Course Overview

To support practitioners wishing to accumulate merit and in particular those practicing the Jonang-Kalachakra Ngöndro, we will host this precious Practice Retreat which will put a special focus on the Mandala Offering. This retreat was repeatedly requested by the Dzokden Sangha from Vienna. 

“The purpose of the practice of offering mandalas is to accumulate merit by making the most expansive and vast offerings possible with the best possible motivation. We direct these offerings toward the best possible recipients—the sublime Three Jewels. This combination of action, motivation and support make Mandala Offerings an extraordinarily effective method for accumulating vast quantities of merit in a relatively short period of time. Merit is the positive energy that is generated when engaging in virtuous actions. This positive energy habituates your mind to virtue and therefore provides the basis for happiness to arise in the future.” (Khentrul Rinpoche)

Although the retreat will focus on the practice of Mandala Offerings, the participants will also be guided through the other Outer and Inner Preliminaries of the Jonang-Kalachakra tradition. They will be encouraged to learn the traditional ways of practising and to further expand their understanding, so that the practice of accumulating merit can be integrated into different levels of their experience. The participants will be practicing with the main sadhana of the Kalachakra Path, “The Divine Ladder” by Jestun Taranatha, as well as with Khentrul Rinpoche’s own sadhana “Enlightening the Heart”.

  • Who is this course for?

    This course is designed for practioners who are new to the ngondro or in the process of the ngondro who wish to accumulate merit.

  • What will you learn?

    You will learn various ways to flexibly practice with the Sadhana and make mandala offerings.

  • How will this benefit you?

    Merit is a crucial component in helping us cultivate virtuous qualities. In particular, it increases our ability to understand the Dharma correctly, helps us develop enthusiasm for the practice and gives us the strength to overcome all obstacles along the way.

Suggested Reading

Hidden Treasure of the Profound Path

In this direct and clear commentary on Jetsun Taranatha’s classic text “The Divine Ladder”, Khentrul Rinpoché reveals the profound methods which have been used by Kalachakra masters for hundreds of years to achieve extraordinary realisations.

Program Fee

We understand the students live in a variety of countries worldwide with different cost of living. If you are in financial need or live in a country that we reduced pricing for please email [email protected] We are doing our best to make all the programs accessable to all the students worldwide while honouring cultural differences and costs of living.

Retreat Leader

Rafa Lobsang Dorje (Rafael Nassif)

Dzokden Kalapa Program Co-ordinator

He started his contact with Buddhism in 2008, after practicing in other systems of spiritual practice in his homeland Brazil. In Europe, India and Tibet he had precious opportunities to receive teachings, transmissions and empowerments from masters from almost all schools of Tibetan Buddhism and from the Theravada Tradition as well, and took part in different group and solitary retreats. He was fortunate to met his precious Guru Jamphel Lodrö (Khentrul Rinpoche) in She Drup Ling-Austria in 2015, from whom he has been receiving a vast and profound wealth of Dharma, since the foundational subjects until the Kalachakra Vajra Yogas. Since 2016 he has been teaching Lu Jong (Tibetan Healing Yoga). In 2018 he received authorisation from Rinpoche to teach the Kalachakra-Ngöndro. Recently he reduced his professional activities as a composer in order to serve the altruistic ideals of his Guru as a full-time volunteer at our Dzokden community. He serves the community a.o. as a translator, editor and coordinator for the translations’ groups for both German and Portuguese languages.