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Second Opportunity for Practice: Inspire Yourself Personal Mini-Retreat
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Second Opportunity for Practice: Inspire Yourself Personal Mini-Retreat
Inspire Yourself Personal Mini-Retreat
Last year Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche instituted what he called “Inspire Yourself” mini-retreats because the format eliminates the issues that can make attending retreats difficult. You can choose your own dates (within a one-month period), you can do the retreat at home or in your own chosen location, and you set your own schedule.
The format asks you to commit to doing 2 consecutive days of practice with 4 sessions per day.
You can choose to do this on any 2 days between dakini day, November 23 and dakini day, December 28.
If you are doing this in your own home, try to create a sacred space where you will not be disturbed during your sessions.
This retreat is designed for all students. During your practice sessions, you should follow the instructions you have received from Phakchok Rinpoche either in retreats or in the on-line courses or Dharma Stream. Each student thus practices at his or her own level and does the practice that he or she is currently following.
Begin the day by setting up your shrine and taking extra care in making offerings and reminding yourself of bodhicitta motivation. Follow the practices of supplication and the sadhānā that you have been taught. At the end of each session, take extra time to do more extensive dedication prayers and make aspirations.
Between sessions, you can rest, read Dharma books, listen to teachings, and reflect. You may want to engage in some yoga or gentle exercise. It is best if you do not have any other distractions, so take this time to “unplug” from your devices and enjoy quiet time. If you are in a quiet environment, take some time to enjoy nature and sit outside without business. If you live in a big city, then create a cozy space in your home where you have little distraction.
The overall idea is to not engage in normal activities for these two days, allowing the dharma and meditation to permeate your mind. It is important to do four sessions each day (traditionally this means upon waking up, after breakfast/before lunch, afternoon, and after dinner/before bed), but don’t feel that these sessions have to be extremely long if you’re not used to that sort of practice.
We wish you well in your practice. If you have any questions or comments, please use this discussion forum!
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11 Replies
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is it not until 23th of December? Surely Dakini day is on the 28th of December?
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well, I guess that this time I have missed my opportunity. 2 times I have began the retreat and in both of them I couldn’t continue. I hope there will be another chance, unless you will not limit the time in which the Mini-Retreat can be preformed.
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For many people in the U.S., at any rate, it will be more feasible to take two consecutive days off during this upcoming Christmas-New Year’s week than it may have been in the pre-holiday month. So personally, I’d say to all of us who may not have been able to do this short practice intensive during the last 30 (solar) days, if you can do it now, go for it! (In fact, any time you can arrange to do intensive practice, go for it!)
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Thank you Matthew for your reply! When I will manage to perform the retreat, I will report it here.
Hand palm to palm, Merry Christmas to all and also Happy new Year, Shlomo :-)
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I appreciate the flexibility,I am sure that added focus on practice will benefit everyone around me . Perhaps inspire us all, the direction is positive .
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Happy Holidays to all!
As Matthew observed, any time that we can inspire ourselves (and others, as Alan suggests) to practice more intensively is cause for rejoicing. The structure of the on-line mini-retreats simply provides a global retreat period where we can feel inspired by the fact that others in our sangha family are also engaged in more intensive practice sessions. We all have different responsibilities and circumstances, so any time, even if it falls outside the “scheduled” time, that you can dedicate is worth celebrating. And please do use the forum to post about your experience, to ask questions, or to look for encouragement!
Warm wishes,
The Samye Team -
Thank you Hillary!
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Thank you for the encouragement and reminder of the gem of flexibility in practice.
I will plan to use the ultra cliché dates of Jan 1/2 as my mini retreat…. though I will have to work a little bit on the 2nd but I think can put a mindful spin on it to keep it in line with the over all theme.
Cheers,
Anne
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Dear Anne,
That is wonderful! And Tulku Migmar has just reminded us (see the post in the Ngondro group) that the new year is a very auspicious time to re-set our motivations–so don’t think it is just a cliché!
Warm regards,
Hilary
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Earlier in December, I received a kind and generous 50th birthday gift from my husband and daughter…2 days of solitude in a hotel to practice in a mini-retreat. I was so happy and excited and grateful for the gift. So much promise! But after the retreat, I came home feeling tired, lonely and not so inspired (not nearly as inspired as I had hoped...reminder to myself, stop hoping ?). Mostly, my brain felt exhausted from the struggle (In my mind, I can hear Rinpoche laughing and saying, “Let go”.) I didn’t post about it, because I didn’t want to un-inspire anyone. But then during Rinpoche’s New Year’s live-stream teaching, he said, “You meditate alone. I meditate with Buddha.” And suddenly it all made sense somehow. Thank you, Rinpoche, for that very pithy teaching. May we all meditate with Buddha this coming year.
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Thank you for sharing that, Kelly; it is an inspiration as well to remind us not to expect all sorts of wonderful experiences!
In another recent teaching in Indonesia (notes just added to the Global Forum) Rinpoche also gave some more advice to deal with the very common situation that you mention. Obviously, you are not the only person who has had this experience, and it is so important to remember the point you made!
Here is the quote from Rinpoche’s Introduction to Vajrayana teaching:
In Vajrayana, we supplicate and have devotion. Then samadhi becomes easy. Without Vajrayana, you have to fight with yourself when you meditate, when you have anger and you still don’t improve. In Vajarayana you can keep your devotion alive. This is what I told myself. “I fail in many things in my practice. In one thing I won’t fail, in devotion, in supplication, and as a result I do not feel lonely. Let me say, when you are feeling lonely and depressed it is because you are not taking refuge. Supplicate!
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