Update on the 43rd Annual Seminar and the TTE Retreat in Vietnam
We are delighted to announce that registration for the 43rd Annual Seminar and the Tara’s Triple Excellence (TTE) retreat in Tam Chúc, Vietnam, will open on the auspicious full moon/Amitabha Day, September 29, 2023 at 4:00 pm CET. Full details about these precious events will be made available at the time of registration. This email provides you the information you may need to make your travel arrangements and budget.
You will need to register by October 13, in order to take advantage of the special hotel rates. After October 13, we will try to offer more rooms at these discounted rates, but it is best to register early! For ease of organization and to foster the family feeling that Rinpoche intends, we strongly encourage you to stay in one of the hotels we have arranged.
We appreciate your taking the time to read this entire post carefully. Thank you!
This is registration for in-person attendance only. Registration for the annual seminar online will open in early November—an email announcement will be sent out. Please note that the TTE Retreat will not be streamed online.
Here is some important information for you to keep in mind as you make your travel plans. Below are the dates of the events, so you need to arrive at Tam Chúc Pagoda Complex the day before the teachings begin: November 21 for the Annual Seminar or November 28 if you are not attending the Annual Seminar but are attending the Tara Retreat.
It is about a 2.5 – 3 hour drive from Hanoi Airport to the teaching venue. We are arranging buses to the teaching venue from the airport on a schedule all day on November 21 and 28, and return buses on November 27, 28, and December 2. This transportation fee is included in your registration fees.
November 22-27: 43rd Annual Seminar: The Four Dharma Seals and the Four Causes to be Reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land
November 27: Buddha Amitabha Empowerment
November 28: Optional Seminar Pilgrimage to Buddha relics at Bai Dinh Pagoda in Ninh Binh Province
Nov 29 – Dec 2: Tara’s Triple Excellence Retreat
Airport Bus schedule:
| 21 Nov | 11:00 – 23:00 | Bus from airport to teaching venue throughout the day |
| 27 Nov | 17:00 | Bus to airport for late night flights on Nov 27 (20:00 onwards) Tight connection! Be aware you may miss your flight! |
| 28 Nov | 13:00 | Bus to airport for flights out on Nov 28 (18:00 onwards) |
| 28 Nov | 11:00 – 23:00 | Bus from airport to Tara Retreat throughout the day |
| 2 Dec | 15:00 | Bus to airport for flights on Dec 2 (20:00 onwards– Tight connection! Be aware you may miss your flight!) or Dec 3rd |
| 3 Dec (if needed) | 8:00 AM | Bus to airport for flights on Dec 3 (13:00 onwards) |
Important: Please note that you will likely have to stay overnight in Hanoi before your flight back home. This hotel stay is not included in your fees, but we hope to be able to recommend some good places to stay at different price points.
Tara’s Triple Excellence Retreat:
The Tara’s Triple Excellence (TTE) Retreat welcomes participants of all backgrounds, regardless of whether they are practicing TTE or not. Rinpoche has graciously agreed to grant the Outer Tara Empowerment to all attendees. Additionally, Rinpoche has generously agreed to offer the Inner Tara Empowerment for committed Tara’s Triple Excellence practitioners; if Rinpoche agrees to bestow the Secret Tara Empowerment, it will also only be for committed TTE practitioners. More information will be provided at registration. Should you have any immediate inquiries about the TTE retreat, please reach out to us at events@tarastripleexcellence.org
Accommodations and meals:
We have negotiated special discount rates at the hotel on-site and nearby hotels. Breakfast will be included in each of the hotels, and lunch and dinner will be provided at the temple complex. If you are staying at one of the hotels off-site, transportation to and from the temple complex will also be provided.
We strongly encourage you to stay at one of the hotels we have arranged. If for some reason, you choose not to, you will be responsible for your own transportation to and from the teaching venue.
Please note that the teachings themselves are free of charge, and the fees are to cover travel and accommodation for Rinpoche and the monastics, translators, and staff; your accommodations and meals, your transportation to and from the airport to the temple complex, printing of texts, facility rental, technical equipment rental, and other incidental costs associated with making an event of this size possible. Also included in the fee is a symbolic group offering for Rinpoche and the monastics, and a modest stipend for the translators. You will have the precious opportunity to make offerings to Rinpoche and the monastics in person, and to show your appreciation for the translators as well!
Please note that there are no single rooms. At the time of registration, you can indicate if you wish to room with a particular person; otherwise, the organizers will assign roommates of the same gender. Depending on the accommodation you select, the fees are as follows:
Annual Seminar only
(7 nights’ accommodation): $240 or 305
Seminar Pilgrimage: $25
TTE Retreat only
(4 nights’ accommodation): $165 or $210
All three events: $430 or $540
If you choose your own accommodations, the fees are as follows. Remember, you will be responsible for your own breakfast and transportation to and from the teaching venue if you choose your own accommodation:
Annual Seminar Only: $145
Seminar Pilgrimage: $25
TTE Retreat Only: $115
All three events: $285
At registration, there will be both the opportunity to contribute to the scholarship fund, and the possibility to request a 100% scholarship for monastics and a sliding scale scholarship for those who need financial assistance. We will give as much assistance as the scholarship fund will allow, so if you are able, we would like to encourage you to contribute a bit to the fund and help another member of the sangha to join this special event.
We hope that these arrangements will allow you to focus on receiving the teachings and practicing together, without having to worry about practicalities. We are committed to making the experience as comfortable and convenient for you as possible and will do our very best to assist you in whatever ways we can!
If you have any questions, you can contact seminar@shedrub.org