top of page

Krodhikali Retreat Information and FAQ

2025 Krodhikali Retreat Schedule Overview

August 23rd - August 31st, 2025 

​​

Aug 23: Procession day, settling in tents, oral transmission/wangchen for retreatants. 

Aug 24 - 29: Refuge, Bodhicitta, Mandala, Seven Branches, Three Kaya Purification, Guru Yoga. 

Aug 30: Phowa, Krodhikali Tsok Offering. (open to public)

Aug 31: Mountain Smoke Offering, Wind Horse Prayers, and Fire Puja (open to public)

Registration and Contact

Registration for the retreat opens April 1st and ends on July 31st or when registration is full. There is a strict limit of 165 retreatants. To register for the retreat or if you have any questions, please contact our Krodhikali Retreat secretary Andra Samelson via email at throma13@gmail.com 

​

If you wish to attend the retreat and/or Krodhikali Wangchen for the first time, please first send your request to Garab Rinpoche directly via email at for.gadorin@gmail.com

​

Acceptance Letter

If you are granted permission to attend the Retreat and/or Wangchen, you will receive an acceptance letter which you will need to print out and bring with you. It will be presented to Garab Rinpoche when he assigns tents on the first day. Without it, you will not be allowed to enter the retreat.

Detailed Retreat Schedule

August 23rd - August 31st, 2025 ​

 

Aug 23rd. Procession Day and Settling into Tents

8:00 am: Helpers arrive at the Parking Lot

8:30 am: Retreatants arrive at the Parking Lot (belongings shuttled from main parking lot up to retreat site) 

10:00 am: Procession. Inviting Rinpoche’s Kupar from his residence 

10:30 am: Prostrations and Katak Offering 

11:00 am: Auspicious Desi and Tea 

11:30 am: Tent Assignments 

1:00 pm: Lunch 

2:00 pm: Oral Transmission or Wangchen, Short Teaching to retreatants. 

6:00 pm: Dinner 

7:00 pm: Practice Session. Four Feasts.

​

August 24th - August 29th. (closed to public)

5:30 am - 6:00 am: Wake up 

6:00 am - 8:00 am: First Practice Session. Troma Ngondro and 1st Feast. 

8:00 am - 9:00 am: Breakfast break

9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Second Practice Session and 2nd Feast.  

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Lunch break

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Third Practice Session and 3rd Feast.  

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm: Tea break

3:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Fourth Practice Session and 4th Feast.  

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm: Dinner break

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: Fifth Practice Session. Troma Ngondro and 5th Feast.  

 

August 30st. Concluding Retreat Day and Troma Krodhikali Tsok Offering (open to public)

5:30 am - 6:00 am: Wake up

6:00 am - 8:00 am: First Practice Session

8:00 am - 9:00 am: Breakfast break

10:00 am - 12:00 pm Phowa Session (open to public)

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Lunch break and preparation for Troma Puja

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Krodhikali / Troma Tsok Offering. Medium Length Troma Puja (Trodring) 

3:00 pm - 3:30pm: Appreciation Gifts for retreat helpers.

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Song and Dance offering. 

5:00 pm: Dinner 

(Main Retreat Program Concludes) 

​

August 31st. Mountain Smoke Offering, Wind Horse Prayers, and Fire Puja (open to public)

10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Riwo Sangchod (Mountain Smoke Offering), Lungta (Wind Horse), and Jinsek (Fire Puja)

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm: Raising Prayer Flags 

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Lunch 

(Public Program complete.)

Fee

The retreat fee is $500 USD and is due by August 1st. Due to a large number of last minute cancellations there is a cancellation fee of $100 USD. 

​

Please make your check payable to “KGF Throma” and mail it to: 

​

Kunzang Gatshal Foundation Throma 

P.O. Box 7 

Delhi, NY 13753 

USA 

​

If you have any questions, please email Krodhikali Retreat secretary Andra Samelson at throma13@gmail.com 

​

Texts 

​The main texts required for retreat are Troma Ngondro and the Four Feasts. These will be done every day and everyone is required to have a copy. At the completion of the retreat we will do a Krodhikali Tsok Offering (Concise or Medium Length Troma), and the following day a Smoke Offering and Fire Puja. Everyone is encouraged to have these to participate, but they are not required. If you have an edition of any of these texts acquired elsewhere and are familiar with the text you are welcome to use it, but we recommend for ease of use that new retreatants use our edition, as that will be the same text Garab Rinpoche uses for instructions and announcing page numbers. Most retreatants already have these texts from prior years, but those without can purchase them upon arrival. 

  • Troma Ngondro and Four Feasts. $30 

  • Medium Length Troma. $15 

  • Smoke Offering and Fire Puja $10 

​

Ritual Items

  • Bell and Dorje 

  • Chod Drum 

  • Kangling 

  • Mala 

​

Attire ​

For returning retreatants and those who have previously attended a Krodhikali Wangchen, please wear the items you were given at that time and have worn at previous retreats including: 

  • grey drangju (long skirt) 

  • multicolored red and white zen (zentra/khamar) 

  • meditation belt (gomtak) 

  • meditation short skirt (angrak) 

  • earrings (nagyen) 

  • white button down shirt 

​

For new retreatants who are attending this retreat for the first time, you will need to bring (not wear) the aforementioned items tied in a neat bundle with a name tag. These will be put on the shrine and blessed, and after receiving the Wangchen you will then be allowed to wear these for the retreat. Prior to that, if there is no Wangchen, and you have never received a Krodhikali Wangchen, you will need to wear the following for the retreat: 

  • maroon drangju (long skirt)

  • maroon zen 

  • white button down shirt 

​

For your convenience we have most of the required items available at cost for purchase at Kunzang Gatshal before entering the retreat: 

  • multicolored red and white zen (zentra/khamar) $30 

  • meditation belt (gomtak) $10  

  • meditation short skirt (angrak) $15 

  • earrings (nagyen) $5 

  • kangling (resin) $100 

We do not have grey drangju available for purchase. 

​

Rinpoche requests all retreatants to continue to wear their retreat attire for both the Troma Tsok Offering and Fire pujas at the completion of the retreat which are open to the public. You may shower or wash up after the Phowa section is completed, but are requested to wear the same attire for any additional practices related to the retreat have concluded. 

​

Practical Items

Please bring the items below and nothing else: 

  • two 8 ft x10 ft waterproof tarps (below and above tent floor. to reduce moisture buildup and protect tent.)

  • camping mattress/sleeping pad 

  • sleeping bag 

  • pillow (optional)

  • cushion 

  • reusable bowl, plate, cup/insulated mug, utensils (these dishes will be used for all meals during retreat)

  • water bottle 

  • tote/duffel bag or large backpack, (to carry your texts and ritual items from your tent to the shrine room each session)

  • notebook and pen/pencil (writing notes when Rinpoche gives instructions/teachings) (optional)

  • simple watch/alarm clock (optional) 

  • flashlight w. extra batteries (walking to and from tent) 

  • lantern w. extra batteries (hanging inside tent as a reading lamp) 

  • warm jacket 

  • waterproof rain coat/umbrella 

  • underwear/private undergarments 

  • socks 

  • thermal underwear/long underwear (optional) 

  • sturdy all terrain shoes 

Troma Retreat Ritual Implements including bell, dorje, damaru, kangling, and mala

Rules 

  • No leaving the retreat boundaries. 

  • No talking to fellow retreatants. 

  • No showering or brushing teeth. 

  • No use of internet or electronic devices (no phones, computers, cameras) except as a watch or alarm clock. 

  • No changing clothes, nor extra clothes. Wearing only the required attire. 

  • No applying make-up or any other skin care products.

  • No tying hair or using any hair accessories. 

  • No bringing any kind of food (unless permission is given for medical reasons). Full vegetarian diet.

  • No eating in individual tents. 

  • No burning incense and butter lamps in the retreat area or in individual tents. (safety hazard)

  • One must generate the mind of renunciation, the expectation to be free from samsara and to attain enlightenment. 

Krodhikali Wangchen

Wangchen is the special empowerment for the precious practice of Krodhikali, which according to the Dudjom Tersar tradition is one of the main practices for attaining rainbow body and achieving enlightenment in one lifetime. One must have permission directly from Garab Rinpoche to attend the Wangchen. Please note that Wangchen might not be given every year. In the absence of the Wangchen, the oral transmission will be given instead so that one can perform the practice.

The following are Samaya commitments which must be followed after receiving the Wangchen: 

​

  • One cannot abandon Krodhikali practice. If you do not plan on doing the practice, you should not take the Wangchen.

  • One cannot cut one’s hair (Trawang/Hair Initiation) without requesting permission from the Guru or a deity representation (kupar/picture) or ideally not at all. If one cuts one’s hair, one should prostrate three times and visualize oneself receiving permission before cutting. 

  • One must always wear a drangju, zentra/khamar, and gomthak, and carry all practice implements including a tent, but in these degenerate times this is not possible other than during retreat. So this should be limited to times of retreat. 

  • One must do at least one short or medium length Krodhikali practice every month, preferably on lunar 25th Dakini Day. 

  • One must commit to attend a Krodhikali retreat every year, or at least three times in one’s lifetime. 

Jinsek

The public is invited to attend the Jinsek on the day after the main retreat concludes. Please bring a bell and dorje if you have them.  You may bring precious stones and jewels and different kinds of grains, which after being consecrated by Garab Rinpoche, may be offered in the fire. You can also write down names of family members or friends who have passed away and bring them to be burned during the fire puja. 

Offerings 

Outside of the mandatory retreat dues, or for those who cannot join retreat but wish to connect and make an offering, donations can be made to a number of programs. 

General Offerings for the retreat, can be made anytime via check or card here.

​

People are welcome to make an offering specifically for the Troma Tsok Offering Practice that will be done with the public at the conclusion of retreat, or the Jinsek Fire Puja done the following day. Cash or check is accepted. Please write your name, date, and address on the envelope, and if you wish to specify what it goes towards please write that clearly on the outside of the envelope, and/or on the check. Checks can be made out to: "Kunzang Gatshal Foundation" and given in person to Treasurer Semo Pema Chokyi or mailed to: 

 

Kunzang Gatshal Foundation

PO Box 7

Delhi, NY 13753

USA 

​

Prayers for the Deceased

If you would like to make an offering for prayers for someone recently deceased, there will be an opportunity to make a cash offering and then write the deceased's name down on a yellow paper that will be posted in the shrine room at the beginning of the retreat. At the conclusion of the retreat Garab Rinpoche will perform a ritual for the deceased and burn all the names. (Please note this offering must be cash only and is not tax-deductible. The money is handed to Garab Rinpoche for Rangjung Monastary in Bhutan to also conduct further prayers for the deceased.) 

​​

Meal Sponsor

If you would like to sponsor a meal offering, please contact NYC retreat staff member Yeshi Tshogyal via cell/text +1 (917) 439-0852 or email yeshi_tshogyal@yahoo.com. She will be arranging and collecting meal offerings. The cost to sponsor a single meal for everyone is $500 which can be offered individually, or shared with a group of five individuals. Rinpoche or the retreatants offer a prayer to the meal sponsors before each offered meal. ​

Frequently Asked Questions 
Q. When does the border of the retreat open and close? On the day of the Wangchen/Lung, may we still exit the retreat boundary?
A. The borders are officially sealed in the evening on night of the procession. All retreatants must sleep in their tent the night prior to the first day of Refuge. The borders open up again for the Phowa practice on the final day of retreat so the public can join, but the retreat is not officially complete until after the Phowa session. Retreatants are free to leave after the Troma Tsok Offering, but are encouraged to stay for the Fire Pujas the following day. (See Retreat Schedule) 
 
Q. May I stay on Kunzang Gatshal land before and after retreat and join the daily puja at the Main House? 
A. People are not allowed to stay on the land before or after the retreat, nor join the daily puja without prior permission. There is a Guesthouse with very limited space on the premises, but during the Troma Retreat (and one week before and after) it is only for full time volunteer retreat staff. There are accommodations nearby in Delhi, NY and Oneonta, NY. 

Q. How long may I use my tent?
A. Tents may be occupied until the day of the Fire Puja but must be vacated after the Fire Puja.
 
Q. May I request a certain type of food if I have food allergies?
A. All meals served during the retreat are simple vegetarian meals. No special meals are offered for people with food allergies, however there will be various options to choose from which should accommodate most common diets. 
 
Q. If I have medical conditions, may I bring my medication and medical records in case there is a problem? And may I request to be assigned a tent closer to the shrine tent or to the bathroom area?
A. If you have medical conditions, we request that you think very carefully about whether or not you should attend the retreat. The local medical facilities are not close by and may not be equipped properly for your needs, there could be problems in case of an emergency.  Please inform us of your specific medical condition before the retreat as well as which doctor prescribed drugs you will be bringing with you. Medical records are required for those with serious conditions.
If you are elderly or have medical issues, you may request to be assigned a tent closer to the Shrine or closer to the bathroom area once you have been accepted to attend the retreat.
 
Q. May I leave in the middle of the retreat if I am not feeling well?
A. It is not auspicious to leave during the retreat except in the case of an extreme life-threatening emergency. Traditionally, practitioners do not leave retreat even during natural disasters like earthquakes, landslides, floods, etc. 
 
Q. How can my family or friends contact me if there is an emergency during the retreat?
A. The foundation's primary phone number is +1 (607) 829-2199. A staff member can relay a message to retreatants. 

Q. May I bring more than one of the required items or anything additional?
A. You should not bring anything extra unless you have a medical reason. Krodhikali Chod practice is all about cutting attachment, so one is encouraged to have the bare minimum.
 
Q. May I bring my lungtas (prayer flags) to hang on the land?
A. Yes, you may bring lungtas and hang them just before the retreat or after fire puja.
 
Q. May I take photos and videos on the land?
A. Taking photos and videos on the land where the retreat is being held or at the at the Lhakhang Temple is permitted before or after the retreat, but they are not allowed during the retreat as retreatants should not be using phones, cameras, or electronic devices. Nor are they allowed on other areas on the land which are private especially inside Thinley Norbu Rinpoche's Tsokkhang Temple. If unsure please ask a staff member.

Q. Is there a parking area where retreatants may leave their cars during the retreat?
A. Yes. There is a parking area on the premises where you can leave your car during the retreat. You are also welcome to have friends or family drop you off and pick you up. For public transportation see below.
 
Q. How can I get from my bus or plane to my accommodations in Delhi, NY before and after the retreat? How can I get to the retreat site at Kunzang Gatshal from my accommodations? 
A. Please let us know your travel plans if you are coming from out of town. There are daily buses from New York City, NY to the nearby towns of Delhi, NY or Oneonta, NY. Also, retreatants from NYC usually charter a 54 seater bus from Queens, NY directly to Kunzang Gatshal arriving at the beginning of retreat and leaving on the last day in the evening. For more info please contact DDHNYC.
 
Q. What are the requirements for attire if there is no Wangchen?
A. If there is no Wangchen you must wear your maroon robes. Rinpoche will be giving a lung (oral transmission) so that one can perform the practice and use the ritual instruments during retreat. For more info please see the Wangchen section.  

Q. Is there an age limit for attending the retreat? 
A. All retreatants must be 18 years or older. Public events on the last day are open to everyone of any age.

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Kunzang Gatshal is not a public Dharma center. It is a private retreat land. With the exception of clearly listed public events, please respect this privacy. Thank you.

©2024 by Kunzang Gatshal Foundation.

Website by ChonyiR.

bottom of page