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  • Meditating Buddha with radiant light at the heart, symbolizing awareness and inner clarity

    Buddhist Mind Science: Activating Your Potential

    In-person

    Learn Directly from the Creators of Buddhist Mind Science This retreat offers a rare opportunity to study directly with Marina Brucet and Hans Burghardt, the creators of the Buddhist Mind Science program. Joining us from Tushita Meditation Centre in Spain, they bring together decades of experience in both contemplative practice and scientific inquiry. Both Marina and Hans hold PhDs in scientific fields and have also completed the FPMT's rigorous seven-year Masters Program in Buddhist Studies. Their unique backgrounds allow them to skillfully bridge contemporary scientific understanding with the depth and precision of the Buddhist tradition. Buddhist Mind Science honors the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who has long encouraged dialogue between Buddhism and modern science. Rather than asking participants to adopt beliefs, the course invites personal investigation, reflection, and direct experience. Participants are encouraged to explore the teachings for themselves, testing their relevance in everyday life. Grounded in both contemplative wisdom and informed by modern research, this retreat offers a practical and evidence-informed approach to understanding the mind, cultivating well-being, and awakening our human potential. The Supportive Environment of Vajrapani Institute Surrounded by towering redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, Vajrapani Institute offers a peaceful natural […]

    $720
  • Cittamani Tara retreat at Vajrapani Institute

    Cittamani Tara: Entering the Heart of the Practice

    Cittamani Tara: Entering the Heart of the Practice
    Hybrid

    Four Teachings on Pabongka Rinpoche's Commentary to the Long Sadhana of Cittamani Tara by Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa   Hybrid teaching Zoom or in person at Rinpoche's residence in San Jose, CA - address provided after registration   Teaching Schedule 4 Saturday mornings - 9:30am to 12:00pm Pacific Time (with break) September 26 October 3 October17 October 31   About the Teaching The Long Sadhana of Cittamani Tara is one of the most profound and complete practices of Arya Tara, bringing together the essential stages of the Vajrayana path within a single meditation. Rich in symbolism and meaning, it offers a powerful method for developing compassion, wisdom, and the swift accomplishment of both temporary and ultimate aims. In this four-session series, Rinpoche will explore Pabongka Rinpoche's renowned commentary on the practice, unpacking the meaning behind each stage of the sadhana—from refuge and bodhicitta in the generation stage practice through meditation, mantra recitation, and dedication. These teachings illuminate not only what to do during the practice, but why each element is included, allowing the meditation to become increasingly clear, alive and transformative. Whether you are new to the long sadhana or have been practicing it for many years, these teachings […]

    $108

  • Vajrayogini Initiation and Commentary

    In-person

    The Highest Yoga Tantra practice of Vajrayogini is especially effective in “degenerate times” as it skillfully cuts through ignorance and cultivates profound wisdom, love, and compassion.  We are so fortunate that His Eminence Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa will return to Vajrapani Institute from October 7 to 11, 2026, to bestow the Highest Yoga Tantra Vajrayogini initiation and commentary.   This sacred initiation and commentary offers a rare and precious opportunity for practitioners who are prepared to wholeheartedly engage in the profound practices of Highest Yoga Tantra.   This program is in-person only.   Prerequisites and Highest Yoga Tantra requirements Have taken Refuge in the three jewels Have Mahayana intention inspired by Bodhicitta, and faith in the Vajrayana Have previously received at least one of the following Highest Yoga Tantra empowerments: Kalachakra, Yamantaka, Heruka, Guhyasamaja and Hevajra.   How to Apply To apply for the Vajrayogini Initiation, please verify your previous highest yoga tantra initiation by using this application form.    Commitments During the initiation, Rinpoche will determine any specific commitments. Please be prepared to take on daily commitments as part of your practice.   Tentative schedule will be posted closer to the event   Registration Closes September 30, 2026 […]

  • Misty forest in the mountains with sunlight filtering through trees, creating a peaceful and contemplative atmosphere

    A Week of Deep Practice: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in the Mahāyāna

    Hybrid

    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 […]

    $720

  • Redwood forest path with sunlight, peaceful setting for a meditation retreat in California

    The Path of Meditation: Foundations and Practice

    In-person

    Experience a Meditation Retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California This beginner-friendly retreat offers a clear and practical introduction to meditation, including concentration and analytical techniques, in a peaceful redwood setting.   https://youtu.be/cBTo_vOcjCM About the Retreat Ready to hit pause on the chaos of daily life and actually train your mind? This retreat offers a clear, practical, and experiential introduction to meditation—ideal for beginners who want to learn how to meditate in a structured way. Whether you’re flying solo or continuing your journey through the Exploring Buddhism program, you’ll find a supportive environment to deepen your practice and understanding. Over the course of the retreat, you’ll explore the why and how of meditation in a way that’s structured, grounded, and—most importantly—accessible. You’ll dive into the two main types of meditation: placement (concentration) and analytical meditation, with a focus on developing calm abiding. Step by step, you’ll learn to cultivate mental stability, clarity, and mindfulness—all skills that transform not just your practice, but your daily life. Through guided meditations, insightful teachings, periods of refreshing silence, and time for your own practice, you’ll pick up practical tools for handling distraction, strengthening focus, and navigating common meditation challenges. By the end, you’ll walk away confident in […]

    $720

  • New Year’s Vajrasattva Practice Retreat

    In-person

    Join us for our popular New Year's Vajrasattva Retreat with Elaine Jackson where we will practice a traditional Tibetan Buddhist purification technique to release old patterns and obstacles and welcome new insights through experiential meditation. No initiations are required to attend this retreat, students of all levels will benefit. https://youtu.be/uqu5MsFz-4w About the Retreat The path to enlightenment is a gradual, proven process whereby one’s mind is transformed to abide in never-ending contentment. In Tibetan Buddhism, this is called wisdom – a deep knowing of reality, as it is, through direct perception. Most of us operate from profound ignorance, a solid misknowing. This ignorance – that happiness and unhappiness come from somewhere “out there” – blocks us from seeing our clear light mind. The Vajrasattva practice purifies our mind from grasping so strongly onto a mistaken view. Using time-tested visualization and meditation, deluded states – pain, sorrow, hatred, pride, jealousy, doubt – lose their power. Our mind is purified. We then have the opportunity to realize that we ourselves have the power to transform our world into an enlightened paradise. Some Vajrasattva retreats emphasize mantra recitation. Instead, in this retreat we will focus on the results of Vajrasattva meditation practice and […]

  • Cittamani Tara retreat at Vajrapani Institute

    Cittamani Tara Approximation Retreat

    In-person

    Arya Tara (Tib. Drol-ma), the “Liberator,” swiftly delivers the blessings of the buddhas and bodhisattvas to those who make their minds receptive through deep practice, particularly in a retreat setting. She is able to do this because she is the manifestation of the purified action-wind of all the buddhas. During tumultuous times, Cittamani Tara practice becomes especially vital for clearing inner and outer obstacles and bringing protection. Through this Cittamani Tara retreat, we draw closer to her while strengthening our altruistic motivation and our ability to directly benefit ourselves and others. This approximation retreat is open to all who have the prerequisites outlined below. It also provides an opportunity for those who have recently received the Cittamani Tara initiation from Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche, together with the commentary to be offered in September/October 2026 (to be confirmed over 4 Saturday mornings), to undertake and complete the 100,000-mantra recitation. The main purpose of this approximation retreat is to experience Cittamani Tara practice through the actual practice of the sadhana and the completion of the mantra commitment. This will be the primary focus of the retreat. Consequently, apart from personal questions that you may have, which Ven. Angie will be available to help with, […]