Welcome to the 2011 Vajra Vidya

Retreat Program & Consecration Ceremony,

with the Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche!

July 23rd – July 30th, 2011

Dear Retreatants,

On behalf of this year’s Retreat Committee, let me again welcome you to Crestone for this
year’s program, which includes seven days of profound teachings by our beloved teacher, the
Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche!

Many of you have attended these annual retreats at Crestone before, however, several logistics
which we have relied on in the past have changed, so please pay close attention to the shift in
details for this year’s program.

On a personal note, I would like to thank you for your flexibility and support while we planned
this year’s program. We had great notes from last year’s program to work from, as well as
brand-new challenges unique to this year’s agenda, and I appreciate your patience while we
worked to pull it all together.

Please read the following notes carefully, and let me know if you need clarification, or if I have
missed something. We’re very excited to see you, and wish you safe travels on your way to
Crestone!

My best,

Jenifer Madson
Executive Retreat Coordinator
vvrcinfo@gmail.com
720-375-2284
(Please note this new email and phone number for me, both of which are effective immediately)

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THE TEACHING PROGRAM
This year Rinpoche will teach The Ornament of the Middle Way by Shantarakshita. Shantarakshita was
the Indian abbot who was responsible for coming to Tibet, building the temple at Samye, and
establishing the monastic sangha. This text is a concise and yet remarkably complete presentation of
middle way philosophy. Rinpoche will teach it based on the explanation of it given by the nineteenth
century master, Ju Mipham. Rinpoche received the transmission for this teaching from a student of
Mipham Rinpoche himself, so this is a rare opportunity to get a teaching from such a short lineage.

The text being recommended is the translation by Padmakara translation committee that was published
by Shambhala publications. Click this link to purchase a copy. (In this copy, the title is The Adornment of
the Middle Way)

The program will start with a public talk on Saturday, July 23rd, at 7 pm. The main program will begin
with the morning’s teachings on July 24th. Details to follow on the daily agenda.

PROGRAM LOCATION
We are very excited to be able to conduct the program in the newly consecrated shrine room at Vajra
Vidya Retreat Center. The shrine room will be laid out to accommodate 130 retreatants, with portable
bathroom facilities on the grounds. As we get closer to the program date, we will let everyone know the
logistics of bringing full cars to the center each day, and accommodating those who cannot walk up the
center from the bottom of the driveway.

PROGRAM FEES
The fees for this year’s program are $425. However, if you register before May 1st, the fees are reduced
to $400. Space is limited to 130 people; please register here as soon as you can. We will keep a waiting
list once registration is full, and notify those on the list if we receive a cancellation that opens up a spot.

FOOD/ACCOMMODATIONS
The White Eagle conference center is under new ownership; however, they are not available for food or
lodging for this year’s program. Instead, the meal plan is being generously facilitated by Tshering Dorji,
of the Desert Sage restaurant. (see details below) Lodging will need to be coordinated by each of you
individually, and we have included a comprehensive list of accommodations on the retreat website.

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Meal Plan:

As many of you know, we conducted a survey to get your feedback on offering a vegetarian menu this
year, in keeping with the aspiration for a meatless diet by H.H. the 17th Karmapa. You voted
overwhelming in favor of this. To that end, the menu will be vegetarian for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
We cannot accommodate a fully vegan menu, or special dietary needs or restrictions, based on the
number of people we anticipate participating in the meal plan. (**If the vegetarian meal plan does not
work for you, and will absolutely stand in the way of your ability to attend the program, please let me
know, and we will see if we can make alternative arrangements for you.**)

Meal Plan Prices: (starting the morning of July 24th through the evening of July 30th)
All plans include a gratuity for the wait staff who will be assisting during each of the meals.

Plan A | 3 meals per day: $44/day – Total: $308

Plan B | Lunch & Dinner only: $40 – Total: $280

Plan C | Lunch only: $20.75 – Total: $145

MEAL PLANS MUST BE PURCHASED VIA THE RETREAT SITE BY JULY 1ST

Accommodations

As mentioned above, we have a comprehensive list of available accommodations in Crestone, on the

retreat website. In addition, we have a message board on the site, where participants can post requests
for ride and room shares.

WHAT TO BRING
a. Meditation cushions. Please plan to bring a zafu and zabuton or whatever cushion you use
when meditating. We are working to borrow some from other local centers, but a full supply of these is
not guaranteed at this point.

b. Retreat clothing. Loose clothing tends to be most comfortable. Other clothing should be
appropriate for the high desert climate in Crestone – even though we are meeting in summer, the
evenings can be fairly cool. Because of the unpredictable nature of Colorado weather, you may also
want to consider bringing a light raincoat. Finally, you will most likely need to make the trek up the
driveway to the retreat center for the program, so bring appropriately comfortable walking shoes.

Please bring a bottle of water each day, you can get easily get dehydrated in this environment.

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c. Medications, Toiletries, Personal Items. There is no local pharmacy in Crestone; bring all the
medications that you need. There is a small supermarket in Crestone with a reasonable selection of
creams, soaps, etc, but if you use sun screen, mosquito repellant, moisturizing lotion or other such
products, bring a supply. If you wear contact lenses, bring an ample supply of them, as well as lens
solution. You may also wish to bring an alarm clock.

WHAT NOT TO BRING

Absolutely no alcohol, recreational drugs, or tobacco are permitted at Vajra Vidya Retreat Center.

WI-FI, CELL RECEPTION, EMERGENCY CONTACT

Access to the Internet from VVRC will be available on an emergency basis only. There is a Wi-Fi spot at
the coffee shop in Crestone, and at most of the places for accommodation on the list.

Cell phone reception is very limited in the Crestone area – Verizon plans tend to work best, but AT&T
does also work there now. Please check with your provider before you come to see what accessibility
you’ll have in that area. The phone at VVRC will be available for emergencies only.

At the time of registration, we will make a list of where each of you is staying, in the event that
you need to be contacted in an emergency.

You may provide the Vajra Vidya Retreat Center number to be used to locate you in an
emergency: (719) 256 5539

CRESTONE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE

Crestone has a high desert climate and during summer is likely to be fairly warm during the day –
typically in the 80’s – and in the 60’s at night. Rainfall is very possible. Because of the remote location,
air quality is very good, and you can expect the air to be quite dry. Mosquitoes are still a consideration
this time of year – bring plenty of repellant.

The Vajra Vidya Retreat Center is located at an elevation of 8300 feet. This altitude can have a definite
effect on those who aren’t accustomed to it: please plan to drink plenty of water to combat any ill-
effects, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself walking or running a bit slower than usual, or needing
a bit of time to catch your breath.

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VOLUNTEER HELP
Many of you have already contacted us and volunteered to help with retreat work, for which we thank
you! This is what makes it possible to hold this retreat in such a remote area.

Volunteers should plan to cover an assignment 3-4 times. Please see the listing below of where we still
need assistance, and email vvrcinfo@gmail.com if you can help in any of these areas:

a) Kitchen/VVRC – prep people, cooks, servers

b) Household/VVRC – cleaning, laundry, maintenance of common space
c) Registration/Concierge – greeting guests, being available for guest needs
d) Umze – leading meditation sessions
e) General – lots of tasks to consider with setting up VVRC for the program each day, and breaking
it down afterward. We would like everyone to consider being available for a shift for this at
some point during the retreat.

SHUTTLE BUS
There will not be a shuttle this year to bring people to Crestone from Denver, since everyone will be
staying offsite from where the program will be conducted. Therefore, be sure to check the retreat
website for ride and room share opportunities.

PUBLIC TALK
Rinpoche’s public talk will take place at 7:00 pm on Saturday, July 23rd, in the shrine room at Vajra Vidya.

REFUGE/EMPOWERMENT CEREMONY
We will have both a refuge ceremony and an empowerment during the program, and will keep you
posted on the details of each.

ORIENTATION
We will hold an orientation for the week’s activities on July 23rd, at 4pm, at the Desert Restaurant.

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INTERVIEWS W/RINPOCHE
As always, we will schedule group and individual interviews with Rinpoche the best we can, given the
time available for it, and a respect for his need to rest considering all the demands of this program. We
will tell everyone the system for scheduling these during the orientation. All interviews with Rinpoche
will take place at Vajra Vidya.

NOBLE SILENCE
“Noble Silence - a technique used by Buddhists in which a person refrains from speaking as a way to
help quiet the mind and condition the body in the discipline of right speech.” Leighton Bates

We realize the challenges we have this year for creating and maintaining a sacred space for the
teachings, with everyone staying offsite from where the teachings will be held.

With that challenge in mind, we would like to recommend that everyone commit to noble silence
wherever you are, with only functional talking from wake up until after the afternoon’s teaching, and
then again after dinner. The retreat committee will facilitate this same silence at Vajra Vidya during the
program. There should be no talking in the shrine room. Someone from the retreat committee will be
available at all times to answer questions/concerns that come up, and will handle these in the place and
time that it most conducive to maintaining the silent space of the retreat.

PERFUME AND SCENT

A number of sangha members are very sensitive to bodily odor, scents from essential oils and from
perfumes in different personal care products, and will have trouble breathing as a result. We are going
to spend a good bit of time in fairly close quarters with each other - please do what you can to be scent-
less during this retreat.

RECORDING/PICTURES
We will have someone filming the teachings again this year, and will let you know the details of getting a
copy of the DVD after the program. If you wish to record the audio portion of the program, it is fine to
do so as long as it is not distracting to the other participants. The same is true for photographs: no flash
photography will be permitted during the teachings, and we ask that you not take non-flash pictures
either if the noise of your camera would be distracting to others.

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DIRECTIONS

FROM THE NORTH:

 Take Route 285 South from Denver (pick it up in Morrison, just outside of Golden, Southwest of
Denver off of C-470) Stay on this road for about 3 hours south of Denver
 Take 285 left onto Highway 17 (follow the signs for Alamosa and the Great Sand Dunes National
Park).
 From the turnoff onto Route 17 it is about 12 miles to the town of Moffat.
 At Moffat turn left (East, toward the mountains) onto County Road T. Follow County Road T to
the Information Kiosk at the fork in the road, just past the Baptist Church.
 Turn right (South) onto Camino Baca Grande, through the white gates that say "Baca Grande".
 Stay on Camino Baca Grande for about one mile until the point where it becomes a dirt road.
Just before the pavement ends turn right (West) onto Camino Real (known locally as Two Trees
Road).
 Take Camino Real about 3/4 mile to Wagon Wheel Road.
 Turn left (South) onto Wagon Wheel Road (you'll see a ranch house on the corner, with many
old cars parked on the lot).
 Continue on Wagon Wheel until you come to a stop sign (about 2 miles).
 Turn left (East) at the stop sign onto Camino del Rey, a paved road. Follow it to the T.
 Turn left (North) at the T (you're now back onto Camino Baca Grande extension), and see the
entrance to Vajra Vidya immediately on the right. Follow the drive through the trees to the
center.

FROM THE SOUTH:

 Take Route 17 North from Alamosa 40 miles to the town of Moffat.

 Turn right (East) on County Road T. (If you pass the Moffat School and post office/trading post
on your left you have missed the turnoff.)
 Follow the directions above to get to Vajra Vidya.

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