Dark Retreat Workshops

Using the absence of light over stretches of time is a practice found in virtually all the great spiritual traditions. It is an advanced technique in Tibetan Dzogchen practice to help the practitioner shed the external distractions, recognize internal distractions, and ultimately come to clarity and balance. This introductory workshop, led by dharma teacher and chaplain for Hart Island Justin von Bujdoss, contextualizes the practice, and aims to help workshop attendees anticipate what may or may not arise in a dark retreat setting. There will be a period of up to 15 minutes of complete darkness during the session.

Prior to the workshop, Justin von Bujdoss will lead a 2:00 PM tour of the Lukhang Murals located on the 2nd floor. The murals depict practitioners preparing to enter into dark retreats, a visual guide for participants to more fully understand this undertaking.

Recommended reading prior to the workshop:

Naked Seeing: The Great Perfection, the Wheel of Time and Visionary Buddhism in Renaissance Tibet, by Christopher Hatchell.

The Dalai Lama’s Secret Temple: Tantric Wall Paintings from Tibet, by Ian Baker, Thomas Laird.

Dawning of Clear Light: A Western Approach to Tibetan Dark Retreat Meditation, by Martin Lowenthal.

About the Teacher

Justin von Budjdoss (Repa Dorje Odzer) is an American dharma teacher who was ordained as a repa (lay tantric yogin) in the Karma Kamstang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism by His Eminence Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche in 2011. Justin has worked as a full-time hospital and home hospice chaplain and is trained both in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) as well as Buddhist end-of-life practices and spiritual care. Justin has served as the first dedicated Staff Chaplain and Executive Director of the Division of Chaplaincy and Staff Wellness for New York City Department of Correction and has worked extensively on Rikers Island. He is presently the chaplain for Hart Island, New York City’s public cemetery. Justin is working with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang on developing Yangti Yoga Retreat Center, a spaceretreat center dedicated to the practice of Ati Yoga (Dzogchen) Yangti Yoga (dDark retreat) and related bardo practices. He is the author of Modern Tantric Buddhism: Embodiment and Authenticity in Dharma Practice, published by North Atlantic Books, 2019.