The Retreat Centre Activities
Activities
Gephel Ling offers you a unique space to receive teachings, meditate and gain a deeper experience by practicing in collective and personal retreats, as well as a natural and tranquil environment. Know more about our offer:
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We house weekly meditation classes, workshops and retreats.
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We receive the visit and Teachings from Masters of the Nyingma and Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism .
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We provide to the community awareness and information about natural and environmental health through the annual Festival of the Medicine Buddha, which attracts hundreds of guests for the festivities.
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We offer lectures on Buddhism to schools and other organizations.
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We accept prayers requests for performing daily pujas (prayer rituals) to alleviate the suffering of beings in general, the sick and those who have died.
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We work for the construction of temples and the creation of large stupas, prayer wheels and other examples of beautiful sacred art of Tibet.
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Our meditation halls and temples contain statues, paintings and copies of authentic Tibetan art and other religious objects of Nepal.
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We have available to the public and entities a Museum on Art and Culture in Tibetan Spirituality.
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We offer a conducive atmosphere for meditation, that provides to visitors resting places with banks of meditation and prayer flags in natural beauty spots.
We house and organize events for groups
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Meditation Retreats
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Buddhist classes and retreats
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Yoga Retreats
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Workshops and retreats of health and wellness
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Activities for Families
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Retreats for firms and organizations
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Bring your group and we provide...
Individual retreats and stays
We invite you to visit us and make a personal retreat or merely for a few days of rest. Many people plan a short getaway with family and friends, while others come as couples or alone to relax and recharge. Feel welcome to visit Gephel Ling; make your reservations online or call our office 00 351 91 213 93 53.
Práticas Regulares
Pujas and Sadhana Practices
Pujas and Sadhanas are sung meditations with visualisations, prayers, and mantras that embody the essence of the Vajrayana Buddhist Path. Pujas are a powerful method not only to purify our negative karma and disturbing emotions but also to accumulate merit, or spiritual richness, leading us towards realisation.
By evoking the blessings and the presence of the enlightened beings we dedicate these prayers, as well as the energy generated by the mantras and meditation to the cause of world peace, harmony, happiness, and enlightenment of all beings. With this compassionate attitude the participation in the Pujas and Sadhanas is highly beneficial.
Who can participate? Everyone with good-will! Although Pujas and Sadhanas are Vajrayana practices and require the practitioner to receive the due Empowerment, Transmission, and Instructions, the following Pujas are opened to the general public. Please, arrive 15 minutes earlier.
Special dedication: Anyone can offer a Puja to friends or relatives that are sick or ill, a deceased beloved, or to provide support for special needs. For further information, please, contact us at info@guhyamantrika.org
Introduction to Meditation
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It is the traditional meditation (zhiné/shamata), according to various techniques of Nyingma and Kagyü traditions. Being under the guidance of Lama Gyurme, it is suitable for both beginners, who want to have the first contact with meditation, or practitioners, who want to further develop their previous techniques. No prior knowledge, empowerment, or transmission is required.
Meditation is the art of making the latent and natural wisdom of consciousness flourish. It is used as a practical tool to transform destructive emotional patterns, to develop positive qualities, as wisdom and compassion, and to access the basic nature of pure consciousness mind. The practice of meditation nourishes and cultivates the Buddha Nature, the pure seed of perfection that exists in the heart of each sentient being. It has the power to transform selfish and conflicting actions into selfless generosity and compassion. When the instructions of the meditation of a genuine Lineage is diligently followed and put into practice, they can lead us to the full awakening..
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Orgyen Menla - “the Medicine Guru of Uddyana” meditation practice
NIn these Orgyen Menla meditation sessions, under the guidance of Lama Gyurme, the participants are led throughout the practice and mantra recitation, which allows us to reach the two types of realisation - the common and the supreme ones - and to acquire the ability to activate Buddha’s healing activities for the benefit of all the sentient beings.
Orgyen Menla - the Medicine Guru of Uddyana, is the Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) that appears in the aspect of the Medicine Buddha, or Bhaishajyaguru. Therefore, the practice of Orgyen Menla combines the blessings of Guru Rinpoche and the Medicine Buddha to heal the body, mind, and emotions.
The practice of Orgyen Menla is particularly efficient to pacify epidemics, as well as other illnesses, destructive forces of the imbalance of the four elements, suffering, and negative influences. It is also useful to increase the longevity and wisdom.
Buddhist Medicine teaches us that all the obstacles, internal, external, and subtle illnesses are the result of our state of existential confusion. The practice, meditation, and mantra recitation of Orgyen Menla are not limited to the healing of illnesses and suffering in a relative level, but most importantly it guides us towards the realisation of the supreme wisdom, i.e. the perfect enlightenment completely apart from suffering of the conditional existence.
We dedicate the positive energy that this practice creates to the benefit of all beings, in general, and especially to those in need, sick, or terminally ill.
This practice is especially important for doctors and therapists who want to improve both their diagnostic and treatment abilities to benefit the others, as well as for patients who want to speed up their process of self-healing.
"Tukdrub Barchey Kunsel" meditation practice
One of the most powerful and magnificent spiritual practices of the Tibetan Buddhism of which the wonderful Master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoché said: "Barchey Kunsel is the essence of the heart of the Realised Master Padmasambhava, who perceives the three times in their entirety. It is the fifth essence of a billion of sadhanas of Guru’s heart, the greatest Spiritual Treasure embedded in the land of Tibet.
This Guru’s Heart Practice that Eliminates All the Obstacles completely contains all the profound key points of the vision, meditation, and behaviour of the Three Inner Tantras Yogas. It is manifested from the secret treasure of the great wisdom, the vast realisation of the Second Buddha of Uddiyana, as the natural Vajra sound spontaneously existing in a perfect melody.
"Arya Tara" meditation practice
The Buddha Tara embodies the feminine principle of Enlightenment, the activity of the Wisdom from which all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are born. Thus, she is known as the Mother of all Buddhas. The Puja includes offerings and requests to the Mother Tara so that she can help us to overcome all the obstacles to our spiritual development, eradicate our fears and become successful in our Dharma practice.
Traditionally, before the practice, the participant should not eat meat, nor drink alcohol. Also, they should have taken a bath or a shower and should wear clean clothes. ​
We use the sadhana "The Heart of Two Accumulations - Mandala Offering Ritual, extracted by the Spiritual Treasure of the Profound Essence of Tara" by tertön Chokgyur Lingpa. Thubten Phuntsog Gephel Ling practitioners usually conduct Barchey Kunsel practice (see above) before this practice.
Prática meditativa de "Buda Shakyamuni"
O Puja de Buda Shakyamuni é uma fonte de poderosas bênçãos e estabelece uma fortíssima conexão espiritual com O Rei dos Sábios, o Precioso e Bondoso Buda. Este Puja envolve a prática de oferendas, louvores, mantra e preces ao Supremo Mestre; recordando as suas vidas anteriores e a sua biografia.
Segue-se a sadhana «Tubchok Djinlab Terdzo - O Tesouro de Bençãos» de Mipham Rinpoche.
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"Ngondro of Dzogchen Longchen Nyingthig" meditation practice
Ngöndro Practices are the preliminary practices of Vajrayana Buddhism and Dzogchen. Ngöndro involves a number of profound purification, merit and wisdom accumulation practices. They have been wisely designed to comprehensively transform our whole being.
Ngöndro is the true essence of all the different Buddha teachings, from the fundamental Hinayana up to the sublime Dzogchen. This technique was condensed by the Tantric Great Master, Guru Padmasambhava, who organized it in such a way that any of the disciples can use each and every Buddha teaching, and put them into practice in order to discover the inner wisdom that discloses our true condition, the enlightenment.
Tibetan Great Yogis and Mahasiddhas said that although Ngöndro is called a “preliminary” practice, there is any other practice that is more profound. Many Great Masters from the past achieved enlightenment through this profound and secret path.
Therefore, Ngöndro is one of the Teachings that are available to us, full of blessings and enlightened power. Consequently, it is a practice that we should receive with joy, respect, and deep appreciation.
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"Riwo Sangchö" meditation practice
Riwo Sangchö is a ritual that uses smoke from aromatic substances, enhanced with Mantras, to create a huge number of spiritual offerings to the Enlightened Beings, local deities, earth lords, and all the beings in samsara. The resultant positive energy drives away obstacles, increases the prosperity, the health, and harmonizes the environment. Consequently, a good amount of positive karma is accumulated, and karmic debts of the past are purified.