Retreat of the Dance of the Song of the Vajra in Tsegyalgar West with Carisa O’Kelly

December 26, 2023 – January 8, 2024

Harmony, presence and clarity were what came alive during these two weeks of marvelous retreat on the mountain at Tsegyalgar West. Practitioners from Ireland, Costa Rica, Italy, South Africa, Germany, United States and of course México were present and joined happily in the dance in this incredible and powerful place, which apart from an impressive biological richness and beautiful scenery of wild nature possesses all the necessary infrastructure to receive and host 30 or more practitioners.

Apart from the pristine natural surroundings also the climate at this time of the year provided the perfect conditions for this retreat. We ate delicious Mexican food, went for a hike in nature with a picknick and went for a swim in the crystal clear water of the arroyo which runs through the property of the Gar, watched projected videos of our Teacher dancing, the development of Khandroling and practitioners dancing in other parts of the world with fresh popcorn in the kitchen, celebrated Christmas and New Year together at a bonfire with live music performed by practitioners and as Mexicans were able to share some of our traditions breaking a piñata and eating a “rosca de reyes.”

We learned about the meaning of the Dance and the Mandala and practiced the Dance for several sessions every day. For some of us it was the first time to dance the steps of the Dance of the Song of the Vajra, for some it was a very welcomed experience to refresh their knowledge and see the dance with new eyes, but all of us felt immensely grateful to Rinpoche for his inexhaustible gift of the teaching coming alive continuously through the activities of the Community.

While the retreat was ongoing, the necessity to have a fixed Mandala at the Gar became evident and thanks to the initiative of our instructor Carisa O’Kelly and the energy and enthusiasm of all the practitioners present we started to manifest it during the days of the retreat. Guided by Carisa we danced and painted with joy and the results were easy to see and feel:

“The Mandala of Tsegyalgar West is very much alive!”