This retreat is open to those who attended the July 2019 Yamantaka retreat at Land of Joy and new applicants that are accepted by the retreat leader. Either way those attending need to have received the Yamantaka empowerment and be familiar with the generation stage sadhana, ideally having completed the enabling action retreat and fire puja. If you haven’t completed the retreat yet, you should commit to do it as soon as possible after receiving these teachings.

Each day will begin with a strong motivating meditation considering the challenges facing sentient beings, especially of this planet during these difficult times. The day will include a session practicing the long sadhana, strongly emphasising transforming the three states into the three kayas. The first half of the retreat will be about how to bring the winds into the channels and the second part about how to stabilise on the nature of the mind. There will be a daily one-hour session for discussion and break out groups to share experiences. Each evening will conclude with torma offerings to Dharma protectors and dedications.

This retreat is based on an oral transmission Geshe Namgyal Wangchen personally gave Andy in 2008. Since then Andy has practised these instructions daily, and in short retreats. This is an experiential retreat, where Andy shares his deep practice experience and knowledge. This is why Andy requests all participants take part in a retreat environment where your mind can settle and open. Instruction in the completion stage practices will be given, but as already mentioned, this is simply a sharing of practice with fellow practitioners, not a commentary and not establishing a guru-disciple relationship with the retreat leader.

However, the sharing of these profound and powerful practices is an intimate process, and it is for this reason that those who didn’t attend the retreat with Andy in July 2019 need to apply for a place by completing the booking form, including sharing when and from whom you received the empowerment. After completing the form please then email spc@landofjoy.co.uk (with FAO Andy Wistreich at the top of the email) to explain your daily practice and Yamantaka retreat experience. Please also explain why you feel ready to learn the completion stage practices. Due to the nature of the retreat’s content we will not be recording any of the Zoom sessions. Therefore, if you decide to attend this online retreat with Andy please be aware that you wont be able to access any recordings after the retreat has finished so you must attend the live sessions.

Please be aware taking part in this retreat will require you to set up a strict retreat regime wherever you will be practicing. This includes setting a retreat boundary and limiting your contact with others (except for emergencies). If you have family members in the house you will need to try and limit your contact with them during the retreat. You should avoid using the internet for the duration of the retreat, except when attending the Zoom sessions. You shouldn’t use the internet for anything else (including email), or any other form of media (including social media). This will allow you to rest in the practice.

We recommend stocking up on food supplies before the retreat begins so you don’t need to break your retreat boundaries by going out to stock up. If it is very difficult for you to find a quiet space where you live, perhaps you could do your retreat somewhere else that is quieter and has a stable internet connection.

Ideally, Andy would like those attending to familiarise themselves with the latest edition of the long Solitary Hero Yamantaka sadhana (as used at Land of Joy) by practicing it once a day in the lead up to the retreat. This sadhana is available as a digital file on request, which you can then download and print or use on a device.