Sunday

Gampo Abbey Announces Monastic Youth Dathun

Participants at the 2006 Youth Monastic Dathun, Gampo Abbey

Gampo Abbey is once again hosting a Monastic Youth Dathun – June 15th to July 15th 2009 – a rare opportunity to experience a taste of Shambhala monastic life in an intensive retreat environment.

The first Youth Dathun at Gampo Abbey was held in 1997, and the most recent one was held in 2006. The schedule for the Youth Dathun includes intensive meditation practice, teachings by senior monastics, private interviews and discussion groups. Participants will stay in the Sopa Choling retreat center, perched on the cliffs overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Retreatants receive precepts from Ani Tsultrim Palmo

“The concept of the monastery is always up to date, whether it is in medieval times or the 20th century. The monastic tradition has a particular kind of discipline and it displays a natural dignity. Monastic discipline embodies the principals of discipline, meditation and study, so that the monastery is in contact with living dharma. Because monastic practitioners are much more in contact with the reality of spiritual discipline, we could say that they are more in contact with the Buddha himself…. The point being that there is some kind of discipline and some kind of natural dignity that the monastic tradition displays.”

– Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

At the request of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche temporary ordination is given to the participants in the Youth Dathun. Participants  must have taken refuge in order to participate in the Youth Dathun, since taking refuge is a prerequisite for taking ordination. At the ordination, participants will take the five precepts – not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual activity, not lying, not taking intoxicants – adopt monastic robes and shave their heads. Temporary ordination lasts for the duration of the retreat.

For more information and to register, click here.

To view photos from the 2006 Monastic Youth Dathun, click here.