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Image of the Tibetan yogi Milarepa
  • Commuter – $400.00
  • Private Room: Single – $620.00
  • Private Room: Couple – $1,130.00
  • Junior Suite: Single – $760.00
  • Junior Suite: Couple – $1,320.00

Date & Time Details: Saturday, May 27 (check in 3-6 PM; program starts 7:15 PM) until Monday, May 29 (checkout 1 PM)

Location: Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing

Address: 191 Cragsmoor RoadCragsmoor, New York 12566

Contact: [email protected]
845.640.4593

Check-in Time: 3 pm - 6 pm

Cancellation Policy: Refundable up to two weeks prior to the program (less a $50 processing fee). See our policy to learn more.

Per Person Price: Prices are per person and are all-inclusive.

  • Commuter – $380
  • Private Room (shared bath): Single – $620
  • Private Room (shared bath): Couple – $565
  • Junior Suite (private bath): Single – $780
  • Junior Suite (private bath): Couple – $675

100,000 Songs of Milarepa

With Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche

May 27 - 29, 2023

A DHARMAKAYA CENTER RETREAT

Milarepa, Tibet’s renowned and beloved enlightened master, was known for his ability to present complex teachings in a simple, approachable manner through song and poetry. Through his famous 100,000 songs he guided his followers along the Buddhist path. This program is a rare opportunity to study Milarepa’s teachings with Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche, who is considered to be an emanation of Milarepa. In this program Rinpoche uses eight of Milarepa’s songs as a framework for his teaching. To intensify our understanding, we sing the songs together; we also meditate on Milarepa’s messages. It is a unique, engaging, and powerful weekend.

STAY SAFE DURING COVID-19: We are committed to your health and safety; please read our COVID-19 Precautions & Preparations to understand our strategies.

ONLINE OPTION: To make the teachings more broadly available,  Rinpoche is also offering this program via live-stream. Please click here to register.

people singing in a circle

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Milarepa, known in Tibetan as the Lord of the Yogis, reached the highest attainable illumination. From this achievement he was able to teach untold numbers of people. His story is one of a great sinner who became a great saint. But his story is also the story of Tibetan Buddhist teachings, and a guide to those who search for personal liberation. It is the story of the quest for enlightenment in one lifetime. And his ability to render any lesson into spontaneous song is one of his great legacies.

In each of the four weekend sessions, Rinpoche will give teachings on two songs, and we will sing those songs together. As Rinpoche explains, singing these texts helps us really understand and internalize the teachings within them.

Because Milarepa’s actual music was not passed down, we have created new contemporary music to accompany the teachings. We distribute this music and the words approximately one month before the program to help you prepare and enable you to participate more fully.

For each song:

  • Rinpoche sets the context: Where was Milarepa, to whom was he singing, what were their circumstances?
  • Everyone sings the song together
  • Rinpoche gives a teaching, explaining the meaning of the song so that we can understand it properly
  • Everyone sings the song again, now with a far deeper understanding
  • Rinpoche answers questions from retreatants

Through this process, you will gain a deeper appreciation both for Buddhist teaching and for Milarepa and his legacy of illumination through song.

The Ganachakra Feast

In a ganachakra feast, practitioners gather to sing, make offerings, and share a meal as part of a sadhana or spiritual practice. During this program, we hold such a feast twice; our meal will be symbolic, including a small cookie and a few sips of wine.

Sample Song

Some songs from previous years are available on our YouTube channel. Here is a sample; click the image to visit the YouTube page.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

  • Intimate setting with personal access to Rinpoche
  • Interactive sessions with question and answer periods
  • Small group discussion
  • Group singing
  • Tsa-Tue yoga practice
  • Ganachakra Feast
  • Delicious all-vegetarian meals with locally sourced ingredients
  • Option to extend stay on Personal Retreat
  • Extensive library of dharma books
  • Expansive wooded grounds with beautiful flora and fauna

a range of percussion instruments

OPEN TO ALL

There are no prerequisites for this program; it is appropriate for all.

PRE-READING

There is no requirement to study or read in advance of the program, but many people have asked for recommendations. Over the weekend, the texts and songs will be drawn from:

100,000 Songs of Milarepa
Tsangnyon Heruka, translated by Christopher Stagg

We will supply the lyrics and recordings of the songs in advance of the program, so you can familiarize yourself with them.

SCHEDULE

(subject to change)

Saturday, May 27

3:00 PM Check in begins
6:00-7:00 PM Dinner (Dining Hall)
7:15-7:30 PM Welcome and Introduction (Milarepa Hall)
7:30-9:30 PM Milarepa’s Story and Songs, with Rinpoche (Milarepa Hall)
10:00 PM Lights Out

Sunday, May 28

7:00-8:00 AM Breakfast (Dining Hall)
8:00-10:00 AM Milarepa’s Story and Songs, with Rinpoche (Milarepa Hall)
10:15-10:30 AM Ganachakra Feast (Milarepa Hall)
10:30-11:30 AM Tsa-Tue Yoga (Milarepa Hall)
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch (Dining Hall)
2:00-3:00 PM Woods walk (meet outside Milarepa Hall)
3:30-4:30 PM Small Group discussion (meet in Milarepa Hall)
4:30-5:30 PM Solitary Meditation and singing of vajra songs (around campus)
6:00-7:00 PM Dinner (Dining Hall)
7:00-9:00 PM Milarepa’s Story and Songs, with Rinpoche (Milarepa Hall)
10:00 PM Lights Out

Monday, May 29

7:00-8:00 AM Breakfast (Dining Hall)
8:00-10:00 AM Milarepa’s Story and Songs, with Rinpoche (Milarepa Hall)
10:15 AM Ganachakra Feast (Milarepa Hall)
10:45-11:45 AM Closing Ceremony (Milarepa Hall)
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch (Dining Hall)
1:00 PM Checkout and Departure

 

Teacher

Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche
H.E. Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche is the founder and spiritual director of the Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing. Known as a scholar, teacher and meditation master to thousands of students around the world, Rinpoche is also the first incarnate lama to earn a PhD in the West. He completed his doctoral studies in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism at Harvard University in 2004. He is the head of the Trungram lineage, its monasteries, meditation centers, schools, dharma centers and groups around the world. One of the highest tulkus of the Kagyu lineage, he is a Rime master, having received teachings from the great masters of…
Learn more about Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche
Dharmakaya Center For Wellbeing
191 Cragsmoor Road

Cragsmoor, New York 12566
845.640.4593

© 2019 Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing. All rights reserved

Privacy Policy

Dharmakaya Center For Wellbeing
191 Cragsmoor Road Cragsmoor, New York 12566
845.640.4593

Privacy Policy

© 2019 Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing. All rights reserved