Annual 7 day Online Yuthok Ngondro retreat

Sep 25

2 min read

Monday 19th October - Sunday 25th October

Why Return to Ngöndro?

I first undertook Yuthok Ngöndro in Australia in 2008, the first Yuthok Ngöndro retreat held here with Dr Nida Chenagtsang (how blessed we were!) Nearly twenty years later, I still make that one week commitment each year.

So why return?

Because in Yuthok, the practitioner is part of the medicine.

To renew our connection with the lineage, Ngöndro brings us back to Yuthok Yönten Gönpo and to the lineage through which the practice has been transmitted.

To purify and accumulate. The practices of Ngöndro work with body, speech and mind through refuge, bodhicitta, prostration, mandala offering, Vajrasattva, Kusali body offering and Guru Yoga. We continue to develop habits, reactions and obscurations throughout our lives; we also continue to develop generosity, compassion and wisdom. Returning gives us another opportunity to work with both.

To refine perception. Yuthok makes a particularly direct connection between the cultivation of the practitioner and the capacity to perceive. Whether or not we practise medicine, Ngöndro can deepen our attention and sensitivity to what is actually happening within ourselves and around us.

To cultivate our capacity to heal. Yuthok brings spiritual practice and healing together. The Yuthok Nyingthig is a path of healing for oneself and others. Healing ourselves does not necessarily mean curing physical illness; it can mean becoming less governed by habitual reactions, meeting suffering differently, and developing greater compassion.

And this is perhaps the heart of it: the person doing the healing is also part of the medicine.

Ngöndro is called a preliminary practice, but preliminary does not mean once completed it is no longer of value. The foundation remains relevant as the path deepens.

And then there is us. The practice may be the same. We are not. We return with everything we have lived through since the last time with greater experience, different questions, new understanding and, perhaps, a different mind. The foundation is still there. And so are we.

We return not because we haven't finished, but because there is still more to discover at the root.

This is offered as an at home retreat. The seven days consist of two sessions per day, and of course do what you need to in your daily life, but I encourage you to stay home if possible, only go out if necessary, and where you possible, have a break from social media. Recordings of each session will be sent out so if the time difference is difficult for you, you can still participate.

Registration: https://bit.ly/4ymiXk7

All are welcome to join, there are no prerequisites.

There is no charge for this event but you will need to register.

If you would like to make a donation to help with the running costs, that option will also be available to you.

After registration you will receive the practice, some information about retreat suggestions, setting up a small shrine, and practical information about some things in the practice, and the Zoom link. Please save this information.

This retreat is facilitated by Karen Stone, our lineage holder for this practice is Dr Nida Chenagtsang.