Medicine Buddha

About the Medicine Buddha Retreat

This retreat is the perfect opportunity to spend time developing a relationship with the Medicine Buddha deities and their qualities in ourselves.  The retreat will include teachings and meditations on:

• awareness of suffering and its causes;
• how to develop compassion for self and others;
• and visualizing healing energy.

The main part of the retreat consists of the Medicine Buddha sadhana practice with mantra recitation sessions for visualizing healing, as well as positive outcomes, for ourselves, others, and the environment.

Requirements to Join the Retreat

It is not necessary to have received the initiation of Medicine Buddha in order to participate in this retreat.

It is most appropriate for people who have committed to Buddhism as their lifelong spiritual path and are ready to begin practice with a tantric deity as the focus.

This is a full time residential retreat. Participants are asked to commit to attend the full retreat and to abide by the course discipline as explained by the Geshe Tsundu at the beginning of the retreat.

Background to the Medicine Buddha Practice

To the Bhagavan with great compassion,
Whose name when merely heard dispels the sufferings of the lower realms.
Dispeller of disease and the three poisons,
I prostrate to the Medicine Buddha Lapis Lazuli Light

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings and that their names would become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings.

They vowed that their prayers would be actualized during these degenerate times when the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline.  When they became enlightened, one of the ten powers of a Buddha is the power of prayer – that means that all the prayers that have been made get fulfilled.  As the Buddha’s holy speech is irrevocable, you can wholly trust in their power to quickly grant blessings to help all sentient beings in these degenerate times.

They are called the Seven Medicine Buddhas.  The main one is ‘Lapis Buddha of Medicine, King of Light’.  Buddha Skakyamuni taught the teachings on the Medicine Buddha, and according to one tradition, is also considered as one of the Medicine Buddhas, and hence the Eight Medicine Buddhas.

Benefits of the Medicine Buddha Practice

• It is very powerful for purification – it purifies any broken vows or precepts.
• It is very powerful for healing sickness.
• And not only that, it is also very powerful for success.

Retreat details

There are three retreat packages available – all include all meals, accomodation and day pass for students not staying in house.

You can choose a private room or to share a room with another student. All rooms have an ensuite bathroom. If sharing, you can nominate the person you would like to share with, alternatively, the organisers will pair you with someone of the same gender and compatibility.

A day retreat pass is also offered, this will be for the whole retreat – due to demand and limited space, individual days will not be available.

All bedding, towels and bathroom amenities are provided. Please to be sure to bring warm clothes as the mountains is chilly at this time of year.

We look forward to welcoming you to this retreat and offer our heartfelt thanks to Geshe Tsundu for teaching us.

The full retreat program and supporting materials will be emailed to all registered participants ahead of the retreat starting.