Yamāntaka Approximation Retreat
Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa and Venerable Gyalten Chimé
January 8 - 29, 2025
After receiving an Anutarayoga (Highest Yoga Tantra) initiation, it is recommended that one attend teachings by a qualified lama or read commentaries on the specific deity practice and then complete an approximation retreat.
An approximation retreat is an enabling action retreat in which one, utilizing the sadhana practice, completes a specific number of mantra recitations that permit one to perform subsequent mandala actions such as the fire puja and the self-initiation practice.
We are excited to announce that in January 2025, we will hold a 3-week approximation retreat for Solitary Hero Yamantaka. This is a father tantra, that, like any Highest Yoga tantra, becomes powerful only when steeped in the 3 Principles of the Path. Solitary Hero Yamantaka entails the causal peaceful aspect of Manjushri coupled with the fierce resultant Yamantaka, the “Destroyer of Death” of the four maras. Thus, this practice can, eventually, destroy all obstacles on our spiritual path ( i.e. our ego-grasping selfishness, contaminated aggregates, ignorance, and afflictions) as we move toward full awakening for the sake of all beings.
This will be a 3-week retreat with four sessions a day of Yamantaka sadhana practice led by Venerable Gyalten Chime, a long-term heart student of Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa. Over the 3 weeks, students may become more familiar with the sadhana practice as each works on their objective of accumulating the 100,000 mantra recitations (plus additional mantras) to fulfill the retreat requirement. Then, at the end, we will finish with a fire puja, completing the retreat requirements.
Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa has kindly agreed to our request to start us off for the first day, giving retreat guidance, blessing the seat, and doing the torma offerings. Upon completion, Rinpoche will return to help facilitate the closing ceremony and fire puja!
Prerequisites to Join the Retreat
To participate in this retreat, you need to meet these requirements:
- Have taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, committing yourself to follow the Buddhist path, and have taken the refuge vow (during a formal refuge ceremony with a qualified lama) to be qualified to take the higher vows and Initiation required to do a tantric practice
- Must have the Highest Yoga Tantra initiation into the Solitary Hero Yamantaka, which also involves taking the aspiring and engaging Bodhisattva Vow.
- Be in stable mental health with no recent history of mental illness.
- Have sufficient experience or study in the Lam Rim (the graduated path to enlightenment) or similar sutra teachings on renunciation, bodhicitta, and emptiness.
- If you are a new student, first check with your teacher if now is an appropriate time to do this retreat. ( more experienced students can decide on their own).
- Come with a strong determination to complete the entire retreat. The commitment is to complete the 100,000 plus subsequent mantras as part of the approximation retreat. Please be aware that this retreat is not a holiday. While it can be joyful, it also can be hard and intensive work and one needs a firm motivation and determination to cope with the difficulties which inevitably arise. ( new wording)
- Have read all information on this website about the retreat and agree to follow the discipline of the retreat. If a person’s behavior becomes disruptive to the group, Vajrapani management has the right to ask them to leave.
How to Apply
To apply to the retreat, please verify your highest yoga tantra initiation into Yamantaka and other prerequisites by using this google form. Upon acceptance into the retreat, you will get an email with the registration link and password.
Application Google Form
Registration Closes
Dec 15, 2024
Group Retreat Schedule
There will be an Orientation on the check-in day, which includes the following preparations for the retreat:
- Preparation of the meditation space
- Introduction from the retreat leader and/or Spiritual Program Coordinator
- Opportunities to become acquainted with your fellow retreaters
The daily practice schedule will consist of an early morning (likely 5:30 or 6:00 am) long sadhana session plus three other short sadhana sessions, that will include time for mantra accumulation.
There will be breaks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and time for relaxing plus time to complete other short practice commitments. We will configure some time for questions & answers or a group discussion, yet likely not daily since most of the day will be devoted to the mantra accumulation.
The Yamantaka practice will end with a fire puja on the final day. We are incredibly blessed that Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche has agreed to return to lead the fire puja with us.
Contributing to the group effort
Because this is a group retreat, your presence in the group and your support of your fellow retreaters is essential in making this a positive experience for everyone. Therefore, unless there is an emergency or you become ill, the group expects individuals to stay for the full three weeks, even if you complete your mantra commitment earlier.
Doing a Group Retreat at Vajrapani
There are many advantages to doing this retreat as a group at Vajrapani Institute including:
- The center is very blessed and conducive to this particular practice as many prior highest yoga tantra retreats have been held here, dating back to the days with Lama Yeshe.
- The land, gompas, and holy objects have been visited and blessed by many high Lamas, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama
- The remote location and tranquil redwood forest provide a beautiful and peaceful environment
Silence
For the first few days, the participants will hold silence from the last session at night until lunch the next day. The group can then enjoy time to relax and socialize during lunch and dinner. As time moves on, the retreat leader- with the input of the group – will determine what is needed regarding silence.
Outside Contact
Retreaters need to understand the importance of remaining on-site for the duration of the retreat. In approximation retreats, each retreatant chooses only a very few “essential” people ( i.e. people for emergencies: doctors, or a very select few “necessary” family members (i.e. check on ill parents via phone) that are allowed to contact, on a limited basis. Therefore, there is some flexibility yet a limited amount of time allowed for any essential- only emails, letters, or phone calls. No work or unnecessary computer time will be allowed. We will discuss these details during orientation.
We recommend you do not receive or send letters or e-mails during the retreat (emergency email can be marked “Urgent” and we can deliver it to you. All other emails and letters will be kept until the end of the retreat.)
Recommended Reading
It is a good idea to read or review at least some of these books in advance before coming to the approximation retreat.
- Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, The Door to Satisfaction, Wisdom Publications
- Lama Thubten Yeshe, Introduction to Tantra, Wisdom Publications
- Lama Tsongkhapa, Preparing for Tantra, Classics of Middle Asia
- Pabongka Rinpoche, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. Wisdom Publications
Commentaries on Yamantaka:
(please read at least one before the retreat)
- The Roar of Thunder: Yamantaka Practice and Commentary translated by David Gonzales
- Gelek Rinpoche Solitary Yamantaka Teachings, Jewel Heart
- A Teaching on Yamantaka by Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive
What to Expect
Weather
This retreat will be held during the January, winter month. California winters vary year by year, but on the worst side, January may be very rainy, cold, and damp. The temperatures can be around 60F and down into the high 30’s at night. Mornings can include a mist sitting on top of the redwood forest that may stay until lunch or longer. Days are also shorter, so daylight is more limited at this time of year. While that sounds harsh, it makes for an excellent time for doing a few weeks retreat! But if one is not expecting this, it can make things feel more uncomfortable.
Food & Accommodation
Vajrapani Institute offers simple vegetarian food throughout the retreat. While we try our best to cater to allergies and medical restrictions, we can’t always meet everyone’s needs. For more information about diet restrictions and options, please see our FAQ page: https://vajrapani.org/faq/
Vajrapani Institute accommodations are simple but conducive to retreat stay. All lodging includes heating, and rooms can vary from dormitory setups, to private rooms, or even private cabins (which include stoves). You can read more about our lodging options during the registration process.
What to Bring
You will be supplied with long and short sadhanas, a depiction of Yamantaka, plus all the prayers that you will need during the retreat. Please bring your own varja, bell, damaru (if you have one), and inner offering (if you have it).
How to Apply
To apply to the retreat, please verify your highest yoga tantra initiation into Yamantaka by using this google form. Upon acceptance into the retreat, you will get an email with the registration link and password.
Additional Information
- Please plan on arriving between 3:00 and 5:00 PM on the first day of the retreat
- Please plan on departing at approximately 2:00 PM on the last day of the retreat
- You can see information about our accommodations in the registration process
- For more detailed information, please see our FAQ
If you are interested in serving as Course Liaison for this retreat, please apply here.
About Vajrapani Institute
Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture was the first Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Center in America. Vajrapani aims to provide a friendly and conducive environment for people of all nationalities to learn, put into practice the teachings of the Buddha, and connect with other Dharma practitioners. Located on 70 acres of secluded land within the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains, Vajrapani Institute has been an immersive space for people of all backgrounds to find and deepen their spiritual practices, with the main goal of bridging the gap between the head and heart of the practice.
Teacher’s Fees
Traditionally, spiritual teachings are considered priceless; the remuneration of our teachers is not included in the fee information detailed on this page. Instead, we invite you to consider bringing a cash donation with you to express your gratitude for the teachings.
The Buddha encouraged the practice of generosity as it develops non-attachment, loving-kindness, and compassion and deepens the awareness of our interconnectedness. Offering Dana to our teachers, a Pali word for “generosity,” is said to benefit both the giver and the receiver, helping the giver to practice generosity and the receiver to practice acceptance. Your offering of Dana can be whatever feels generous to you in your heart and your particular financial situation. If you can’t afford to give a cash offering as Dana, a thank you note is perfectly generous.
Participants will get a chance to present a cash offering to the teachers on the last day of the retreat and this is supplemented by a donation from Vajrapani Institute. Please note that we don’t offer a credit card option for Dana.
Teachers
Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa is one of the last generations of Tibetan Buddhist scholars to begin their educational careers in Tibet prior to the Chinese invasion. He has played an instrumental role in the reestablishment and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist traditions in exile, and in the spread of Tibetan Buddhism to the Western world. Highly regarded for his scholarship and depth of religious practice, Rinpoche has taught around the US, including in New York, Washington D.C., Bay Area FPMT Centers in California, and at Do Ngak Kunphen Ling (DNKL), a Tibetan Buddhist center in Connecticut, where he hosted a…
Learn more about Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa
Venerable Gyalten Chimé (Lisa DuPont, M.S.), is an American Buddhist monastic in the Tibetan, Gelug tradition with over 25 years of experience in study and retreat in Tibetan Buddhism with numerous Tibetan Masters. Ven. Chimé also brings her many years of training & experience in psychology/neuroscience as a school psychologist and is a certified instructor of Emory University’s Cognitively Based Compassion Training (CBCT).
Learn more about Venerable Gyalten Chimé
