"As irrigators lead water where they want, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their minds." ~ Buddha
Retreats
Three-year retreats
View near the Dordogne retreat centre
In 1975, after Kyabje Kangyur Rinpoche’s passing away, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche began teaching at Chanteloube in Dordogne. The first retreat cabins at Chanteloube were built that same year in order to provide a place of practice for students wishing to perform long term retreats.
Since then, the organization of the traditional long retreats (three years and six months) has remained one of the centre’s main activities. The aim of the retreats is to create a protective environment which will allow students to concentrate on the essential aspects of Buddhist practice, namely, study, reflection and meditation, expounded according to the teachings of different traditions, in particular, the Nyingma tradition. This entails the preliminaries or ngöndro, followed by the generation stage practices of the three roots (lama, yidam, and khandro), and concluding with practices associated with the perfection stage.
Such retreats offer the opportunity for individuals of any gender, age and nationality to explore the Buddhist teachings in depth within the discipline of the Nyingma tradition. So far, more than 13 such retreats have been organized, attended by more than 230 practitioners from all over the world.
The retreats take place in the Dordogne, France. There are several retreat facilities located in the vicinity.
Teachers
Chanteloube stupa
Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, Rangdröl Rinpoche and other lamas invited by him give the necessary teachings during the retreat. In the first retreats, starting in 1980, the retreatants had the great fortune of receiving teachings from Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who visited many times and bestowed the necessary transmissions. More recently, one of their principle disciples, Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, one of the greatest Tibetan masters of our time, has been visiting the retreats regularly in order to guide the retreatants in their practice, and we hope that, despite his many responsibilities, he will be able to continue to do so in the future. (Please see Chanteloube's teachers & spiritual directors for more information).
Applying for the retreat
Applicants are requested to obtain a letter of permission from their own spiritual master, authorizing them to take part in the retreat. Chanteloube usually receives more applications than can be accepted, and applicants may be placed on a waiting list. Once accepted, Chanteloube supplies a guide to participants with an overview of retreat preparation, information for international participants (e.g. on obtaining a long term visa) and other practical matters.
For more information or to receive an application, please email retreats@songtsen.org.
Parallel retreats
Location of the parallel retreat centre
While more and more people have become interested in performing the intensive practice and study of the traditional three-year retreat, not everyone is able to retire from the world for the required length of time. To help meet the needs of the average lay practitioner and as a result of numerous requests, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche established an alternative to the three-year retreat: a cycle of teachings and practices over a period of 5 or more years, known as the ‘Parallel Retreat.’ These retreats aim to offer the same cycle of teachings in the traditional three-year retreat, with the following differences:
- The retreat is in a less restricted environment: the group meets only every few months for 3-5 days of intensive teachings and practice, and make a commitment to practise daily at home.
- The retreat cycle is over a longer period of time, as practice has to be combined with work and family life.
Currently there are several hundred people in five groups at various stages of the programme – some nearing the end of the cycle and others at the very beginning. Each group receives teachings at three month intervals from both Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche and Pema Wangyal Rinpoche.
Short group retreats
For those who wish to discover the Dharma or deepen their understanding of it, short group retreats are usually organized twice a year. These include simple, guided meditation sessions together with a basic exposition of Buddhist teachings.
Please see programmes for upcoming events or subscribe to our mailing list to be kept informed of programme schedules.
Individual retreats
The organization also provides facilities for those who wish to spend a period of time in meditation and reflection. Chanteloube runs a small retreat centre, located near the city of Perigueux but nevertheless secluded in the countryside. The facility can house up to twenty retreatants at a time, spread out in small cabins in the woods. Some cabins are equipped with a kitchen and there is also a large communal kitchen in the centre of the grounds.
For more information and to check availability, please contact the coordinator by email at chanteloube@songtsen.org.
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