In this week of retreat we will meditate on the five completion stage practices of Mahamudra explained in the book Oral Instructions Of Mahamudra. A brief explanation of generation stage practice will be included in the beginning of the retreat. Highest Yoga Tantra is Buddha’s main intention for us to attain Enlightenment quickly. Mahamudra means the union of Great Bliss and Emptiness and is the ultimate goal of Kadampa Buddhist practice.

The five completion stages are:

-Having identified our own mind, meditating on tranquil abiding 

-Having realized emptiness, meditating on superior seeing

-Meditating on the central channel, the yoga of the central channel 

-Meditating on the indestructible drop, the yoga of the drop

-Meditating on the indestructible wind, the yoga of the wind

The meditations will be based on the text: Oral Instructions Of Mahamudra by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. with the practice: Hundreds Of Deities Of The Joyful Land.

*Success in this retreat depends upon having received the Empowerments of Highest Yoga Tantra, or the Empowerment of Je Tsongkhapa with the transmission of the mantra of Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka, from a teacher in the New Kadampa Tradition. If you have not received either of these empowerments, but you have a sincere wish to receive them in the future, then you are welcome to attend. Please ask the EPC of KMCFL if you have questions or need more information (epc@meditationinsarasota.org).

Kadam Michelle Gauthier is the Resident Teacher of Kadampa Meditation Center Tampa Bay and has been practicing and teaching Kadam Dharma for more than 25 years. She is an inspiring example of Modern Buddhism in practice. She presents Buddha’s teachings with beautiful clarity, warmth and sincerity, skillfully guiding people from all walks of life to find inner peace and lasting happiness.