Shechen Buddhist Society of Croatia is happy to announce that first European Rangjung Pema Nyingthik seminar will take place in Croatia on Medvednica Mountain (near Zagreb) from April 28^th to May 4^th 2012.

In accordance with the wishes of Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Croatian international seminar will be organised in the same manner as Bodhgaya seminar, and it will provide the opportunity for all the students interested in spiritual lineage of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche to study and practice it under the guidance of leading teachers of Shechen monastery.

After repeated requests Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche has agreed to teach a group of committed students the complete spiritual path based on the spiritual treasures (termas) of his guru and grandfather, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

We will follow the same practice program used for the graduates of Shechen Monastic College.

This first three years of the program will focus on the preliminary practices (ngondro) according to The Spontaneously Arisen Heart Essence of Padmasambhava (Rangjung Pema Nyingtik) a mind treasure of Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

2012 THE FIRST YEAR

The first year will cover teachings on calm abiding meditation, the four thoughts that turn the mind toward spiritual practice, refuge, bodhicitta, and the meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva’s hundred-syllable mantra.

Students should be committed to practice these instructions throughout the year and complete them prior to the following year’s teachings.

The commitment for the first year is:

For two months, to focus primarily on calm abiding meditation.

The next stage is to begin the preliminary practices in earnest: contemplating the four thoughts that turn the mind toward spiritual practice, offering a hundred prostrations along with the recitation of the refuge prayer, and thereafter reciting a hundred bodhisattvas’ commitment/prayer per day for the entire three years.

(This comes to a total of a hundred thousand of each of these practices over the three years.)

After the bodhisattva recitation, the commitment is to recite three hundred Vajrasattva’s one-hundred-syllable mantra per day for the year. This is a total of a hundred thousand repetitions of this mantra over the year.

THE SECOND YEAR

The second year teaching will include further meditation advice, mind training instruction (based upon the spiritual advice and prayers of Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche), as well as detailed teachings on the mandala-offering practice.

Throughout the second year students should continue with the above practices, and also perform three hundred mandala offerings daily

THE THIRD YEAR will focus primarily on meditation and guru yoga.

During the third year, the students will offer three hundred recitations of the guru-supplication and twelve hundred guru-yoga mantras per day

By bringing the preliminary practices into our daily-life in this way the entire ngondro can be completed easily within the three-year period. Thereafter the empowerments for the various sadhana practices will be given and taught in great detail. There will also be opportunities to practice with and participate in retreats on the practices with the teachers.

** If you are already engaged in the Nyingma preliminary practices, or have completed them at least once, you will be asked to commit to at least a tenth of the above commitments of the Rangjung Pema Nyingtik Ngondro.**

Teaching Schedule for The First Year (April 28^rd –May 04^th 2012)

All teachings in 2012 will be given by Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Changling Tulku and kempo Sanay Phuntshok Sherpa.

Morning part will be reserved only for people who took commitments to finish Rangjung Pema Nyingthik ngondro.

Different necessary empowerments, transmissions and commentaries in accordance with the first year of program will be given during seven days of seminar.

Afternoon part will be open to general public too, and everybody is welcome.

During afternoons, commentary on Thogme Zangpo “Thirty-seven Practices of the Bodhisattvas”  will be presented and different methods for developing Bodhichitta will be explained and practised.

Every day will be concluded with Question and Answer section and meditation practices with the lamas.

All teachings will either be given in, or translated into English and Croatian. English and Croatian translations of all the practice materials and commentaries will be available.

Seminar fee will be 250 € for participants who attend full seven days program (morning + afternoon).

For those who are not interested to participate in ngondro group and want to join only in the afternoon seminar, fee will be 180 € per seven days.

For all further info about the seminar, accommodation, registration and all other enquiries please contact info@shechen.hr

Thank you and see you soon in Croatia!