The Bliss of Mahamudra

Winter Retreat 2024
with Gen Samten Kelsang

January 12 – February 22, 2024

The Winter Retreats at KMC New York consists of six stand-alone retreats based on The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. Please scroll down to find out more about this text and each week of retreat.

The Oral Instructions

Take the opportunity to deepen your experience of the entire path to enlightenment as presented in the book, The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra. This precious book reveals the uncommon practice of Tantric Mahamudra of the Ganden Oral Lineage. You are welcome to attend the entire retreat, or by week.

 

Throughout the Winter Retreats, you will also have the special opportunity to use The Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land According to Highest Yoga Tantra.

Note: To fully benefit from these retreats, an understanding of basic Buddhist beliefs and practices is helpful. Suggested reading: How to Transform Your Life and part 1 of Modern Buddhism.  Both texts are written by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the author of The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra.

Click on the registration link for the date you want to start and then adjust the ending date based on which day you will be finishing.

January 12-18 | Training in Lamrim

 

January 19-25 | Training in Lojong

 

January 26-February 1 | Tranquil Abiding

 

February 2-8 | Superior Seeing

 

February 9-15 | Heruka Generation Stage*

 

February 16-22 | Channels, Winds, and Drops*

 

*Must have Highest Yoga Tantra Empowerments in order to attend

Gen Samten Kelsang

Gen Samten Kelsang

Gen Samten Kelsang is the Resident Teacher at KMC New York and will lead the Oral Instructions of Mahamudra Retreat. With 40 years of study and practice of Buddha’s teachings, he presents Buddha’s most profound teachings in a practical and accessible way. As one of Venerable Geshe-la’s senior disciples, Gen Samten has had the unique opportunity to engage in a three-year retreat and carries with him a wealth of experience in skillfully guiding sincere practitioners to profound meditative insights on retreat.

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In silence, we engage with the meditation object in a more intimate way. We stop ‘chatting’ about the Dharma from our mouth and start listening to the Dharma from deep within our heart which gives us a special inner experience of the teachings we receive. Penetrating insights arise and since we are able to hold onto them with firm mindfulness we find Dharma experience pervades and nourishes our heart at a very deep level.

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BLESSED BY OUR GURU

 Over the years, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche has visited KMC New York three times, blessing the entire property and the Temple—providing one of the necessary conditions for a qualified place of retreat.

Retreat Fees

Weekend (Friday – Sunday): $50
Weekly (Friday – Thursday): $100
Please note: a 20% discount on retreat fees is applied to two or more consecutive full weeks of retreats.

Due to the nature of these retreats, we do not offer drop-ins for days or individual sessions.

Accommodations

Please use the chart below to see accommodation options and prices. Please note for accommodations (not meals) booked for 2 consecutive weeks, a 20% discount is applied; 3 consecutive weeks, a 30% discount is applied; and 4 consecutive weeks or more, a 40% discount is applied.

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Onsite Meals

Vegetarian, vegan and/or wheat-free lunches and dinners are available each day for $7 each. Breakfast is available for those staying offsite but must be pre-booked. It is included in the onsite accommodation fees.

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Registration Notes:

  • The Vajrayogini Close Retreat is a set price of $150 regardless of the number of weeks/days the person stays. More information about the Close Retreat can be found here.
  • Each guided retreat in the Bliss of Mahamudra Retreat starts Friday evening and ends Thursday at lunchtime (6 nights)
  • For accommodations (not meals) booked for 2 consecutive weeks, a 20% discount is applied; 3 consecutive weeks, a 30% discount is applied; and 4 consecutive weeks or more, a 40% discount is applied.
  • A 20% discount is applied to the retreat fee for the second to sixth consecutive week of retreat.
  • Private rooms (deluxe, single, twin, doubles) and en-suite triples must be booked for 6 night blocks from Friday to Thursday (i.e. the full week of retreat). Partial bookings are not available for private rooms or en-suite triples, i.e someone would not be able to book for a weekend, for 10 nights or 23 nights but could book for 6 nights, 13 nights, 20 nights, etc.
  • Dorm and shared room accommodations are available for partial bookings with a 2-night minimum for the January 12-18 (Training in Lamrim) and January 19-25 (Training in Lojong) retreats. Due to their popularity, from September 20-November 30, the last four weeks of retreat, dorm and shared room accommodations must be booked for 6-nights from Friday to Thursday (i.e. the full week of retreat). Partial bookings are not available for these rooms, i.e. someone would not be able to book for a weekend, for 10 nights or 23 nights, etc, but could be booked for 6 nights, 13 nights, 20 nights, etc. Starting December 1, based on demand, we will open any available dorm or shared accommodations up for partial bookings with a 2-night minimum for these last four weeks of retreat.
  • Weekend retreat bookings are available for those staying offsite. Due to the importance of attending the introduction and start of retreat, these must be booked starting Friday night.

Contact Us

Phone

(845) 856-9000
9am-5pm Monday - Friday

Location

47 Sweeney Rd
Glen Spey, NY 12737