“We need a powerful purification practice like the tantric yoga method of Heruka Vajrasattva to destroy both the energy forces of the ignorant mind and the negative actions of body and speech that arise from it.” – Lama Thubten Yeshe

The Vajrasattva practice acts at many levels, from purifying the mind from negativities and ignorance, to help healing inner bounds, emotional hindrances, and difficult experiences with which we struggle. It clears the way and lays the ground for practice, both psychologically and spiritually.

In the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the practice of Vajrasattva is one of the preliminary practices, which are traditionally done before engaging in long retreat. This retreat is a wonderful opportunity to purify and clear the mind with the practice and mantra of Vajrasattva.

We will follow the sadhana of Heruka Vajrasattva composed by Lama Thubten Yeshe, and meditations on the gradual path to enlightenment (Lam Rim) will be included. There will be sessions to explain and clarify aspects of the practice, as well as Q&A sessions. The retreat will mostly take place in an atmosphere of silence.

Please bring the meditation manual “Vajrasattva Retreat Sadhanas”, which can be found on the FPMT website:
https://shop.fpmt.org/Vajrasattva-Retreat-Sadhanas-eBook-PDF_p_1220.html

Resources

The Preliminary Practice of Vajrasattva, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, FPMT booklet: https://shop.fpmt.org/Vajrasattva-Retreat-Sadhanas-eBook-PDF_p_1220.html

Becoming Vajrasattva, The Tantric Path of Purification, Lama Thubten Yeshe, Wisdom Publications. http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/becoming-vajrasattva

Teachings From the Vajrasattva Retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=243

Rob Preece, Preparing for Tantra: Creating the Psychological Ground for Practice, Snow Lion

Information about Your Health

Please be aware that meditation practice is in general not recommended for people suffering from severe depression, severe anxiety and other serious mental and emotional problems. If you have or are suffering from one of those, it’s important that you have asked your therapist if it is appropriate for you to do a meditation retreat, as well as that you feel stable and relaxed enough to participate. In any case, everyone is the final responsible about the decision of participating in this retreat.

Marina Brucet Vinyals was born in Barcelona, Spain. She has completed a six-year full-time study program Masters Program of Advanced Buddhist Studies of Sutra and Tantra at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Italy. She studied with great Tibetan lamas such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Jampa Monlam and Khensur Jampa Tegchok, amongst others. She has also completed a one-year individual meditation retreat, amongst others.

She holds a BA and a MA in Biochemistry and a PhD in Molecular Biology in Immunology from the University of Barcelona, where she also performed postdoctoral studies.

Presently, she combines continual development and meditation retreats with teaching meditation and Buddhist philosophy, at both general and specialized levels, with an approach that always takes into account the context and circumstances of Western life.