We cordially invite you to join us for the 32nd Treasury of Knowledge retreat with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in Austin, Texas, the weekend of Friday, January 22 – Sunday, January 24, 2027. Rinpoche’s teachings will fall during the closing weeks of the Fire Horse year, in the quiet reflective season leading into Losar – a fitting time to gather, study and turn inward before the new year of the Fire Sheep begins.
The title of Rinpoche’s program is Mind-Free Awareness: The Vital Points of Dzogchen. This is a continuation of Dzogchen teachings that Rinpoche began at TOK in 2024.
“Mind-free awareness sounds like a paradox. In dzogchen, the “great perfection” of the Nyingma tradition, it’s the heart of the matter: our mind’s pure essence, pristine awareness, goes beyond anything we ordinarily experience as mind. To recognize this awareness, again and again until it becomes familiar, the tradition says we need one special condition: a qualified, lineage-holding teacher.
In this weekend retreat, we have the rare opportunity to receive teachings and experiential guidance directly from Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, a master of this lineage. Through the blessings of Rinpoche’s presence and the illumination of his instructions, we may discover that our practice takes a leap—bringing peace to our awakening hearts and, through that, healing to the world.” — Mitra Tyler Dewar
The program will be hybrid – both online and onsite, with Spanish, Chinese and German translation available on zoom. Recordings will be available until March 1, 2027.
This is the onsite —residential or commuter— registration page. Onsite attendees should register by January 10, 2027.
To register for ONLINE-only attendance click here.
Click here for tentative onsite Schedule
The program will be held at the Ancient Yoga Center (www.ancientyogacenter-event.com/) at Radha Madhav Dham Ashram, a beautiful 230-acre hill country property about 30 min south of downtown Austin.
TRANSPORTATION: The Ancient Yoga Center is 30 minutes from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and easily accessible through Uber. For directions: https://www.ancientyogacenter-event.com/directions–transportation.html
ACCOMMODATIONS: There are a variety of limited housing options at Radha Madhav Dham Ashram to accommodate your preferences. Onsite participants have a choice of a one-, two- or three-person rooms with an attached (private) bath, or one-, two- or three-person rooms with a shared bath just down the hall. If you live or are staying in the Austin area, there is also an option for commuting to the program from your home or lodging.
MEALS: Vegetarian meals are included with your lodging or commuter reservation, beginning with dinner on Friday night and ending with lunch on Sunday. Gluten-free and vegan options are available for every meal, and the kitchen will make individual adjustments for any medical dietary restrictions.
MORE INFORMATION: What to bring, shrine-room etiquette, further lodging at AYC information (including cancellation policy) and more can be found HERE
***Important: if you are attending onsite, fill in this form for a lodging request in addition to registering below for the program.
***Commuters will also need to answer the food-related questions in the form.
COST:
Program Tuition:
- Sponsor level: $300
- Regular: $225 $200 if registered by Dec 15th
- Discount: $150
Room & Board:
| ACCOMMODATIONS RATES – Per Person, for 2 nights (includes meals*) | |
| Rooms with shared common bath: | * Rates are per person, for 2 nights |
| 3 people | $230 |
| 2 people | $260 |
| 1 person | $280 |
| Rooms with private attached bath: | |
| 3 people | $250 |
| 2 people | $280 |
| 1 person | $310 |
| Commuter fee and meals | $180 |
For those wishing to stay at AYC (onsite), after filling out the lodging request form, you will receive an invoice for payment for the room you have been assigned, which will be due in 3 days after receipt to hold your spot. If we are not able to honor your first or second choices, we’ll let you know.
Questions? email help@nalandabodhi.org
Teacher Bios:
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
FOUNDER & SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR, nalandabodhi
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a widely known Buddhist teacher and the author of Emotional Rescue, Rebel Buddha, and other books. A lover of classic rock music, art, and urban culture, he is a poet, photographer, accomplished calligrapher, and visual artist. Ponlop Rinpoche is our founder, president, and spiritual director.
Rinpoche is one of the foremost scholars and meditation masters of his generation in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He is known for his sharp intellect, humor, and easygoing teaching style, for launching the kindness initiative #GoKind, and for his outreach to communities internationally.
Mitra Tyler Dewar
Mitra Tyler was born in Nova Scotia, Canada. He has been engaged in the study and practice of Buddhism since 1996, becoming a student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche two years later. He began studying the Tibetan language in 1997, and became an oral interpreter and textual translator for Nitartha Institute and Nalandabodhi in 2000.
Tyler joined the faculty of Nitartha Institute in 2003 and was appointed as a senior teacher in Nalandabodhi in 2005. He has served as an oral interpreter for lineage-holding masters of the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. Tyler is the father of an amazing daughter and lives in Seattle, Washington.
Date/Time
Date(s) - Fri., January 22, 2027 - Sun., January 24, 2027
All Day
Location Ancient Yoga Center (AYC) at Radha Madhav Dham Ashram
