Richard John, an early student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, has served as acharya for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche for 20 years. He completed the first three-year retreat at Gampo Abbey, and now teaches Shambhala Buddhist meditation courses full time. Richard and his wife Liz reside in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Events with Richard John
10-Day Mahamudra & Trekcho RetreatMarch 8 - 19, 2024
The training in recognizing mind essence is this: short moment repeated many times. There is no other way. –Tulku Urgyen Vajrayana practitioners are invited to join us for the 12th (almost annual) Mahamudra and Trekchö Retreat at Casa Werma. Based on the transmission of the nature of mind by the guru, these are essential practices of the path of wisdom. As they belong to the “practice lineages”–the Kagyu and Nyingma–emphasis will be on the profound simplicity of direct experience over scholarship. This 10-day retreat will mix the mahamudra investigations from the classic Kagyu text Pointing Out the Dharmakaya with pith…
Dralas of Casa WermaMarch 20 - 27, 2024
“The dralas are dying to meet you!” –the Dorje Dradul The inherent magic of this adobe-walled oasis was apparent to Chögyam Trungpa when he wrote “The Roar of the Werma” here in 1980. So did Sakyong Mipham when he visited Casa Werma and wrote the poem “Kalapa Patzcuaro” in 2014. This one-week vajrayana retreat, following the annual 10-Day Mahamudra Retreat, will be grounded in the practice and study of the Werma Sadhana. We will also explore some of the drala treasures of the Patzcuaro region, including indigenous pyramids, sacred lakes, and regional cuisine and arts. A highlight of every retreat…
