VI Pilgrimage 2025

VI 2025 Pilgrimage: Dalai Lama Birthday Celebrations Dharamsala, India and Highlights of Bhutan

Vajrayana Institute Pilgrimage 2025

Book one leg of the trip or join us for the entire pilgrimage. Use the links below to find out more, and to book your spot. Don’t delay as places are limited.

8 days – Dalai Lama Birthday Celebrations Dharamsala, India

Accompany Geshe Samten to Dharamsala to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday in the main temple at McLeod Ganj.  Dharamsala is a unique part of the world and here we will immerse ourselves further into Tibetan Buddhist religion and culture, visiting the Tibet Museum and the Norbulingka Institute to witness the preservation of Tibetan culture. We’ll also visit Tushita Meditation Centre, an FMPT Centre where Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche frequently visited.

We’ll take a day trip to Tso Pema (Lotus Lake), the holy lake where Guru Rinpoche (see itinerary for Bhutan) is said to have been burned alive in a prye but was found to be sitting on a lotus in the middle of a lake after several days. While at Tso Pema, we’ll visit the 45 metre statue of Guru Rinpoche which overlooks the lake and the caves high above the town.

Learn more and book.

6 days – Highlights of Bhutan

Join Geshe Samten on a Pilgrimage to Bhutan, the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’. Buddhism is the state religion of Bhutan and a way of life in this unique and deeply spiritual nation. You will follow in the footsteps of Guru Rinpoche, who introduced Buddhism to Bhutan in the 8th Century.

On the Pilgrimage you will visit ancient Dzongs (monasteries) amongst spectacular settings in the Paro Valley and Punkakha. You will visit the extraordinary Taktshang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest), which has become a symbol of Bhutan to the world.

On the Pilgrimage, enjoy the unique cultural heritage and pristine natural beauty of a country where progress is measured by the ‘Gross National Happiness Index’. This Pilgrimage takes in the many highlights of this mesmerising country, with the perfect combination of rural and urban adventure with Buddhism at it’s core.

Learn more and book

When

1-13 July 2025

Where

India and Bhutan

Cost

Dalai Lama Birthday Celebrations Dharamsala, India - AUD $3,190
Highlights of Bhutan USD $1,990 10% discount for Sangha

calm abiding retreat

calm abiding retreat

3 Day Immersive Retreat | 5 – 7 October 2024

About the Retreat

Meditative concentration, also known as calm-abiding, is a state of mind where all the disturbances due to dysfunctional reactions of body and mind are pacified and we find our attention abiding blissfully on whatever object of meditation we focus on.

Contrary to popular beliefs, great effort and willpower are not necessary to accomplish it. Rather, the skillful and wise application of our mindfulness, coupled with the attitude of kindness and letting go, transforms our usual effortful struggle in meditation to an effortless process of settling deeply into concentration.

In this retreat we will look into creating the different conditions that facilitate the settling down of our body and mind, freeing them from the unnecessary tensions and agitation that disturb our peace and wellbeing.

Through applying simple techniques in our meditation practice we can readily enhance the release of physical tensions, the experience of pleasant sensations coming from our meditation, and the calming of our mental processes so much so that both body and mind can actually abide in a state of blissful engagement in meditation.

This in turn can benefit our life outside of meditation as we bring that sense of peace, calmness and mindful awareness into our daily interactions.

meet our retreat leader

Venerable Tenzin Tsapel was inspired to become a Buddhist after she met Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa in 1979. She was ordained five years later by H.H. the Dalai Lama. Tsapel served as a resident teacher at FPMT Centres in Sydney, New Zealand and in Mongolia. She also taught and/or tutored at the Chenrezig Nuns Community in QLD for seven years. Venerable Tsapel has led many group retreats and completed a number of solitary retreats including a two-year calm abiding (mindfulness) retreat on Kangaroo Island after attending a group retreat led by Alan Wallace. Currently, she is establishing a nunnery in Bendigo, Victoria.

residential options

Deepen your retreat experience by staying at Vajrayana Institute. 

Immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of Vajrayana Institute, where comfort, convenience, and mindfulness merge seamlessly. 

Accommodation for the retreat is limited. Be sure to get in quick and book your stay today!


retreat package

3 day calm abiding retreat

$ 375
  • guided and silent meditations, with explanations on the practice and time for Q&A or discussion
  • catered lunch
  • retreat materials

3 day calm abiding retreat + 2 nights shared accommodation

$ 575
  • guided and silent meditations, with explanations on the practice and time for Q&A or discussion
  • catered lunch
  • retreat materials
  • 2 nights shared accommodation

3 day calm abiding retreat + 3 nights shared accommodation

$ 675
  • guided and silent meditations, with explanations on the practice and time for Q&A or discussion
  • catered lunch
  • retreat materials
  • 2 nights shared accommodation
  • Extra night accommodation evening prior

get your ticket

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