Courses and Retreats

"Tara" (tibet. Dölma) means "liberator". There are many different emanations of Tara. The best known manifestations are the White and the Green Tara. The different emanations indicate that the Tara shows herself in various forms depending on the situation and requirements and carries out various healing activities accordingly.
Since she leads countless beings to enlightenment in this way, she is also called "Mother of all Buddhas". The White Tara practice that we are going to perform here aims to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Until we have attained enlightenment, it also helps against fear and serves to prolong life and remove obstacles for oneself and others.

The prerequisite for participation in this course is an initiation into the practice of White Tara.

Lama Ngawang Tsultrim will give explanations on the practice of White Tara (Drölkar) and will guide the meditation.

Please consider the general information on courses and retreats. Here you will also find an overview of all courses in Benchen Phuntsok Ling.

Sangtik Dorsem (Tibetan: Dorje Sempa; Sanskrit: Vajrasattva) means "diamond being". He is considered the most important deity for purifying negative karma and restoring broken vows.
The Dorje Sempa practice is one of the main exercises in Tibetan Buddhism as well as part of the Ngöndro, the four basic exercises of Tantric Buddhist practice. The purifying effect refers to body, speech and mind.
The aim is to achieve freedom from suffering by purifying all negative karma. In the course the practice will be done together under the guidance of Lama Ngawang Tsultrim. An initiation into the Dorje-Sempa practice is a prerequisite for course participation.

100 prostrations and 100 offerings of butter lamps will be performed.

Please consider the general information on courses and retreats. Here you will also find an overview of all courses in Benchen Phuntsok Ling.

For many years it has been a common practice in Benchen Phuntsok Ling to practice Nyung Neh. The Nyung Neh practice is very effective in purifying negative karma, accumulating merit and opening the heart to compassion.
This practice was brought to Tibet by the Indian nun Gelongma Palmo. Gelongma Palmo herself was seriously ill and in this state she had a vision of Chenresig, who gave her the long mantra of the Thousand-armed Chenresig as a healing spring. Thus Gelongma Palmo became healthy again and a yogini who later attained enlightenment.
The Nyungne Retreat is a special two-day meditation of the Thousand-armed Chenresig that belongs to the Kriya Tantra. It is said that through the practice of Nyungnes the gate to rebirth in low realms of existence is closed forever. The completion of eight Nyungnes will, according to tradition, lead to a rebirth in Dewachen.

In this course Lama Ngawang Tsultrim will first give detailed teachings on practice including visualization. He will then take the eight vows that are to be held during Nyung Neh from the participants and guide them step by step through the meditation practice. The retreat includes days of silence as well as days of fasting during which people neither eat nor drink.
Before participating in the Nyung Neh Retreat, it should be medically checked on one's own responsibility, whether the health requirements for participation are fulfilled. In addition, the prerequisite for participation is the empowerment of the Thousand-armed Chenresig.

The Chöd practice originates from the second turning of the Dharma wheel by Buddha Shakyamuni. It was spread in India by Padampasangye and in Tibet by Matchig Labtrön. It is a powerful meditation practice to "cut through" or overcome the grasping for material things, the mental poisons (Kléshas), and above all the grasping for a self (Chöd).
Lama Ngawang Tsultrim will give background information about this ritual of "cutting through" as well as guide the practice step by step with visualization, melody and instruments (bell and Chöd drum). The short Chöd text "Milam Lungten" by Karma Chagme will be used as a basis.

Prerequisite for participation in this course is an initiation into the Chöd practice.