2025 Winter programme with Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tulku Pasang Tshering, Drubpon Lama Tenzin Sangpo, Khenpo Pema Namgyal

Programme

Visit of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche

10-18 January

We are delighted to share the excellent news with you that Rinpoche will come to Gomde Pyrénées from 10 to 18 January! While the main purpose of his visit is to teach the three-year retreatants, we are grateful that Rinpoche will also give public teachings from 15-17 January, in the afternoon, on the Sphere of Refined Gold, a profound pith instruction text on the Great Perfection. On one of these days, Rinpoche will bestow the empowerment for Rigdzin Pema Jungney, one of the twelve aspects of Guru Rinpoche from the Barchey Kunsel cycle of teachings. This empowerment is particularly important for the practice of Sphere of Refined Gold during our 3-month and shorter retreats.

Translation into English will be provided online by Catherine Dalton and onsite into French by Chloé Cramer.

Vajrakilaya practice with Tulku Pasang Tshering, Drubpon Lama Tenzin Sangpo, and Khenpo Tsondru Sangpo

31 December to 6 January

Around New Year is an auspicious time to clear away obstacles through the practice of Vajrakilaya. Tulku Pasang Tshering, Drubpon Lama Tenzin, and Khenpo Tsondru Sangpo from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery will lead four practice sessions a day and will give explanations and answer questions about the sadhana. It is a very precious opportunity to be able to practice under the guidance of these three esteemed ordained Sangha members in Gomde’s intimate mountain retreat setting. You are welcome to join for all days and each of the four daily sessions, or just some of them. There are no prerequisites for participation - everyone is encouraged to come. At this point we are unsure whether the practice sessions will be streamed online - we therefore encourage you to come to Gomde in person. Translation into English will be provided onsite by Andrew Bishop.

Practice and teaching days with Tulku Pasang Tshering, Drubpon Lama Tenzin Sangpo, Khenpo Pema Namgyal, and Khenpo Tsondru Sangpo

7 - 14 January

We are very fortunate that four highly respected ordained Sangha members will be in Gomde around the time of Rinpoche’s visit! We have requested that they give teachings and practice with us from 7-14 January before Rinpoche starts to give public teachings.

The content and schedule is under development but might include group practice sessions and explanations of the sadhana “A Treasury of Blessings - a Practice of Buddha Shakyamuni”, the “Concise Daily Practice”, the “Sang and Sur offering”, and how to set up your own retreat at home. Translation into English will be provided onsite by Andrew Bishop.

Accommodation and prices

Given that it is winter, camping options will be limited to only the bravest! Therefore, spaces at Gomde will be very limited, and all rooms will be shared during some or all of the programmes in January depending on the number of participants registered. Preference for accommodation at Gomde will be given to those staying for one week or longer, and those staying shorter may be accommodated in the nearby village of La Bastide.

We kindly ask that everyone who is able to come with their own car organises accommodation in nearby villages to allow people without a vehicle to stay onsite at Gomde or in Gomde-rented spaces in La Bastide which is at walking distance. You can find a list of nearby accommodation options with contact details at the bottom of this page.

Accommodation prices at Gomde/La Bastide

From 31 December till 14 January:

€70 per night in shared room in Gomde or double room in La Bastide

€60 per night in dormitory in La Bastide

€50 per day with self-organised accommodation offsite, meals in Gomde included

From 14-18 January - Rinpoche seminar - 4 nights of accommodation and 3 days of teachings

€390 in shared room in Gomde or double room in La Bastide

€300 per night in dormitory in La Bastide

€260 per day with self-organised accommodation offsite, meals in Gomde included

Additional nights before or after the winter programme: €50

This amount supports not only your participation but also makes a small but important contribution to the continuation of practice and activities at Gomde, including the Three-Year Retreat. If this amount is beyond your means, please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss what is feasible for you. We want everyone to have the opportunity to participate.

Please let us know when you register if your financial situation allows you to pay less or more!

Registration

To register please write to hello@gomde.fr indicating on which days you would like to attend and which accommodation you would like to book. Please read through all the information on this webpage carefully before registering.

Transport

Please be aware that transport options to Gomde are limited, and it is therefore essential that you carefully read through these different options before booking your flights/trains to and from Gomde.

Public transport to Gomde is possible on 4 days of the week, 1 or 2 times per day on those days, on demand. You can check the timetables and reservation details here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fKbUn40tqkIQ0QurHxltRYcylvVHG-M_/view?usp=drivesdk 

Alternatively, we can support you to book a taxi for about €70 one way from Perpignan to Gomde. We will also open a ride sharing table once registrations come in.

In addition, Gomde will offer these collective rides:

● December 30th leaving 17.00 from Perpignan train station

● January 7th leaving 17.00 from Perpignan train station

● January 10th leaving 17.00 from Perpignan train station

● January 14th leaving 17.00 from Perpignan train station

● January 18th leaving Gomde at 9.30am back to Perpignan train station.

The suggested donation for the pickup is 30 euros per person one way. Please note that Gomde cannot offer any transportation for you on demand apart from these specific days and times.

Dharma jobs

In order to save the accommodations for the seminar participants, we have limited the number of volunteers that will be supporting these retreats. This implies that in order for the seminar to run smoothly we kindly ask that all participants help between one to two hours per day, depending on the exact need at the time.

Offsite accommodation

If you plan to stay overnight outside Gomde, we encourage you to book accommodation in the villages of La Bastide, Ceret, Valmanya, Saint Marsal, and Prades. Below, we have listed several accommodation options near Gomde that we have gathered through local contacts. Please note that you will need to reach out directly to the owners of these accommodations and handle reservations and related payments with them directly. Due to our limited capacity, the Gomde team will not be able to mediate between you and the owners, nor be liable for any payments or cancellations. We encourage you to search for additional accommodation online, through for example Google or AirBnB, if the options below are full.

La Bastide 

Pierre Basso Several dormitory beds and separate rooms available, accommodation is rustic but beautifully located in the middle of forested hills. Several animals roam the land, such as lamas, horses and pigs. Note that this location is only accessible through a 15-minute offroad drive, and can therefore only be booked by those who have appropriate vehicles for such roads (e.g. 4-wheel drives).+33 625 17 04 63 (call only, speaks French and English)

Saint Marsal - 20-minute drive from Gomde

1. Nicole and Robert 1 studio with 2 single beds, small kitchen, bathroom and terrace €600 per week excluding breakfast +32 475 84 64 62 (WhatsApp) - English, French and Dutch

2. Josepha 1 room with 1 bed of 120cm wide - female-only (shared bathroom) 1 room with 1 bed of 140cm wide - suitable for couples or female individual (shared bathroom) The rooms can be booked separately €60 per room per day, €10 per person per day for breakfast (optional) +33 686 69 54 55 (call or WhatsApp) - French-speaking only

3. Jan and Marleen 1 room with 1 double bed (shared bathroom) 1 room with 2 single beds (shared bathroom). The rooms can be booked separately €45 per room per night, €10 per person per day for breakfast (optional) +32 495 57 58 00 (call or WhatsApp)

4. Le Vieux Mas Several gites/rooms available http://levieuxmas.fr/ +33 4 68 85 43 69 (call) levieuxmas@nordnet.fr

Prunet - 30-minute drive from Gomde

Sandrine & Franck Colle Mas Fouquet https://gite-tabledhotes-66-pyreneesorientales.fr/legite.html +33 615 62 49 60 (call or WhatsApp)