The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra 2026 Silent Retreat
Winter Retreat with Gen Samten Kelsang
January 9 – February 19 | Registration Opens September 15 at 2pm
The Winter Retreat consists of six stand-alone silent retreats based on The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche. You’re welcome to attend the entire retreat or by the week. The first two weeks of retreat observe partial silence, and the last four weeks observe full silence.
*Pre-registration will be available from August 25 until September 8, only for those who want to stay for more than 4 weeks.
Jan 9 – 15 | Developing Renunciation (Partial Silence)
Jan 16 – 22 | Training the Mind (Partial Silence)
Jan 23 – 29 | Tranquil Abiding (Full Silence)
Jan 30 – Feb 5 | Superior Seeing (Full Silence)
Feb 6 – 12 | Heruka Self-Generation: The Union of Appearance and Emptiness of Heruka* (Full Silence)
Feb 13 – 19 | Channels, Winds, and Drops* (Full Silence)
*Must have Highest Yoga Tantra Empowerments in order to attend
Teacher: Gen Samten Kelsang
One of Venerable Geshe-la’s senior disciples, Gen Samten Kelsang oversees the spiritual program at KMC New York, and teaches throughout the US and around the world. Having engaged in a three-year meditation retreat, he is renowned for the clarity of his teachings, ability to help students improve their practice, and skill in leading practitioners to profound meditative insights.
The Oral Instructions
There are many benefits to setting aside the time and space to engage in retreat. During Winter Retreats, we immerse ourselves in the tranquil and very blessed environment of KMC New York, away from the distractions of daily life, allowing for a deepening of meditation practice. Through guidance and teachings, we cultivate mindfulness, compassion and wisdom, nurturing a profound sense of inner peace.
These retreats provide a perfect space to explore the potential of our mind, and to promote clarity and insight into the nature of reality. By engaging in meditation sessions, we can purify our minds, reduce stress, and develop a more profound connection with our true nature. This immersive experience empowers us to carry the transformative benefits of meditation into our daily lives, promoting harmony, inner strength, and a deeper understanding of ourselves and our world.
The Winter Retreats are based on the book The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, and offer an opportunity to learn and gain an experiential understanding of the practices that lead to the actual realization of Mahamudra. We are very fortunate to be able to meditate on these instructions which have guided (and are guiding) countless fortunate practitioners to the state of enlightenment within one life.
The purpose of these retreats is cultivate deep experience of these Mahamudra meditations, or to deepen our existing experience and take it up to the next level. We learn key tips and strategies to make our meditation practice effective in shifting outmoded mental structures, and gaining insight. A key focus of these retreats will be the sustainability of our meditation practice — to create a structure of Mahamudra meditation that we can take away with us after the retreat and transpose within our daily life.
To fully benefit from these retreats, an understanding of basic Buddhist beliefs and practices is necessary. A good starting point is to familiarize yourself with the book Modern Buddhism — available for purchase or free download as an e-book.
Registration Details
Retreat Fees & Important Registration Information
General registration goes live Wednesday, September 15 at 2:00pm (EDT)*
*Please note, we are offering pre-application from August 25-September 8 for those who wish to attend and stay onsite for at least four consecutive weeks of retreat, but we will prioritize those who wish to stay for the full six weeks of retreat.
Retreat Costs
Weekend (Friday - Sunday): $50
Weekly (Friday - Thursday): $100
Please note: a 20% discount on retreat fees is applied to two or more consecutive full weeks of retreats.
Due to the nature of these retreats, we do not offer drop-ins for days or individual sessions.
Accommodations
IMPORTANT: We are offering pre-application from August 25-September 8 for those who wish to attend and stay onsite for at least four consecutive weeks of retreat, and we will prioritize those who wish to stay for the full six weeks of retreat. Please do not fill this out if you are wishing to do the Vajrayogini Close Retreat. Visit the Vajrayogini Close Retreat page for more information on registering for this retreat.
Please use the chart below to see accommodation options and prices. Please note for accommodations (not including meals) booked for 2 consecutive weeks, a 20% discount is applied; for 3 consecutive weeks, a 30% discount is applied; and for 4 consecutive weeks or more, a 40% discount is applied.
Utility Fee: $15 per week (Friday-Thursday)
For those with onsite accommodations, this fee allows us to keep the accommodations and retreat prices lower while covering the increased center utilities during this retreat.
Onsite Meals
Vegetarian, vegan and/or wheat-free lunches and dinners are available each day for $8 each. Breakfast is available for those staying offsite but must be pre-booked. It is included in the onsite accommodation fees. All of our meals are home-cooked. We use fresh and local produce where possible.
Registration Notes:
The nature of our retreats requires a harmonious and supportive environment for all participants. Our primary concern is ensuring the well-being and safety of all participants. Because of this, we will check references from Resident Teacher or center managers before confirming someone’s retreat.
The Vajrayogini Close Retreat is a set price of $150 regardless of the number of weeks/days the person stays. More information about the Close Retreat can be found here.
Each guided retreat in the Oral Instructions of Mahamudra Retreat starts Friday evening and ends Thursday at lunchtime (6 nights).
For accommodations (not including meals) booked for 2 consecutive weeks, a 20% discount is applied; 3 consecutive weeks, a 30% discount is applied; and for 4 consecutive weeks or more, a 40% discount is applied.
A 20% discount is applied to the retreat fee for the second to sixth consecutive week of retreat.
Private rooms (deluxe, singles, doubles) and en-suite twins and triples must be booked for 6-night blocks from Friday to Thursday (i.e. the full week of retreat). Partial bookings are not available for private rooms or en-suite triples, i.e. someone would not be able to book for a weekend, for 10 nights or 23 nights but could book for 6 nights, 13 nights, 20 nights, etc.
Twin and triple rooms are booked by the bed. You will be staying with other people of the same gender in these rooms.
Dorm and shared room accommodations are available for partial bookings with a 2-night minimum for most of the retreat, except for the Tranquil Abiding (Jan 23-29) and Superior Seeing (Jan 30-Feb 5) weeks. Due to the popularity of these two weeks of retreat, from January 23-29 and January 30-February 5, dorm and shared room accommodations must be booked for 6 nights from Friday to Thursday (i.e. the full week of retreat). On January 15, we will open any available shared or dorm spaces to those who wish to book for the weekend.
Those wishing to book for a private room or shared/dorm accommodations for at least four consecutive weeks up to the full six weeks of retreat can apply from August 25-September 8 to inquire about availability. We will prioritize those who wish to stay for the full six weeks of retreat. General registration opens on September 15 at 2pm EDT. At this time, if there are private rooms or en-suite triples still available, these will be open to 6-night minimum stays.
Due to the importance of attending the introduction and start of retreat, all retreat bookings must be booked starting Friday night.
Week-long and weekend retreat bookings are available for those staying offsite. Due to the importance of attending the introduction and start of retreat, these must be booked starting Friday night.