
One Month Winter Retreat: Four Truths and Refuge Ngondro
November 29 - December 22

Four Truths and Refuge Ngondro
November 29-December 22, 2023
The Four Truths are the foundation of the entire Buddhist path, and the refuge ngondro (preliminary practice) brings us into deeper insight into and reliance on the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
The mind is often compared to a field that needs to be well cultivated for our seeds of wisdom and compassion to grow into realizations. The preliminary practices (ngondro) do just that, purifying negative karmic imprints and enriching our minds with virtue to progress along the path
The refuge ngondro is a beautiful practice that entails reciting the refuge formula—Namo Gurubhya, Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya—111,111 times while visualizing the merit field. By meditating on the qualities of the Three Jewels of Refuge, we gain conviction in the fruit of the path. The one-month retreat allows ample time to complete the refuge ngondro mantra recitation commitment.
In conjunction with the refuge practice, we will meditate on the Four Truths of the Aryas, the fundamental teaching of the entire Buddhist path
This month-long retreat entails five meditations and one study or teaching session per day. A group retreat, it offers the chance to practice intensively with the Abbey monastic community. Admission is by application. The retreat is not recommended for beginners.
You can choose to stay through Christmas Day for the annual community reading of Shantideva’s Guide to a Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. Or stay even longer and enjoy the annual Vajrsattva New Year’s Retreat.
For this retreat, we request that people gather dana in the amount of $840 as a meritorious group offering to support one another’s retreat.
See our Winter Retreat page for more info about the Winter Retreat in general.
Watch for more details.
Registration
More Info and Retreat Preparation
- Read Ven. Thubten Chodron’s instructions for how to practice the refuge ngondro here.
- She teaches on the practice in this video.
- Find more by searching on our YouTube channel.