About the Event: This year’s Easter retreat will focus on the beautiful practice of Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga.
Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga is a particularly powerful practice for receiving the blessings of one’s personal teacher and developing the realization of guru devotion. Also known as the Hundred Deities of Tushita (Ganden Lha Gyäma), it is a seven-limb practice related to Lama Tsongkhapa, the great Tibetan scholar, saint, and yogi of the 14th century who founded the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. To supplement and complete this short text, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche has added a preliminary practice of the Four Immeasurable Thoughts, the lamrim prayer Foundation of All Good Qualities by Lama Tsongkhapa.
A method such as this guru yoga based on the inseparability of Lama Tsongkhapa and your own guru, the lama, establishes the very root of all happiness, for all the good things, from this life up to enlightenment. It makes whatever you do—listening, reflection and meditation practice— become effective for your mind. It makes whatever you do become Dharma: your mind to become Dharma, and Dharma to become the path, and for no obstacles to generating the path to occur. “The mind to become Dharma” includes the whole of the graduated path of the lower capability being, from the realization of the perfect human rebirth up to karma. With these realizations, with this awareness the mind becomes Dharma. Then, with renunciation of the whole of samsara the Dharma that you practice—the listening, reflecting, and meditating— becomes the cause of liberation; so “Dharma to become the path” includes the graduated path of the medium capability being.
- Lama Zopa Rinpoche LTGY commentary
About our Teacher:
Geshe Phuntsok Tsultrim is immensely popular for the warm and approachable way in which he presents the Dharma and inspires our community. He became a monk in Tibet and did extensive study at Sera Je Monastery in India, where he was awarded his Geshe degree (the equivalent of a doctorate in Buddhist studies) in 2005. He began teaching at Chenrezig Institute in 2014 after being chosen for our community by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. He teaches in Tibetan with the help of an interpreter.
Geshe Tsultrim has a warm hearted, caring and practical approach to teaching Dharma. He has been the resident Geshe at Chenrezig Institute since 2014. Since then he has taught Dharma both in the Gompa and by the example he sets outside of the Gompa.
The assistant teacher during the retreat will be Venerable Ailsa Cameron
Retreat Schedule:
The general schedule for the weekend is below (this is subject to changes):
Friday 18th April
9:00am - 10:00am Session 1 with Ven Ailsa
10:00am - 10:30am Break
10:30am - 12:00pm Session 2 Teaching with Geshela
12:00pm - 1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm - 2:30pm Session 3 Discussion/Q&A with Geshela
2:30pm -3:00pm Afternoon Tea
3:00pm - 4:00pm Session 4 Teaching with Geshela
5:00pm - 6:00pm Supper
7:00pm - 8:00pm Session 5 with Ven Ailsa
Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th April
7:00am - 8:00am Breakfast
9:00am - 10:00am Session 1 with Ven Ailsa
10:00am - 10:30am Break
10:30am - 12:00pm Session 2 Teaching with Geshela
12:00pm - 1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm - 2:30pm Session 3 Discussion/ Q&A with Geshela
2:30pm - 3:00pm Break
3:00pm - 4:00pm Session 4 Teaching with Geshela
5:00pm - 6:00pm Supper
7:00pm - 8:00pm Session 5 with Ven Ailsa
Monday 21st April
7:00am - 8:00am Breakfast
9:00am - 10:00am Session 1 with Ven Ailsa
10:00am - 10:30am Break
10:30am - 12:00pm Session 2 Teaching with Geshela
Registration and payment
The suggested donation for this four-day retreat is $170
BUT – you may pay whatever you feel comfortable with.
A donation of $85 will be very helpful
A donation of $60 will cover our basic costs.
A generous contribution of $170 will cover our costs and help us to continue to offer other teachings to so many – often free of charge.
Sangha are always able to attend our courses free of charge but are encouraged to please register.
This retreat will be available to attend in person and online.
The text studied during this retreat can be found here
Accommodation and food are of course available through our website at https://chenrezig.com.au/stay-at-chenrezig and https://chenrezig.com.au/big-love-cafe. If there are any issues booking food or accommodation, please email info@chenrezig.com.au