You are welcome to attend
Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche's
Spring Dzogchen Retreat
sponsored by
Dzogchen Buddha Institute
Marin County, California, USA
Friday, April 9 – Monday, April 12, 2004
Page updated: April 9, 2004
Registration is Closed
Registration officially began on
February 25, 2004 and is now closed.
Important Note: If you are
attending the retreat, you must read the retreat preparation document,
which includes schedule, directions, and packing list. It is available
as a web
page (opens faster,
prints okay), or as a PDF
file (requires Adobe Reader, opens
slower, but prints much better).
Steps to Register [registration closed]
1) First, scroll down and read this entire Retreat
Announcement page for key information you'll need to make your decision
to attend.
2) View the Rates page
to see what your fees will be to attend, and the methods of payment accepted.
3) Browse the Retreat Details page
to review other issues that may affect you.
4) Fill-out the online Registration
Form for each person attending in your party.
5) Complete your registration by making your payment via the Payments page.
About the Retreat Center
The Spring 2004 Dzogchen Retreat will be held
at the YMCA's Point Bonita Conference Center, located near the
coastline high above the Pacific Ocean. The Center is surrounded by
10,000 acres of beautiful coastal parklands known as The
Marin Headlands, a park within the Golden
Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which in turn is part
of the National Parks System. Nearby you will find picturesque rolling
hills leading to a rugged coastline, open meadows with abundant costal
flora and fauna, precipitous cliffs with spring-fed waterfalls, and
wide sandy beaches.
The Retreat Center has a large meeting room with a wood stove where the teachings
will be held. Nearby is a small outdoor amphitheater area which faces a fire
pit with vistas of the coastline as a backdrop. From the Center it is only
a 15 minute walk down the coastal headlands to a sweeping sandy beach. Rinpoche
will have the options to conduct a fire puja at the fire pit one evening or
a water puja at the beach one day.
Fees for Accommodations and Meals
Rinpoche wants to make this an affordable retreat
for everyone. The fact that this will be a short retreat will help
to keep the fees lower. Visit the Rates page
for details on fees and accepted methods of payment.
For information about to sponsor other retreatants, please visit the Retreat
Details page. If you are in a true position of financial hardship, there
will be a limited number of partial sponsorships available.
Meals
Eight meals will be included in either of the two payment plans starting with
dinner on Friday, and ending with breakfast on Monday.
The full-service commercial kitchen at the Retreat Center will serve our meals
buffet-style into a large dining room with views of the Ocean and coastline.
We have requested that the Retreat Center management provide us with a hearty
organic vegan and/or vegetarian meals. They are doing their best to accomodate
us.
If you choose to eat off-site, you will be challenged by the 30+ minute round-trip
to the nearest restaurant or store. With the solid teaching schedule, there
is limited time for meal breaks. Because of Retreat Center policy, there will
be no discounts available if you provide your own food or eat off site.
On-Site Accommodations
All retreatants are encouraged to stay on-site. The Retreat Center offers dormitory-style
housing (in separate buildings for men and women) with 4 to 12 bunk beds to
a room. Each gender has separate shared washrooms that include several hot
showers. The resident rate includes three nights lodging. Since the resident
rate is only $50 more than the commuter rate, it will be hard to find less
expensive accommodations than the approximately $17 per person per night housing
rate the Center is charging us.
It is preferred that you stay on-site in the dormitories, but not required.
For information about off-site accommodations, including inexpensive accomodations
for couples at the Marin Headlands Hostel (only a mile away) please visit the Retreat
Details page.
Retreat Schedule
The preliminary retreat schedule is as follows:
Friday, April 9 – Check-in begins at 2:30 PM,
but please arrive by 5 PM. Retreatants are encouraged to come early
to volunteer to help set up the retreat or simply enjoy the surrounding
park and beach. Dinner will be served at 5:30 PM. Opening ceremony
begins at 7:30 PM and all retreatants are required to be in attendance.
Teachings should conclude around 9:30 PM. Take a vow of silence from
10 PM to 6 AM.
Saturday, April 10 – Teachings will begin at 7:30 AM. There will be breaks
for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner. Teachings should conclude around 9:30
PM. Take a vow of silence from 10 PM to 6 AM.
Sunday, April 11 – Teachings will begin at 7:30 AM. There will be breaks
for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner. Teachings should conclude around 9:00
PM. Take a vow of silence from 10 PM to 6 AM.
Monday, April 12 – Teachings will begin at 7:30 AM. There will be a break
for breakfast, and teachings should conclude by Noon. No lunch will be served.
Checkout is immediately after the closing ceremony. Volunteers are encouraged
to help clean up. You may want to spend time in the afternoon hiking in the
Headlands or enjoying the nearby beach.
For reference, sunrise is around 6:45 AM and sunset is around 7:45 PM for that
weekend.
Contact Us
We are lightly staffed by few volunteers, so please forgive us if we don't
respond immediately. Before contacting us, please read this Retreat Announcement
page, the Rates page,
and the Retreat Details page
to see if we've already answered your questions. After that if you still have
questions about the Spring Dzogchen Retreat, then feel free
to call 415-887-2800 or email
.
Related Links
To register now, fill-out the online Registration
Form for each person attending in your party.
For additional details about the retreat including
transportation, weather, volunteering, off-site accommodations, and how
to become a retreat patron, please visit the Retreat
Details page.
For Rinpoche's Bay Area teachings the week before, please
visit the Bay Area page.
For Rinpoche's full teaching tour schedule, please visit the Schedule page.
The Dzogchen Buddha Institute is a California 501(c)(3) Non-profit Organization.
May all beings benefit.
|