The Oral Instructions of Mahamudra 2026
Winter Retreat with Gen Samten Kelsang
January 9 – February 19 | Registration Opens September 15 at 2pm
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.
*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
Jan 16 – 22 | Training the Mind
Jan 23 – 29 | Tranquil Abiding
Jan 30 – Feb 5 | Superior Seeing
Feb 6 – 12 | The Practice of Heruka Self-Generation*
Feb 13 – 19 | 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 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.
More Details Coming Soon.
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.