Yuthok Nyingthig Ngöndro
Online Weekend retreat guided by Christiana Polites
MARCH 29 - March 30
The first two days of our very first ngöndro retreat in Tuscany will be livestreamed for those who are not able to join the retreat in person and would like to deepen their connection to this fundamental practice through guided sessions.
You are welcome to join any or all of the practices according to your time zone.
This practice is offered by donation. Please RSVP for Zoom Link:
Daily practice Schedule:
9am - 1pm: Practice Session One
3 - 7pm: Practice Session Two
All times are in Italy/ Central Europe time
Check your time zone
(Translation of morning session will be offered in Bahasa Indonesian for Blue Buddha community)
Ngöndro, meaning ‘foundational' or 'preliminary' practices is the root of the tree out of which all other Vajrayana Buddhist practices grow. Yuthok’s ngöndro, traditionally done in the context of a seven day retreat is incredibly transformative to one's mind, health, and life, and is the gateway into the profound path of the Yuthok Nyingthig. This seven day intensive retreat combines sessions of silent meditation, group mantra recitation, prostrations, visualization and contemplation, as well as instruction in the practice while immersed within the healing natural environment of Pure Land Farms Tuscany, our Yuthok Ling temple, and gardens.
Yuthok Nyingthig, the ‘Heart Essence of Yuthok.' This unique and comprehensive set of Tibetan Buddhist practices was transmitted by Yuthok Yönten Gönpo the Younger, the great 12th century Tibetan physician and meditation adept who is considered to be an emanation of Medicine Buddha. It is a complete system of practice from the Anuttarayogatantra (Highest Yoga Tantra) class of teachings, beginning with Ngöndro (the preliminaries) and progressing through Kyerim and Dzogrim (Creation and Completion Stage practices) to the highest practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen.
The tradition includes concise and essential methods perfectly suited for busy contemporary practitioners that offer both worldly benefits including improved health and longevity for oneself and others, as well as the ultimate benefit of complete spiritual liberation. The Yuthok Nyingthig is the main spiritual tradition connected with Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan medicine), and it contains many unique methods to heighten the intuitive, diagnostic, and healing capacities of doctors. It is the only complete cycle of Vajrayana teachings in which Medicine Buddha as a yidam (personal meditative deity).
Yuthok Nyingthig meditation practices are traditionally done in the context of a seven day retreat, making them practical and accessible in these modern busy times.
CHRISTIANA POLITES
Christiana Polites received her Bachelor of Arts in the Comparative Study of Religion at Harvard University and has been immersed in Eastern spiritual traditions for over twenty years. She has studied both Tibetan and Chinese Daoist healing arts and received a Masters in Acupuncture from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She has traveled extensively around the world, seeking out authentic living lineages in both the healing and spiritual sciences. Christiana is the Director of Pure Land Farms and the Sowa Rigpa Institute. She is also the co-founder of Yangchenma Arts & Music, a community organization celebrating the richness and diversity of human cultures through their artistic and musical wisdom traditions.