An Online Practice Retreat led by Valerie Baker

Dates : Friday 1 May  to Sunday 3 May 2026

This weekend retreat is a wonderful opportunity to review and deepen our understanding of the teachings we are receiving on Patrul Rinpoche’s Gompa Rangdrol in the Dzogchen Study Programme, in the context of a practice retreat. 

The weekend will have the same format and spirit as the very popular Tsik Sum Ne Dek weekends that were offered to complement the two year Study Programme. People found that on these weekends, even though it is just a short time, they could enter deeply into the practice and find new understanding and experience of the teachings. 

Guided by Senior Teacher Valerie Baker, the retreat will focus on the instructions that we have covered so far on the Programme.

WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN?

This weekend retreat is open to Dzogchen Mandala students who:

• are currently receiving the Gompa Rangdrol teachings in the Dzogchen Study Programme 

OR 

• attended the retreats with Patrick Gaffney in Dzogchen Beara 18 – 23 March 2025 or Stony Point 6 – 10 June 2025.

HOW TO FOLLOW

The retreat will be held live online for those in Europe and delayed for students in Australia and North America.  For the delayed replays please check dates and apply with your respective national country team.

As a weekend is a very short time to do a retreat, we will ask everyone who participates to create the conditions so that they can enter into silence and attend all sessions from the beginning until the end of the retreat. Please note that the retreat begins on Friday 1 May at 18.00 and ends on Sunday at 17.30 CEST.

If you wish to participate, please fill in the following application form. Application form for Gompa Rangdrol weekend – May 2026

Deadline for filling in the application form: 26 April. 

If your application is accepted, we will then send you the link to register for the retreat. 

TEACHERS

Valerie Baker

Valerie Baker grew up in Ireland and first encountered the Buddhist teachings when she met Sogyal Rinpoche in Dublin in the early 1990s. Shortly afterwards, she visited Dzogchen Beara and stayed for 12 years, studying and practising, supporting the centre’s activities and accomplishing practice in retreat. While attending the Three Year Retreat in Lerab Ling, she designed the Home Retreat tran… Read more...

PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE

Friday 1 May
18:00-19.30 Welcome and Introduction to the Retreat        

Saturday 2 May 

Sunday 3 May