Ngur Gon, chose this very same Mani Drubchen as their first religious revival since the Cultural Revolution. The community's overwhelming support and sponsorship enabled them to sustain the Drubchen practice continuously for over a month.
The Mani Drubchen is a very special mantra retreat that involves visualizing Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion and reciting the six syllable mantra (OM MANI PADME HUNG) as a method for generating profound love and compassion, purifying obscurations, and benefitting limitless sentient beings. Drubchens (Great Accomplishment Retreats) are said to be exceptionally powerful in assisting spiritual development and can yield the same results as years of solitary retreat.
History of Mani Kabum Treasure Tradition by Eric Fry-Miller
The Mani Kabum teachings were transmitted directly from Chenrezig to the King Songtsen Gampo (7th Century) and his retinue. These were later discovered by Padmasambhava (8th Century) and then rehidden. They were later revealed by three treasure discoverers: Drubtob Ngödrub, Nyang Ral Nyima Özer (1124-1192), and Shakya Ö. This particular secret mantra tradition and empowerment comes mainly from the earlier Mani Kabum Treasures revealed by Drubtob Ngödrub and his famous student Nyang Ral Nyima Özer. These were later condensed and arranged by Rigdzin Chökyi Dragpa (1595-1659), who set forth the empowerment, generation stage instructions, as well as the completion stage instructions in a way that would be accessible for future generations. This tradition includes the special and rare dzogchen energy of awareness empowerment (rigpai tsal wang), in which we are directly introduced to our own ultimate nature.
This empowerment and group practice introduce us to the main Chenrezig sadhana, where we cultivate love and compassion for all beings and the wisdom to free us all from cyclic existence. Later through this gateway to expand on our practice, this cycle also includes an incredible wealth of branch activities, Hayagriva and secret dakini practices, inner fire tummo and subtle energy guidance, luminosity of deep sleep, dream yoga, illusory body, phowa, bardo instructions, and much more. These instructions also include a unique set of five different types of nature of mind instructions that include meditating on the Ultimate Prajnaparamita, Mahamudra, Ten Dzogchen Realizations, Madhyamika, and the Ultimate Realization of Chenrezig. Through this incredible cycle, we are shown how to reveal the true nature of the Great Compassionate Chenrezig from within.
Schedule
Tuesday, September 23th 10:00am - Sunday, September 28th 10:00am
Mani Drupchen Practice Retreat
Sunday, September 28th, 10:00am-12:00pm
1000 Armed Chenrezig Empowerment
Sunday,September 28th, 2:00pm-5:00pm
Final Tsok celebration, final ceremony for prayer requests, final dedication and aspiration prayers
Additional notes concerning the Schedule
During the mani drupchen practice retreat, we will hold both daytime and nighttime sessions, with continuous chanting of the mani mantra beginning tuesday, september 23rd at 10am and continuing throughout the retreat. although this is a 24-hour retreat, you are warmly encouraged to attend at any time—day or night—as your schedule permits. if you’re able to commit to night sessions, we will include you in the rotating schedule for those hours. night sessions will be held in small groups practicing in 3 ½ hour intervals through the night.
We encourage you to attend as much or as little of the drupchen as your schedule allows.
Doors will remain open around the clock, and you are welcome to come and go as needed. your presence, in whatever form it takes, is a valuable contribution to the collective field of practice and blessings we create together.
Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche
Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche was born in 1962 into a nomadic family in the region of Nag-chu in Eastern Tibet at the height of the religious and cultural persecution of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 and the subsequent Buddhist revival in Tibet, Drupon Rinpoche became inspired to devote his life to the spiritual path. He was thoroughly involved in the work of rebuilding the monastery in his local community, and in 1988 he went on a year-long pilgrimage, visiting holy places throughout Tibet. This journey culminated in his dramatic escape from Tibet, a perilous journey on foot across the Himalayas from Tibet to India. Once safely in India, he entered Janchubling Monastery in Dehradun where he studied Buddhist philosophy and served as a disciplinarian for six years. In 1996, he entered a rigorous period of solitary meditation and contemplation known as the traditional Three-Year Retreat. Soon after, he was given the title “Drupon” which means “master of spiritual attainment.”
Virginia Blum
Virginia Blum is the resident translator at Drong Ngur Jangchubling Buddhist Center, and has been translating and interpreting the Dharma since 2006 assisting Buddhist teachers around the world. Virginia is fluent in both Tibetan and Spanish and has been engaged in Buddhist meditation and study since 1999. She has studied Tibetan language in a number of immersive programs, including a two-year translation training program at Songsten Library in Dehradun, India, the Tibetan Summer Intensive Training at Rangjung Yeshe in Kathmandu, Nepal, as well as the Tibetan Language Intensive Training Course at the University of Virginia.
Important Event Information
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Breakfast, snacks, tea, and coffee will be provided for all retreat participants. Lunch and dinner are provided based on registration. (Pre-registration is required)
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One onsite bedroom, indoor camping, and some nearby home stays are available. Please see registration form for details and to reserve.
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