Great Treasury of Merit ~ Annual Guru Yoga & Mandala Offerings Retreat

Great Treasury of Merit  ~  Annual Guru Yoga & Mandala Offerings Retreat

In-depth Buddhist Meditation Retreat

For those who wish for a deep inner transformation, this annual meditation retreat offers an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with two in-depth Buddhist practices: Guru Yoga and Mandala Offerings.  Both practices are powerful ways to fill our mind with merit, or good fortune, and to receive profound and transformative blessings.  They are indispensable for those who are serious about attaining authentic spiritual realizations, in particular the state of full enlightenment.

The practice of Guru Yoga is a special way of relying upon our Spiritual Guide with faith and correct imagination, in order to receive his or her blessings.  The practice of Mandala Offerings is an offering of the entire universe visualized as a Pure Land, with all its inhabitants as pure beings.  Even though this retreat is part of the commitments of the Teacher Training Programme, it is suitable for everyone.  Each session will emphasize a different aspect of these two practices, using clear instructions from the book, Great Teasury of Merit, by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Although taught as a series, each session is self-contained and can be attended individually.

The first session every day will be guided by our Resident Teacher, Gen Kelsang Thekchen. All other sessions will be guided by Teachers currently studying on the Teacher Training Programme (TTP) at KMC Canada.

Everyone is welcome!

Schedule

Monday, May 1st
Introduction & Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - guided by Gen Kelsang Thekchen
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student
Session 3: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student

Tuesday, May 2nd
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - guided by Gen Kelsang Thekchen
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student
Session 3: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student

Wednesday, May 3rd
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - guided by Gen Kelsang Thekchen
Session 2: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student
Session 3: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student

Thursday, May 4th
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - guided by Gen Kelsang Thekchen
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student
Session 3: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student

Friday, May 5th
Session 1: 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - guided by Gen Kelsang Thekchen
Session 2: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student
Session 3: 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student
Session 4: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. - guided by a TTP student

Accommodation

Accommodation is available for this retreat.  For more information, click here to see the Accommodation page on our website.

Recommended Materials

Some items might be useful during this retreat.

- Mandala Kit: Mandala offerings can be done either mentally, through imagination, or mentally and physically, by using a traditional mandala kit and some rice.

- Prayer booklets: We will be using the sets of prayers: Offering to the Spiritual Guide and Request to the Holy Spiritual Guide Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche from his Faithful Disciples.

- Books: This retreat will be mainly based on the instructions in the book: Great Treasury of Merit, by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, but we will also study a few extracts from the books, The New Guide to Dakini Land and Joyful Path of Good Fortune, also by the same author.

All suggested prayer booklets and books, as well as mandala kits and precious stones are available at the Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada Bookstore & Giftshop.

Teacher

Our Resident Teacher, Gen Kelsang Thekchen, is a senior Teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU). He began practising Kadam Dharma in Toronto in 1995 and has been a Kadampa monk and Teacher under the guidance of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche for 24 years.

He has been the Resident Teacher at Kuluta Buddhist Centre in Kingston, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada as the National Spiritual Director, at Kadampa Meditation Centre Vancouver as well as Madhyamaka KMC and Bodhisattva KMC in the UK.  He is well known for his ability to present Buddha’s teachings in a simple, practical and often humorous way, making them easy to put into practice in everyday life.

At Kadampa Meditation Centre Canada, Gen Thekchen usually teaches the Sunday and Wednesday morning, and Tuesday evening classes. He also teaches at special events, courses and workshops as well as our two in-depth study programs, the Foundation Program and the Teacher Training Program.