Group Retreats

“Retreat offers a situation where it’s possible to fulfill our basic human potential and develop all the positive qualities within ourselves.”

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Learning Together

Group Retreats allow you to join other students in gaining experience, knowledge, and skills under the guidance of a qualified teacher.

Group retreats vary in length and focus. They can last from a few days to several weeks and cover a wide variety of topics. You can find and register for our upcoming group retreats on our event page.

Benefits

  • Direct feedback and authoritative answers to questions as they arise
  • Sharing of experiences and ideas through discussion
  • Extra stamina and momentum from a shared group dynamic
  • Increased confidence in your own ability and skill in the practice
  • Meeting like-minded individuals for companionship on your spiritual journey

Choosing a Program

All levels: Relevant to people of any experience level.
Introductory: Most suitable for those who haven’t received instruction before and have little to no experience with meditation. These programs are also great for those who want to do an introductory review.
Intermediate: Most suitable for those with at least a cursory understanding of lam-rim and some basic experience with meditation.
Advanced: Most suitable for those with a good understanding of lam-rim or tantra, and considerable meditation experience.

Levels of Silence

The practice of maintaining silence helps individuals go deeper in the retreat experience. While we do encourage full silence during most retreats, the level of silence maintained in a retreat can vary at the discretion of the retreat leader. The following silence levels therefore help to give you a general idea of silence held per retreat.

 

Full: Silence is held for the full retreat. Depending on the retreat there may be talking during discussion groups or during sessions with the teacher. However, during all break times, meals, mornings and evenings, silence is held.
Partial: The amount of silence held can vary in amount, but generally consists of half-day silence. Silence is held from after the last session in the evening until after lunch.
None: Silence is only held by the group during working meditation times.

 

Have more questions? First retreat? Check out our FAQ

Please note that we have recently updated out Cancellation Policy: You can read more about this under our FAQ section. The Cancellation Policy is also stated at the time of registration payment.

 

Questions about financial aid? Review our financial aid page.

 

If you are interested in serving as Course Liaison for a group retreat, please apply here.

Upcoming Retreats

Online Book Club – Vol 1: Approaching the Buddhist Path

Venerable Gyalten Chimé

August 30 - October 18, 2023
When On Zoom Every Wednesday for 8 weeks (Aug 30 to Oct 18) 6:30 - 8:00pm Pacific Time   ABOUT This weekly online book gathering will feature facilitated conversation, discussion and meditation sessions with Buddhist monastic Venerable Chimé.  The text we will explore over the course of these 8 weekly Zoom gatherings is Wisdom Publications’ Approaching the Buddhist Path by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chödrön. This recently published book is the first in an amazing series containing the traditional Buddhist Sanskrit tradition teachings, together with comparisons from the Buddhist Pali tradition, as well as rich parallels with modern…

Four Views of Reality

Scott Snibbe

October 6 - 8, 2023
In-person Only Indo-Tibetan Buddhism posits four progressively subtler understandings of reality, in particular, exploring what “self” and “objects” may or may not be. Monks, nuns, and serious students of Buddhism study these different views, called “tenets” that were developed 1500-2000 years ago. The topics can be tricky to understand and it’s hard to remember the schools’ specific Sanskrit names of Vaibhashika (Great Exposition), Sautantrika (Sutra), Cittamatra (Mind Only), and Madhyamaka (Middle Way). Simplified, these four views posit the “ultimate” nature of reality progressively from a view that believes in indivisible atoms and moments of consciousness to a reality where living…

Our Blog

  • Spring has officially arrived and with it a sense of renewal, a spark of hope. Trees are leafing and blossoming. So many wildflowers dot the hillsides. Bees are buzzing and early morning birds chatter like townsfolk exclaiming the beauty of this valley.  Living a quiet......

Vajrapani Institute is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition www.FPMT.org