Please Support My Three-Year Retreat
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My goal is to make Buddhism more accessible in Panama—and I need your help!
This Three-Year Retreat is a rigorous program of training in an authentic lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. This is the best opportunity to develop the knowledge and experience necessary for further establishing the Dharma. Beyond earning credentials, it is my genuine desire to continue the beneficial work of my own teachers.
When I was finishing high school in Panama, I told all my counselors and family that I just wanted to do what the Buddha did: meditate until attaining Nirvana. But it was never going to be that easy, and I don’t even think I knew what that meant!
So I moved away, and while studying in the US, I formally became a Buddhist in the Palyul tradition of Vajrayana. I received vows and instructions from respected lamas, and entered a “Preliminary” retreat for one year. That meant zero days off, and a full schedule of meditative discipline with study in between. Since completing the preliminaries, I have balanced work and shorter retreats with the ultimate goal of going into the Three-Year Retreat.
I applied to the Vajrayana Foundation retreat center in California in 2020, and then for the Tsadra Foundation Advanced Contemplative Scholarship in 2023. I am both grateful and proud to have been awarded $39,000 for the three-year program, and I am looking for your support to complete the journey. The cost breakdown is at the bottom!
The retreat is planned to begin in May 2024 and end three years, three months, and three days later in September 2027. Traditionally, once the retreat begins, one is completely cut off from the outside world to ensure full concentration on the practice. I will be required to justify my scholarship with progress reports, but otherwise I don’t expect to communicate with anyone (as much as I’d like to) until it is over!
Upon completion of this rigorous program, I expect to be well positioned to deliver the best Buddhist experience to my friends, family, community, and country. With the treasury of teachers and teachings from both the Palyul and Dudjom lineages, I envision a growing community of practitioners bringing success and happiness to themselves and others!
The Republic of Panama’s motto is “Pro Mundi Beneficio,” which means For the World’s Benefit and that perfectly describes my mission statement.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Lars Rismyhr Pedreschi
Cost breakdown: The entire retreat tuition with room and board is $62,400 which breaks down into $1,600/mo. The scholarship covers $39,000, or $1,000/mo. My savings will amount to $15,000 of the total. So I am seeking about $300/mo. Anything helps! Besides tuition, I am asking for these contributions as I have to purchase additional supplies.
2013 completing my first retreat doing Ngondro (Preliminaries) in 2013
2023 completing the Palyul Summer Retreat fourth year classes
P.S. Here are some links on Vajrayana Buddhism and the traditions I am a part of. Please feel free to contact me personally with questions about my planning, my recommendations and scholarship, or anything else at all!
Three-year retreat center and the lineage of Dudjom Tersar:
https://www.vajrayana.org
My previous retreats and the lineage of Palyul Namchö:
https://palyul.org/wp/about-the-palyul-lineage/
Scholarship program I was awarded:
https://www.tsadra.org/scholarships/advanced-contemplative/
This Three-Year Retreat is a rigorous program of training in an authentic lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. This is the best opportunity to develop the knowledge and experience necessary for further establishing the Dharma. Beyond earning credentials, it is my genuine desire to continue the beneficial work of my own teachers.
When I was finishing high school in Panama, I told all my counselors and family that I just wanted to do what the Buddha did: meditate until attaining Nirvana. But it was never going to be that easy, and I don’t even think I knew what that meant!
So I moved away, and while studying in the US, I formally became a Buddhist in the Palyul tradition of Vajrayana. I received vows and instructions from respected lamas, and entered a “Preliminary” retreat for one year. That meant zero days off, and a full schedule of meditative discipline with study in between. Since completing the preliminaries, I have balanced work and shorter retreats with the ultimate goal of going into the Three-Year Retreat.
I applied to the Vajrayana Foundation retreat center in California in 2020, and then for the Tsadra Foundation Advanced Contemplative Scholarship in 2023. I am both grateful and proud to have been awarded $39,000 for the three-year program, and I am looking for your support to complete the journey. The cost breakdown is at the bottom!
The retreat is planned to begin in May 2024 and end three years, three months, and three days later in September 2027. Traditionally, once the retreat begins, one is completely cut off from the outside world to ensure full concentration on the practice. I will be required to justify my scholarship with progress reports, but otherwise I don’t expect to communicate with anyone (as much as I’d like to) until it is over!
Upon completion of this rigorous program, I expect to be well positioned to deliver the best Buddhist experience to my friends, family, community, and country. With the treasury of teachers and teachings from both the Palyul and Dudjom lineages, I envision a growing community of practitioners bringing success and happiness to themselves and others!
The Republic of Panama’s motto is “Pro Mundi Beneficio,” which means For the World’s Benefit and that perfectly describes my mission statement.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Lars Rismyhr Pedreschi
Cost breakdown: The entire retreat tuition with room and board is $62,400 which breaks down into $1,600/mo. The scholarship covers $39,000, or $1,000/mo. My savings will amount to $15,000 of the total. So I am seeking about $300/mo. Anything helps! Besides tuition, I am asking for these contributions as I have to purchase additional supplies.
2013 completing my first retreat doing Ngondro (Preliminaries) in 2013
2023 completing the Palyul Summer Retreat fourth year classes
P.S. Here are some links on Vajrayana Buddhism and the traditions I am a part of. Please feel free to contact me personally with questions about my planning, my recommendations and scholarship, or anything else at all!
Three-year retreat center and the lineage of Dudjom Tersar:
https://www.vajrayana.org
My previous retreats and the lineage of Palyul Namchö:
https://palyul.org/wp/about-the-palyul-lineage/
Scholarship program I was awarded:
https://www.tsadra.org/scholarships/advanced-contemplative/
Organizer
Lars Rismyhr
Organizer
Houston, TX