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Yangsi Rinpoche during the Vajrasattva retreat at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, August 2021. Photo by Tsanka Petkova.
In August 2021, Institut Vajra Yogini (IVY), an FPMT center in southeastern France, hosted a ten-day Vajrasattva retreat with Yangsi Rinpoche. Christian Charrier, the spiritual program coordinator at IVY, shared this story of the retreat.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety measures decided by the government, we could not, as usual, host Yangsi Rinpoche for our yearly Vajrasattva retreat at Institut Vajra Yogini. Still the conditions were not so bad, since we managed to organize this retreat online with Rinpoche giving talks every day from a remote location.
But this year, our repeated prayers and aspirations had proved successful! Rinpoche, out of kindness, accepted our invitation to come in person to visit us. After a few months of suspense, not knowing for sure if he would be able to travel to France from the United States, we were delighted to see him come out of the director’s car after arriving at IVY and greet all the people waiting in line to welcome him with colorful khatas, broad smiles, and “thanks” on their lips. This was August, the sun was bright, and we all had masks!
As soon as Rinpoche entered the chateau, he went straight to the gompa to do full-length prostrations in front of Geshe Tengye’s reliquary stupa. With tears pearling in our eyes, we felt so fortunate and grateful that Rinpoche had come from such a far distance and was with us in his “real” physical form to help us purify our negativities.
Yangsi Rinpoche with students at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, August 2021. Photo by Tsanka Petkova.
The next day, Rinpoche started the retreat as usual by giving Vajrasatta initiation and practice instructions. The sessions were structured as he advised, starting with prostrations to the Thirty-Five Buddhas of Confession and supplemented with Lama Tsongkhapa’s Guru Yoga. As additional methods for transforming the mind during this Vajrasattva retreat, Rinpoche had us recite the Song of the Four Mindfulnesses, Calling the Guru from Afar, and stanzas on emptiness from the Wheel of Sharp Weapons.
Those who were not able to do the whole retreat or had not been tested for COVID could follow some sessions outside on the lawn. They could also join the evening events, which were organized every other day, and attend other practices such as reciting the Praises to the Twenty-one Taras, doing fumigation (smoke purification) practice, and receiving the lung of the Diamond Cutter Sutra from Rinpoche.
Yangsi Rinpoche with students at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, August 2021. Photo by Tsanka Petkova.
On the first day of the retreat, Rinpoche had suggested that we take notes of whatever insights on emptiness and of other experiences we had to be presented during a performance planned for the close of the retreat. Many people wanted to participate, and it was challenging to integrate everybody’s ideas and present them in a coherent and playful form. After a few rehearsals, it turned out that “COVID” and “emptiness” (“vide” in French) would make a tempting play on words and help us turn difficulties into humor. Several participants performed little sketches, accompanied by music, songs, duets, dances, scarfs, bubbles, … and much laughter.
In the same way that Rinpoche had led us to the open stage in the shade of the oak trees, he brought us all into bright light around the white stupa, where all the participants could fit in a complete circle. Finally, right in front of the main door, Rinpoche sang with us a homemade song created for the occasion, called “Tong pa nyi Blues.” Indeed it chased our blues away, giving us confidence that the lama is always at our heart’s door, ready to come in … whenever we invite him.
Learn more about Institut Vajra Yogini online.
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