Preliminary Guide Retreats
The term 'Mahamudra' is Sanskrit. 'Maha' means 'great' and refers to great bliss, and 'mudra' here means 'non-deceptive' and refers to emptiness. Mahamudra is the union of great bliss and emptiness. Mahamudra is defined as a mind of fully qualified clear light that experiences great bliss and realizes emptiness directly. For more information about Mahamudra please read the books Mahamudra Tantra and Clear Light of Bliss.
To practice Mahamudra successfully it is first necessary to complete four preliminary practices, which are known as 'the four great preliminary guides'. These are:
- The great guide of going for refuge and generating bodhichitta, the gateway to the Buddhadharma and the Mahayana.
- The great guide of making mandala offerings, the gateway to accumulating a collection of merit.
- The great guide of meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva, the gateway to purifying negativities and downfalls.
- The great guide of Guru Yoga, the gateway to receiving blessings
Every year At Kadampa Meditation Center Florida we offer the following retreats to gather our preliminaries.
Guru Yoga & Mandala Offerings: December 10 - 14, 2009
Refuge Retreat: May 16 - 22, 2010
Vajrasattva Purification
Everyone is welcome to attend the entire retreat or just a part of a retreat. No prior meditation or retreat experience is required.