GENERAL INFORMATION

 

Contact

If you wish to attend the retreat and Wangchen for the first time please send your request to for.gadorin@gmail.com.

 

If you have any questions about the retreat, wish to join the helpers crew, or have already attended and wish to attend again, please contact our committee secretary Andra Samelson at throma13@gmail.com.

 

Fee

Registration for the retreat  ends on July 31 and the retreat fee which is $500 is due on Aug 17. Please make your check payable to “Throma” and send it to:

 

Kunzang Gatshal Foundation

PO Box 7

Delhi, NY 13753

 

If you wish to wire your fee, please write to Andra Samelson at throma13@gmail.com for wiring instructions. There will be an additional wiring fee.

 

 

2019 Schedule

August 25: Settling in Tents, Wangchen or Lung

26: 1st day of retreat, Refuge

27: Bodhichitta

28: Mandala

29: The Seven Branches

30: Three Kayas Purification Practice

31: Guru Yoga

September 1: Phowa and Medium Length Krodikali Accumulation Practice (open to public)

2: Riwo Sangcho with Lungta and Fire Puja (open to public)

 

 

Local  Lodging

Click here to view a list of nearby hotels and motels.

 

 

REQUIREMENTS

 

Acceptance Letter

If you are granted permission to attend the retreat, you will receive an acceptance letter which you will need to print out and bring with you. Without it, you will not be allowed to enter the retreat. It will also be presented to Garab Rinpoche when he assigns the tents.

 

Dress

For those retreatants who have previously attended the Wangchen, please wear and bring the items you were given at that time including:

grey dranju (long skirt), gomtha (meditation belt), angra (meditation short skirt), nagoen (earrings), khamar (maroon and white zen), khangling and damaru (Chod drum) and bell.

 

For those retreatants who are attending the retreat and Wangchen for the first time, please wear: Maroon colored dranju (long skirt) and long sleeved white cotton button down shirt. Please bring a grey dranju, Chod Drum, Bell, Dorje, Khangling and Mala.

 

The other items you will need for the Wangchen- gomtha (meditation belt), angra (meditation short skirt), nagoen (earrings), khamar (maroon and white zen) can be purchased at Kunzang Gatshal.

 

These items are available for purchase at Kunzang Gatshal before entering the retreat:

 

Khammar $30

Gomthak $5

Angrak 10

Earrings $5 (for pierced or unpierced ears)

 

Rinpoche requested all retreatants to continue to wear their retreat attire for both the Throma Tsok and Jinsek pujas which are open to the public. You may shower or wash up after the Powa section is completed, but are requested to keep the same attire until all of the activities related to the retreat have concluded.

 

Practice Items

Khangling

Chod Drum

Bell and Dorje

Mala

 

 

 

Texts:

Medium length T’hroma

T’hroma Ngondro and Four Feasts text

These may be purchased upon arrival.

 

Practical Items

Please bring the items below and nothing else:

2 8x10ft tarps

Camping mattress/Camping cot

Sleeping bag

Pillow

Cushion (optional)

Flashlight/ Lantern (with extra batteries to last one week)

Warm Jacket and shoes (waterproof is recommended)

one pair of socks

Long Underwear (optional)

Towel

Water bottle

Cup, Plate, Bowl & Utensils

Thermal/Insulated Mug (optional)

Plastic container for your Dharma items to keep them dry and use as a table for your lantern.

Watch (optional)

Notebook and Pen for writing notes when Rinpoche gives instructions/teachings (optional)

Umbrella (optional)

 

For helpers:

No children under the age of 15 are permitted to accompany helpers. If your child of 15+ does accompany you, they should not be allowed to play or run around while meals are being prepared.

 

 

RULES

 

1.  No talking to fellow retreatants

2.  No leaving the retreat boundaries

3.  No showering or brushing teeth

4.  No use of any electronic devices except watches.

5.  No changing clothes, no extra clothes. Wearing only the required attire.

6.  No applying make-up or any other skin care products.

7.  No tying hair or using any hair accessories

8.  No bringing any kind of food (unless permission is given for medical reasons). Full vegetarian diet.

9. No eating in individual tents.

10. No burning incense and butter lamps in the retreat area or in individual tents.

11. Generate the renunciation mind, the expectation to be free from samsara and to attain enlightenment.

 

 

WANGCHEN (not given every year)

 

Wangchen is the special empowerment for the precious practice of Krodikali which is the main practice to achieve enlightenment and attain rainbow body in one lifetime from the Dudjom Tersar tradition.

 

One must have permission from Garab Rinpoche to attend the Wangchen.

 

The following are samaya commitments which must be followed after receiving the Wangchen:

 

1. One cannot abandon Krodikali puja. If you don’t plan on doing the practice, you should not take the Wangchen.

2. One cannot cut one’s hair (Trawang/Hair Initiation) without taking permission from the Guru or a representation (kupar/picture) or ideally not at all. If one cuts one’s hair, one should prostrate three times and take permission (whisper) before cutting.

3.  One must always wear a Drangju, Khamar, and Gomtha, and carry all practice implements including a tent, but in these degenerate times it is not possible other than during retreat. So this should be limited to times of retreat.

4.  One must do at least one short or medium length Krodikali practice every month preferably on 25th or 10th day.

5.  One must attend the annual 7 day Krodikali retreat at Kunzang Gatshal every year or at least 3 times in one’s lifetime.

 

 

 

JINSEK

 

The public is invited to attend the Jinsek on the day after the main retreat concludes. Please bring a bell and dorje if you have them.  You may bring precious stones and jewels and different kinds of grains, which after being consecrated by Garab Rinpoche, may be offered in the fire. You can also write down names of family members or friends who have passed away and bring them to be burned during the fire puja.

 

 

OFFERINGS

 

Donations offerings for the Throma Tshok Khor and Jinsek puja may be made when entering the retreat with either check or cash. Please write your name and address on the envelope and bring enough envelopes for all of your offerings. There are ATM machines in the town of Delhi if needed. If you wish to sponsor a meal for the retreat, please make your check payable to “Throma” with a note specifying the purpose and send it to:

Kunzang Gatshal Foundation

PO Box 7

Delhi, NY 13753

Please provide your legal name and address to receive a tax deductible receipt.

 

 

FAQ

 

1. When does the border of the retreat open and close? On the day of the Wangchen, may we still exit the retreat boundary?

The borders are officially sealed on the morning of the first day of retreat, but all retreatants must sleep in their tent the night of the Wangchen. The borders open up again after the Powa practice on the final day of retreat.

 

2. May I stay on the land with a sangha member before and after retreat and join the daily puja?

Students are not allowed to stay on the land before or after the retreat, nor join the daily puja. There are accommodations nearby listed on our website.

 

3. How long may I use my tent?

Tents may be occupied until the day of the Fire Puja but must be taken down after the Fire Puja.

 

4. May I request a certain type of food if I have food allergies?

All meals served during the retreat are vegetarian. No special meals are offered for people with food allergies, however there will be various options to choose from which should accommodate most common diets.

 

5. If I have medical conditions, may I bring my medication and medical records in case there is a problem? And may I request to be assigned a tent closer to the shrine tent or to the bathroom area?

If you have medical conditions, we request that you think very carefully about whether or not you should attend the retreat. The local medical facilities are not close by and may not be equipped properly for your needs, there could be problems in case of an emergency.  Please inform us of your specific medical condition before the retreat as well as which drugs you will be bringing with you. Medical records are required for those with serious problems.

 

If you are elderly or have medical issues, you may request to be assigned a tent closer to the Main Tent or to the bathroom area once you have been accepted to attend the retreat.

 

6. May I leave in the middle of the retreat if I am not feeling well?

It is very inauspicious to leave the retreat except in the case of an extreme emergency.  Generally, people don’t leave the retreat even during natural disasters like landslides,floods, etc.

 

7. How can my family or friends contact me if there is an emergency during the retreat?

The number where the kitchen staff will be working is 607-829-5559.

 

8.  May I bring more than one of the required items or anything additional?

You may not bring anything extra unless you have a medical reason. Chod is all about cutting attachment, so one is encouraged to have a bare minimum.

 

9. May I bring my lungtas (prayer flags) to hang on the land?

You may bring lungtas and hang them just before the retreat or fire puja.

 

10. May I take photos and videos on the land?

Taking photos and videos on the land where the retreat is being held is permitted, but they are not allowed inside the Tsokhang or other areas on the land which are private.

 

11. Is there a parking area where retreatants may leave their cars?

Yes.

 

12. How can I get from my bus or plane to my accommodations in Delhi before and after the retreat? How can I get to the retreat site at Kunzang Gatshal from my accommodations?

Please let us know your travel plans if you are coming from out of town. There are buses from Albany and New York City to Oneonta and Delhi where we can arrange to pick you up and drive you to your accommodations. Someone will also be able to bring you to the retreat site the morning the retreat begins and bring you back there when the retreat is over.

 

13. What are the requirements if there is no Wangchen?

 

For those retreatants who have previously attended the Wangchen, please wear and bring the items you were given at that time including: grey dranju (long skirt), gomtha (meditation belt), angra (meditation short skirt), nagoen (earrings), khamar (maroon and white zen), kangling, damaru (Chod drum), and bell.

 

 For those retreatants who are attending the retreat for the first time, please wear and bring: Maroon colored dranju (long skirt) and zen (shawl), and long sleeved white cotton button down shirt, Chod Drum, Bell, Dorje, Khangling, and Mala.  Rinpoche will be giving a lung so that these religious instruments can be used during the retreat.

 

14. Is there an age limit for attending the retreat? 

One cannot be under 18 years old.