AWAKEN TO OUR DEEPEST AND MOST FULFILLING POTENTIAL
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Vajrayogini
Empowerment & Online Retreat
September 22 - 24, 2023
(All times are Pacific Daylight Time)
FRI Sept. 22 (2 – 5 pm) Preliminary
SAT Sept. 23 (2 – 6 pm) VAJRAYOGINI Empowerment
SUN Sept. 24 (2 – 3 pm) Oral Transmission - Short Vajrayogini Sadhana
(4 – 7 pm) Tsok (Vajrayogini Chö Tsok)
** (If your schedule does not allow you to attend all the sessions, you may participate in the empowerment only on Saturday, September 23) **
INVITATION
During a time of conflict and complexity when turbulence and impermanence are prominent, Vajrayogini practice is a great vehicle in which we can take refuge. It is said that “even if your heart moves an inch toward the Queen of Dakinis, Vajrayogini, and longs for entering her paradise in this degenerate time, you are called a fortunate and auspicious one!”
Carried from master to disciple in the Ear-Whispered Lineage discreetly and authentically, Vajrayogini has been practiced by great masters who attained the realization of Buddha-nature. The empowerment transmission continues to live and flows like a river without interruption. Now stirred by overwhelming compassion and bodhicitta, Chöying Khandro is offering the Vajrayogini Empowerment online.
Khandro-la invites you to enter this profound path of the Highest Yoga Tantra with Vajrayogini, the essence Buddha-nature, as your yidam. For the benefit of all mother-sentient beings, your pursuit of awakening in this lifetime is blessed by the lineage masters as they have always endowed.
THREE (3) WAYS TO RECEIVE THIS EMPOWERMENT
1. Receive Empowerment as a blessing only, without commitments
If there are constraints that do not allow you to practice after receiving the Empowerment, we welcome you to make this auspicious connection with Vajrayogini by taking the Empowerment only on Saturday, September 23. May this seed ripen virtuosity in your future journey.
2. Receive Empowerment, and engage in practice commitments
If you are inspired to tread the path and deepen your experiences, the practice commitments would greatly enhance your actualization and realization.
PRE-REQUISITES
- Received the empowerment of one of the Highest Yoga Tantra deities from qualified masters OR received online empowerment from H.H. Dalai Lama by watching and fully participating in both Preliminary Chakrasamvara Empowerment (1hr.9min) and Actual Chakrasamvara Empowerment (2hr.35min).
PRACTICE COMMITMENTS AFTER EMPOWERMENT
- Refuge and Bodhicitta (Short Six Session Guru Yoga) twice daily.
- A Short Vajrayogini Sadhana daily.
- Tsok Feast Offering in a group or privately twice a month.
3. Receive Empowerment, engage in commitments, and join DAKINI PATH with a DW Membership
If you think a full spectrum deepening program is feasible, we highly encourage you to join our 16-month DAKINI PATH online program which is carefully designed for Vajrayogini practitioners. The monthly immersion consists of Khandro-la’s teachings, meditation, yogic movements, group practices, and self-reflection. Please check out the details here.
REGISTRATION
The donation for this Empowerment retreat is based on a sliding scale of $125 - $295. Please register by September 1 by completing the form below. Dakini's Whisper offers scholarships to aspiring students who seek financial support for the sliding scale fee. To help sustain our scholarship program, we may ask scholarship participants to contribute to the DW community by providing volunteer work.
To request a scholarship, please complete this form. For those who are able to offer the highest amount on the scale, please do so to help the scholarship program.
SADHANA TEXT
You will receive a pdf copy of the “Short Vajrayogini Sadhana” in an email once you have received Vajrayogini Empowerment. The cost for this text is included in the registration fee. Please indicate if you need this short sadhana text on the registration form below.
EMPOWERMENT AND PRACTICE MATERIALS
(DOWNLOAD from the links below)
Short Mandala & A Thousand Angels of the Bliss Heaven
Shantideva's Dedication Prayer
Jetsun Dampa's Aspiration Prayer
All the practice texts can be purchased from the DW Media Store if you don’t have them yet.
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Supplementary Practices - This text includes various Chö-Related practices and is strongly recommended for all participants.
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Long Vajrayogini Sadhana with Supplementary Notes (Available once you've received empowerment.)
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Five Dakinis Retreat Manual (Preliminary to Chö) - This Retreat manual is for the meditation and mantra accumulation of the Five Dakinis.
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Tunes are also available in the Media Store.
RETREAT COURTESIES AND PROTOCOL
At Home - Before the Empowerment
Prepare your body, speech and mind for this empowerment, especially pure motivation. Purify one’s mouth and body in whatever way, such as rinsing the mouth, or having a shower and wearing clean clothes. Traditionally, blessed saffron water is used to purify oneself before entering the room where you will receive Empowerment.
At the Empowerment
These requests and suggestions are intended to deepen your experience and help our time together flow at the empowerment.
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This is a sacred and auspicious occasion. Consider your participation with the intention to create a meaningful experience.
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Observe silence as much as possible.
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Stay present and be intentionally focused. While this can be difficult online, it impacts how you, and potentially others, experience the Empowerment.
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The Zoom link for this retreat will be https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88538519556
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With respect to our teacher and each other, please observe these Zoom courtesies.
1. Arrive 5-10 mins early so you are ready when Khandro-la arrives.
2. Keep your audio MUTED unless speaking.
3. Indicate your name as your Zoom name so we can be clear about who is with us.
4. Keep your video on in order to fully participate and be present with the teacher and the sangha.
5. Use the hand-raise function ( Click the Reactions button on the Zoom platform) during sharing and Q&A time.
6. Do not share the Zoom ink with others who have not registered.
For general questions, contact Ellen at dakiniswhisperteam@gmail.com.
