Residential Retreats
Registration will open soon for our Spring Meditation Retreat
March 17 - 22, 2024
Serra Retreat Center ~ Malibu, California
Please visit their website here for images and information regarding the facility.
We are delighted to be returning again to our residential retreat environment at the Serra Retreat Center in gorgeous
Malibu, California, nestled along the US Pacific Coast. Since 1989, the Dzogchen Center has offered in-person retreat experiences to
thousands of students. We have evolved a rhythm that creates an experience that is relaxed but focused, quiet but joyful, intense but expansive.
At our retreats, nothing is compulsory. Our expectations are that retreatants are mature individuals who know how to use their time productively.
Noble Silence is practiced from the moment you are settled in until the final closing circle, creating a powerful tool in reducing
the mental chatter that distracts us from seeing the natural state. To quiet the mind, to let it settle, words have to stop.
Teachings
Lama Surya Das is an extraordinary teacher who is able to synthesize a vast amount of spiritual knowledge and experience. The rhythm
of Lama Surya Das’ sessions involves chanting, spiritual music, guided meditation, oral pith instruction, teachings, and an extended question and
response session. Lama Surya’s methods transmit essential insights of the Dzogchen view in a direct and accessible manner. Lama uses the question and
response sessions to tailor the discussion to the particular needs of the students in the room, and he encourages everyone to bring their questions
so others can share in the benefit of the dialogue. There are at least two teaching sessions each day: mid-morning, afternoon, and some evenings.
Lama Surya will teach most of those sessions. The balance of teaching sessions are offered by other invited lamas and Lama Surya's senior students.
Group Practice
These are meditation sessions, about 45 minutes each. A practice leader will open the session with a short dedication prayer or some chanting followed by
silent meditation, practicing the methods that Lama Surya has taught. While most people sit on floor cushions, comfortable chairs are also available.
Spiritual Music & Chanting
In chant the power of sound connects us with ourselves, one another, and the divine. It is an ancient, tried and true form of meditation and prayer.
One of the most transformative and nonsectarian spiritual practices, chanting almost immediately takes us out of our heads and beyond the mind,
into realms of pure spirit and bliss. It helps us discover the spiritual breath and cosmic energy (prana in Sanskrit) inside the physical breath.
Monks and nuns, shamans, yogis, dervishes, chant masters, pilgrims, cantors, singers, and musicians have long known this universal secret.
Accommodations
Serra Retreat Center has been holding residential retreats for over 70 years. They offer single and double rooms with shared
bathrooms (between two rooms.) Their delicious meal options accomodate vegetarian and vegan diets.
For more information, please visit their website- https://serraretreat.com/.
Sample Daily Schedule
Please note, opening day check-in takes place from 3 PM to 6 PM. Closing day departure takes place after lunch (around 1 PM.)
| AM AWAKENING 6:00 AM Group Meditation (45 min) 7:00 AM Tibetan Energy Yoga (45 min) 8:00 AM Breakfast 9:00 AM Refuge Practice Session (45 min) 10:15 AM Teaching/Guided Meditation (90 min) 12:00 PM Lunch 2:00 PM Teaching/Guided Meditation (90 min) 3:45 PM Practice Q & R Session or Breakout Session (45 min) 5:00 PM Group Meditation (45 min) 6:00 PM Dinner 7:00 PM Group Chanting/Guided Meditation (60-75 min) 8:30 PM Group Meditation (30 min) Rest The time between sessions may be used for individual meditation, sky-gazing, mindful nature walks, exercise, or relaxing. These are just a few examples. Participants are encouraged to attend as many sessions as they wish. Lama says: “Please try to practice noble silence and noble solitude, be present to each and every moment, and stay off the grid and out of books and the news. Join us in retreat here at this sacred sanctuary overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean. Thank you very much.” |
Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it...these are just a few of the recent comments from our fall 2023 retreat at Serra.
- A perfect mix of teachings and practice.
- I loved the opportunity to start my day with Tibetan Energy Yoga.
- Serra Retreat Center offers such a vast array of areas on the beautiful, expansive grounds where I could savor a bit of "private time" to digest the teachings.
- Great daily schedule, not too much, and not too little.
- The beauty of Serra is something every one should experience at a retreat center, it's breathtaking,
- I learned so much more about my practice and the Dzogchen Masters who paved the way for Lama Surya to bring these teachings to us.
- I loved the chanting and Lama Surya's free energy.
- Sitting in silence, while challenging, had an amazing impact on my mind-set.
- I loved so much, but especially loved sharing time with other sangha members in the shrine room
- Thanks to this retreat, I now feel I am really beginning to grasp how to practice
- Having another Lama there to share the teachings offered a wonderful perspective
- The senior students who lead group meditation and the Q & R sessions are terrific.
Please review our COVID-19 and Payment Policy below
(Please note: this policy is subject to change reflective of current conditions)
COVID-19 Policy
In an effort to protect our dear Lama, staff, and attendees, the Dzogchen Center & Foundation requests:
Safety Protocols
- all guests self-test (at home antigen test is acceptable) within 24-hour prior to arriving at Serra Retreat Center and present a negative test result at check-in.
- all guests bring an additional self-test kit with them.
- any guest who exhibits cold symptoms (coughing or sneezing) must use a mask in public spaces, otherwise, masks will be encouraged but not required. Please bring a supply of masks.
- all guests prepare an immediate exit strategy should they test positive for COVID-19 while at Serra. Any guest who tests positive for COVID-19 during the retreat will be unable to remain at Serra Retreat Center for the duration of the retreat; Dzogchen Center does not have the ability or expertise to support you. For those who need to make travel arrangements–particularly those who flew to CA—we can accommodate a brief stay in quarantine accommodations separate from the active retreat container while you prepare to depart.
- if a guest tests positive within 3-5 days after departure, please contact us immediately.
Payment Policy
Payments & Cancellations
- A deposit of $500 is required in order to register for a residential retreat.
- Alternatively, the registration fee may be paid in full upon registration.
- Please Note: Online registration automatically VOIDS if not completed within 15 minutes.
- Registration balances not paid in full four weeks prior to retreat are subject to cancellation.
- Please review our full cancellation policy here.
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