Phowa Practice From Atri Dzogchen Retreat with Choekhortshang Rinpoche Orte (Italy) November 1 to 3, 2019 Lungtok Ling Association (www.lungtokling.org) organizes a three days residential retreat with the Bonpo Master Nyima Woser Choekhortshang Rinpoche on Phowa Practice. This is a meditation practice belonging to the Tibetan Bon and Buddhist traditions, consisting in the transfer of the individual consciousness at the moment of one’s death. Obtaining knowledge on the process of dying and regular Phowa practice serve to prepare us for the process of passing away. A good practitioner may have no fear of death since one knows what is going to happen and is well-prepared for that. The practice of Phowa allows us to consciously manage the mind at the moment of one’s own death which helps us to make the best out of this process and achieve spiritual realization. In this retreat, Choekhortshang Rinpoche, will transmit the teaching of Phowa according to the Atri Dzogchen tradition, which is one of the most important spiritual lineages of Bon, a complete system designed to guide the practitioner to the realization of A (symbolizing the primordial state) in fifteen sessions of practice. The text of the fifteenth session of Atri includes instructions on consciousness transference to be practiced at the time of death. The instructions say that if the practitioner fails to achieve Buddhahood in this life using the instructions of the fourteen sessions of the Atri system, then one can use the instructions of the fifteenth session to reach enlightenment during the dying process. The retreat is open to both advanced practitioners and beginners. It is not consented to attend only part of the retreat. During the retreat, Choekhortshang Rinpoche will alternate theoretical explanations with frequent practice sessions. Choekhortshang Rinpoche is a Lama of the Bon tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Dolpo, a high mountain region of north- western Nepal bordering Tibet, in 1976, to an important local family. He is the head lama of Tashi Namgyal monastery in Dolpo. According to tradition, when he was 8 years old his father and grandfather took him to India, to be raised and educated at Menri monastery, in the village of Dolanji in Himachal Pradesh. This is the main site of the Bon tradition, where its spiritual head resides, His Holiness Menri Trizin. There he received a basic and modern education at school. In 1992, when he was 16, he took his monastic vows and started studying the traditional subjects such as philosophy, astronomy, astrology, Tibetan history and literature, Tibetan traditional Medicine, healing rituals and meditations. After 16 years, in 2008, he has obtained his Geshe degree, and since then he has been engaged in intense academic activities, both at the monasteries and at prestigious European Universities as Leiden, Oxford and Charles. Since 2009 he resides in Prague and teaches Tibetan Language and Culture at Charles University. Over the years, he has been teaching the spiritual practices of Bon in many European countries such as; Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. In 2015, he was officially enthroned at Menri monastery and entitled Rinpoche by HH Menri Trizin 33rd. In 2017 he completed his PhD at Charles. ************************************************************************************* *********************** The retreat will take place at a Farm Stay in Central Italy, near Orte (VT) “La Vecchia Fattoria” http://www.lavecchiafattoria.info/ , located in the rolling green hills between Lazio and Umbria. The Farm offers accommodation in rooms and apartments with full board, to allow us to enjoy a true residential retreat. The Farm Stay is easily reachable from the A1 highway and from Orte Railway Station by taxi. The retreat will start at 10.00 am on Friday November 1st and will end on Sunday 3rd around 04.00 pm. Cost of the Retreat: 140 euros (including the subscription quota to Association Lungtok Ling) Cost of Accommodation: Accommodation in double room with private bathroom- Package 3 nights and 6 meals (starting from 31/10 dinner till Sunday 3/11 lunch):180 euro per person. Package 2 nights and 5 meals (from Friday 1/11 to Sunday 3/11): 140 euro per person. Single occupancy of double room in apartment with shared bathroom: Package 3 nights and 6 meals:240 euro. Package 2 nights and 5 meals: 180 euro Single occupancy of double room with private bathroom: Package 3 nights and 6 meals: 270 euro. Package 2 nights and 5 meals: 200 euro. All packages include full board with wholesome vegetarian meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks during breaks, drinks). In case of any food intolerance or special requirements please contact the Farm Stay. For those who do not sleep at the Farm: Package meals only: 35 euro per day (lunch, dinner, snacks and tea/coffee) Single meal: 20 euro. Please try to share rooms as much as possible, to allow a bigger number of persons to accommodate at the farm. To register for the Retreat we ask you to: - Contact the Farm Stay by email at [email protected], or by telephone +39 0761492377, cell+39.3803501541, clearly indicating “November Phowa retreat”. - Reserve a room and send and advance of 80 euros by bank transfer or credit card, indicating your full name and room and bed preference, if you want to share a room with others. The balance is to be paid at the farm in cash or by card. - Please inform us of your booking by email to [email protected] - Once you have sent the advance to the Farm for your booking, this will be considered as booking for the retreat too, to be paid it in cash on the spot - If you are not booking a room at the farm, please send an advance of 40 euros to Lungtok Ling Association together with your personal information (www.lungtokling.org/index.php/en/registrations) The number of places is limited, and early booking is advised to avail of accommodation at the farm where the retreat is held, without having to move to and from other places. Contacts: Lidia Castellano [email protected], [email protected] Tel/WhatsApp +393203837211 Website www.lungotkling.org .