2014 Dzogchen San Diego
Summer Urban Retreat Series
June 20–29, 2014

Retreat Details, Conditions, and Policies

Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche with Hazlitt and Hazlitt and Sangha
during the 2013 Summer Retreat at the Dzogchen Retreat Center USA

Last updated: June 5, 2014

Retreat Options

This retreat has six events: a fire puja, two daylong retreats on the first weekend, a five day retreat during the week, and two daylong retreats on the second weekend. See the Main Page for the details.

What is Included

This free retreat series includes:

Nine days of amazing Dharmic experiences and teachings

This free retreat series does NOT include:

Transportation.
Parking.
Accommodations.
Meals.

The Food

This retreat is an urban-style, not a residential-style retreat. This means each retreatant will need to be responsible for their own food and lodging. If you live locally, then your expenses to attend may be limited to commuting fees and lunch since you can eat breakfast and dinner at home.

The Dharma Bum Temple has a policy that any food brought into the Temple must be vegetarian.

During the five day retreat we may collaborate on our lunches together. In this case, you may be asked to contribute to the cost of buying food supplies. If you have special food requirements, you should provide for yourself and don't worry about collaborating on any meals.

Please arrange to eat a meal just prior to arriving at the Temple in the morning and plan to eat your dinner after leaving the Temple at night.

Accommodations

Please visit the Accommodations page for details on nearby lodgings.

Attendance

Retreatants cannot miss any of the sessions within the events they commit to attend. If you do, you won't be permitted to continue to participate in the remainder of that event. You must arrive at all sessions on time and be present for all the sessions within the events you choose or you will not permitted to continue to participate that event. Exceptions are sometimes made in cases of emergency or given advance permission of the teachers guiding the retreat.

Transportation

Students should arrange their own transportation to and from the Temple each day. Ask the retreat director for advice about ride sharing and parking issues.

What to Bring

Below is a suggested packing list. Plan for the weather to be both warm and dry and damp and cool. Rain is possible any day of the year in this part of Oregon. Please bring appropriate sleeping gear, clothing, and shoes.

A copy of The Buddha Path practice book (order a copy from Lulu.com)
Bell and dorje (if you own a set)
Holy objects i.e., mala
Computer (with charger)
Notebook and pens
Toiletries
Water bottle (sealable to prevent spills in the shrine)
Sitting cushion or chair of choice (some chairs and cushions are available on site)
Small blanket (to keep your knees warm when sitting in the shrine)
Cool clothing for daytime
Warm clothing for evenings
Walking shoes
Beach towel
Sunscreen
Enough changes of clothes to get you through the retreat
Extra cash to make offerings to the Temple, the teacher, or contributions to special events

What NOT to Bring

Below is a list of things to NOT bring:

Cigarettes, tobacco products, or any other smoking materials or paraphernalia (please do not smoke anything before, during, or right after the events)
Drugs that have NOT been prescribed to you by your physician
Weapons
Pets

Weather

When packing just before the retreat, you can check the San Diego weather forecast online to get an idea of the 10-day weather outlook and historic averages.

Health

Retreatants should take care of their own health, bring along any emergency supplies such as antidotes to any life-threatening allergies, and expect to be able to handle the somewhat rigorous teaching and practice schedule of the retreat. If you are taking any type of pharmaceutical that can influence your mental state (including but not limited to anti-depressant, diabetes and thyroid medications), we require that you bring an adequate supply for your entire visit here, and that you consistently follow the usage pattern and medical advice prescribed by your physician. You must inform the Event Director of your special medical conditions when you register.

Children

Children are much-beloved, however we have no special program or supervision for children at the retreat. In the past, children have attended Dzogchen Lineage retreats, but have mainly been able to do so as full, conscious, responsible participants under the immediate supervision of their parents. If you would like to bring children to the retreat, please call the Retreat Director before registering and discuss this with us in detail. Anyone less than 18 must have a parent or legal guardian present during the retreat. Daycare facilities are currently not available.

Meditation and Sitting Practice

Meditation practice will be incorporated and keyed to the daily teaching subjects, with the goal of moving from a superficial understanding of the Buddha's teachings to a profound and incontrovertible realization of their truth in our present moment thinking. During teaching and meditation sessions you are welcome to sit in a chair, but most people choose to sit on a cushion on the floor. Many people bring their own personal seating, but some chairs and cushions are available here for those who unable to bring them.

Daily Retreat Schedule for the Five Day Urban Retreat

Although this is an urban retreat and many participants will be leaving at about 6 PM each day to go home, this will be an active retreat with a 24-hour per day commitment. Everyone is expected to remain in all teaching and practice sessions without creating disturbances. If you need to step out, for example as a result of a bathroom emergency, the teaching session will pause until you return. There will be adequate breaks between sessions. The sessions typically last one and a half to two and a half hours each, with up to six sessions per day. There will be about eight to ten hours of scheduled practices and teachings per day. In addition, during break times, Yoga, music, dancing, art, and other Dharma activities may or may not take place.

The schedule may vary from day to day, but will be similar to the following most days:

TIME DUR DESCRIPTION
07:00 AM (0:90) Wake up, Breakfast, & Commute Time
08:30 AM (0:30) Arrival at Temple, Shrine Offerings, and Personal Mediation
09:00 AM (0:50) Preliminary and Learning Practice
09:50 AM (0:10) Break
10:00 AM (0:90) Teaching Session with Hazlitt and Tina
11:30 AM (0:30) Break
12:00 PM (0:90) Teaching Session with Hazlitt and Tina
01:30 PM (2:00) Lunch Break
03:30 PM (0:50) Tutoring Session with Hazlitt and/or Tina
04:20 PM (0:10) Break
04:30 PM (0:50) Q&A Session with Hazlitt and Tina
05:20 PM (0:10) Break
05:30 PM (0:60) Sangha Unities and Concluding Practice
06:30 PM (0:30) Shrine Offerings, and Departure from Temple
07:00 PM (4:00) Commute, Dinner, and Study Time
11:00 PM (8:00) Vow of Silence & Sleep until 7:00 AM

As part of your daily practice, for an eight hour period, from about 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM you will be required to maintain a vow of silence and not engage in any normal waking activities except using the bathroom. These times may vary from day to day, but the idea is that you will be laying down resting your body for eight hours every night and not unnecessarily disturbing other people.

Additional Requirements

Everyone will be expected to follow the rules of the retreat which are outlined on this page. The rules are subject to revision. Also you must adhere to the schedule of the retreat and unless sick, attend all the scheduled events of the retreat. You may leave the retreat at any time, but you cannot leave the retreat and then return to the retreat.

To attend the retreat one has to be a non-smoker, drug-free, and mentally stable. Possession or use of smoking materials, illegal or mind-altering drugs, or non-prescribed pharmaceuticals are not permitted. You may of course bring with you and ingest any prescribed medication except medicinal marijuana which is not permitted. Hallucinogenic drugs are strictly prohibited.

You should bring with you to the retreat adequate supplies of things like clothing, bedding, toiletries and medicine.

You must have the willingness and commitment to practice with the group during all sessions of the retreat. You should have good enough physical and mental constitution to be able to sit with us for the daily schedule, and a good enough temperament to be able to get along with others.

Payments

The retreat is FREE, so no payments are required. You may make voluntary contributions to the teacher, the Temple, or pledges made to the Retreat Fund.

Cancellation

You may cancel your participation any time prior to June 20, 2014.

Scholarships

Since the retreat is free, there is not a scholarship fund per se, but if you need financial support or assistance with your transportation, lodging, or food, please let the retreat director know and we will seek sponsors for a Retreat Fund which can help support your financial needs. For example, if you need a sponsor to pay part of your necessary costs to get to San Diego and back, we will do our best to help you.

Offerings

Retreat costs do not include any organizational payments to the guiding teachers. Any donation to the teachers or to the hosting organization that you would like to make should offered directly at your convenience.

The Buddhist teachings during the retreat are free, but note that within Dzogchen Buddhist tradition, the teacher does not charge the organizers for the teaching services, and therefore individual donations by retreatants to the teacher are always welcomed and needed in order to support the teacher's Dharma activities. This is also a gesture of appreciation, respect and aspiration for the perpetuation of the teachings. This offering to the teacher by the individual student is often referred to using the Sanskrit term dana.