Join

Dakini’s Whisper Members

For a One-Month Householders’ Personal Retreat

Fierce Compassion

Monday, May 23 - Thursday, June 23, Dakini Day

OPEN TO ALL DW MEMBERS

This retreat is open to all Dakini's Whisper members. Not yet a member? Please go to the membership page.

GROUP MEETING - The zoom link - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88538519556

INVITATION

In our lineage, with skillful means handed down from master to disciple, we practice uncovering and embodying compassion that is radical in its fierceness—fiercely enriching, fiercely magnetizing, fiercely pacifying, and fiercely wrathful when needed to protect the Buddha’s teachings. Khandro-la once shared this quote from an Indian master, “Love tells me I am everything. Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Between those two, my life is unfolding.” Can’t fierce compassion only come from this place? Can’t our embodiment of fierce compassion shed light in a world that ever needs that throughout history?

In this one-month Fierce Compassion Personal Retreat, we are committing to a study, contemplation, and practice that earnestly calls us to examine how we embody Fierce Compassion as our life unfolds moment to moment in an ocean of suffering. Dakini’s Whisper invites you to join your fellow Dakini's Whisper members for a contemplative in-home retreat designed for householders with busy lives!

This Retreat is an opportunity for beginning students and long-term Tantric Practitioners to engage in intentional, planned, and focused study, contemplation, and meditation both personally and collectively as a sangha. By participating in this opportunity, we greatly aspire to follow in the footsteps of our great masters, who devoted their lives to dharma practice, the source of happiness, and we commit to devoting some of our busy lives to retreat. Please do not miss this precious opportunity, carefully structured and well supported to create virtuous propensities and karma, both individually and collectively, towards awakening.

This retreat is also a great opportunity for you to prepare for our annual Empowerment-Teaching Retreat, Troma Nakmo According to the Ganden Ear-Whispered Lineage in July 2022.

PERSONAL RETREAT STRUCTURE AND GUIDANCE

Personal retreat means stepping away from our ordinary lives and “taking the essence” (chu-len-pa in Tibetan) from what our precious human lives offer us. During this time, each retreatant will commit to daily, personal retreat time with study, contemplation and meditation focused on specific practice as suggested below. In addition to individual commitments, DW will offer a variety of weekly group practices to support your personal retreat.

This Personal Retreat Month will begin on May 23, 10 am PDT and close on Dakini Day, June 23, 10 am PDT with Tsok Feast. Participants in this retreat will focus on one of the following four options as the main retreat practice (although some may choose to practice other options on the top of the main focus).

Option 1: Five Dakini Retreat Practice

for those who are accumulating the required mantra recitation in order to fulfill the prerequisite for Ganden Tromo Nakmo Empowerment in July.

Option 2: Ganden Ear-Whispered Lineage of Cho, “Dedicating the Illusory Body as a Tsok,”

for those who have completed the Five Dakini Retreat Practice mantra accumulations, and are not in Kechara Journey as a stepping stone for Ganden Troma Nakmo Empowerment in July.

Option 3: Vajrayogini Sadhana with KL’s New Text

for those who completed the Five Dakini mantra accumulation and are in Kechara Journey. The VY is the basis for fierce Vajrayoini, Troma Nakmo practice since it is very similar to the VY sadhana of 11 yogas but it involves more subtle body meditation, and completion stage practice.

Option 4: Foundations, Stages of the Path to Awakening, Master Courses 1 - 5, or Mahamudra

for all but especially those to whom Options 1-3 practices do not apply. (All members are encouraged to go through these courses if you haven’t done it yet.)

Each person enters a retreat from their own place and space, intention and motivation. For more information about Personal Retreat, please see Retreat Instructions

If you require some guidance on choosing your option and designing the retreat according to your time constraints, please contact Ellen to schedule an interview with Khandro-la in advance.

DAILY SCHEDULE

A range of options for you to plan your personal retreat daily practice will be added later. At a minimum, two sessions per day will provide continuity and contribute to the collective energy. Your actual daily retreat plan will depend on the level of your own intention and motivation and can be adapted to your own situation.

ADDITIONAL DAILY PRACTICE COMPONENTS

You are encouraged to include the following additional practices in your daily retreat practice:

Throughout the day or in the morning and evening, whenever possible, recite Eight-Line Praise to Vajrayogini, accumulate the number, and report that to Betty at jbodell1@gmail.com
Palden Lhamo Tea Offering
Tonglen Practice

Bring body-oriented practices, such as Qigong and Subtle Body Training into your retreat time.

Weekly Sunday GROUP PRACTICE SCHEDULE

hosted by DW Student

As always, all times are Pacific.

Week 1, May 29

8 - 9: 15 am - Vajrayogini Sadhana - Peter

12noon - 1:15 pm - Ganden Cho - Dan

1:30 - 2:45pm - 5 Dakini Practice - TK

Week 2, June 5

8 - 9:15 am - Vajrayogini Sadhana - Peter

12noon - 1:15 pm - Ganden Cho - Dan

1:130 - 2:45 pm - 5 Dakini Practice - TK

Week 3, June 12

8 - 9:15 am - Vajrayogini Sadhana - Peter

12noon - 1:15 pm - Ganden Cho - Dan

1:30 - 2:45 pm - 5 Dakini Practice - TK

Week 4, June 19

8 - 9:15 am - Vajrayogini Sadhana - Peter

12noon - 1:15 pm - Ganden Cho - Dan

1:30 - 2:45 pm - 5 Dakini Practice - TK

RESOURCES

Heart-Oriented Meditation - Tonglen

A guided Tonglen practice with a deep, personal approach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSFwTF2bUJ8

CHARNEL GROUNDS

Teachings on the Charnel Ground

A traditional approach to actual charnel grounds, how that relates to our own inner charnel grounds, and how practitioners can make use of those places within us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppoH7ApZAAs&list=PLDfud_1rprOGzBzUG3EJARlOsxFgHBRYf&index=2

Taking the Shadow of Goodness as the Path

Extemporaneous talk on bringing our whole life experience onto the path. A deeper examination of the gods and demons that we meet in practice and retreat.

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlek86BRpxc&list=PLDfud_1rprOGzBzUG3EJARlOsxFgHBRYf&index=6

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbEwYYoFNQM&list=PLDfud_1rprOGzBzUG3EJARlOsxFgHBRYf&index=4

INSPIRATION

What's My Dharma, Spiritual Responsibility?

Khandro-la addresses where we find ourselves as practitioners, viewing our suffering, challenging world with a Bodhisattva’s brave heart and fearlessness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhYa2Psto6o&list=PLDfud_1rprOGzBzUG3EJARlOsxFgHBRYf&index=14

Mt. Kailash, Abode of Dakinis - With Chö Chanting "Inviting Machik Troma Nakmo Five Dakinis"

Khandro-la chants with music and a beautiful slideshow of the Mt. Kailash pilgrimage (Tibetan and English subtitles.) Not a spoken teaching but an inspiring image and sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyazgnVwpug

GROUP GATHERINGS IN SUPPORT OF PERSONAL RETREAT

Each week during this Personal Retreat Month, a group session will be offered and guided by a student. These sessions are a valuable opportunity for you to practice together with your fellow travelers. Following is a complete schedule of group offerings (times are listed as PDT). Please mark the dates of the group sessions according to your option. Group practice dates will be announced.

Week 1, May 23 - 29

Week 2, May 30 – June 5

Week 3, June 6 - 12

Week 4, June 13 - 19

Closing Days, June 20 - 23

The zoom link will be - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88538519556

OTHER GROUP OFFERINGS

DW Journeys (Mahamudra, Cho Mastery and Kechara ) Retreats will gather at their regularly scheduled days and times. Some DW regularly scheduled group practices will also be offered as well as additional opportunities for student-hosted group meditation and discussion. There will be no Sunday Public Teaching during Retreat Month.

You can also see the DW calendar anytime for up-to-date information on offerings.