Thödgal Retreat at Tenerife, Canary Islands

by Carole Georges from France

Facts :
What :Thodgal Retreat
When : April 4th – 10th, 2014
Who : Around 1000 people registered (967 exactly) for these special Teachings of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu.
Where : In Tenerife south, divided in 2 places : Dzamling Gar for Tibetan Songs and Dances every day. Tijoco Bajo Sports Center for Teachings on the morning and for Ganapuja, lottery and auction on the afternoon of April 9th. The 2 places were connected by free buses.

How to talk about Thödgal Retreat without revealing anything about such precious and secret teachings ? As I have no solution to this puzzle, I prefer to ask other practitioners to collaborate. With around 1000 people attending this seven-day retreat in Tenerife, the choice is large. “Please would you like to share your own experience about this retreat ?” Of course, some of them hesitate a little bit, because they know they should self liberate their own emotions instead of sharing them with The Mirror. They know also they shouldn’t judge people or the organization and it is better to stay in equanimity. Then they understand this article is for our relative condition, so they agree to adapt themselves to these journalistic circumstances and to share their experience. Thanks very much for your compassion and collaboration

It is not so easy to keep presence in the middle of so many people from all over the world, on a beautiful island where causes of distraction are numerous (sea, pretty women and men, sun, Delek bar, etc.) But even over a beer, practitioners don’t forget why they come here. “We have lots of friends in the Community, we meet new guys (and girls, editor’s note); but the main point is the teachings. The topic is so advanced. Sometimes explanations of Rinpoche are so direct and essential, so we discuss with friends to see others points of view, even though we all know it is not about intellectual understanding”, tells Peter from Slovakia. Likewise, Medhi, from Paris, says he is not distracted by the environment. “Of course it is very inspiring, with the volcano and the ocean, but for me, what is important is the content of the teachings. I would have gone anywhere to receive them.” Probably. But even if we know everywhere is nirvana, some parts of nirvana might be more attractive than others… For example Dzamling Gar, which is the heart of everything.

“It is the 1st time we have the possibility to have this Thödgal retreat here in Dzamling Gar. It is quite auspicious. If I compare the two Thödgal retreats (the previous one was in 2011 in Tenerife north, Ed. note), here it is more the feeling of a family, the beginning of the reunion of the Vajra family. We have the place, the collaboration, good energy, everything is going in a positive direction”, says Wes Guo from China. Dzamling Gar, a family house ? A feeling shared by some other practitioners. “There is a nucleus part of the international community, about few hundred of people, who always come from all over the world for such an important retreat, practicing together. We know each other, that’s very nice. A retreat like this, we feel like in one big family”, says Russian Sasha Pubants. A feeling that Dirk from Barcelona tries to explain : “The ambiance is different from the other Thödgal retreat in 2011 (which was also fantastic) because there is the Gar now. People have a place to come. It is a point of reference, the center of activities. There is the house of Rinpoche, He is here. In the North I felt more as a guest. Here I feel more at home.”

Even if teachings don’t take place in Dzamling Gar but are fifteen minutes away by bus, people seem to be satisfied. Every morning, many free busses are driving us to this huge hall, from Dzamling Gar and some other villages. After the Teachings, the busses wait for us to come back. On the road to and from Tijoco Bajo Sports Center also, we can contemplate the ocean and the outline of some other Canarian Islands. “It was a great job to organize this event. We can see how people collaborate and do everything they can do to help and to provide good organization”, notices Olesya, 29 years old, from Moscow. A thousand people in the same place seems not to be a problem. “I have been amazed that even with so many people, it was also very nice and such a strong experience”, says Kristine from Denmark , 59 years old. Tracy Ni from China expresses a similar sentiment, “Everything goes smoothly and quietly, it is very impressive. One afternoon, around fifty Chinese people went to the house of Rinpoche and they arranged the bus service especially for us.”  “It is at the same time flowing, simple and efficient. Although we don’t feel the structure, everything is there and they welcome us with an open heart”, says Hélène from Nice, France.

Flowing are also Tibetan Songs and Dances, in the program every afternoon, from 5pm to around 8pm. “After the teachings, which are very deep and intense, where we need to be very concentrated, dancing in the afternoon is really like an opening up. Through joy and play, we are practicing presence”, tells Anna Diogène from Barcelona, Spain. Sasha Pubants agrees : “Tibetan dances are in the program with such big teachings of Thödgal. The dances are also a part of teachings of the Master, who is not dependent on concrete form or rule to give teachings, because he is a Dzogchen Master. He transmits the teachings 24-hours a day, in any situation. Rinpoche uses circumstances, here the situation of Tibet, in a very creative and precise way, to go beyond the concrete limitations of the forms and the way of what is practice, because practice should be the life. If we are aware and considering this, we can have continuous flow and guidance of the teachings. We dance, we enjoy, our mind is relax, happy, that is actually the best and perfect conditions to apply the advice of Dzogchen teachings”.

Beyond geographical limitations also; one afternoon, about eighteen dancers give an open air representation at the City Hall square in the neighboring town of Adeje, in a wonderful spot, surrounded by proud mountains. Many people of the Community are there and a few people from Adeje, which is not a surprise because this event has been organized just a few days before. Then Rinpoche invites everybody to join the dances.  “I could see light in his face, smiling and looking at all people dancing. Seeing so many people who can dance or try to dance, it is very moving”, says Anna Diogène.

This time, Yantra Yoga and Vajra Dance are not officially in the program. Maybe in order for people to relax instead of accumulating activities. But who is really interested may learn, by word of mouth, that some instructors are leading Yantra Yoga practices every morning at 8 in the sports center. Preliminaries, rhythmic breathing, yantras… “It is an informal meeting of enthusiastic yantra yoga practitioners and instructors, like Misha. We take the first bus at 7H45, start at 8 until 9.30am. For me it is very interesting because from each instructor I discover a new mistake in my practice”, says Verena from Bolzano, Italy. Vajra Dance practices appear also spontaneously in the beginning of the afternoon in Dzamling Gar. “During a retreat, it’s good to make the most of the presence of dancers from all over the world to share these practices together”, says Sandor Dani from France. That’s why some practitioners wish it is integrated in the program. “Not everybody knows we can practice Vajra Dance so they don’t come. Schedules would have helped”, notices Olesya from Russia.

One afternoon, three Chinese and two French people have to dance in front of Rinpoche. These five new instructors got their Diploma directly from His hands. What is their impression? “It’s too personal to talk about it”, admits Sandor Dani. “It’s a huge opportunity to be presented in front of Rinpoche during this Thödgal retreat and also dancing in Dzamling Gar because it’s an auspicious place”.

When people don’t come to dance, they enjoy beaches, swimming-pools and sun. “With my husband, we had a lot of work before coming here and we just need to relax, enjoy to be on holiday together, sitting outside in the sun and reading a lot”, says Kristine from Denmark. Some others are going touring, discovering the picturesque village of Mazca or the beautiful black sand beach Playa de la Arena. And every day, from the morning until midnight, people can meet in the Delek, just in front of the Gar. A very user-friendly café where we can eat good and cheap food and have a drink with friends. Thanks to a free wireless Internet connection, some people can also work there, such as one italian researcher, who has asked permission of his boss to come to Tenerife, attending the teachings on the morning and working with his computer after lunch.

As usual in such a big retreat, one afternoon is dedicated to Ganapuja, lottery and auction. A pure moment of joy, like a game, with a peak when Rinpoche offers one of his precious rings and he directly removes it from his finger for the auction. As an auspicious sign, on this special day, the day of Guru Padmasambhava, a huge and bright thigle appears in the sky, around the moon. For the Russian practitioner Natalia, it is “like the symbol of Dzogchen Teachings and also a beautiful realization of this retreat, because everything is perfect”.

 

Here we present the point of view of Sean Read, as one of the organizers:

The lead up to this retreat was a stark contrast to the serene, well-oiled machine portrayed above. Perhaps few people know that only two weeks before the retreat, the venue had still not been decided, with the actual signing of the contract for the location happening within the week leading up to the retreat. Emotional tensions were running high as so many people, with such strong dedication to Rinpoche’s Teachings, came together to collaborate in order to offer to Rinpoche the perfect mandala from which to transmit these most precious and secret teachings.

Largely this last minute rush can be attributed to the strong desire of so many involved to hold the event within Dzamling Gar itself. Rinpoche’s chosen seat for the international Dzogchen community, the wish of so many to hold the Thödgal teachings on this site is clearly understandable, and many efforts were made towards making this dream a reality.

However, the reality of the circumstances proved to be such that it was not feasible, and thus a rush to find a location from which to hold the teachings began.

Despite the late start, as the commencement of the retreat approached, the strong experience and organizational abilities of project management began to shine, as slowly the pieces fell in to place in time for the commencement of the event. It is only now in hindsight reading the words of the attendees above that it is possible recognize how well the organizers did to pull off such a large event so smoothly, with so little time. My thanks go out to all of them.