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Kalachakra Mind Mandala Retreat - Sponsored by Tibet House US
September 04 - September 07, 2025
Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoché
Robert A.F. Thurman
Discover the Mandala’s Hidden Wisdom and Its Deep Feminine EssenceJoin us for a powerful week of tantric practice, lineage-based visualization, and spiritual empowerment led by two extraordinary teachers—Khentrul Rinpoche, Kalachakra master and Jonang lineage holder, and Robert Thurman, world-renowned scholar and interpreter of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist wisdom.This retreat is not merely contemplative—it is immersive, designed to awaken your inner mandala and help you embody the transformative reality of Kalachakra’s sacred architecture. Whether you are deepening generation stage practice or receiving these empowerments for the first time, you’ll find rare access to teachings that unite spiritual rigor with visionary insight.A Practice Upgrade Rooted in the Jonang Kalachakra TraditionThis retreat will center on the use of a special practice text by the Jonangpa grand meditator, the legendary Dolpopa. As we progress through the text, we will systematically refine the visualizability and occupy ability of the full body, speech, and mind mandala palaces, cultivating an immersive experience of the generation stage within the Kālachakra system. Lama Khentrul Rinpoche’s team will guide participants through this rare Jonangpa text, while presenting unique visual slide decks that depict each deity, including their postures, ornaments, and implements, and illustrate their precise placement within the vast memory palace of the mandala.To support and enrich the practice, we will draw from several English-language sources, including detailed references to Edward Henning’s Kalachakra Mandala, noted for its vivid architectural illustrations and comprehensive chapter on the creation/generation stage. These will be further supplemented by private translations of key passages from the generation stage sādhana manual of the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelsang Gyatso.As we all know, maintaining daily advanced practice outside the retreat setting can be challenging, especially amid the demands and disruptions of our rapidly transforming world. During this retreat, we will focus on finding ways to remain mindful of the mandala’s sacred reality by learning tools that will help us to integrate its stabilizing presence into our everyday lives. By aligning more fully with the mandala’s alternative reality, we can work on transforming our experience, even as we navigate the complexities of modern living.Empowerments for Purification and Inner Wisdom
Khentrul Rinpoche will bestow this rare Kalachakra-specific form of Vajrasattva, empowering you to purify karmic obscurations and reconnect with the pure, unstained nature of your mind.
“Vajrasattva practice allows you to uncover the reality of your Buddha-nature, which is currently hidden as a result of defilements created by attachment, aggression, and delusion. Our current situation is like a dirty piece of glass. This practice provides you with a powerful method to wash away the dirt while being confident that underneath there is crystal clear glass, which is completely pure and unstained. Through the practice of Vajrasattva, this confidence will steadily grow as you come closer and closer to discovering the innate purity of your most profound nature.”
Enter the generation stage of Kalachakra through the empowerment of Vishvamata, the Universal Mother and consort of Kalachakra. She is the embodiment of prajña (wisdom) and the gateway to the inner dimension of the mandala and the Yoginis.
What You Will Take AwayKalachakra Mandala: The Jonang Tradition
by Edward Henning, edited by Robert Thurman(Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences, 2023)This retreat draws significantly from Henning’s illustrated masterpiece, based on Bamda Gelek Gyatso’s Jonang transmission. With vivid detail and practical insight, the book maps the three-tiered mandala and its hundreds of deities—offering clarity for visualization and spiritual resonance for deepening your practice.“A crown jewel of Indo-Tibetan tantra, the Kalachakra mandala is a memory palace of the awakened mind. Henning’s contribution brings clarity, precision, and artistic insight—an invaluable companion for both scholars and meditators.
Who This Retreat Is For:ScheduleThursday, September 4
ABOUT THE TEACHERs
Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoché
Khentrul Rinpoché spent the first 20 years of his life herding yak and chanting mantras on the plateaus of Tibet. Inspired by the bodhisattvas, he left his family to study in various monasteries under the guidance of over twenty-five masters in all the Tibetan Buddhist tradition...
Robert A.F. Thurman
Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as co-founder and President of Tibet House US and it's Menla Retreat & Spa. A world-wide lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, activist for the plight of the Tibetan people, translator of Buddhis...
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