From Lamp to Light: A Journey through Lamrim

Lamrim retreat at Institut Vajra Yogini with Venerable Gendun (on site or zoom)

Summer 2026

  • Location: Institut Vajra Yogini, Marzens, France, or online at Zoom

  • Intended for: Anyone familiar with Lamrim, especially FPMT PEBA students.

  • Dates: May 31 to June 28, 2026

  • Guide: Ven. Losang Gendun

  • Participation: It is possible to participate for a minimum of two consecutive weeks, at any time during the retreat. Arrivals and departures must be on Sundays.

Presentation of the retreat

The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, written by Je Tsongkhapa, is one of the most recognized and comprehensive expositions of the Buddha’s teachings. it is synthesizing the 84,000 methods taught by the Buddha into a clear, practical, step-by-step path. This masterpiece continues the lineage of the Indian master Atisha and represents the culmination of the Lamrim tradition.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the true heir to this profound Tibetan heritage, has always stressed that, for the Dharma to take true root in the West, it must be embodied, not just studied. Practitioners must develop lived realizations of Lamrim.

To further this vision, we warmly invite committed practitioners – especially those with a solid foundation in Lamrim and FPMT PEBA students – to join us for a month-long guided Lamrim retreat. This is a rare opportunity to integrate the stages of the path, supported by an experienced guide, a structured daily practice and a community of sincere fellow practitioners.

The teacher

Venerable Losang Gendun has spent nearly four decades in Buddhist practice, living as a fully ordained Bhikshu in the Tibetan tradition for the past twenty years. His training spans ten years of monastic study across France, India, Nepal, and Myanmar, and more than four years in solitary retreat in both Tibetan and Burmese Theravāda traditions. For the past eighteen years he has taught Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and meditation worldwide within the FPMT, serving the vision of H.H. the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. In 2023 he founded The Buddha Project, offering long-term guidance for serious meditators and fostering dialogue between Buddhist traditions, contemplative science, and the arts. Its core program is the four-year FPMT In-Depth Meditation Training.

Lamrim themes per week

◆ WEEK 1 - MAY 31 TO JUNE 7

1. Enter the path

  • Introduction to the practice of meditation
  • Introduction to Lama Cheupa and the practice of Vajrasattva
  • The greatness of Dharma
  • The qualities of discipleship
  • Relying on the spiritual master
  • The precious human renaissance
  • The three types of practitioner

2. Basic scope teachings of importance for all dharma practitioners

  • Death and impermanence
  • The suffering of the lower realms

The refuge

  • The causes
  • The Three Jewels
  • The method

Karma

  • Laws of cause and effect
  • Ten (non-)virtuous actions

 


 

◆ WEEK 2 - JUNE 7 TO 14

3. Intermediate scope teachings of importance for all dharma practitioners

  • Types of suffering

Samsara and Nirvana

  • The twelve links of conditioned coproduction
  • The path to liberation

4. High-capacity practitioners

  • The Great Compassion
  • Personal instructions for seven causes and one effect

 


 

◆ WEEK 3 - JUNE 14 TO 21

  • Generating and maintaining the Spirit of Awakening

The six perfections

  1. Generosity
  2. Patience
  3. Ethics
  4. Joyful perseverance
Four ways to attract disciples

 


 

◆ WEEK 4 - JUNE 21 TO 28

  • 5. Calm Abiding
  • 6. Special Insight (penetrating vision)
  • Self-exchange with others
  • Buddha nature

 

5. Lama Cheupa's practice and how to enter the Vajra Vehicle

6. Rereading the path

Daily program

Monday to Saturday
17:00 AM – 8:00 AMGanden Lha Gyama
8:00 AM – 9:00 AMMindful breakfast
29:00 AM – 10:30 AMGuided meditation on the Lamrim
10:30 AM – 11:00 AMTea break
311:00 AM – 12:30 PMGuided meditation on the Lamrim
12:30 PM – 2:00 PMMindful lunch and karma yoga
42:00 PM – 3:00 PMSilent meditation on the Lamrim
3:00 PM – 3:30 PMTea break
53:30 PM – 4:30 PMSilent meditation on the Lamrim
4:30 PM – 5:00 PMTea break
65:00 PM – 6:30 PMTeaching and Q&A (discussion groups on Saturdays)
6:30 PM – 8:00 PMLight mindful dinner
78:00 PM – 9:00 PMVajrasattva purification practice and dedication
Sunday
17:00 AM – 8:00 AMGanden Lha Gyama
8:00 AM – 9:00 AMMindful breakfast
29:00 AM – 10:30 AMSilent meditation on the Lamrim
10:30 AM – 11:00 AMTea break
11:00 AM – 12:30 PMFree time for study and meditation
12:30 PM – 2:00 PMMindful lunch and karma yoga
2:00 PM – 6:30 PMFree time for study and meditation
6:30 PM – 8:00 PMLight mindful dinner
8:00 PM – 9:00 PMIntroduction for new participants
The last Sunday (June 28)
17:00 AM – 8:00 AMGanden Lha Gyama
8:00 AM – 9:00 AMMindful breakfast
29:00 AM – 10:30 AMFinal dedication session
12:30 PM – 2:30 PMVictory lunch

The location

The retreat will be organized by Institut Vajra Yogini, a Buddhist center located in a magnificent 19th-century château in the French countryside near Toulouse. For further information, please contact

Conditions and rates

Dates and schedule

Arrival of participants - Sunday, May 31, 2026

  • From 2:00 pm: welcome at the Institute

Presentation - Sunday, May 31, 2026

  • 5:00 pm: general presentation and practical information

First session - Sunday, May 31, 2026

  • 8:00 PM: introduction

End of full retreat (4 weeks) - Sunday, June 28, 2026

  • 2:30 PM: end after lunch

 

 


 

Arrivals and departures

  • Arrivals are exclusively on Sundays from 2:00 pm.
  • Departures take place on Sunday at 9:00 AM, after breakfast.
  • (except the last Sunday - June 28 - departure at 2:30 PM after the meal)
It is not possible to arrive before or leave after the booked period, except:
  • at the start of the retreat (May 31): it is possible to arrive before this date;
  • at the end of the retreat (June 28): it is possible to extend your stay.
You may have lunch on the Sunday following the end of your retreat. To do so, please note this in the comments section when making your reservation. For the last Sunday (June 28), lunch is included in the package.

 

 


 

Participation period

Lam Rim retreats can be taken for 2 weeks, 3 weeks or 4 full weeks.

  • All sessions are compulsory for the chosen duration.
  • Priority registration is given to participants taking the full retreat (4 weeks).

 

 


 

Registrations and priorities

  • Registration opens: November 1, 2025
  • Limited number of places: 100 participants (waiting list available)

Registration priority

  • Priority given to full 4-week retreat until January 15, 2026.
  • Only reservations paid before this date will be confirmed.

Terms of payment

  • From January 16, 2026, registration opens for 2- and 3-week retreats.
  • Reservations must be paid within one month of the request to be validated.
  • Reservations made after May 1, 2026 must be paid for immediately at the time of booking.

 

 


 

Full-board rates (incl. VAT)

  • For this on-site retreat, accommodation and meals are provided at the Institute.
  • The "benefactor" rate does not apply to this retreat.
  • All payments must be made before the retreat begins.

 

Rates for two weeks
Hosting optionTotal incl. VAT / 2 weeks
Dormitory506,73 €
Room for 2702,73 €
3/4" bedroom632,73 €
Single room1 038,73 €
Single room + bathroom1 136,73 €
Campsite434,91 €

 

Three-week rates
Hosting optionTotal incl. VAT / 3 weeks
Dormitory766,22 €
Room for 21 060,22 €
3/4 bedroom955,22 €
Single room1 564,22 €
Single room + bathroom1 711,22 €
Campsite658,49 €

 

Rates for 4 weeks
(The rates below already include a 15% discount on the base rate, to encourage 4-week retreats).
Hosting optionTotal incl. VAT / 4 weeks
Dormitory875,63 €
Room for 21 208,83 €
3/4" bedroom1 089,83 €
Single room1 780,03 €
Single room + bathroom1 946,63 €
Campsite751,03 €

 


 

Sangha reduction

Sangha members benefit from a 50% discount on all rates, whether for full board, participation without accommodation or online participation.

 

 


 

Online participation (Zoom)

 

DurationRate
2 weeks216 €
3 weeks324 €
4 weeks432 €
  • Online participants undertake to attend all sessions corresponding to the chosen duration.

 

 


 

Participation without accommodation (with breakfast, lunch and dinner)

 

DurationRate
2 weeks353,85 €
3 weeks536,90 €
4 weeks719,95 €
  • This formula will be offered from May 15, 2026, subject to availability.
  • Participants agree to attend all sessions corresponding to the chosen duration.
  • Priority will be given to full-board participants.

 

 


 

Simultaneous translation

This retreat is guided in English. Simultaneous translation into French will be provided for :

  • all face-to-face sessions,
  • online participation.

 

 


 

Retreat offerings

The above fees cover only part of the Institute's operating costs. Lam Rim teachings are offered at no cost, in a spirit of sharing, gratitude and conscious generosity.

They are not free: their continued existence depends on the voluntary support of participants.
Every contribution helps to support the teachers, make these retreats possible and keep this place of peace and inner transformation alive.

Your donation is an offering from the heart, a way of radiating the light of the teachings.