2025 Retreat from Afar
1000-armed Chenrezig,
Buddha of Compassion
January 4 through March 22
With a thousand arms and a thousand eyes, Chenrezig reaches out in response to the cries of the world. In the Chenrezig Retreat from Afar, we will nourish the seeds of compassion within ourselves, emphasizing how to bring the compassion practices alive in our daily lives and meditation sessions.
Preparation Resources
Before retreat, please prepare by watching these 7 videos on the 1000-armed Chenrezig practice. In them, Venerable Chodron gives a clear commentary on the entire practice.
Guided meditations by Venerable Chodron, from 2007, 2011, and 2014, are also available. The first link provides you with the text of the practice, which you can also find in the Pearl of Wisdom II prayer book.
We also recommend that you prepare by reading Venerable Chodron’s Open Heart, Clear Mind and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Transforming Problems into Happiness.
Download the detailed RFA Manual here.
Practice Resources
You can read Ven. Thubten Chodron’s Cultivating a Compassionate Heart: The Yoga Method of Chenrezig for a thorough grounding in the Chenrezig meditation practice.
Check out an extensive selection of Chenrezig teachings with Ven. Thubten Chodron on Thubten Chodron.org.
What Is It?
Abbey monastics spend every winter in silent retreat. Only a few can join in person, but hundreds meditate in the Retreat from Afar.
Retreat from Afar occurs during the same timeframe as the Abbey winter retreat, and participants meditate on the same topic.
Generally, to join in Retreat from Afar, you commit to do at least one practice session every day.
People love doing Retreat from Afar, and 200-300 people join in every year. It supports “distance meditators” to maintain a regular daily practice, deepen their understanding of the Dharma, and gain insights into their life.
In addition, their practice supports the people doing retreat at the Abbey.
Your voluntary offering generates merit for you and supports the Abbey to continue offer the Dharma freely worldwide.
Download the 2025 Retreat from Afar Handbook
Registration
Register here for the 2025 Retreat from Afar
Zoom Orientation
Mark your calendars for the RFA Zoom orientation:
- January 3, 9am PST
- January 4, 4pm PST
Both meetings will cover the same content. The Zoom meeting info will be sent to registered participants after Christmas.
Want to help fellow retreatants in prison?
Retreat material are emailed to you each week, but there’s no email in prison. Hard copy practice packets are snail-mailed to the prison practitioners.
You can support their retreat and make merit by making an offering to support the prison Dharma mailings. Go to the Donate page. Under the drop down called “My donation is for …” choose “Prison Dharma Fund.”
Learn from books by Ven. Thubten Chodron.
Sravasti Abbey
692 Country Lane
Newport WA 99156 USA
[email protected]
509-447-5549
Also see ThubtenChodron.org