Mandarava Retreat Dzamling Gar March 2026

by Paula Barry

We came from all over this troubled globe to Tenerife Island with the deliberate purpose of immersing ourselves for two weeks in retreat to practice the Mandarava long life practice. 

In the center of Tenerife is the high volcanic peak of Teide, which has been having some rumblings of late. Its ancient lava crags and plateaus lead down to the Atlantic Ocean where black beaches invite the brave to immerse themselves in the crashing waves or the more timid to find a comfortable seat on the rocks and listen to the sounds of the ocean and smell her fresh scent and watch the sun slowly descend nightly below the horizon.

Dzamling Gar, the global Gar, envisioned by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, to be the nexus of the worldwide Dzogchen Community where practitioners from all over the world can have a place to connect and reconnect to the teachings and practices our Master. The Gar itself is a beautiful oasis where practitioners can come and stay for a period of time in order to newly acquaint themselves with the teachings and practices, or recharge and newly experience practices that have long been a part of their lives.

The retreat began the day following Losar, the Tibetan New Year, having left behind the year of the Wood Snake and entered the year of the Fire Horse. It started off with Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo interpreting the ancient Tibetan symbolism of the depiction of this year’s drawing of the ox and the shepard [see page } in a fascinating depiction the symbolic colors of the ox’s legs, horns, stomach ears and tail, as well as the symbolism represented by the shepard who is guiding the ox: his age, the colors of his belt and clothing, if he is wearing shoes and the whip he is carrying.  It seems that this coming year holds some portent of contagious diseases, and periods of drought, as well as difficulties with agricultural productions, there could be less depression, and the population of the Earth will have more power of self determination. In conclusion, we must move ahead, we have no choice.  If we are able to be relaxed, kind and loving, this is most positive.

Our Mandarava Practice retreat was guided by Fabio Andrico. Sadly, Elio Guarisco and Nina Robinson, the other students of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu authorized to guide Mandarava retreats have passed, though their knowledge and devotion to the practice remains with us. Assisting Fabio with guiding the three practices we did each day were the melodious and precise voices of Sebastian Remy and Naomi Zeitz. We began each morning at 7:15 with the very short practice consisting of the essential transformation into the Dakini Mandarava, the recitation of her two mantras that call to us the attainments of a long and fruitful life, as well as the Sogthig breathing practice used to integrate the Karmic breathing within the central channel of wisdom so as to truly experience  our authentic condition synonymous with immortal life. 

Fabio painstakingly instructed and guided our breathing and visualizations through the myriad Tsa Lung practices of Mandarava, helping us to have real experiences of heat and pleasure governed by the experience of discovering our primordial condition of emptiness. He made sure that we were able to fine tune our inhalation, holding, and exhalation of the breath so as to enable a precise experience of each of the Tsa lungs.

We all felt the determined and devoted work of the Karma Yogis who, like a strong backbone, helped this retreat to run smoothly. We experienced the kindness and loving attention to each detail, from the cleaning of the facilities, to the immaculately kept fragrant gardens of flowers and native plants, to the preparation of simple, yet scrumptious, meals.

It was a surprising pleasure to awaken each morning to lovely birdsongs and walk through the semidarkness to the Gönpa of Dzamling Gar to begin another day of the Long Life practice of Mandarava, and to feel the presence of our Rinpoche, who 42 years ago in the cave of Mandarava in Nepal miraculously received this terma practice of Mandarava in a series of dreams. 

We are so grateful for all the possibilities and good fortune this practice provides.  Thank you Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, from the bottom of our hearts.