Events at Namgyal Monastery

Namgyal Monastery currently offers two week-long summer retreats here in Once Dü Khor Choe Ling monastery will be able to offer retreats on-site as well as additional private retreats. The summer retreats have been offered since Namgyal opened in 1992, and are among the most popular of all events held by the monastery.

Each year Namgyal will provide a week-long retreat that provides a tantric empowerment and instruction in on the associated sadhana practice. In additional, Namgyal will host an annual retreat on Kalachakra Six-Session Guru Yoga Practice. This will provide practitioners who have received the Kalachakra initiation with in-depth instruction on this fundamental Kalachakra practice as well as connect with other Kalachakra practitioners from around the United States and the world.

Please inquire with the administrator about the topic for the second retreat, which changes each year and typically focuses on the intense practice of a specific deity of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Recent topics for the second retreat have included Medicine Buddha, Tara, Manjushri, and Vajrasattva. The advanced retreat is often open to beginning students who show exceptional interest in the subject.

On special Buddhist holidays, the monastery celebrates with Namgyal students, community, and local Tibetans, offering puja’s and prayer ceremonies appropriate to each event.

Additionally, the monastery offers special events and teachings on interfaith, and science and Buddhism symposiums, and is continually extending programming to meet the needs of students in bringing related topics of interest to the public.

In keeping with the Tibetan Buddhist faith, Namgyal Monastery conducts several traditional pujas (special prayer ceremonies) in honor of the many Tibetan religious holidays throughout the year. Namgyal Monastery has also been expanding its programming include topics and activities in exciting new areas of research with Buddhist and non-Buddhist scholars on topics that are of growing interest in the Buddhist community.

The following is a list of some recent special events hosted by Namgyal Monastery:* Forums on inter-faith study* Science and Buddhism symposiums* Celebration of Tibetan Holidays* Buddhism and medicine forum* Community dinners

Namgyal has been hosting guided Buddhist pilgrimages since 2002, with recent tours to Mongolia and Dharamsala, India. The pilgrimages are unique in that they are limited in size, which helps to facilitate the group’s entrance into various locations and teachings that would otherwise not be possible on larger tours. Participants are offered the opportunity to visit many historical Buddhist sites while receiving teachings from the Namgyal monks.

Pilgrimmages to Dharamsala visit the Namgyal parent monastery and other holy sites. These religious pilgrimages are intended to bring students to a deeper knowledge and understanding of Buddhist holy sites, with immersion into the cultural and religious activity of the visited region. They are led by at least one Namgyal monk and a western staff member from Namgyal Monastery, Ithaca.

In November 2012, Namgyal monks will lead a pilgrimage for Vietnamese refugees to Dharmasala, India who will receive a teaching from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Bickieu Pham serves as the Public Relations Liaison to the Vietnamese Buddhist Community on behalf of Namgyal Monastery.