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One-month Ngöndro practice retreat 2025/2026

Event Info

Date & Time:

December 26 - January 26
Level: Intermediate

Ngöndro, the preliminary practices, form the foundation of the profound Vajrayana path. They prepare the practitioner for the advanced practices that follow — such as those of the Three Roots (Lama, Yidam, and Dakini) and the teachings of the Great Perfection (Dzogchen).

In the words of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche:

“The one-month Ngöndro retreat is a life-changing opportunity. To progress further on the path, it is essential to practice Ngöndro thoroughly and comprehensively. This foundation transforms us into true practitioners and gives us the confidence to practice daily and ensure we never miss a session.”

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to immerse yourself in dedicated Dharma practice!

Circumstances for this retreat are remarkable:

  • Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche will bestow the Reading Transmission, Oral Instructions, and the Ngöndro Empowerment. 
  • In addition, Khenpo Drubgyu Tendar will guide participants through the detailed stages of Ngöndro practice, step by step, from A to Z, following the footsteps of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. 
  • There will be four practice sessions per day, each lasting approx 2hs.
  • In each session we will recite the Ngondro liturgy as well as various other important texts of the tradition, such as: “Calling the Guru From Afar”, “The Noble Sutra of Recalling the Three Jewels”, “The Heart Sutra”, “Lüjin (Chö)”. 
  • Some days will include teachings and Q&A sessions.
  • Every part of the Ngondro (Refuge, Bodhichitta of Aspiration, Seven Branch Practice/Prostrations, Four Immesurables, Vajrasattva, Mandala and Guru Yoga) will be explained and practiced. We will focus on each section for approximately four days, ensuring a clear and comprehensive understanding so that practitioners can confidently continue their practice after the retreat.
  • Recitation will be in Tibetan, and you will have access to a text with Tibetan script, phonetics, and a translation in either German or English.

Do not miss this rare opportunity to let your body, speech, and mind delight in virtue!

 

Pre-requisites:

  • Have taken Refuge
  • Attending the Ngondro Reading Transmission (lung), Oral Instructions (tri) and Empowerment (wang) that will be granted by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche during the course of the retreat.
  • Commitment to attend all daily sessions of the Ngöndro retreat.
  • Mental stability.
  • Prior experience with Buddhist meditation and previous retreat experience are advantageous.

 

Schedule:

The retreat begins on December 27th and ends on January 28th. Please arrive by December 26th, and plan your departure no earlier than the late afternoon or evening of January 29th, so that we can all help together with the clean-up at Gomde. 

 

Costs:

Gomde wishes to make this retreat as accessible as possible, enabling anyone who sincerely wishes to dedicate themselves to a month of intensive Ngöndro practice to participate.

If you have the means to support this meritorious endeavor – of helping to make the authentic Dharma accessible and providing conducive conditions for Dharma practice – please consider making a donation. Any amount is welcome and will be used for providing food, heating, accommodation improvements, and covering travel costs of monastics.

The following contributions are suggested:

  • 5-10 € per day: a symbolic contribution to this meaningful event.
  • 35 € per day: an amount that roughly covers basic costs.
  • 70 € per day: covers your participation and supports another practitioner who cannot contribute financially.

 

Accommodation:

All participants will be accommodated in shared rooms or dormitories with up to 10 beds per room. 

For those who prefer more comfortable accommodations, a limited number of single, double, and triple rooms are available. (To reserve one of these rooms we ask for a minimum donation of 70 € per day).

What you need to bring

The preliminary practices (ngöndro) form the foundation of the profound Vajrayana path. They prepare practitioners for the advanced practices that follow – such as those of the Three Roots (Lama, Yidam and Dakini) and the teachings of the Great Perfection (Dzogchen).

Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche inspires us with the following words:
“The one-month Ngöndro retreat is a life-changing opportunity. To progress further on the path, it is essential to practice Ngöndro thoroughly and comprehensively. This foundation transforms us into true practitioners and gives us the confidence to practice daily and ensure we never miss a session.”

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to fully immerse yourself in a time of intensive Dharma practice!

How and what is practiced during the retreat?

The conditions for this retreat are exceptional:

* Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche will bestow the reading transmission (Lung), oral instructions (Tri) and the Ngöndro empowerment (Wang).
* In addition, Khenpo Drubgyu Tendar will guide participants step by step through the detailed stages of Ngöndro practice – from A to Z – in the tradition of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery.
* There will be four practical sessions a day, each lasting approx. 2 hours.
* In each session we recite the Ngöndro liturgy as well as various other important texts of the tradition, such as: “Calling the Guru from afar”, “The Noble Sutra of Remembering the Three Jewels”, “The Heart Sutra”, “Lüjin (Chö)”.
* On some days, there will be teachings and Q&A sessions.
* Each part of ngöndro (refuge, bodhichitta of aspiration, seven-branch practice/prostrations, four immeasurables, vajrasattva, mandala and guru yoga) is explained and practiced. We devote about four days to each section so that a clear and comprehensive understanding is gained and practitioners can continue their practice safely and independently after the retreat.
* The recitations are in Tibetan. You will have access to a text with Tibetan script, phonetics and a translation in German or English.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to let your body, speech and mind rejoice in virtue!

Schedule:

Latest arrival on December 26
Start and end of the retreat:
The retreat begins on December 27 and ends on January 28.

After the retreat:
Please plan to leave no earlier than the late afternoon or evening of January 29 so that we can help clean up Gomde together.

Costs

Gomde wants to make this retreat as accessible as possible so that anyone who sincerely wishes to dedicate themselves to a month of intensive Ngöndro practice can participate.
If you have the opportunity to support this meritorious endeavor – making authentic Dharma accessible and creating conducive conditions for practice – please consider making a donation. Any amount is welcome and will be used for food, heating, accommodation improvements and travel expenses for the monastic Sangha.

Suggested contributions:
5-10 € per day: a symbolic contribution to this meaningful event.
35 € per day: an amount that roughly covers the basic costs.
70 € per day: covers your participation and additionally supports a practitioner who cannot contribute financially.

Accommodation

All participants will be accommodated in shared rooms or dormitories with up to 10 beds per room.
For those who prefer more comfortable accommodation, a limited number of single, double and triple rooms are available.
(To reserve one of these rooms, we ask for a minimum donation of €70 per day).

Prerequisites:

* have taken refuge.
* Participation in the Ngöndro reading transmission (Lung), the oral instructions (Tri) and the empowerment (Wang) given by Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche during the retreat.
* Willingness to attend all daily sessions of the Ngöndro retreat.
* Mental stability.
* Previous experience in Buddhist meditation and previous retreat experience are an advantage.

What you should bring with you:

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Register now

Name(Required)
DD slash MM slash YYYY
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Everyone will be accommodated in multiple bed- rooms and dormitories with a maximum of 10 beds. If you require a single room, or a double room with your partner or friend, please let us know at this point, write an email to nanda@gomde.eu or mention it in the comment section of registration.
The Retreat is going to be held in English. Currently we are enquiring the demand for translation.

To support all participants as good as possible, we kindly ask for some information about you:

Have you taken refuge?(Required)
Have you already started practicing Ngöndro?(Required)
You can be practicing Ngöndro in any Terma tradition. The Ngöndro Text practiced in the retreat is Thukdrub Barche Kunsel. Rinpoche has stated that after joining this retreat you will be able to practice any other Ngöndro (f.e. Tara) with ease!
Have you attended any other retreats before?(Required)
Can you commit to 4 sessions a day during the whole retreat?(Required)
I agree to make a deposit to make my registration binding.(Required)

Event Info

Date & Time:

December 26 - January 26
Level: Intermediate

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