The Buddha’s Path to Bliss: A Kopan West Intro to Buddhism Retreat with Don Handrick

March 14 - 21, 2026

Register/Learn More: https://vajrapani.org/upcoming-retrea...

This is a Pay It Forward Retreat!
This retreat is offered on a donation basis, continuing a tradition that began with Kopan West’s Lamrim retreat in 2012, inspired by the wish to make the Buddha’s teachings widely accessible. Your participation is supported by the generosity of past Kopan West students who chose to “pay it forward,” helping others experience the same transformative teachings. The retreat is modeled after the renowned 10-day Introduction to Buddhism course at Kopan Monastery in Nepal.

About this Retreat
“Happiness and suffering are dependent upon your mind, upon your interpretation. They do not come from outside, from others. All of your happiness and all of your suffering are created by you, by your own mind.” -Lama Zopa Rinpoche

If you feel drawn to Tibetan Buddhism, but haven’t yet managed to take the plunge and explore what it’s all about, or if you have attended a few teachings and are eager to learn more about the Buddhist path to enlightenment, this could well be the ideal course for you!

Comprising a combination of daily teaching and meditation sessions, as well as group discussions and opportunities for Q and A with a highly experienced course leader, this retreat is based on the time-honored “Stages of the Path to Enlightenment” (Lamrim) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. As the name suggests, the “Stages of the Path to Enlightenment” offers a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the journey to full awakening. It is a synthesis of all the main topics addressed in the Buddhist Sutras (canonical scriptures).

This class will also teach you the fundamentals of Buddhist meditation, and give you the tools you need to begin or to further develop a daily meditation practice. Throughout the week, you will learn about the theory and practice of meditation, and will also be led in guided meditations using proven techniques of concentration, visualization, and analytical meditation to open our hearts. This famous course is known to be incredibly transformative, and many past retreaters have been deeply moved by what they experienced at this course, all set on our peaceful land in a beautiful redwood forest.

Retreat topics include:
The Life of the Buddha
The Four Noble Truths
Developing Loving-Kindness and Compassion
The Mind, Emotions, and Karma
Death, and Rebirth
Impermanence
The Awakening Mind (bodhicitta)
The Wisdom of Emptiness – The Nature of Reality
Concentration and Analytical Meditation

Don Handrick
We are thrilled to announce that Don Handrick will be returning to Vajrapani Institute this March to lead our retreat. Don is a respected touring teacher for the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), and his years of dedicated dharma practice shine through in his approachable and grounded teaching style.

In 2015, Don received a high honor when Lama Zopa Rinpoche selected him to lead the renowned November Course—a one-month meditation and teaching retreat at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. We are deeply fortunate to welcome him to Vajrapani for this transformative experience.

Who Is It For?
Students of any experience level will have an amazing opportunity to learn and grow from this course. Newcomers to Buddhism will benefit from the concise overview of the entire Buddhist path and have many opportunities to ask questions. More experienced students will find it a valuable way to deepen their understanding and practice, especially with such a prestigious teacher.

Registration Closes
March 7