Discovering the Vajrayana Through the Mandala of the Emotions (Residential)

This is the RESIDENTIAL component of the retreat. If you’d like to register for the ONLINE component, please click here.

This silent weeklong retreat invites participants to enter the transformative path of the Vajrayana, whose radical methods reawaken us to the sacred world of energy and space, bliss and emptiness, compassion and wisdom. Supported by community and the profound methods of transformation unique to this path, we will explore how emotion itself can become a direct vehicle for awakening.

Join Lama Liz Monson and Matthew Bellows to delve into the rich landscape of the Buddhist Vajrayana tradition. At this pivotal moment in the history of our species and our planet, these ancient practices remain relevant and essential, teaching us to embrace ordinary thoughts and emotions as catalysts for realizing that our deepest nature—and the nature of all beings—is love and wisdom inseparable. Through visualization, mantra recitation, and contemplation, we will discover how these techniques transmute confused emotions into their true essence—compassion for self and others.

Please join us to:

• Explore Vajrayana practices of visualization and mantra
• Transmute raw emotion into the radiance of compassion and wisdom
• Awaken the ancestral and cellular memory of our true nature
• Reclaim the deep inner knowing that meets this moment with clarity and love

In this retreat, Lama Liz and Matthew will guide practitioners in exploring how the methods of the Buddhist Vajrayana awaken us to the sacred world of energy and space, bliss and emptiness, compassion and wisdom. Together, we will investigate how techniques like visualization and mantra recitation transmute confused emotions into their essence—compassion for self and others. In this time of global challenge, these ancient methods remind us of our innate capacity to meet the world with clarity, love, and courage.

When we enter the Vajrayana, we begin to awaken the ancestral and cellular memories that lie dormant within us—the deep knowing of who we truly are, beyond the habitual entrenchment in conceptual patterns of thought and emotion that give rise to suffering. Through practice, we discover how to harness the raw power of emotion as a vehicle to return to the deep knowledge within us that knows how to span the worlds, to dance with the energies of life and death, and to relax so deeply that we can slide into a realization of non-self without fear or anxiety.

Typical Retreat Schedule

(All times are Eastern time zone)

First Day — Orientation at 6:45 pm. Opening session begins around 7:00 pm.

Full-Day Schedule — Morning meditation 7:00 am; Breakfast break 8:00-9:30 am; Lunch break 12:00-2:00 pm; Dinner break 5:30-7:00 pm. Evening session 7:00-8:30 pm

Last Day —The closing session end at 12:00 pm.

These times are just for reference. An expanded schedule will be provided in pre-retreat information emailed during the week prior to the event.

Important Health Information

COVID-19 testing is no longer required. Masks are optional and encouraged if you are at higher risk. We encourage you to stay at home if you are symptomatic to protect others.

Scholarships

Cancellation Policy

We understand that personal circumstances may require you to cancel your registration. In these cases, please contact us right away at register@naturaldharma.org. Cancellations affect our ability to offer rooms to others and create additional work for our staff, therefore we charge the following fees to help mitigate these costs.

For cancellations (based on program start date):

• > 45 days: 100% refund minus a $75 admin. fee.
• 31-45 days: 50% refund of the required deposit; or 75% refund if registration paid in full.
• 21-30 days: 50% refund of total registration cost
• < 21 days: nonrefundable

If you must cancel due to an emergency or extenuating circumstances, please contact us at register@naturaldharma.org.

Access to Recordings

NDF offers unlimited access to recordings, which are accessed in your user dashboard (more information about user accounts provided in a pre-retreat letter). If you have a user account, please register with the same email you use to log into your dashboard. If not, an account will be created for you using your registration address.

Availability will vary depending on the type of event and the backlog for our precious resource volunteers. Thank you for your patience.

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