7-Day Theaching & Meditation Retreat with Venerable Tenzin Tsapel

Summer Program 2027 at Chandrakirti Meditation Centre

Deepening our Spiritual Experience – A teaching with Venerable Tenzin Tsapel

A 7-day retreat – January 6th to 13th, 2027

Chandrakirti Centre is very pleased to welcome Ven Tsapel back for this years summer program retreat, from January 6- 13^th.

Teachings and meditation for transforming ordinary difficulties and self centeredness into the path of awakening through bodhichitta, compassion and wisdom – practical methods for training our mind to become more happy and content.

By stabilising our foundational spiritual practices and applying them consistently, we transformconfusion into wisdom, deepen our compassion for all beings, and bring the awakening mind of bodhicitta within reach .An exploration into Lama Tsong Khapas pith instructions for aspiring seekers of truth.

The text, by Lama Tsong Khapa, is a response to letter from a heart disciple Namkha Pel, who is missing his teacher and asks for advice. Lama Tsong Khapa being well pleased, answers with pith instructions to Namkha Pel and others, hence this text is for us too as we aspire to the Mahayana. The reality we need to recognise is that we are confused and lack control. We need to deepen our experience of the root foundational practices until they are stable. Only by focusing on the dharma we know and training correctly can we gain experience in compassion and open to reality of transmigratory beings. With renewed focus and strength, virtues increase and bodhicitta will seem within reach.

Venerable Tenzin Tsapel is director of the Machig Labdron Nunnery Bendigo, Australia. Venerable Tsapel met our founding lamas Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche during their 1979 Australian tour. She was ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India in ’85. Ven Tsapel studied at the Chenrezig Institute where she also taught and tutored for over 16 years. Ven. Tsapel was key in establishing the Chenrezig Nuns Community, and Chenrezig Institute’s Basic Program.

From 2006 – 2009 Venerable Tsapel served three years as resident teacher at Chandrakirti meditation Centre. Following that, after a two year solitary retreat she served as resident teacher for the FPMT Centre in Darkhan, Mongolia. For most of the last decade, Venerable Tsapel has been working on her second nunnery, Machig Labdron Nunnery, that is now complete and home to six nuns and forms the fourth entity on the Great Stupa land, Bendigo Australia, joining The Great Stupa, Atisha Centre and TSL Monastery.

Everyone warmly welcome, a great opportunity to experience essential Buddhist teachings and learncore practises.

To sign up for this retreat, email meditate@chandrakirti.co.nz