Meeting the Awakened Feminine: Vajrayogini Retreat, Online

This online Vajrayogini retreat is a week-long program of sadhana practice for students of Tibetan Buddhism who have already received the full Vajrayogini abhisheka. It is offered by Drala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, and led by Greg Smith. Practice takes place in the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya, and online participants join the sessions from wherever they are.

The retreat draws on the teachings of the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who gave extensive instruction on the meaning of Vajrayogini and on sadhana practice in general. Those recorded teachings, along with group discussion, inspire the practice through the week.

What to Expect

The program runs for seven days, with a fixed daily rhythm that gives the week a steady, contained shape:

- 9:00am to 12:00pm: practice session in the Great Stupa
- 2:00pm to 5:30pm: practice session in the Great Stupa
- 7:00pm to 8:30pm: evening study and discussion

The morning and afternoon sessions are guided Vajrayogini sadhana practice. In the evenings, participants gather to listen to and discuss recordings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings. Instructions on the procedures of the Vajrayogini sadhana are given as needed, so the practice can be followed clearly during the sessions. The retreat begins with an evening session on the first day and ends on the last day of the week.

Full participation is preferred, and attendees are asked to take part in the whole program rather than dropping in for single sessions.

About Greg Smith

Greg Smith is a well-known thangka painter at Drala Mountain Center. He has guided and taught many intensive programs as well as introductory programs. A long-time student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, he is also a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and he brings that Shambhala lineage connection to the retreat.

The Setting

Drala Mountain Center is a Buddhist retreat center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, and the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya is the heart of the practice for this retreat. The program is hybrid. This registration is for online attendance, so accommodation and meals at the center are not part of it. Those who would rather practice in person at Drala Mountain Center can choose the on-land version of the program instead.

Before You Go

This is an advanced retreat in the Tibetan Buddhist, Shambhala and Vajrayana traditions. The prerequisite is the full Vajrayogini abhisheka, corresponding exactly to the ones given by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The abhisheka itself is not offered as part of the program and must be received beforehand. Participants should also be familiar with sadhana practice.

Online tuition covers the guided sadhana sessions in the Great Stupa, the recorded teachings by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the facilitated evening study and discussion, and procedural instruction on the Vajrayogini sadhana as needed. Tuition is offered on a suggested range, so participants can choose an amount that fits their circumstances.