Retreat Registration Information
Location
The Crestone retreats are held in the Yeshe Rangsal Teaching Tent located on the Yeshe Rangsal land. The parking lot for the Yeshe Rangsal retreat land is at the Stupa of Enlightenment located in Chalet 1, off Camino Baca Grande to the east, between Rendezvous and Hilltop roads.
For a Crestone retreat map showing the location of the stupa and the tent site, please click here. To locate Crestone via Google maps, please click here.
Check-in
Check-in is from 2 – 4 p.m. MDT on the opening day of each retreat at the Yeshe Rangsal Teaching Tent.
The only reserved seating spaces are for those with medically related needs that are discussed with the Registrar in advance of the retreat. Please contact registrar@pundarika.org with any questions.
Orientation and First Teaching
Orientation will begin at 4:30 p.m. and end at approximately 5:00 p.m. Rinpoche will give the first teaching from 5:15 p.m. to approximately 6:45 p.m. Students should be settled in their seats by 5:05 p.m.
Retreat Schedule
In 2024 both of the Crestone retreats will be 7 days long. The emphasis will be on meditation practice and applying the teachings. There will be one 2 hour teaching each day, four group meditation practice sessions, as well as small group sessions with Rinpoche.
The first and second retreats formally end after the last teaching in the afternoon. Departure day for both retreats is the day following the last teaching.
A detailed schedule will be e-mailed before each retreat begins.
To gain the greatest benefit from the teachings, Rinpoche has requested that students attend all the teaching sessions throughout the retreat. This also helps all of us to build a strong container as a sangha for our short time together.
Drop-ins and Full Retreats
In general, drop-ins (unregistered students) are not allowed into a closed retreat setting.
Scholarships
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for Pundarika sponsored retreats. The scholarship application period for the Crestone retreats in 2023 will close on March 15. We cannot accept late applications in fairness to those who meet the deadline. Scholarships apply to tuition only and not to meals or lodging.
Please go to this link to apply: https://tsoknyirinpoche.org/retreats/scholarship-information/
Silence
Rinpoche has requested that these retreats be in silence to create a quiet container. Silence will begin when Rinpoche announces it, typically the morning or evening of the first full day of the retreat. Staff may periodically need to quietly communicate with each other and will try to do so discreetly. Silence does include monastics, translators, and other presenters, as well. Silence continues through the heart-offering ceremony until Rinpoche leaves the tent.
Shuttle Service
For students with physical limitations (which may make it difficult to walk to the tent from the Stupa parking lot), we will arrange a shuttle for check-in for both retreats. Dates and times for the shuttle will be announced. The shuttle will run from the Stupa parking lot to the tent. The shuttle will return to the Stupa parking lot after Rinpoche’s teaching.
Additionally, for students who have difficulty walking, a shuttle from the Stupa parking lot to the tent site will be available for all of the teachings. Details will be provided at orientation.
Lodging and Meals
Students need to find their own local retreat housing and provide for their own meals. Please view this link for housing options. https://tsoknyirinpoche.org/crestone/housing-for-retreats-in-crestone/
We now have a Roomshare board on our website if you have lodging to share or are looking for lodging to share. Click here for more Roomshare information.
There are currently two grocery stores in Crestone and three small cafes with limited hours. There is a gas station in downtown Crestone.
Camping
There is no camping allowed on the Yeshe Rangsal retreat land. A U.S. Forest Service campground is located at North Crestone Creek north of the town of Crestone, several miles from the retreat land. It is first come-first served and reservations are not accepted. There are no shower facilities. If you are staying in the campground, it is best to have your own car or have pre-arranged transportation to and from the teaching tent.
Transportation/Ride Sharing
Please Note: Crestone does not have local public transportation.
For directions to and from Crestone along with transportation information including airport, bus service availability, and a rideshare board, please click here.
Because Crestone is located in a relatively remote area of Colorado, it is very helpful for students to use the Rideshare board as a resource for transportation to Crestone. You can either view available rides or create a posting to “add a journey.”
Please consider offering a ride to other travelers, either from the airports in Denver, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, or from other locations in the Rocky Mountain area. (https://tsoknyirinpoche.org/crestone/housing-ride-share/)
For those of you taking a bus from Denver to Moffat, the drop-off point for Crestone (the bus does not go into the town of Crestone), and who need transportation between Moffat and Crestone, please contact Windhorse Taxi Service at keithchd@gmail.com, or call or text 719-480-5127. Proprietor: Keith Conway
Local rideshare for rides to and from the teaching tent will be arranged at check-in and by the Retreat Managers at orientation.
Seating
Pundarika provides zafus, zabutons and chairs for use at the retreat. Due to limited space in the tent, please do not bring your own chairs or cushions.
The only reserved seating spaces are for those with medically related needs.
Audio and Video Recording
Individual recordings of retreat teachings are not allowed. Teachings are copyright protected by Pundarika Foundation. If Rinpoche approves the release of the retreat recording, they will be available through the Membership Program. For more information please go to the home page of the Pundarika website or to: https://tsoknyirinpoche.org/membership/
If you do not wish to be filmed at a retreat, please ask the seating coordinator or Retreat Manager to seat you out of view of the cameras.
Hearing Assistance
We have hearing devices for those who need hearing assistance. These will be provided at check-in. These devices provide excellent hearing in any area of the tent.
Medical
If you have a medical need that requires special seating, please e-mail registrar@pundarika.org well in advance of the retreat, so that we may accommodate you. This does not include those who need hearing assistance.
Children
Given the practice intensive nature of these retreats and the requirements for silence, extensive daily sitting meditation practice, and required attendance at all teaching sessions, children are not allowed at these retreats. If a young person is 16 or over and can fully commit to the requirements above, they can attend as a registered retreatant.
Retreat Qualifications for All Retreats
There are three types of retreats that Rinpoche offers: open, intermediate, and advanced, each with different qualifications.
Open Retreats
Open, foundational, six or seven-day retreats are open to everyone with no prerequisites for attendance.
Intermediate Retreats
The requirement to attend an intermediate retreat is to be a student of a Vajrayana and/or Dzogchen master. Pointing out instructions are not required.
Advanced Retreats
These retreats require students to be a student of a Vajrayana and/or Dzogchen master and pointing out instructions. If you did not receive pointing out instructions from Tsoknyi Rinpoche, you are asked to watch an open retreat teaching to become more familiar with his use of terms and style of teaching before attending the retreat. Once you register, a link will be sent to you by the Registrar.
Suggested Background Reading
It may be helpful to read one or all of Rinpoche’s books: Carefree Dignity; Fearless Simplicity; and Open Heart, Open Mind. These books are available either at the online website store at https://tsoknyirinpoche.org/shop/, Amazon.com, or through your local bookstore. There are many video and audio teachings on the website in the Teachings section that may also be useful.
Membership
The Pundarika Foundation Membership Program offers access to many of Rinpoche’s teachings and other benefits, including discounts on Pundarika sponsored U.S. retreat fees. For membership information, please go to this link: https://tsoknyirinpoche.org/membership/
PLEASE E-MAIL THE REGISTRAR WITH ANY QUESTIONS AT: Registrar@pundarika.org
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