Experience a Meditation Retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains
This weeklong meditation retreat in California offers a structured exploration of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, integrated with the compassionate path of the Mahayana and insight into the nature of reality. Held in a peaceful redwood setting, it supports deep clarity, insight, and deep inner transformation.
About the Retreat
We rarely meet our experience directly. Usually there is a layer of commentary between us and what is actually here — the breath, the sensation, and the silent flow of awareness underneath.
This intermediate-level weeklong retreat is guided by the Buddha’s Ānāpānasatisutta: his own account of how mindfulness of breathing, developed through the four close placements of body, feeling, mind, and phenomena, leads step by step to genuine clarity and freedom. We will work through each foundation experientially, session by session, allowing the practice to accumulate.
Drawing on insights of the bodhisattva Śāntideva, we explore how the close placements, held within the aspiration to free all beings from suffering, become something larger than personal relief. And when the Madhyamaka view on emptiness is brought to bear — not as abstract philosophy but as a direct observation of how experience actually is — what we habitually take to be solid and fixed begins to loosen. That loosening is not unsettling. It is, in fact, what makes genuine transformation possible.
Six experiential sessions each day will alternate breath meditation, guided close placements, and periods of open awareness throughout this weeklong meditation retreat. Each evening closes with an hour of teaching drawing from the Pāli sutta, Śāntideva’s Compendium of Training, and the Madhyamaka view on the nature of mind and phenomena. No prior experience with these texts is required — only a willingness to look carefully at what is already here.
Silence During the Retreat
While this is not a fully silent retreat, periods of silence are woven throughout the program to support deeper reflection and meditation. Participants are also welcome to remain in silence for the entire retreat if they wish. A simple “in silence” badge (provided here) can be worn to communicate this intention to others.
About the Teacher
The retreat is led by Venerable Losang Gendun, an FPMT registered teacher with nearly four decades of Buddhist practice. For the past eighteen years he has taught Buddhist philosophy and meditation worldwide within FPMT, serving the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. His formal training spans many years of study in monasteries across France, India, Nepal, and Myanmar.
Having spent more than four years in solitary retreat, engaging deeply with the Tibetan Mahayana as well as the Burmese Theravāda tradition, Venerable Gendun brings clear, grounded, and compassionate guidance that supports practitioners in meeting their experience with honesty, stability, and insight.
Venerable Gendun developed the four year FPMT In-Depth Meditation Training; currently provided
Registration Closes
October 16, 2026
Tentative Schedule
Fees (vary by accommodation)
Zoom Only – $200.00
Commuting – $720.00
RV/Camper Van – $1,000.00
Women’s Dorm – $1,136.00
Men’s Dorm – $1,136.00
Women’s Quad – $1,520.00
Men’s Quad – $1,520.00
Private Room- Twin Bed – $1,960.00
Private Room- Double bed – $1,960.00
Private Cabin #1 – “Vajrapani” – $2,200.00
Private Cabin #2 – “Chenrezig” – $2,200.00
Private Cabin #3 – “Vajrayogini” – $2,200.00
Private Cabin #4 – “Chakrasamvara” – $2,200.00
Private Cabin #5 – “Tara” – $2,200.00
Private Cabin #6 – “Yamantaka” – $2,200.00
Additional Information
- Check in is between 3:00 and 5:00 PM on the first day of the retreat
- Departing approximately 2:00 PM on the last day of the retreat after the group lunch
- You can see information about our accommodations in the registration process
- FAQ page – helpful information for preparing for a group retreat and living on the land
About Vajrapani Institute
Vajrapani Institute was the first Tibetan Buddhist retreat center established in the United States. For nearly fifty years it has provided a welcoming environment where people from all backgrounds can study and practice the teachings of the Buddha. Located on 70 acres of secluded land in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Vajrapani Institute offers meditation retreats, teachings, and opportunities for spiritual practice rooted in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Its mission is to support the cultivation of wisdom and compassion while helping bridge the gap between intellectual understanding and lived experience.
About Retreat Fees (includes accommodation, 3 meals a day and facility costs)
The retreat registration fee includes accommodations, three nutritious vegetarian meals each day, and general facility and operating costs. Retreat registrations help support the center to keep everything operating, allowing us to invite so many precious teachers, and to hold this sacred space of 70+ acres of secluded redwood forest to allow guests to have the quiet, contemplative space to continue spiritual growth.
Financial Aid/Scholarships
We want to make retreat accessible to everyone. If needed, we are happy to work with you to arrange a payment plan. If additional support is required, a limited number of scholarships are available.
The scholarship application deadline is one month before the retreat begins. Please email office@vajrapani.org to inquire about financial assistance.
Our sincere wish is to make the opportunity for retreat available to as many beings as possible.
Upcoming Retreats
You can also explore other upcoming meditation retreats at Vajrapani Institute by visiting our retreat calendar.
Private Retreats
Looking for a more personal experience? Explore private retreat options at Vajrapani Institute for self-guided time in silence and nature.
History & Lineage
Learn more about the history and lineage that shape the teachings and atmosphere at Vajrapani Institute.
What Participants Are Saying
Many people who have attended retreats at Vajrapani Institute describe the experience as deeply meaningful, peaceful, and transformative.
- Read reviews on Retreat Guru
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