“The Power of Love” A Buddhist Retreat with Ani Lodro at Vajra Vidya Monastery & Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado

You are invited to join Ani Lodro and Karma Choying for any or all of this 6 night, 7 day retreat entitled: “The Power of Love:  Understanding the Buddhist Path through the Gateway of Wisdom & Compassion”.

Retreat Dates & Location:

October 24 - 30, 2024

Vajra Vidya Monastery and Retreat Center

3203 Camino Baca Grande

Crestone, CO 81131

Schedule for full retreat days October 25 - 29:

7:30am - 8:30am - Breakfast and Clean Up

9:00am - 10:00am - Group Practice & Chants with Lama Khenpo Jigme

10:00am - Noon - First Session teachings with Ani Lodro

Noon - 1:30pm - Lunch and Selfless Service

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Silent Sitting meditation

3:30pm - 5:00pm-  Second Session teachings and Q&A w/ Ani Lodro

5:30pm - 7:00pm - Dinner and clean up

Evening - individual time for resting, journaling, meditation or practice

Cost for Retreat:

$ 100 per day - includes lodging, meals, and full use of facility

(Transportation to and from Alamosa airport can be booked

through Ani or Karma, please call us at 719-256-5539 to arrange)

Zoom attendance - $150

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Dear Ones,

Jamgon Kongtrul’s “Treasury of Knowledge: Myriad Worlds” tells us –

“For as long as infinite space and sentient beings exist, the compassion of the victorious ones and the actions of sentient beings continue without end. Those to be guided and enlightened guides manifest through inconceivable connections.

When the characters and dispositions of those to be guided are activated, the compassion of the guides arises, and the configurations of the realms and the dimensions of awakening appear; the miraculous methods of guiding others manifest beyond all bounds.”

It is emphasized that “those to be guided”, when ready, (that is, have sufficiently cultivated bodhicitta),will invoke the compassion of the victorious ones, and those that are enlightened will configure gateways extending from their heavenly abodes through which seekers can embrace dimensions of awakening.

I am inspired to investigate in our upcoming retreat how we humans can invoke the compassion of the Enlightened Ones, who have found freedom, to reach back for us? But do we even believe these beings exist? And how can we cultivate true devotion that leads to this belief and their encounter?

The title and theme of our recent May retreat was taken after the level of spiritual attainment described by the first Bhumi – “Very Joyous”, the first of 10 stages towards achieving enlightenment in Buddhism.  The motivation necessary to attain this state of Joy is primarily Love and Devotion. Due to the positive response from our May retreat, we are continuing with this theme for retreats in 2024 through further teachings on Emptiness, and the nature of mind, the foundation for entry into enlightened states in Buddhism.

It is through faith and devotion the realization of emptiness is attained in this first bhumi, which provides the entrance to the “path of seeing”.  Bodhisattvas who have advanced into the state of the first bhumi directly understand that persons do not exist by way of their own nature but are interdependent- connected to a larger system of multi-dimensional worlds with precise and comprehendible causes and conditions.

These joyous bodhisattvas live with the ongoing recognition of the missing connection most humans on Earth are largely deceived by– the inner radiance arising from the ground of being which manifests all the phenomena appearing around us. To abide in this illuminating light all around us, everywhere, is to have purified our hearts. We are invited to move to a truer, more joyous world, not through ascending, but by transforming samsara for ourselves first, and then for others.

Enlightened beings can manifest miraculous methods to assist us with this - through which the missing connection of the inner radiance of the ground of being becomes revealed to us. Thus we can choose to enter a state of Joy, Truth, Samadhi- an evolved dwelling place, which becomes our new and primordial world from which we actually came.

In future retreats we will continue to speak about this transcendence into the Joy filled realm with explanation of the steps leading to this gateway, turning our history of personal spontaneous spiritual experiences into an understandable series of causes and conditions our minds and hearts can follow. As we contemplate and meditate, we recognize positive, heavenly qualities are what is real and true. Negative qualities, and our clinging to them, is exhausted- we are no longer deceived.

Introspection in to our own spiritual or bodhisattva vows and nature of mind, we find these miraculous offerings.  Passed down from great masters and our own Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, as well as Bodhisattvas of our great world system, and Buddhas who preside over it, these teachings may be the most precious wish fulfilling jewels available to Earth-bound humans longing for freedom from the sadness of impermanence.

Awakening awaits us all.

Tashi Delek,

Ani Lodro

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For questions or more information about this retreat, please reach out to Ani Lodro and Karma Chöying by email at vajravidyacrestone@gmail.com or by calling (719) 256-5539.