Gateway to Chö:

Empowerment, Transmission, and Practice

 

 This, our first annual Dakini's Whisper US retreat, is devoted to entering the gateway to Chö--especially the Ear-Whispered Chö lineage and its deep repository of blessings. The retreat will include the empowerment for Chö, reading transmissions and brief commentary. All of these will plant seeds that will blossom and develop in you as the capacity to benefit all beings on the path of Chö. Throughout this weekend program, we will be nestled in the natural environment of Oregon's Willamette Valley, helping participants immerse themselves in, receive, and explore the profundity of Chö practice.

 

Chö practice was revealed by Machik Labdrön (11-12th cent.) and transmitted in an unbroken stream up through the present time. It is a radical method for cutting through ego-fixation and cultivating compassion and fearlessness. Our practice involves the entirety of body, speech and mind - playing musical instruments, chanting with melodies, and visualization and meditation.

 

Through the integration of all these, we welcome the negative feelings or emotions which we have pushed away and the harmful forces that ordinarily give rise to fear and reactivity, making offerings of our own body to nourish and satisfy them. Through this process, we come to see the equality of all phenomena and our indestructible true nature.

 

PRE-REQUISITE:

This retreat presumes that participants have a strong basis in the three principal aspects of the path. These include the solid foundation of motivation that leads to a genuine determination to be free (Renunciation), the sturdy walls of the Mahayana path (Bodhicitta), and the golden roof of Vajrayana (The Wisdom of Emptiness and Presence). Please prepare by taking Master Course 1 - Chö Foundations.

 

Chö Mastery Trainees are required to bring the main Chö text ("Ganden Practices") we'll be using during the retreat. (Non-Pith Trainees: Those who aspire to the practice will also have the opportunity to dive further into the traditional lineage practice once they receive the Chö Empowerment and Transmission during this retreat. For practicing Chö in the Ear-Whispered Lineage, the Chö practice manual and recording can be purchased in advance below and will also be available at the retreat.)

 

REQUIRED RESOURCES: 

• Supplementary Practice

• Chö Text

• Chö Recording

​

VENUE:

Tipi Village Retreat is located in the countryside outside of Marcola, Oregon, about 20 minutes northeast of Eugene. Accommodations will be shared by two or more retreat participants, with foam floor mattresses and some elevated beds available. Meals are provided from dinner Friday through brunch on Sunday and will be vegetarian. 

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

DETAILED SCHEDULE:

Friday, August 9, 2019
3 pm – 5 pm         Arriving
5 pm – 6 pm         Orientation
6 pm – 7:30 pm    Dinner
8 pm – 9 pm         Meditation & Contemplation
9 pm                     Quiet Time
Saturday, August 10, 2019
6 am – 7 am          Morning Tea/Coffee/Snack
7 am – 8 am          Meditation Practice
8 am – 10 am        Silent Brunch & Private Sitting
10 am – 12 pm      Cho Empowerment
12 pm – 2 pm        Tea Break & Rest in Nature
2 pm – 4 pm          Transmission & Commentary
4 pm – 4:30 pm     Tea Break
4:30 pm – 6 pm     Movement
6 pm – 7:30 pm     Dinner
7:30 pm – 9 pm     Cho Practice
9 pm                      Quiet Time
Sunday, August 11, 2019
6 am – 7 am          Morning Tea/Coffee/Snack
7 am – 8 am          Meditation
8 am – 9:30 am     Practice  - Tsok
9:30 am – 11 am   Brunch
11 am – 12 pm      Cleanup
12 pm                   Departure

​

Our retreat involves the entirety of body, speech, and mind –

 

• Empowerment

• Transmissions

• Commentary and Teachings

• Physical Movement and Dance - Subtle Body Training

• Playing Musical Instruments/Chanting with Melodies/Visualization and Meditation

• Interview with Khandro-la

 

FEE AND REGISTRATION:

SPACE IS LIMITED. Please register by July 15. 

 

The fee for the main weekend portion of the retreat is a sliding scale of $390 - $490. A $100 non-refundable deposit is due with your registration. The remainder is due by July 20. Partial scholarships are available for those with limited resources but sincere motivation.

 

FEE INCLUDES:

• Transportation between Eugene Airport and the venue

• Accommodations

• Meals

• Retreat Material Costs

• Donations

 

The fee is inclusive of dana to our retreat master in gratitude for these precious empowerments, transmissions, and commentary. You may offer additional dana to Khandro-La at the retreat if you wish. If you are able to make an offering on the higher end of the sliding scale, that will help support retreat scholarships.

 

For registration, please use the form below. For further information or clarification, or to apply for a scholarship, please contact Ryan (ryansneal@gmail.com).

​

Optional Post-Retreat: 

Chö & Subtle Body Practice In The Wilds

and Five-Dakinis Retreat

 

Being an online practice community, our opportunities to spend time together in person are limited and precious. So with that in mind, we're arranging an optional "Post-Retreat" sangha trip. This portion will be less structured and is intended primarily for U.S. Pith Track students, but anyone with the inspiration is welcome to join. The fee for this portion is a sliding scale of $290-$390. Again, participants may offer Khandro-la additional dana, and partial scholarships are available. 

 

Following the close of formal retreat the morning of Sunday, August 11, we'll carpool into Oregon's Cascade Mountains, stopping to see some of the sites along the way and spending the night at a sangha residence. On Monday, we'll arrange a 2-3 mile hike, performing Chö and subtle body practice in the wilds. We'll then continue to stay for the following Five-Dakini Retreat until Wednesday morning, August 14. 

​

SPACE IS LIMITED. This Five Dakini Retreat entails taking the first step deep into the stunning river of blessings which is the essential working basis for Vajrayana and Chö. Seeing these practices resonate so strongly with the Spring retreat participants, Khandro-la has been inspired to offer it to Pith Track trainees and others who have the time and inclination. It includes Tantric practice - visualization and mantra recitation while embodying the awakened energy of Chö Deities - Prajnaparamita and the Five Dakinis.

 

This retreat is called "the Preliminary to the Sacred Chö Practice" and is a prerequisite for further Chö practices. Retreatants are required to complete a certain number of mantra recitation with visualization, which can be continued as a daily practice after the retreat. Then we will perform fire puja together upon the completion during Dakinis Whisper's 2nd annual retreat in 2020.

​

PRE-REQUISITE:

Common Chö Empowerment (to be received during the weekend retreat)

​

REQUIRED RESOURCES: 

• Supplementary Practice

• Five-Dakini Retreat Manual

 

OPTIONAL RESOURCE: 

• Five Dakini Retreat Teachings (Recording)

​

SCHEDULE: 

Sunday, August 11, 2019
12 pm – 4 pm     Moving to Oregon’s Cascade Mountains
4 pm – 5 pm     Orientation
5 pm – 7 pm     Dinner
8 pm – 9 pm     Meditation & Contemplation
9 pm -        Quiet Time

Monday, August 12, 2019
6 am – 7 am        Morning Tea/Coffee/Snack
7 am – 8 am        Meditation Practice (Five-Dakinis & Five-Elements Teaching)
8 am – 10 am    Breakfast
10 am – 12 am    Transmission & Commentary
12 am – 5 pm    Hike, Lunch, Movement & Cho in the Wild
6 pm – 7:30 pm    Dinner
7:30 pm – 9 pm     Five Dakini Retreat Practice (+Tsok)
9 pm -         Quiet Time

Tuesday, August 13, 2019
6 am – 7 am        Morning Tea/Coffee/Snack
7 am – 8 am        Meditation Practice (Five-Dakinis & Five-Elements Teaching)
8 am – 10 am    Breakfast
10 am – 4 pm    Hike, Lunch, Movement & Cho in the Wild
5:30 – 7:30 pm    Dinner
7:30 pm – 9 pm     Five Dakini Retreat Practice (+Tsok)
9 pm -         Quiet Time

Wednesday, August 24, 2019
6 am – 7 am        Morning Tea/Coffee/Snack
7 am – 8:00 am    Meditation
8:00 – 10:00 am     Breakfast/Clean-up/Departure (could be earlier depending on flight departure times)