2009 Urban Winter Retreat
Taught by H.E. Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche
This retreat will include a Tara Empowerment and teachings from the Heart Sutra (Prajna Paramita). All are welcome.
Sunday, December 27, 2009 through Sunday, January 3, 2010
Last updated: December 5, 2009
Registration in now open for the 7th annual Dzogchen Winter Retreat taught by H.E. Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche. The retreat hosted by Dzogchen Bodhi Temple of Las Vegas will be held at the Greek Isles Hotel in Las Vegas. This retreat will include a Tara Empowerment and teachings from the Heart Sutra (Prajna Paramita). The teachings will also encompass the pith instructions found in The Buddha Path. These profound methods help one to eradicate negative thinking, and increase positive thinking through the understanding, experiencing, and realizing of one’s own nature which is true happiness, or vast awakening.
H.E. Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche on Mt. Hood
Retreat Pricing
Seating is limited, so please read further details, and apply now to reserve your space.
One Week (December 27 to January 3):
Seniors (65 and up): $100
Adults (18-64): $150
Teens (13-17): $100
Youths (6-12): $100
Children (0-5): Free
Dzogchen Bodhi Temple of Las Vegas never charges for Dharma teachings. All fees will be used to cover the costs of organizing and operating the retreat. Students who would like to arrive early and help with preparations or stay after the retreat to help with clean-up are encouraged to do so.
Registration
Registration will be open until December 16, 2009. However, space is limited, so you are encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure your reservation. The retreat fee does not include room and board. Local residents may overnight at their homes. Out-of-town guests should register and book their hotel by December 11 to secure the best deal from the Greek Isles Hotel. Therefore, as soon as you have completed the online registration form, and if you do not live in Las Vegas, please immediately book your accommodations. See the accommodations section below.
Please carefully read the Winter Retreat Details and Policies page before registering. This page contains more detailed information about what to expect during the retreat, as well as guidelines for conduct. By registering for the Winter Retreat you acknowledge that you have read and understood the Details and Policies page.
Payments
Payment is due in full once your completed registration has been approved. No refunds will be issued after the close of registration on December 16, 2009. You can learn more on the Retreat Payment Options page.
About Heart Sutra and Tara Empowerment
The Heart Sutra (also known as the Essence of Wisdom Sutra) is a member of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajna Paramita) class of Mahayana Buddhist literature and is considered by many to be the primary representative of the second turning of the Wheel of Dharma.The Heart Sutra is much shorter than the other Perfection of Wisdom Sutras but it contains explicitly or implicitly the entire meaning of the longer Prajna Paramita Sutras.
The Sutra describes the experience of liberation of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokitesvara, as a result of insight gained while engaged in deep meditation to awaken the faculty of wisdom (prajna). The insight refers to the fundamental emptiness of all phenomena, the five composites of human existence (skandhas) — form, feeling, perception, impulse, and consciousness.
Tara is the embodiment of the Buddha’s compassionate action and helps remove all obstacles, fear, and dangers. The empowerment helps a practitioner form a powerful bond with Tara and greatly increases one’s progress and experience.
The retreat will also include in-depth and direct teachings by Rinpoche on the sacred text The Buddha Path and he will also lead us in many practices including mantra recitation, reciting sacred text, visualizations, music making, light offerings, torma offerings, and food offerings.
The Great Merit of Supporting This Retreat
Now, more than ever, the powerfully focused Sangha practice of retreat is vital for purifying the harmful energy of negative thinking that proliferates as the complex problems that we find in modern societies. It also provides a means for the public to transform impermanent worldly resources into an inexhaustible source of merit. It is the aspiration of the organizers of the Winter Retreat to raise $5,000 for this retreat to finance the purchase of offerings, ritual implements, musical instruments and decorative ornaments to be utilized for the benefit of all beings. The organizers intend to set aside a portion of the money raised to be used for scholarships to enable financially-challenged retreatants to attend.
For those who are not able to attend this retreat, a donation made with pure intention to support it's success is an extremely beneficial and worthwhile action. Please consider contributing to the Retreat Fund today by contacting the Retreat Director.
Donations should be made payable to Dzogchen Bodhi Temple of Las Vegas, an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contributions are tax-deductable to the full extent of the law.
About H.E. Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche
A vibrant and dynamic teacher, Khenpo Choga Rinpoche is a 33rd-generation holder of the Buddhist wisdom lineage of Dzogchen, a lama of Dzogchen Monastery, and a professor of Dzogchen Shri Singha Five Sciences University. Rinpoche has more than seven years of solitary cave meditation experience in high Tibetan holy mountains and embodies the qualities of a realized practitioner and yogi. He is a published author of numerous books in several languages, notably The Buddha Path, a practice book that encompasses all of the Buddha's teachings, and which is now available in English, Russian and Chinese, and is soon to be released in Spanish and German. More »
Promote the Winter Retreat
Please help us promote the Winter Retreat
by printing and distributing copies of the retreat poster:
Download PDF of Winter Retreat Poster
Contact Information
For more information on any of the above please contact:
Betsi Drayman
2009 Winter Retreat Director
Email: betsi108@gmail.com
Tel: 702-219-1191
Dzogchen Winter Retreat Information and Registration Site
