Residential Retreats
We hope you will join us for our Final In-Person Retreat
as the Dzogchen Center winds down our programming and sunsets our organization.
East Coast Location! Lama Surya Das' Last Residential Located in the historic town of Litchfield, Connecticut, Wisdom House is an interfaith retreat |
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Don't miss this opportunity to sit with Lama for 6 days at his final Dzogchen Center residentail retreat.
As Lama heads into retirement (rewirement as he calls it), this will be his final retreat.
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 sessions. Lama Surya’s methods transmit essential insights of the Dzogchen view in a direct and accessible manner.
The question and response sessions are tailored to the discussion and the particular needs of the students in the room. Lama 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
Wisdom House has been holding residential retreats for over 50 years. They offer single and double rooms with private
and shared bathrooms. Their delicious meal options can accomodate vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan diets.
For more information, please visit their website- wisdomhouse.org
Our retreats are open to new (beginner) and seasoned practitioners in any spiritual tradition.
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 Guided 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 Guided Meditation (45 min) 6:00 PM Dinner 7:00 PM Group Chanting/Guided Meditation (60-75 min) 8:30 PM Group Guided 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. Thank you very much.” |
Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it...these are just a few comments from our recent March 2024 retreat:
- The best in-person retreat I have ever attended!
- I loved every minute and wish it would have been longer.
- The daily schedule offers plenty of time for practice with a lovely balance of down-time for personal contemplation.
- My practice has greatly improved thanks to the direction I received from Lama Surya and his guest teachers.
- I loved the evening chanting sessions, even though I am new to this practice.
- Please keep holding these precious retreats!
- I felt the retreat, even in silence, was welcoming and open.
- Lama Surya has a way of making the teachings clear and relatable, even bringing much needed laughter and ease to his sessions!
- The retreat staff is outstanding and always available for support.
- Sitting in silence, while challenging, had an amazing impact on my mind-set.
- 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 bring an 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 Wisdom House. Any guest who tests positive for COVID-19 during the retreat will be unable to remain at Wisdom House for the duration of the retreat; Dzogchen Center does not have the ability or medical expertise to support you. For those who need to make travel arrangements–particularly those who flew to CT—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
- If fees are not paid in full at time of registration, a deposit of $600 is required in order to register for a residential retreat.
- Please Note: Online registration automatically VOIDS if not completed within 15 minutes. Please restart the process.
- 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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