• A virtual retreat from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado

    Sponsored by Santa Barbara Institute and the Center for Contemplative Research

    The Vajra Essence – Part III March 31 - May 30, 2022

    Audio Stream/Download Registration

     This online, 8-week retreat will focus on completing Phase 4: “Determining the Characteristics and Qualities of the Ground,” Phase 5: "Determining Secret Dualistic Grasping and Revealing the Way of Natural Liberation" and Phase 6: "Teaching on the Essential Points of Practice and Their Key Distinctions" from The Vajra Essence: From the Matrix of Pure Appearances and Primordial Consciousness, a Tantra Self-Emergent from the Nature of Existence.Prerequisite Requirements to Purchase ProgramBy purchasing you acknowledge that you have satisfied the retreat prerequisites of listening to both the 2020 and 2021 8-week retreats on The Vajra Essence and will listen to Lama Alan’s oral commentary to The Vajra Essence in its entirety and have had an empowerment or will receive the recommended empowerment.If you have not received the Lake-Born Vajra empowerment from Lama Alan, then you should not listen to Yangchen's teachings on the sadhana (which began after the empowerment was granted during the 2022 8-week retreat on May 11, 2022). We do hope that at a future date the empowerment will be available again.This year we are offering multiple pricing options as you will see below when you select Choose An Option.If you need a scholarship, you can apply here.Please read all of the details below under description.
  • Extracting the Vital Essence of Accomplishment: Concise and Clear Advice for Practice in a Mountain Retreat by twentieth-century Nyingma master, Düdjom Rinpoché, Jigdral Yeshé Dorjé.Lama Alan Wallace presents and comments on pith instructions of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. Providing guidance on retreat, this course is based on the text Extracting the Vital Essence of Accomplishment: Concise and Clear Advice for Practice in a Mountain Retreat by twentieth-century Nyingma master, Düdjom Rinpoché, Jigdral Yeshé Dorjé.Lama Alan translates and explores the short, powerful text on retreat in terms of the preliminaries, main practices, and post-meditative practices of the Great Perfection path.This retreat consists of 10 one-hour lectures, each with a 30-minute guided meditation.To allow time for contemplation and practice, starting on June 3 you will receive a new teaching weekly for ten weeks. Each session will include a one-hour lecture and a 30-minute guided meditation.This will be a Virtual Retreat with Audio stream/download.We are offering multiple pricing options as you will see below when you select Choose An Option.Please see the description below for additional information.Si prega di vedere sotto per informazioni in italiano.
  • Fathom the Mind. Heal the World.

    with Lama Alan Wallace, Dr. Eva Natanya & Dr. Anuradha Choudry October 1-7, 2022

    Co-sponsored by Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies and the Center for Contemplative Research.

    This retreat is an opportunity to explore the interdenominational, inter-contemplative themes outlined by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his vision for the Center for Contemplative Research:
    • The Buddhist meditative practices of śamatha and vipaśyanā
    • Teachings on nonviolence and compassion from other revered Indian traditions
    • Instruction in the contemplative traditions of Christianity
    The virtual retreat will be available with both audio and video recordings of each day's teachings.All Q&A sessions, the teachings from Dr. Choudry and the final day panel discussion will be live. All other sessions will be recorded and made available within 24-36 hours.We are offering multiple pricing options as you will see when you select 'Choose an option' from the drop-down menu below.Read more about the retreat below.

    Select your virtual retreat option
  • Sadhana classes from the 2022 8-week retreat with Yangchen Ösel (Eva Natanya), which followed the Lake-Born Vajra Empowerment offered by Lama Alan Wallace.

    Yangchen offers 15 sessions to guide you in your sadhana practice. Her clear elucidation of these profound practices will enhance your understanding and practice. There are nine meditations and four videos, including a short teaching from Lama Alan on the 6-Session Guru Yoga and Yangchen's explanation of this teaching, the Lake-Born Vajra Sadhana with Gaṇacakra, as well as the complete Lake-Born Vajra Sadhana with Tibetan Recitation.

    This is available only if you have received the Lake-Born Vajra Empowerment in the Düdjom Tersar Lineage, whether from Lama Alan or another qualified guru.

     If you received the Lake-Born Vajra empowerment but did not follow the 2022 8-week retreat it is highly recommended that you receive these teachings from Yangchen Ösel.If you wish to receive teachings on the Lake-Born Vajra sadhana in this lineage of teachings from Lama Alan and Yangchen Ösel, we strongly encourage you to register for the whole of the 2019 8-week retreat, or else follow the entire sequence of the 2020-2022 Vajra Essence retreats.For your convenience, you can stream, download or listen to the teachings on your podcast app.
  • During the 2022, The Vajra Essence - Part 3, 8-week retreat, Lama Alan offered three teachings, and meditations, on these essential, integrated shamatha meditations:
    • Mindfulness of breathing,
    • Taking the mind as the path and
    • Shamatha without a sign.
    We are delighted to offer these three core teachings, and meditations, for free.
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