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The Home of Tibetan Buddhist Texts in Translation
ISSN 2753-4812
ISSN 2753-4812

Retreat and Solitude Series

Retreat & Solitude

English (10) | Deutsch (1) | Español (1) | Français (1) | Português (1) | 中文 (2) | བོད་ཡིག (10)

Lotsawa House presents the following texts related to retreat (mtshams) and solitude (dben pa):

Advice

by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
In this teaching, which was originally intended for participants in a three-year retreat in Chanteloube, in the Dordogne region of France, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche discusses the importance of faith, renunciation, compassion, and looking into the nature of mind.
Advice
by Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima
A very short text on the best conduct and attitude to adopt when practising in meditative retreat.
Advice
by Longchen Rabjam
The first chapter of Longchenpa's Finding Comfort and Ease in Meditation (samten ngalso), describing ideal environments and dwelling places for cultivating meditative concentration and insight throughout the year.
Meditation Dzogchen
by Patrul Rinpoche
Written for his close disciple Alak Dongak Gyatso (1824–1902), this text of Patrul Rinpoche offers advice on the purpose and significance of solitude. Brief as it is, the work is of interest not only for its comments on retreat, but also for the clues it holds about Alak Dongak's life, especially as no complete biography has yet come to light and his writings have not survived.
Advice
by Patrul Rinpoche
Verses in praise of mountain solitude inspired by a recognition of the turbulence and futility of ordinary affairs and interactions, including some aspects of monastic life.
Advice
by Trulshik Rinpoche
This pithy advice for a lama about to enter retreat explains the ultimate sense of the Tibetan term tsam (mtshams), which means 'retreat' but also 'boundary' or 'limit'.
Advice
by Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol
Yukhok Chatralwa records the pithy advice of the Nyarong Lama, i.e., Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa, on the subject of how to remain in solitary retreat.
Advice Dzogchen

Rituals

by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
A concise ritual invoking the Four Great Kings (rgyal chen sde bzhi), who are the guardians of the four directions, when establishing and dissolving retreat boundaries.

Songs

by Longchen Rabjam
Longchenpa describes this text as a letter sent from his mind to itself, and, as befits such a personal message, it is heartfelt and candid. The core of the message is simple enough: to leave behind the busyness of saṃsāra and set out instead for the peace and tranquility of the forest, where "meditation naturally grows" and "one can find the bliss of inner peace." Yet while Longchenpa makes this point uncompromisingly, his language, particularly in describing the kind of wild woodland sanctuary he recommends, is often beautifully evocative and poetic.
Songs and Poems Advice
by Nyala Pema Dündul
In this poem Nyala Pema Dündul praises the peace of isolated mountain hermitages and retreats, contrasting it not only with the hustle and bustle of towns and villages, but also with the everyday comings and goings of ordinary monasteries.
Advice

Related Topics

Meditation Recitation Manuals

Drak Yerpa, Tibet

Courtesy of Alicia Frew

Further information:

BDRC T1109 (ri chos)
BDRC T1908 (dben pa)

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ISSN 2753-4812

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