Details:

Date: Monday 25th November – Wednesday 4th December

Retreat Leader: Marina Brucet Vinyals

Requirements: In order to participate in this retreat, one must ideally have taken refuge and follow the Buddhist path. Otherwise, one should have some knowledge of Buddhism and its practices. It is not necessary to have received the Vajrasattva initiation or jenang.

Cost: Generosity Model – Donation only (via the donation form at the bottom of the page; no suggested amount).

Format: Onsite & online. Please note you will still need to book a place if attending online.

Start and Finish times: A detailed schedule will be published closer to the time.

Accommodation: Land of Joy wishes for everyone who visits the centre to feel welcome, accepted, safe and secure. Our accommodation options are very limited, with mostly single-sex shared accommodation and only one single room (which is sometimes needed by volunteers). This means single accommodation can only be offered to those who need it the most, but still won’t always be available. Camping can be an option at certain times of year if you have your own tent but space is very limited. Please read the relevant sections of the booking form carefully.

About the Retreat

“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.

About the Teacher

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.

A Way to Say Thank You

As we don’t receive any subsidies from other organisations we rely solely on the kind generosity of others. If you would like to make a donation to help us cover our considerable monthly costs (including via an online bank transfer or postal cheque), please choose the amount you would like to offer using the form below (or enter a custom amount), click ‘Donate’, then choose a payment method and provide all the details we require to process your donation. Your generosity will help us continue to offer beneficial services to yourself and others.

You may also like to make a regular contribution to the centre by becoming a Branch of Joy. This kind of support gifts us a steady and ongoing income, which in turn provides the confidence and means for us to continue to flourish for many years to come.

Thank you and may you be happy.

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