Kilung Rinpoche

Karmê Chöling is honored to welcome Dza Kilung Rinpoche for six days of teaching on Longchenpa's Immaculate Radiance, one of the most luminous and direct teachings in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan buddhism. Rinpoche will guide us through the text in person, alongside daily sitting and guided meditation. This is a rare and intimate opportunity to receive this particular teaching from Rinpoche in person, and we hope you will consider joining us at Karmê Chöling for this week.

Longchen Rabjam, known as Longchenpa, lived in Tibet from 1308 to 1364 and is remembered as one of the most brilliant and original minds the Nyingma lineage has produced. Ordained as a young man and trained at the great monastic seat of Sangpu, he went on to receive the full transmission of the Heart Essence teachings from his master Rigdzin Kumaradza, studying under conditions of real hardship before withdrawing for long years of solitary retreat in the caves and hermitages of Central Tibet.

What he left behind is almost impossible to summarize. His Seven Treasuries drew together six centuries of Tibetan Buddhist thought into a single coherent vision, and his writings on the Heart Essence, the Nyingtik, gave Dzogchen its clearest and most systematic expression. Every serious student of the Great Perfection since has studied at his feet in one way or another, whether or not they knew his name. Even his own name carries this quality of clarity: he was given the name Drimé Özer, "Immaculate Radiance," by Guru Rinpoche himself.

It is fitting, then, that his final teaching, dictated at the age of fifty-six as he was dying, would come to be known by that same name.

Immaculate Radiance is Longchenpa's teaching given to students gathered around him right before his death. In a small number of verses, he lays out the view, meditation, conduct, and fruition of the entire Dzogchen practice compressed into the plainest possible language., Rinpoche will teach directly from this text; the teaching is available in PDF form here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxrpxry.

Each day will combine periods of sitting and guided meditation with direct teaching from the text by Rinpoche.

New Students: If you have not previously attended a Dzogchen retreat with Dza Kilung Rinpoche, his permission is required.

Before registering, please email Jeanne Lepisto at jeanne@kilung.org with your brief dharma history and photo.

Once you have received confirmation to attend you may come back to this page and register for the program and select your accommodations.

Previous Students: If you have previously attended a Dzogchen retreat with Dza Kilung Rinpoche, you may register directly for the program on this page and select your accommodations.