Guru Yoga and Mandala Offering Retreat

The practices of accumulating merit and receiving blessings

We all wish for spiritual realizations, but these depend upon creating certain inner (mental) conditions such as purifying our negativity, accumulating merit (good fortune), and receiving blessings.
In Guru Yoga Mandala Offering Retreat we focus on the practices of accumulating merit and receiving blessings.

Making mandala offerings (offering a pure universe) is the gateway to accumulating the collection of merit and attaining an enlightened pure land, and Guru yoga is the gateway to receiving the powerful blessings of all the Buddhas through our Spiritual Guide.

The retreat starts on Tuesday evening with an introductory talk, taught by Kadam Trina. This talk is mandatory for TTP students and for those wishing to participate in this retreat who have not engaged in this retreat before. All retreat sessions (Wednesday-Saturday) are self-guided.

Kadam Trina will give an introductory talk to this retreat on Tuesday, Oct 28, 7:00-9:00pm. Everyone welcome!

During this 2-day retreat, we practice fasting, making prostrations, and offering chanted prayers to the protector of the world, the Buddha of Compassion Avalokiteshvara.

This beautiful practice emphasizes compassion for all living beings and is a powerful way to purify negativity, pacify strong delusions, receive blessings, and increase our love, compassion, and Bodhichitta.

You are welcome to participate in one or both days. Both retreat days begin with taking the Mahayana precepts at dawn. The precepts involve maintaining a fast with only a simple meal at lunch, however you can drink water, juice, tea, etc. throughout the 24 hour period.

Participants are encouraged to attend the introductory talk for this retreat.

Going for refuge is the first of the four great preliminary guides which lead us to the state of full enlightenment. Through training in sincerely going for refuge we enter the gateway to Buddhism; and training in the compassionate mind of bodhichitta we enter the gateway to the Mahayana – the main path to the state of enlightenment.