The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra
Winter Retreat 2025 with Gen Samten Kelsang
January 10 – February 20
The Winter Retreat consists of six stand-alone 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.
Jan 10 – 16 | Developing Renunciation
Jan 17 – 23 | Training the Mind
Jan 24 – 30 | Tranquil Abiding
Jan 31 – Feb 6 | Superior Seeing
Feb 7 – 13 | The Uncommon Yoga of Inconceivability*
Feb 14 – 20 | Channels, Winds, and Drops*
*Must have Highest Yoga Tantra Empowerments in order to attend
The Oral Instructions
There are many benefits to setting aside the time and space to engage in retreat. During Winter Retreats, we immerse ourself 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 ourself 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.
Schedule
Please click on the button below to see the six week schedule. Please check back regularly as times may change. The weekly introduction will always begin on a Friday evening at 7:30pm and the retreat will end on a Thursday at 12:30pm.
Registration
Please click on the registration link that corresponds to the Friday on which you want to start your retreat. Then on the booking page, select a Thursday to end your retreat. Only consecutive weeks can be booked at the same time. For non-consecutive weeks, you have to register for each separately. Onsite private and ensuite accommodations must be booked for a full week of retreat only (i.e. Friday through Thursday). If you book for a partial week, we will contact you to adjust your booking.
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.
Retreat Costs
Weekend (Friday - Sunday): $50
Weekly (Friday - Thursday): $100
A 20% discount is applied to the retreat fee from the second through sixth consecutive week of retreat. Due to the nature of these retreats, we do not offer drop-ins for days or individual sessions.
Accommodations
IMPORTANT: Please use the chart below for accommodation options and prices. Note that 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.
Onsite Meals
Vegetarian, vegan and/or wheat-free lunches and dinners are available daily for $8 each. Breakfast is included in onsite accommodation fees. Breakfast is available for those staying offsite, but it must be pre-booked. All of our meals are home-cooked, using 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 all references before confirming someone’s retreat.
The Heruka 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 begins Friday evening and ends Thursday at lunchtime (6 nights).
Private rooms (deluxe, single, twin, doubles) and ensuite 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 ensuite 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.
Dorm and shared room accommodations are available for partial bookings with a 2 night minimum for most of the retreat except for the weeks on Tranquil Abiding (Jan 24 – 30) and the Uncommon Yoga of Inconceivability (Feb 7 – 13). For these two weeks of retreat, dorm and shared room accommodations must be booked for 6 nights from Friday to Thursday (i.e. the full week of retreat).
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 inquire to apply beginning August 28 and until September 11. We will prioritize those who wish to stay for the full six weeks. General registration opens on September 18 at 2pm EDT. At this time, if there are private rooms or ensuite triples still available, these will be open to 6 night minimum stays. Due to the importance of attending the introduction and start of retreat, these partial stays 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.