Venerable Lama Lodru Rinpoche graciously provides the opportunity for students to undertake the traditional Three Year Retreat. This retreat covers the entire cycle of teachings, from the preliminary practices (Ngongdro), through several creation and completion meditations (Kyerim and Dzogrim), culminating in Mahamudra practices. All of these practices lead one to understand the nature of mind and to maximize one's benefit for all sentient beings. The closed, protected environment which lasts for three years, three months, and three days allows the students to practice undistracted and with total focus.

Venerable Lama Lodru Rinpoche personally oversees the retreat and provides individual guidance for each student. The retreatants practice daily from approximately 3 am in the morning to 9 pm at night. Their daily individual practice is punctuated with two daily group meditations of Green Tara in the morning and Protector practices in the afternoon.

Those who undergo the three year retreat receive a thorough grounding in Buddhism and meditation, and are the future lamas and teachers for the Sangha. As Buddha's teaching permeates the West, it is essential to have lamas and teachers who have the thorough, traditional training and understand Western culture.

Each student at KDK's three year retreat has paid from their own pockets $20,000 for the three years. These funds cover their living necessities of food, electricity and gas, practice necessities such as tsog (feast offerings done for the benefit of beings), and donations for visiting high lamas who provide critical instructions to the retreatants. The retreat money is carefully controlled and budgeted to last through the three years of living in seclusion at the KDK retreat land in Mendocino County; however unusual events such as the sudden high price of gasoline and propane, an unexpected automobile repair for the resident cook, or an increase in food costs, strains the budget.

Your donations, small or large, help the retreatants in their mediation practices, and benefit the Sangha at large and ensures the accurate and pure teachings of Buddha continue in the West.

If you are able, please make a donation to the retreat. You can donate by sending a check to:
KDK Three Year Retreat
1892 Fell Street
San Francisco
CA 94117
Please make your check payable to KDK and write Three Year Retreat in the memo section of your check.