About the Retreat

Dakini in Sanskrit or Khandro in Tibetan means "sky dweller" or "sky dancer" and embodies the most sacred aspect of Tibetan Buddhism's feminine principle, reflecting humanity and divinity in feminine form.

This retreat introduces essential elements for a meditation practice for new students. For more seasoned practitioners, it connects with energetic beings in feminine form, evoking the movement of energy in space. In this context, the sky or space indicates Sūnyatā, the insubstantiality of all phenomena and the pure potentiality of all possible manifestations.

In Dzogchen, the Dakini represents the final stage on the Vajrayana Path:

As the Base, the Dākinīs are the energies of life; as the Path, they are the activities of advanced practitioners; and as the Fruit, they are the actionless activities of the realized Masters.

Attending the first year of this retreat is not a prerequisite for joining us for the program's second year of the Dance of the Dakinis. However, we strongly recommend reviewing the Mini-Series: Meditation Practice as preparation. It will deepen your awareness and enrich your in-person time with Carlos de León.

Program Objectives of the Meditation Retreat

Retreat Highlights: Fundamental Practices and Theoretical Foundations of Yeshe Tsogyal and Yumka Dechen Gyalmo

Yeshe Tsogyal (c. 757 or 777 - 817 EC), also known as "Victorious Ocean of Knowledge," Empress of the Lake of Knowledge," or by her Sanskrit name Jñānasāgara "Ocean of Knowledge," or by her clan name of "Lady Kharchen," reached enlightenment during his life and is considered the mother of Tibetan Buddhism. 

Yeshe Tsogyal is the most important woman of the Nyingma Vajrayana lineage. Some sources say that as a princess of Karchen, she was a wife or consort of Tri Songdetsen, the Emperor of Tibet. She began studying Buddhism with Padmasambhava and became his main Karmamudrā consort. Yeshe Tsogyal is also considered a manifestation of Bodhisattva Tara and an emanation of Samantabhadrī, Prajnaparami, and Vajrayogini.

She focuses on the transformation from ordinary grasping and clinging to altruistic, supreme love; it focuses on the transformation of our identity and the re-inhabitation of the experience embodied in the energy of the yidam, the deity of meditation. It is a practice that frees the mind from the confines of its habitual reference points. This is a profound method of meditation based on the Vajrayana view of the mind so that our identity is opened and aesthetically charged with the energies of the five wisdoms.

Yumka Decheng Gyalmo ("The Queen of Great Joy") is a Dakini and an emanation of Vajrayogini. She is called Yumka ("mother") because she is the mother of all the Buddhas and incarnations of the goddess Mahayana Prajnaparami. Yumka Decheng Gyalmo is the Pacific Dakini practice of Longchen Nyingtik, Jikmé Lingpa's Terma revelation

Yumka Decheng Gyalmo is a Sadhana practice about Yeshe Tsogyal, the consort of Guru Rinpoche, as the Dakini of wisdom. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Yumka Decheng Gyalmo is the incarnation of the wisdom unity that emptiness and great joy perform. Its Dakini nature symbolizes original purity and perfection, which is associated with the nature of Buddha. The practice of Yumka aims to reveal innate consciousness (Rigpa), which is beyond dualistic concepts.

Join us for this transformative retreat to deepen your meditation practice, connect with profound feminine energies, and advance on your spiritual Path.

Date, Time & Location

Program Format: Residential Retreat of 6 Days and 5 Nights

Program Dates: October 27 through November 1, 2025

Session Times: (Estimates only, due to the nature of Carlos de Leon's teaching style)

Location: Loon Lake Lodge & Retreat Centre, Maple Ridge, BC, nestles on the shores of a pristine lake within the University of British Columbia's Malcolm Knapp Research Forest. Just 1.5 hours from downtown Vancouver, this location offers an oasis of tranquillity, surrounded by an enchanted forest brimming with walking trails and wildlife.

Tel: (604) 463-8149; Toll-Free: (866) 463-8165
Address: 14500 Silver Valley Road, Maple Ridge, BC V4R 2R3
Website: http://www.loonlake.ubc.ca 

Language: English  

Program Access & Material: To support the integration of the teachings, audio files and PDFs will remain available for your personal download for two months following the retreat's conclusion. After this period, the program materials will be removed from the website.