Vajrayogini Empowerment & Dakini Mountain Consecration

Empowerment with Drupon Rinpoche and Dakini Mountain Vajrayogini statue installation.
Sunday May 31st, 10am – 6pm PST (UTC-7)

On May 31st, join us in the culmination of our online weekend meditation retreat led by Pema Khandro. We are honored to host special guest teacher Drupon Rinchen Dorje, of the Garchen Institute and Chicago Ratna Shri Sangha. He was ordained by H.H. Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche and completed two three year retreats among many other accomplishments in practice and study.

The day will include the Vajrayogini empowerment for generation stage practice and mantra accumulation by Drupon Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, followed by the Dakini Mountain Consecration and Meditation Retreat.

About this Retreat
This is one of four retreats a year offered by Pema Khandro: 1) the Vajrayana retreat, 2) Dzogchen Retreat 3) Chod Retreat and 4) VajraSangha retreat, this one falling into the category of Vajrayana Meditation Retreat. This year in May, 2020, due to the worldwide pandemic and national shelter-in-place orders in the USA, this event, which had been planned to be in person, was moved online. 

About Vajrayogini & Dakini Mountain
This retreat celebrates the installment of the Vajrayogini shrine at Dakini Mountain, a pilgrimage site for Vajrayogini in the Lake Tahoe National Forest of Northern California, founded by Pema Khandro. Vajrayogini is regarded as the essence of all buddhas, venerated by every sect of Tibetan Buddhism and venerated by Buddhists (and Hindus) all over the world. Vajrayogini is the symbol of the freedom and power of intrinsic wisdom and the enlightened feminine wisdom that severs suffering at its root. 

Retreat Format
Sunday May 31st, 10am-6pm PST (UTC-7)
This retreat will be offered on Zoom, an online platform for group gatherings.
Registered participants for Sunday will receive information on how to join, and the link to the Vajrayogini text, Saturday night.

Participants will need a comfortable, quiet place to sit as well as a computer and internet access. There will be a lunch break from 12pm-2pm PST(UTC-7). As well as a short tea break at 4:40pm PST(UTC-7)

Please email info@buddhistyogis.org if you have any questions.

The Mandala Offering
There are three opportunities to donate:

~The Mandala Offering~

If you would like to sponsor the mandala offering for yourself or for your loved one, It will be offered on your or your loved one’s behalf during the Mandala Offering Ceremony during the Vajrayogini Retreat. When the Mandala Offering prayers are made, the names of those sponsored will be read aloud and the enormous positive merit generated by the practices will be dedicated to their benefit. 

~The Benefit of the Lamas~

If you wish, you may donate for the benefit of the Lamas conducting the Vajrayogini Retreat.  All Lamas and teachers of Ngakpa International are supported solely by your generosity.  Retreat fees and membership contributions are used strictly to cover the costs of the Ngakpa International organization.

~The Dakini Mountain Emergency Fund~ 

Dakini Mountain and Ngakpa International have been severely affected by the pandemic which has caused a major loss of income. Every contribution at this time makes a difference to help Ngakpa International and Dakini Mountain survive. Please donate now to keep the classes going, the doors open, and the Buddhist teachings to continue. May all beings benefit!

Pre-requisites: Generally in Vajrayana the generation stage practices such as Vajrayogini are accomplished 100,000 times. This type of practice is usually started after ngondro is completed because ngondro is the foundation of all meditations of Buddhist Tantra. Ngondro is a set of 4 practices which are each accumulated 100,000 times each. Completion of full ngondro practice is not required to receive the Vajrayogini empowerment. Instead, Drupon Rinpoche very generously requests that students simply complete ngondro first before beginning their Vajrayogini accumulations. There are no other commitments required from this empowerment. It is given out of generosity of the instructors with wish that it will benefit you both as a blessing and as a practice.

A Note from Pema Khandro About Online Teachings
“Online retreats and teachings are a contested issue in Tibetan Buddhism when it comes to Vajrayana. Some people are staunchly against it, others favor it. This event is co-sponsored by the Buddhist Studies Institute, our project which is founded on the idea that online technology can transform the way that Buddhist teachings are offered to make them more accessible. This theory has been proved through ample evidence of our courses which have a diverse student body reflecting diverse racial, ethnic, social, economic, gender and gender orientations. Bodies that are differently abled have attended online programs when in-person events would be too difficult. Single mothers who are not able to leave their child alone for a weekend have attended. Participants in ten countries have attended, making connections across cultures. Therefore, the accessibility and potential of online programs has been demonstrated to make a positive impact. 

I believe that the point of Buddhist teachings is to reduce suffering and promote peace and technology is a beautiful way to do that. The Buddha himself said that he would teach Buddhism in the language of every type of being. Technology is a new language, through which Buddhist training is being interpreted. 

At the heart of the debate about online programs is the fascinating question of what makes ‘transmission’ possible. In Tibet, India and Nepal, I have attended many empowerments where thousands of people received the ‘transmission’ even though many hundreds were not even in the building. Due to oversized crowds, they sit outside and sometimes watch on screens. Yet these empowerments are considered to be authentic empowerments due to the intention and connection.  How is this different from or the same as watching on screen from home while a program is broadcast live??? Out of great caution and respect I have primarily reserved the online programs for our weekly Wednesday night Buddhist philosophy study classes, since this question of what constitutes transmission is such a serious and profound one. However there are certain urgent occasions, like this global pandemic, when so many other Lamas are giving empowerments online that I have judged it suitable to host an online empowerment by a guest Lama or give a reading transmission.

I reject an overly reductionist assessment of the issue in binary terms and instead simultaneously respect both beliefs as true: that Vajrayana should be taught online and that it should not be taught online, according to the particular teacher, lineage and circumstances of the students. This school will respect diversity in ways of expressing dharma, each approach will have their place. Bodhichitta is the most important matter and an extension of authentic bodhichitta will be to respect the diverse approaches of others without casting shade. 

Furthermore, I take comfort that all the teachings given in this program have, in recent times, been taught online by other important Lamas and teachers. I salute their bravery in paving the way and follow their example. I follow sentiments such as those by Garchen Rinpoche and Khenchen Tsultrim Lodro Rinpoche who have said that if the student has bodhichitta or a connection with the teacher then it can be just as powerful as in person. May Buddhism be an accessible resource to relieve suffering in all times to come and in all formats possible.”

– Pema Khandro