IDMT Retreat: Practicing Compassion in a Fragmented World
Venerable Losang Gendun
October 17 - 19, 2025
Weekend Retreat: Practicing Compassion in a Fragmented World
In-Depth Meditation Training with Venerable Losang Gendun
In person and Online
Transforming Adversity through Atisha’s Bodhisattva’s Jewel Garland
In a time marked by division and uncertainty, how can we keep our hearts open without becoming overwhelmed? How can we meet conflict—not with fear or anger—but with clarity, courage, and compassion?
This weekend retreat offers a deep immersion into Atisha’s classic Bodhisattva’s Jewel Garland, a practical and powerful guide to transforming everyday challenges into the path of awakening. Rooted in the Tibetan lojong tradition, this practice shows us how to shift our perspective, embrace difficulties as opportunities for growth, and cultivate boundless compassion, right in the midst of real life.
Throughout the weekend, we’ll alternate between guided meditation, contemplative teachings, dialogue, and quiet reflection. Together, we will explore how mind training can help us:
- Develop resilience in the face of adversity
- See others with deep empathy rather than judgment
- Transform habitual reactivity into wise response
- Recognize that even those we struggle with are central to our path
Rather than offering abstract philosophy, this retreat invites you to engage directly with methods that are at once simple, radical, and urgently relevant.
Join us in creating a space of dignity, responsibility, and hope—where, even if just for a weekend, a fractured world begins to feel whole.
Who is this for?
Open to all—whether you’re new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner—this is a weekend to deepen your understanding, reconnect with your values, and discover how inner transformation can ripple outward into compassionate action.
Registration Closes
October 10, 2025
Tentative Schedule (bolded times are in person and online)
Friday, October 17
- 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Check in
- 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm Working Meditation Training
- 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm Dinner
- 6:00 pm –6:30 pm Cleanup
- 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm Vajrapani Orientation
- 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Introductory Session
Saturday, October 18
- 7:15 am –8:00 am Meditation
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am Breakfast and cleanup
- 9:30 am – 10:30am: Session 1
- 10:30am — 11:00am: Tea Break
- 11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Session 2
- 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm Lunch
- 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Session 3
- 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Tea Break
- 4:30 – 6:00 pm: Session 4
- 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Dinner and Cleanup
- 7:00 pm – 7:45 pm Meditation
Sunday, October 19
- 7:15 am –8:00 am Meditation
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am Breakfast, cleanup, pack up
- 9:30 am – 10:30 am Session 1
- 10:30am – 11:00 am Tea
- 11:00am – 12:00 pm Last Session
- 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Vajrapani Thank you and Close
- 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch (End of Retreat)
** Please note schedule is subject to change **
Additional Information
- Please plan on arriving between 3:00 and 5:00 PM on the first day of the retreat
- Please plan on departing at approximately 2:00 PM on the last day of the retreat
- Accommodation information is visible during the registration process
About Vajrapani Institute
Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture was one of the first Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Centers in America. Vajrapani aims to provide a friendly and conducive environment for people of all nationalities to learn, put into practice the teachings of the Buddha, and connect with other Dharma practitioners. Located on 70 acres of secluded land within the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains, Vajrapani Institute has been an immersive space for people of all backgrounds to find and deepen their spiritual practices, with the main goal of bridging the gap between the head and heart of the practice.
About Retreat Fees (includes accommodation, 3 meals a day, and facility costs)
The collected registration fees include all accommodations, 3 nutritious vegetarian meals a day, and general facility/operating costs. Retreat registrations help support the center to keep everything operating, allowing us to invite so many precious teachers, and to hold this precious space of 70+ acres of secluded redwood forest to allow guests to have the quiet, contemplative space to continue spiritual growth.
Financial Aid/ Scholarships
We want to make retreats available to everyone. With this in mind, we will gladly work out a payment plan with you if needed. If more assistance is necessary, we offer several scholarships. Please note that the scholarship deadline is one month before the retreat begins.
- For detailed information on setting up a payment plan, please see Financial Aid: Payment Plans
- To see if you’re eligible for a scholarship, and how to apply for scholarships, please see Financial Aid: Scholarships
Our utmost goal is to help as many beings as possible to have the gift of retreat. If you have additional questions after reviewing the guidelines for payment plans and/or scholarships, please email the Office at office@vajrapani.org.
About the Teacher
Venerable Losang Gendun
Venerable Losang Gendun has dedicated nearly four decades to practicing Buddhism and has served as a Bhikshu in the Tibetan tradition for the past 19 years. Prior to his ordination, he worked in diverse fields such as palliative care, technology, refugee organizations, and management. His extensive training includes ten years of studying Buddhist philosophy and […]
Learn more about Venerable Losang Gendun