OCTOBER 2026 – RIGPE DORJE FOUNDATION

Unless otherwise specified, all activities are led by Acharya Chöying Gyurmey, our resident lama.
Our activities are shared on Zoom unless otherwise indicated:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83864262659?pwd=SEdHNTFRUDZ0YlBOZEY1ck1PdElWUT09
Meeting ID: 838 6426 2659
Passcode: 311753

Regular meditation sessions and sadhana practices (pujas) are free for members. The suggested donation for non-members is $10.
Membership and donations ensure the sustainability and flourishing
of our Centre, as well as supporting our resident lama. Donations of any amount are appropriate and appreciated.
https://rigpedorjemontreal.org/en/dons

Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4

Guided meditation retreat with Venerable Drupon Khenpo Lodrö Namgyal

Following two weekends of profound teachings in late September, Venerable Drupon Khenpo Lodrö Namgyal will guide us in Mahamudra meditation, drawing on The Kusali’s Instructions on the True Nature of Mind by Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Thayé.

Drupon Khenpo was the main teacher of our resident lama, Acharya Chöying Gyurmey, during his studies at the Shedra (Buddhist monastic college). Acharya has said that simply being in the presence of Drupon Khenpo and listening to his teachings inspired him to apply himself wholeheartedly to his meditation practice.

All sessions for this retreat will be shared on Zoom and recorded. Participants will have access to recordings if they are unable to attend the live sessions.

This retreat with Drupon Khenpo will be translated into English, French, Spanish, and Chinese.

To learn more about Drupon Khenpo

People wishing to participate in the meditation retreat are strongly advised to have attended the instructional sessions during the two previous weekends, in person, on Zoom, or by listening to the recordings.

The schedule for the retreat is as follows:

9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Session with Drupon Khenpo
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Session with Drupon Khenpo
3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Break—refreshments will be served
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Session with Drupon Khenpo

Sunday, October 4, at 5 p.m.

We will hold a brief ceremony to express our profound appreciation to Drupon Khenpo for graciously sharing the teachings of the Dharma with our community, and to bid him a warm farewell and wish him safe travels. Please join us.

If you would like to register and have not yet done so, please follow this link:

https://rigpedorjemontreal.org/en/khenpo-lodro-namgyal-negi/

REGISTRATION

Wednesday, October 7, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Chenrezik and Amitabha Sadhanas

Love, compassion, joy, and wisdom—together known as bodhicitta—are the indivisible nature of the Buddha’s enlightened mind. Chenrezik (Skt. Avalokiteshvara), the Buddha of Infinite Compassion, embodies these virtuous qualities.

Through the practice of Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light, beings are guided to rebirth in Dewachen (Skt. Sukhavati), the pure realm of immaculate happiness, joy, and bliss.

Members: Free
Non-members: Suggested donation $10

Saturdays, October 10, 17, 24, and 31, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Follow-up sessions to the teachings and retreat with Drupon Khenpo

Acharya will lead these follow-up sessions to provide an opportunity to revisit, reflect on, and deepen our understanding of the teachings through guided meditation and a Q&A session.

Everyone is welcome to join us as we continue to explore and apply the teachings in our daily lives, allowing them to become a direct experience and, ultimately, lead to a deeper realization.

Free for those who attended the teachings and retreat.
Suggested donation for other members: $8
Suggested donation for other non-members: $10

Zoom : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83901303012?pwd=WAX9ZSQUSlgaBbmuHqzU3QPoCtiJzS.1
Meeting ID: 839 0130 3012
Passcode: 407283

Wednesdays, October 14 and 26, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Guru Yoga and Calling the Lama from Afar

In the Vajrayana tradition, devotion to the guru is a fundamental practice. With a heart filled with renunciation, we cultivate devotion to the guru as we recite heartfelt supplications, asking for their blessings to realize all the stages of the path to enlightenment. We chant the prayer melodiously, confident that our guru is none other than the Awakened One.

Members: Free
Non-members: Suggested donation $10

Mondays, October 19 and 26, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. [ONLY ON ZOOM]

Introduction to Tibetan, Level 1

A 12-week online course—Mondays, from October 19 to January 4, 2027, with Miriam Paknys.

Please note that important Rigpe Dorje Centre activities may be scheduled on some Mondays. In such cases, classes will be rescheduled. Please check our monthly calendar for the latest updates.

The beginner Tibetan course introduces the sounds of Tibetan. It also provides personalized feedback and strategies for correct pronunciation, and it teaches how to spell Tibetan syllables. We will learn the correct writing stroke order of the letters and how to easily differentiate them. Then you will practise reading syllables and words using brief conversational dialogues and short prayers, and in that way start to learn some grammar rules. We will also look briefly at how to recognize Sanskrit sounds as they are represented in Tibetan phonetics.

Miriam Paknys has taught beginners’ Tibetan, both in person and online, for the past two years. In that time, she has improved her own conversational Tibetan to an intermediate level. She regularly interprets dharma teachings from English into French.

Miriam teaches in Tibetan, English, and French.

Members: Suggested donation: $100 for 12 classes
Non-members: Suggested donation: $120 for 12 classes

REGISTRATION

Mondays, October 19 and 26, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. [IN PERSON ONLY]

Tibetan Language Course—Level 3

A 12-week in-person course—Mondays, from October 19 to January 4, 2027. with Acharya Chöying Gyurmey

Please note that important Rigpe Dorje Centre activities may be scheduled on some Mondays. In such cases, classes will be rescheduled. Please check our monthly calendar for the latest updates.

Prerequisite: The ability to decipher syllables and read simple texts, even if you don’t understand all the meaning.

In this course, you will further develop your reading skills and your comprehension of Tibetan. You will build on your knowledge of Dharma vocabulary. You will improve your understanding of words, phrases, and sentence structure in Dharma texts, as well as in everyday speech. You will be able to use these words and sentences in simple conversations.

Acharya teaches in English and in Tibetan.

Members: Suggested donation: $100 for 12 classes
Non-members: Suggested donation: $120 for 12 classes

REGISTRATION

Guru Rinpoche Day

Kunchok Chidu Sadhana and Tsok Offering

Prayers to Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, are considered increasingly powerful in these difficult times. He is often invoked for protection and to remove obstacles.

Note: Please bring fruits, cookies, cake, juice, etc. to offer for the Tsok. Out of concern for the environmental impact of our practice, we ask that you limit the amount of plastic packaging in any Tsok offerings you bring. Thank you for helping in this way.

Members: Free
Non-members: Suggested donation $10

Sunday, October 25

Tea meditation, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Led by Acharya Chöying Gyurmey and Tea Master Vivian Li

A tea meditation involves being mindful and present during all aspects of the tea ritual, including making the tea, drinking the tea, and being aware of the environment and the effects on your mind and body. Tea meditation can be practised at any time during the day. It’s an example of how to apply meditation to daily life.

Vegetarian potluck lunch, 12:00 p.m.

Please bring some vegetarian food to share and join us for a potluck lunch after the meditation.

Members: Free
Non-members: Suggested donation $10

Monday, October 26 [IN PERSON ONLY]

Full Moon Day

Mahayana Sojong vows, The Treasury of Blessings, Heart Sutra, Lamp Offering, and Dedication, 6:30 to 8:00 a.m.

Vegetarian Potluck breakfast, 8:30 a.m.

Sojong is a short ritual for taking the eight Mahayana vows of a lay practitioner for a single day. These vows are to be taken before sunrise and include not eating after the midday meal.

The Treasury of Blessings Sadhana is a simple and beautiful meditation on Sakyamuni Buddha that anyone can practice.

The Heart Sutra encapsulates the topic of the Prajnaparamita (Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom) Sutra on the unerring paths of methods taught in all Sutras.

Through the Lamp Offering, we offer light with the aspiration that obstacles to personal and global peace may be overcome, and that happiness, love, and compassion may spread throughout the world, benefiting all beings.

Members: Free
Non-members: Suggested donation $10