Medicine Buddha Retreat
December 8 – 13, 2023
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Daily
In-Person Only
Suggested Donation: $75

Spiritual Director Kushok Lobsang Dhamchöe invites you to join him for a 6-day Medicine Buddha Retreat, beginning on Friday, December 8 and concluding on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.Each day of the retreat will be divided into four sessions of mantra recitation, as outlined in the daily schedule below. This retreat will take place in-person only at the Alberta Centre for Peace and Meditation (11403 101 Street, Edmonton, AB). If you are planning to attend all or part of this retreat, please make effort to recieve the Medicine Buddha Empowerment on Sunday, December 3.  

• Morning Sessions:
  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. MST
    • Morning tea / coffee and snacks provided 
  • 10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. MST
• Lunch Break: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. MST
  • Please bring your own lunch 
• Afternoon Sessions:
  • 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. MST
    • Afternoon tea / coffee and snacks provided 
  • 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. MST
• Dedication and Release

Retreat Details

• December 8-13, 2022
• 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily
• Chai and snacks provided
• Please plan to bring a bagged lunch (microwave available)

Suggested donation: $75

Pre-registration is required.

This retreat is open to anyone interested in developing or strengthening their connection to Medicine Buddha, and in receiving blessings. The benefits of this practice are described below by Lama Zopa Rinpoche: 

“The Medicine Buddha encompasses all the buddhas. This means that when we practice the seven-limb prayer and make offerings with the seven limbs, we receive the same merit as we would if we had made offerings to all the buddhas. Similarly, when we recite the mantra of Medicine Buddha, we collect unbelievable merit just as when we offer the seven-limb practice to Medicine Buddha.

To recite the Medicine Buddha mantra brings inconceivable merit. Manjushri requested the eight tathagatas (Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and the seven Medicine Buddhas) to reveal a special mantra that would make the prayers they (the eight tathagatas) made in the past (prayers to be able to actualize the happiness of sentient beings by attaining the path to enlightenment and pacifying various problems, to be able to see all the buddhas, and for all wishes to be quickly realized) to quickly come to pass, especially for those sentient beings born in the time of the five degenerations who have small merit and who are possessed and overwhelmed by various diseases and spirit harms.”

If you have questions regarding this retreat, or any of the courses, retreats, or events at Gaden Samten Ling, please contact the office at [email protected]. We would be happy to help you! 

Thank you for your continued support of Gaden Samten Ling. We look forward to seeing you on December 8!