Ngöndro Retreat

Name: Ngöndro Retreat
Start: 2026-01-24T09:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-24T15:00:00-05:00
Location: Columbus Karma Thegsum Chöling

Schedule

Sat Jan 24 2026 at 09:30 am to 03:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Columbus Karma Thegsum Chöling | Columbus, OH

During this day-long retreat, Ngöndro students will be practicing these preliminary practices, chanting, prostrating, and making offerings.
About this Event

In-person only at KTC.

In our Tibetan Karma Kagyu tradition, Ngöndro is a set of special preliminary practices that a student is required to complete before their formal introduction to Mahamudra meditation.

These preliminary practices include Refuge and Prostrations, Vajrasattva mantra meditation, Mandala offerings, and Guru Yoga.

During this day-long retreat, Ngöndro students will be practicing these preliminary practices as a group, chanting, prostrating, and making Mandala offerings.

Those not doing Ngöndro are welcome to attend also for silent sitting meditation (Shamatha), with the understanding that the shrine room will not be in a quiet Shamatha mode!

Lama Tom will provide brief talks at intervals during the retreat. He will also be available for interviews with participants who would like to discuss their Ngöndro practice.

Chuck Drake will act as umdze.

The program will be offered in-person only at KTC. Those attending should bring a vegetarian sack lunch. Water, coffee, and tea will be provided.

To promote a mindful atmosphere, Functional Talking (i.e., only for essential quick communication) will be strongly encouraged.

If you'd like to attend only part of this retreat, you are welcome to do so. When you arrive, quietly join the retreatants in the shrine room.

ABOUT LAMA TOM

Lama Tom Broadwater became a student of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche in1999. He completed a 3 year retreat in 2012. He currently serves as an Associate Lama at Columbus Karma Thegsum Chöling Buddhist Meditation Center in Columbus OH. Coal miner 4 years. Social worker and social administrator 35 years. Married 45 years. Father of two daughters and 3 grandchildren.

ABOUT CHUCK DRAKE

Chuck Drake currently serves as KTC’s administrative Director. Chuck took refuge with Khenpo Karthar in 1981 and, in 1988, he attended a summer-long Buddhist seminary at Rocky Mountain Dharma Center in Colorado. Chuck started attending Columbus KTC regularly in 2012. He has also served as Treasurer, Assistant Director, and as a Meditation Instructor. Chuck is married to Mylynda Drake. He has two adult children, two adult step-children, three cats, and a dog. Except for his KTC duties, he is now retired.