Meditation Training & Retreats

The practice of daily meditation and attending intensive meditation retreats are important aspects of all training at Learning from Buddha College and Seminary (LFBCS). In Buddhism, there are three types of prajna (wisdom). Prajna obtained through the written and spoken word and prajna obtained through contemplating reality are both cultivated in order to realize the prajna of ultimate reality. The first two types of prajna are the prerequisites necessary to realize the prajna of ultimate reality. The first type is obtained through listening to discourses by enlightened beings and traditional academic work, but the second is through various forms of meditation. It is through both processes that one obtains transcendental or true wisdom—the goal of all Buddhist practice. Meditation is stressed in our curriculum in three ways:

1-DAILY PRACTICE: All students should maintain a daily meditation practice. They may keep a daily log of what they do and their experiences in a journal or use one of the related meditation Apps (e.g. “ZenFriend”). They should submit this journal and review their practice with their spiritual advisor (Master) or mentor. Certain types of esoteric practice can only be shared with their Master. If the student does not have a spiritual advisor, LFBCS can assign a mentor to work with the student. Students may learn various types of meditation while on retreat that they can use in their daily practice. LFBCS also offers “P10-the Great Dharma of Zen Practice,” a course using a discourse by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III on the background and practice of zen meditation.

2- SHORT TERM RETREATS: The Holy Vajrasana Temple and Meditation Retreat Center located in central California near the city of Sanger conducts one to seven-day and longer group retreats or practice periods whereby one can focus on an aspect or a particular set of discourses by His Holiness Dorje Chang Buddha III and/or Shakyamuni Buddha, learn a particular dharma or meditation, and practice one’s cultivation and dharma. The temple also has limited sleeping accommodations for those who want to conduct a private retreat, and/or practice and listen to discourses by the Buddha that are available when classes and formal retreats are not being offered. Accommodations include a dorm bed. tent, or yurt; shared bath; and vegan/vegetarian meals. At least two seven-day retreats are required for all the academic and certificate programs and one longer solitary thirty-day private retreat is required for anyone wanting to complete the requirements of the Xiuxing Seminary Program.  

One does not need to be enrolled in LFBCS to attend retreats, but priority will be given to LFBCS students. Although H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha has told us that it is not really a retreat unless it is for at least seven days, special arrangements can sometimes be made to allow students, who do not have the time available for longer retreats, to do shorter retreats for at least one of the required seven-day meditation retreats. The shorter retreats often focus on a particular dharma or discourse or may even be more oriented to work projects at the temple. The intensive study retreats held on Imparting the Absolute truth Through the Heart Sutra cannot be counted to meet the meditation retreat requirement. For more information see R95(A)-Short Term Retreats and P10-the Great Dharma of Zen Practice.

3-LONG TERM RETREATS: These retreats conducted as part of the Xiuxing Seminary Program are customized to fit the needs of the individual student and require total isolation and silence for at least 30-days. In Tibet they are normally held for at least three years and a Tibetan fortnight (three months and three days).  These retreats are for very serious practitioners who have cultivated themselves well and have excellent meditation skills and who are ready to meditate in total isolation. For more information see R97X-Solitary Retreats-Xiuxing Practice Program.