Kalachakra Mind Mandala Retreat

Discover the Mandala’s Hidden Wisdom and Its Deep Feminine Essence

Join us for a powerful week of tantric practice, lineage-based visualization, and spiritual empowerment led by two extraordinary teachers—Khentrul Rinpoche, Kalachakra master and Jonang lineage holder, and Robert Thurman, world-renowned scholar and interpreter of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist wisdom.

This retreat is not merely contemplative—it is immersive, designed to awaken your inner mandala and help you embody the transformative reality of Kalachakra’s sacred architecture. Whether you are deepening generation stage practice or receiving these empowerments for the first time, you’ll find rare access to teachings that unite spiritual rigor with visionary insight.

A Practice Upgrade Rooted in the Jonang Kalachakra Tradition

This retreat will center on the use of a special practice text by the Jonangpa grand meditator, the legendary Dolpopa. As we progress through the text, we will systematically refine the visualizability and occupy ability of the full body, speech, and mind mandala palaces, cultivating an immersive experience of the generation stage within the Kālachakra system. Lama Khentrul Rinpoche’s team will guide participants through this rare Jonangpa text, while presenting unique visual slide decks that depict each deity, including their postures, ornaments, and implements, and illustrate their precise placement within the vast memory palace of the mandala.

To support and enrich the practice, we will draw from several English-language sources, including detailed references to Edward Henning’s Kalachakra Mandala, noted for its vivid architectural illustrations and comprehensive chapter on the creation/generation stage. These will be further supplemented by private translations of key passages from the generation stage sādhana manual of the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelsang Gyatso.

As we all know, maintaining daily advanced practice outside the retreat setting can be challenging, especially amid the demands and disruptions of our rapidly transforming world. During this retreat, we will focus on finding ways to remain mindful of the mandala’s sacred reality by learning tools that will help us to integrate its stabilizing presence into our everyday lives. By aligning more fully with the mandala’s alternative reality, we can work on transforming our experience, even as we navigate the complexities of modern living.

Empowerments for Purification and Inner Wisdom

• Heruka Vajrasattva Empowerment (Saturday, September 6)

Khentrul Rinpoche will bestow this rare Kalachakra-specific form of Vajrasattva, empowering you to purify karmic obscurations and reconnect with the pure, unstained nature of your mind.

“Vajrasattva practice allows you to uncover the reality of your Buddha-nature, which is currently hidden as a result of defilements created by attachment, aggression, and delusion. Our current situation is like a dirty piece of glass. This practice provides you with a powerful method to wash away the dirt while being confident that underneath there is crystal clear glass, which is completely pure and unstained. Through the practice of Vajrasattva, this confidence will steadily grow as you come closer and closer to discovering the innate purity of your most profound nature.”

• Vishvamata Empowerment

Enter the generation stage of Kalachakra through the empowerment of Vishvamata, the Universal Mother and consort of Kalachakra. She is the embodiment of prajña (wisdom) and the gateway to the inner dimension of the mandala and the Yoginis.

What You Will Take Away

• Practice authorization for Heruka Vajrasattva, Kalachakra’s wrathful purifying deity
• Empowerment into Vishvamata, granting access to generation stage practice
• A deeper understanding of the Mind Mandala, including its deities and symbolism
• A generation stage sadhana practice focused on the Mind Mandala from the Jonang lineage, never before bestowed by Khentrul Rinpoche
• Tools to help stabilize sacred perception and carry the mandala into your daily life

Teachings with Robert Thurman: The Mandala as Living Psychology

Throughout the retreat, Robert Thurman will offer inspired lectures and Q&A sessions that weave the Kalachakra’s esoteric teachings into a psychological and symbolic framework. His deep experience and lucid explanations make the mandala not only accessible, but vibrantly relevant in our world today.

Featured Text: A Visual Guide for Practitioners:

Kalachakra Mandala: The Jonang Tradition
by Edward Henning, edited by Robert Thurman
(Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences, 2023)

This retreat draws significantly from Henning’s illustrated masterpiece, based on Bamda Gelek Gyatso’s Jonang transmission. With vivid detail and practical insight, the book maps the three-tiered mandala and its hundreds of deities—offering clarity for visualization and spiritual resonance for deepening your practice.

“A crown jewel of Indo-Tibetan tantra, the Kalachakra mandala is a memory palace of the awakened mind. Henning’s contribution brings clarity, precision, and artistic insight—an invaluable companion for both scholars and meditators.

Who This Retreat Is For:

• This retreat is ideal for:
  • Students who have previously received Kalachakra empowerment and want to deepen their practice
  • Practitioners engaging in or entering the generation stage
  • Spiritual seekers drawn to sacred feminine wisdom and the mandala as meditative architecture
  • Anyone wishing to deepen their Kalachakra mandala understanding with authentic guidance

Schedule

Thursday, September 4

• 3 – 6 pm  Arrival & Check-in
• 6 – 7 pm  Dinner
• 7:30 pm Welcome Teaching on the Kalachakra Mandala (Khentrul Rinpoche & Bob Thurman)

Friday, September 5

• 7 – 8 am  Early Morning Yoga
• 8 – 9 am  Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Heruka Vajrasattva Empowerment & Oral Transmission of Praises to Kalachakra (Khentrul Rinpoche)
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm  Lunch
• 1:30 – 3 pm Praises to Kalachakra and Introduction to the Mandala (Yeshe Wangmo)
• 3 – 4 pm Free time for Relaxation
• 4 – 6 pm The Meaning of the Kalachakra Mandala (Bob Thurman)
• 6 – 7 pm  Dinner
• 7:30 pm Explanation on Dolpopa’s Commentary on Praises to Kalachakra (Khentrul Rinpoche)

Saturday, September 6

• 7 – 8 am  Early Morning Yoga
• 8 – 9 am  Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Vishvamata Empowerment & Oral Transmission of Sadhanas (Khentrul Rinpoche)
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm  Lunch
• 1:30 – 3 pm Vishvamata and 9 Deity Mandala Practice (Yeshe Wangmo)
• 4 – 6 pm The Mind Mandala Teaching and Practice (Bob Thurman and Yeshe Wangmo)
• 6 – 7 pm  Dinner
• 7:30 pm Harmonizing our Heart, Mind and World with Kalachakra (Khentrul Rinpoche)

Sunday, September 6

• 7 – 11 am  Check Out of Rooms
• 7 – 8 am  Early Morning Yoga
• 8 – 9 am  Breakfast
• 9:30 am – 12 pm Final Practice Session and Celebratory Kalachakra Tsok (Khentrul Rinpoche/Bob Thurman/Yeshe Wangmo)
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm  Lunch & Departure

*Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time.