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Meditation Breaks in southern France
2026-01-01 - 2026-12-31
Taking time out to recharge your batteries at your own pace.
Meditation breaks are moments for yourself, to take a break and find your inner peace.
Meditation is at the heart of meditation breaks. Open to all, they give you the chance to learn or deepen your understanding of this practice in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. We offer two group sessions a day, guided by experienced instructors, and have a temple room, including a library and media centre, at your disposal.
On a 140-hectare site in the heart of the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park, Lerab Ling’s environment offers us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in unspoilt nature and to enjoy a spiritual place of calm and serenity.
The site inspires rest, discovery and renewal, and is conducive to outdoor meditation and nature walks, with many hiking trails.
These retreats are primarily held in French but all our teachers speak fluent English.

Drop in Meditation Online
2026-01-01 08:00 - 2026-12-31 20:00 (Europe/Paris)
Drop in anytime to one of our free online guided meditation sessions.
The sessions are suitable for absolute beginners through to established meditators and are an opportunity to connect with others, finding a moment of peace in your day day.
All sessions are led by experienced meditation teachers.
Check the host websites for precise times and languages. We look forward to seeing you!
Join meditations led from Australia | France | Germany | USA | Ireland

The Heart of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - Breaking Free From Your Habitual Patterns
2026-04-01 16:00 - 2026-06-17 18:00 (Europe/Paris)
Do you feel like you’re living the same patterns over and over? Many of us experience a sense of being stuck—repeating the same relationships, reactions, and life circumstances despite our best efforts to change. What if there was a way to understand the deeper currents that shape our experience? Rather than seeing life as random events happening to you, you’ll discover a framework for understanding the deeper patterns at work—what many traditions call the law of cause and effect, or karma. This isn’t about fate or being trapped by past actions, but about recognizing your incredible power to shape your experience through mindfulness, awareness, and the courage to face your habitual reactions.

A New Way of Seeing the World, Part 2: From Knowledge to Insight
2026-05-18 19:30 - 2026-06-22 21:00 (Europe/Paris)
This interactive course will lead us to better understand who we are, how our mind works and where the Buddhist path takes us. We will shed new light on personal struggles with identity, strong emotions and lack of meaning. Bringing together teachings, guided contemplations and discussion, the course is designed to reduce the gap between the Buddhist view and our ordinary thinking. You can be sure it will be engaging and enjoyable!
You’re welcome to join this course even if you didn’t follow Part 1 earlier in 2026.

Treasuring the Feminine - open conversations
2026-06-05 19:00 - 2026-06-07 21:00 (Europe/Paris)
Three evening talks with Marcia Dechen Wangmo (Marcia Binder Schmidt), Elizabeth McDougal, Sarah H. Jacoby and Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel.
What is the feminine principle? Is gender relevant in a tradition focused on non-duality? Who are the great female Buddhist teachers and practitioners? What is the Buddhist view on sexuality and conduct?
Treasuring the Feminine is a place where we celebrate the unique perspective of Vajrayana Buddhism on the feminine principle, and share experiences and learnings.

The Power of Your Mind
2026-06-06 10:00 - 2026-06-10 15:30 (Australia/Sydney)
This five-day retreat will present the Mahayana Seven Points of Mind Training, to lay out a path of formal meditation practice, accompanied by guidelines for extending that practice into everyday life.
These teachings are precious and unique in presenting the entire depth and breadth of the Buddha’s Mahayana teachings succinctly and practically. Mahayana mind training offers an approach to life that is straightforward, grounded in sanity, kindness, and compassion. Yet it also offers a vision that completely transcends our ordinary way of viewing ourselves and others, with an all-encompassing vision of enlightenment.
Mahayana mind training helps us give expression to our enlightened heart in everything we think, say and do. The training particularly focuses on our relationships, which are like a mirror that shows us exactly where we are at. Our relationships also provide us with a way to dissolve the limitations that prevent the vastness of our true nature from fully manifesting.

Matrix and the Four Noble Truths: A search for wisdom
2026-06-06 19:00 - 2026-06-27 20:30 (Europe/Paris)
*Join the course any time*
Step beyond the surface of The Matrix and uncover how its themes and questions reflect deep Buddhist teachings. Join us as we explore this unique intersection in our course.
Like the stories and legends we grew up with, great science fiction can illuminate timeless wisdom and connect us with the universal search for truth.
The Matrix has inspired and captivated a generation with its powerful message, stunning visuals, and thought-provoking direction.
At its core, it’s about a quest for meaning and freedom—something we can all relate to. It invites us to reflect on a timeless question: Aren’t we, too, sometimes caught in a world of illusions, worries, and frustrations? 2600 years before the movie, a wise man in India, the Buddha, answered this very question. His answer was the Four Noble Truths, which would become the pillars of his teachings.
Together, we will:

Explore the fascinating space between fiction and the reality of our human experience
Reflect on the meaning of existence—and even challenge some of our ideas about happiness
During our time together, you’ll have the chance to:
Experience guided meditations
Join in thoughtful discussions
Enjoy moments of shared reflection

Inspiring a Revolution in Your Heart and Mind | Bringing the Mind Home
2026-06-10 18:30 - 2026-07-08 20:30 (Australia/Sydney)
Module 4 of a year-long course that students can join at any stage.
Join us on an experiential journey through The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Discover a deep and universal wisdom explored in the major themes of the book, and learn about their practical implications for living well. Suitable for people of any religion or of none, this course encourages you to reflect on the Buddhist teachings, to see what makes sense to you and to experiment with applying these teachings in your daily life.
Participants in this course will learn:

How to meditate
How an acceptance of impermanence can help us understand death and change our attitude towards life
How meditation can transform our perception, increase our confidence and fully connect us to the world around us
That mind is much more than just thoughts and emotions
How understanding the interdependency of all things and the principle of karma (that every action has an effect) gives us a logical basis for ethics and personal responsibility

Led by Western meditation instructors with many years of experience.

Self Forgiveness in the Light of Compassion
2026-06-20 18:00 - 20:30 (Australia/Sydney)
Discover how to live with a lighter, kinder heart. Many of us carry beliefs that we’re unworthy of love or beyond forgiveness, leaving us trapped in guilt and self-blame. But punishing ourselves only deepens our suffering and prevents us from realizing our natural state. Through insight, compassion, and guided meditations, you’ll learn to soften your “inner critic,” release false beliefs, and understand why you can let yourself off the hook—all of which frees your heart. As you cultivate forgiveness and compassion for yourself, you’ll naturally feel a genuine compassion and understanding for others—and the world.
About Christine
Christine Longaker is a pioneer of the hospice movement and author of Facing Death and Finding Hope , translated into 9 languages. She’s co-author of Are You Ready and of published research on the benefits of Spiritual Care Training. She founded Rigpa in the USA in 1981, the Spiritual Care Education Program in 1993, and co-produced an in-depth accredited Contemplative Palliative Care training at Naropa University.

Inauguration of the Dzogchen Beara Temple
2026-07-14 17:00 - 2026-07-17 17:00 (Europe/Paris)
An Exceptional Event at Dzogchen Beara, Ireland
From 14th -17th July, Dzogchen Beara will be blessed with the presence not only of His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche, but also his son H.H the 43rd Sakya Trizin, Gyana Vajra Rinpoche.
On their first visit to Ireland, at the longstanding invitation of Sogyal Rinpoche and Rigpa, they will conduct an inauguration of the Dzogchen Beara temple on July 15th. On July 16th and 17th, they will grant empowerments of Guru Rinpoche, Vajrakilaya and Long Life. HH the 43rd Sakya Trizin will also speak on “What Does Buddhism Have to Offer the Modern World?”
His Holiness Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche is one of the greatest living masters of the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition of Tibet, who has shown exceptional kindness to the Rigpa community for almost fifty years. This exceptionally rare occasion offers an extraordinary opportunity for anyone who has taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha to receive teaching and transmission directly from these highly revered and accomplished masters.

Inspiring a Revolution in Your Heart and Mind | Rebirth, Karma and This Life
2026-07-22 18:30 - 2026-08-19 20:30 (Australia/Sydney)
Module 5 of a year-long course that students can join at any stage.
Join us on an experiential journey through The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Discover a deep and universal wisdom explored in the major themes of the book, and learn about their practical implications for living well. Suitable for people of any religion or of none, this course encourages you to reflect on the Buddhist teachings, to see what makes sense to you and to experiment with applying these teachings in your daily life.
Participants in this course will learn:

How to meditate
How an acceptance of impermanence can help us understand death and change our attitude towards life
How meditation can transform our perception, increase our confidence and fully connect us to the world around us
That mind is much more than just thoughts and emotions
How understanding the interdependency of all things and the principle of karma (that every action has an effect) gives us a logical basis for ethics and personal responsibility

Led by Western meditation instructors with many years of experience.

Summer Meditation Retreat: Embrace Life with Love, Presence and Confidence
2026-07-25 10:00 - 2026-08-02 13:30 (Europe/Paris)
Join us for a 9-day retreat, where we’ll explore the transformative power of meditation to discover who we really are, our true nature, which is peaceful and naturally loving.
Short option: 25-29 July
Through teachings, guided meditations, contemplations and physical exercises, you will discover how to:

Cultivate love and compassion
Develop clarity and inner strength
Connect with others and yourself
Find peace and calm in your daily life

Led by experienced meditation teachers from Rigpa, the retreat offers:

Guided group practices in order to get a deep experience of meditation practice
Moments of exchange and sharing of experiences
Time for questions and one-to-one guidance
Periods of silence
Conscious movement practices
Free time for personal integration

Youth Summer Retreat: Love, Presence & Generosity
2026-07-31 10:00 - 2026-08-04 19:00 (Europe/Paris)
Main retreat: 25 July – 4 August 2026 Arrival on 24 July
Short option – Shyönnu Retreat: 31 July – 4 August 2026 Arrival on 30 July
In a world that often encourages us to hold on, compare and protect ourselves, another movement is possible: to open, to share and to trust. In the Buddhist tradition, this is known as dāna, generosity; the first of the pāramitās, or transcendent qualities. It is the gateway to a life of greater connection, warmth and ease.
This retreat invites young adults to explore generosity as a living practice through meditation, reflection, dialogue and shared experience. Together, we will discover how the simple gesture of opening the hand can also open the heart.

Teachings with Kyabjé Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
2026-09-09 - 2026-09-13
Main event: 9-13 September
With the 3-day practice extension: 9-16 September
We are honoured that Shechen Rabam Rinpoche will teach give teachings and transmissions again this year. Everyone is warmly welcome to join. Full details of the programme will be shared here soon.

Finding Unshakeable Certainty
2026-10-23 10:00 - 2026-10-26 13:00 (Europe/Paris)
Weekend Teachings with Khenpo Tashi
Highlights from the Beacon of Certainty by Mipham Rinpoche
What is our practice actually built on?
Many of us have spent years on the path: meditating, deepening compassion, engaging in Vajrayana practice, receiving profound teachings that have inspired and transformed us. Yet at a certain point, questions like this begin to arise. What are we truly recognizing in meditation? How do we distinguish genuine understanding from concepts, experiences, or passing states?
The great masters of the Nyingma tradition understood that these questions cannot be answered through faith alone. They require investigation, reflection, and a View that becomes clear through our own experience.
For these teachings, Khenpo Tashi draws on selected highlights from The Beacon of Certainty by Mipham Rinpoche, a profound text of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Structured around essential questions of view and meditation, the text guides practitioners with remarkable precision through the relationship between appearance and emptiness, analysis and direct experience, understanding and realization.
Deeply grounded in the lineage of Longchenpa and Mipham Rinpoche, Khenpo Tashi has a rare ability to make these teachings feel immediate and alive, revealing how they relate directly to our own path and experience.
These teachings are open to all practitioners with a grounding in meditation and Lojong.
The retreat, held in the new Dzogchen Beara temple, will include periods of silence including during tea breaks and some meal times.
