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Krodhikali Retreat 
Detailed Information and FAQ

2023 Krodhikali Retreat Schedule 

August 27th - September 4th, 2023 

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Aug 27: Procession day, settling in tents, oral transmission/empowerment for retreatants.

Aug 28: Refuge (retreat starts) 

Aug 29: Bodhichitta 

Aug 30: Mandala 

Aug 31: The Seven Branches 

Sept 1: Three Kayas Purification Practice 

Sept 2: Guru Yoga 

Sept 3: Phowa (open to public. retreat is complete). Medium Length Troma Tsok Offering (open to public)

Sept 4: Mountain Smoke Offering, Wind Horse, and Fire Puja (open to public) 

Contact

If you have any questions about the retreat, have already attended retreat and wish to attend again, or wish to join the volunteer helpers crew, contact our Krodhikali Retreat secretary Andra Samelson at throma13@gmail.com.

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

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Fee

Registration for the retreat opens January 1st and ends on July 31. The retreat fee is $600 USD and is due by Aug 17. Please make your check payable to “KGF Throma” and send it to: 

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Kunzang Gatshal Foundation Throma

P.O. Box 7

Delhi, NY 13753

USA

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

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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. Without it, you will not be allowed to enter the retreat. It will also be presented to Garab Rinpoche when he assigns the tents. 

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Texts 

​Troma Ngondro and the Four Feasts are the main texts for retreat and are required. Medium Length Troma and Fire Puja are for the practices done at the completion of retreat. If you have an edition of any of these texts acquired elsewhere 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

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Ritual Items

  • Bell and Dorje

  • Chod Drum 

  • Kangling 

  • Mala 

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Attire ​

For returning retreatants 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 

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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, or if there is no Wangchen, you will need to wear the following for the retreat: 

  • maroon drangju (long skirt)

  • maroon zen

  • white button down shirt 

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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) $5 

  • meditation short skirt (angrak) $10  

  • earrings (nagyen) $5

We do not have grey drangju or kangling available for purchase. 

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Rinpoche requests all retreatants to continue to wear their retreat attire for both the Troma Tsok and Jinsek pujas upon 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 keep the same attire until all of the additional activities related to the retreat have concluded. 

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Practical Items

Please bring the items below and nothing else: 

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

  • camping mattress/cot 

  • sleeping bag 

  • pillow 

  • cushion (optional) 

  • reusable cup, plate, bowl, utensils

  • water bottle 

  • insulated mug (optional)

  • clear plastic container (to carry your texts and ritual items, and keep them dry. doubles as a table.)

  • notebook and pen (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 

  • private undergarments/underwear

  • socks 

  • thermal underwear/long underwear (optional)

  • sturdy shoes (waterproof exterior, or fully waterproof. eg. hiking shoes or crocs)

  • towel 

Retreat Ritual Implements line (replace with graphic photos) copy.jpg

Rules

  • No leaving the retreat boundaries. 

  • No talking to fellow retreatants. 

  • No showering or brushing teeth. 

  • No use of any electronic devices (phones, computers, cameras) except 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: 

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  • 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 taking 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.

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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 

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Prayers for the Deceased

If you would like to make an offering for prayers for someone deceased please bring cash only and there will be an opportunity to write their names down for a special practice done by Garab Rinpoche at the end of the retreat. 

 

Meal Sponsor

If you would like to sponsor a meal offering, please contact 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. 

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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 late the night of the procession (Sunday evening) or in the early morning on the first day of retreat (Monday predawn), but 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. (Sunday around noon.) Retreatants who need to leave are free to leave Sunday around noon once the borders are unsealed, but are encouraged to stay for the Troma Tsok Offering in the afternoon, and the Fire Pujas Monday morning. All activities conclude Monday after lunch. (See Retreat Schedule) 

 

Q. May I stay on the land with a sangha member before and after retreat and join the daily puja?

A. Students are not allowed to stay on the land before or after the retreat, nor join the daily puja. There are accommodations nearby listed on our website. 

 

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. 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 drugs you will be bringing with you. Medical records are required for those with serious problems.

If you are elderly or have medical issues, you may request to be assigned a tent closer to the Main Tent or 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 very inauspicious to leave the retreat except in the case of an extreme emergency. Generally, people don’t leave the retreat even during natural disasters like landslides, floods, etc.

 

Q. How can my family or friends contact me if there is an emergency during the retreat?

A. The number of the Main House at the bottom of the road where the kitchen staff will be working is +1 (607) 829-2199. 

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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. Chod is all about cutting attachment, so one is encouraged to have a bare minimum.

 

Q. May I bring my lungtas (prayer flags) to hang on the land?

A. You may bring lungtas and hang them just before the retreat or 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 Troma Lhakhang 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. 

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Q. Is there a parking area where retreatants may leave their cars?

A. Yes. 

 

Q. How can I get from my bus or plane to my accommodations in Delhi 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 Albany and New York City to Oneonta and Delhi where we can arrange to pick you up and drive you to your accommodations. Someone will also be able to bring you to the retreat site the morning the retreat begins and bring you back there when the retreat is over.

 

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.  

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Q. Is there an age limit for attending the retreat? 

A. One must be 18 years or older. 

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