The 2014 Rigdzin Dupa Drupchen
Grand Practice of The Buddha Path
at
Dzogchen Retreat Center USA
Teachings and Trainings on The Buddha Path
Wednesday, August 13 through Sunday, August 24, 2014
Last updated: March 27, 2014
Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche and The Dzogchen Shri Singha Foundation are pleased to announce the 2014 Rigdzin Dupa Drupchen. This intensive group practice will begin at 3 PM on Wednesday, August 13th, and conclude at 3 PM on Sunday, August 24th.
A Drupchen or “great accomplishment” is a group practice that combines and magnifies the accumulated power of each participant’s individual positive thinking to swiftly bring about beneficial results. When properly undertaken with correct intention this practice can produce in a few short days the merit equivalent to that of months or even years of solitary retreat.
A Drupchen utilizes the pure view and skillful means of Vajrayana Buddhism to produce such an effective result. Methods such as visualization, mantra, mudra, music, and Dharma dancing are combined with physical mandala creation, offerings, and holy substances to completely transform ordinary perceptions into the pure realm of the deity.
It is our aspiration to create a beautiful, abundant and inspiring practice environment to support the positive thinking and joyful attitude of all the participants in order to maximize the benefit for all beings. This year we can multiply our virtuous activity even more with your help.
Two Ways to Participate In The Drupchen
1) Attending the Drupchen
We will be accepting applications from qualified students who have participated in and completed a previous Drupchen under the guidance of Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche and meet the prerequisites below.
Prerequisites include:
1. Must apply online
2. Must have application approved
3. If only attending Drupchen and not any part of the 2014 Internship, must arrive at the Dzogchen Retreat Center prior to August 6th to receive empowerment and prepare by engaging in a personal retreat.
Please check in frequently if you have an interest in attending this extraordinary event. Space for participants will be limited by necessity so we cannot assure that all applicants will be permitted to attend.
To register, please visit the Registration Page.
2) Supporting the Drupchen
For those unable to attend, it is still possible to be a part of this special practice and generate tremendous merit by making a monetary donation to assist with the purchase of items necessary for a successful event. Giving material support is one of the easiest ways to join in with others’ virtuous activities.
When performing a Great Drupchen, many special holy items are needed to provide a spectacular, sensory experience. Many of the items we acquire for this Drupchen will be used by the sangha for many years to come. Specifically, to conduct a Rigdzin Dupa Drupchen properly it is essential that numerous decorative items, apparel, ritual objects, precious substances, and offerings be obtained.
While past Drupchens have been very successful, we have a special opportunity this year to amass the right materials to create an even more powerful Drupchen and to allow Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche to teach the complete practice at the DRC. Your contribution toward our goal of $20,000 USD will help ensure that the 2014 Rigdzin Dupa Drupchen brings great purification and blessings to all those with even the slightest connection to this vast and profound practice.
For more about donation options, please visit the Payment Options page.
About Rigdzin Dupa Drupchen
The Tibetan word Drupchen translates literally as 'Vast Accomplishment.' This extremely powerful group practice draws upon all the skillful methods of Dharma contained within the Vajrayana teachings to generate great merit and eliminate negativity of all kinds. This type of sadhana, or 'means to accomplishment', focuses on continuous day and night recitation of mantras and includes abundant offerings, visualizations, mudras, chanting, music, and dancing. All of these supports for positive thinking harmonize to help create a pure and sacred environment in the perception of the practitioners. It is said that the positive karma generated by several days of Drupchen practice engaged with the correct intention can equal that of months or even years spent in solitary retreat.
The Padmasambhava Drupchen is called Rigdzin Dupa in Tibetan, which is often translated as the “Gathering of Awareness-Holders.” This practice is one of three root sadhanas within the Longchen Nyingthig (Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse) cycle of teachings. It emphasizes the invocation of, and meditation on, the guru or lama aspect manifesting in the form of Padmasambhava, surrounded by his retinue of Vidyadharas, disciples, deities, dakinis and Dharma protectors . It was revealed by the great terton, or Treasure-Revealer, Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798).
Hung! In the northwest land of Sacred Oddiyana,
In the heart of a lotus on Dhana Kosha Lake,
Endowed with the marvelous supreme attainment,
Surrounded by numerous Dakinis and Vidyadharas,
Following you, I shall practice toward enlightenment.
Please come and bless me.
Guru Padma Siddhi Hung
(The Seven-Line Prayer as contained in The Buddha Path)
The Great Merit of Supporting Drupchen
Now, more than ever, the powerfully focused Sangha practice contained within Drupchen 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 Summer Retreat to raise $20,000 to finance the purchase of texts, offerings, ritual implements, sacred clothes, musical instruments, decorative ornaments, and scholarships for participants in need, all to be utilized for the benefit of all beings.
Especially for those who may not be able to attend the Drupchen, a donation made with pure intention to support its success is an extremely beneficial and worthwhile action. Please consider contributing to the Drupchen Fund today by contacting the Retreat Director.
About the Teacher
The 2014 Dzogchen Rigdzin Dupa Drupchen will led by H.E. Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche.
A vibrant and dynamic teacher, Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche is a 33rd-generation lineage holder of the Buddhist wisdom lineage of Dzogchen, a lama of Dzogchen Monastery, and professor of the Dzogchen Shri Singha University. Khen Rinpoche has more than seven years of solitary cave meditation experience in the high Tibetan holy mountains and embodies the qualities of a realized practitioner and yogi. He is a published author of numerous Tibetan and English books, including The Buddha Path, a practice book that encompasses all of Buddha's teachings, and which is now available in English, Chinese, Russian, and German. It is soon to be released in Nepali, Japanese, and Spanish.
More about Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche »
Retreat Pricing
As always the teachings and ceremonies themselves are offered free of charge, but it is traditional in Buddhism for the student to make an individual offering to the teacher during the retreat. You may voluntarily make an offering to the teacher at anytime during the retreat. It is most auspicious to do this at the beginning of the retreat at the end of the opening ceremony.
The retreat fees listed below are used to pay for food, supplies, utilities and maintenance of the facilities.
- Adult (18–64) ~ $600
- Senior (65 and up) ~ $600
- Monastic ~ $600
- Youth (ages 0–18) ~ contact Retreat Director
When making your travel plans, please plan your schedule so that you arrive at the retreat center after lunch, and depart the retreat center after lunch on the dates listed above. You are encouraged to come earlier or stay after the retreat to help us with preparations and clean-up of the retreat center. It is $20 per day to stay at the retreat center outside of the scheduled Drupchen. The $20 per day includes your room and board. Accommodations do not include blankets, sheets or towels.
Please Read About the Details
We have a separate page with all of the details about the retreat that you should read prior to applying. Please carefully review the Retreat Details, Conditions and Policies before registering. Everyone is welcome to apply by clicking here.
If you have any questions about anything, don’t hesitate to Contact Us.
How to Register
Because space is limited, we may have to decline some applicants, so you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The application period will close on June 20, 2014. Once you apply, we will contact you to confirm your registration.
Please carefully review the Retreat Details, Conditions and Policies before registering. Everyone is welcome to apply by clicking here.
How to Make Payments
Payment is due in full at the time of acceptance of your application. There will be no refunds after the close of the application period. Learn more on the Retreat Payment Options Page.
The Great Merit of Supporting Retreats
Even if you will not be able to attend this retreat, you or anyone else you know may earn tremendous merit by supporting those in retreat. If you would like to contribute financially or with your time, contact us immediately. There are a variety of different projects underway intended to support the retreat experience, including maintenance of the facilities and grounds. Funding for our scholarship program is also greatly needed.
There are three ways you can help:
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Come to the retreat center prior to the Drupchen and get the unique benefits of a work retreat.
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Offer donations for raw materials and supplies.
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Sponsor students and volunteers who want to perform work retreats.
If you would like to help or would like more information, please contact the retreat director.
Heartfelt Dharma Aspiration Prayer
As you may know, Khenpo has requested that all Sanghas and individual students practice the, “Heartfelt Dharma Aspiration Prayer for the Dzogchen Lineage Internship” as much as possible. There are three important times Rinpoche has requested we practice this prayer:
- Daily, on an individual basis
- Weekly, with your Sangha, whenever you get together for practice.
- Monthly on the full moon. Try to plan accordingly within your Sangha and get together to practice for all beings!
Khenpo has stressed that for the benefit of all beings it is imperative we generate the positive energy necessary to organize and plan a successful Dzogchen Lineage Internship. Without such success, it will be much more difficult to train teachers for this world and preserve the Buddha’s teachings. We therefore encourage you to practice this prayer, the "Preliminary Practice" in The Buddha Path, and Visualization of Buddha Shakyamuni as much as possible for the benefit of all beings! Always know that your positive practice is the root of all beneficial activities and the root of world peace!
We rejoice in your good practice!
Namo Buddhaya!
Download a printable PDF of the Dharma Aspiration Prayer
Join the Circle of Compassion
Support the Dzogchen Retreat Center Project
For the peace and happiness of all beings, the Dzogchen Shri Singha Foundation USA is asking for your support to ensure the future of the Dzogchen Retreat Center USA, under the spiritual guidance of Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche.
Your help is urgently needed to ensure the preservation, practice, and transmission of the unbroken Dzogchen Lineage tradition for increasing personal happiness and creating lasting world peace. Please visit our website where you can donate online and join our ongoing giving program, the Circle of Compassion, or make a one-time donation to the Dzogchen Retreat Center USA Project. "Generosity is the root of wealth and prosperity."
Learn more at: www.dzogchenlineage.org/giving
The Dzogchen Shri Singha Foundation USA is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
2014 Dzogchen Rigdzin Dupa Drupchen Navigation
