"Perhaps it is a more difficult path since we tend to get caught up in our desires that end up in attachment that is the source of suffering. But it is also a richer and more integrated path as we can use our full human potential and capabilities to rediscover wonderment without the clinging that causes suffering."

Qapel (Acharya Doug Duncan)

Life as Tantra: Weaving Desire into Liberation – Blog

Over two weeks, you are invited to deepen your connection with the inner deity through tantric meditation and practice. Whether through dance, embrace, making love, or simply the first spark of relationship, the mind’s deep archetypes call you into communion. Guided by Catherine Sensei, this retreat offers an immersion into the teachings and practices of a thousand-year-old lineage.

October 9 – 25, 2006

In-Person

Apply Here

Tantra focus area

Meditation Retreat practice

Two Weeks Duration

Advanced Skill Level

In-Person format

A Practice Transmission

Join us for seventeen days of tantric meditation rooted in classical texts and lineage wisdom.

You will move through the four classes of Tantra, working with creation stage practices, which use visualization of enlightened form, and completion stage practices, which point directly to the realization of ultimate reality. This is training in how to enter, continue, and complete the Vajrayana path through all four classes of tantra, following the classical Kagyu and Gelug presentations.

The retreat also supports the four preliminary practices essential to this path: contemplation of impermanence and precious human birth, understanding karma, cultivating bodhicitta, and developing devotion to the lineage and guru. From this foundation, the practice unfolds into generation stage yoga, where you learn to visualize yourself in enlightened form, and completion stage yoga, where the ultimate nature of reality is directly realized.

Along the way, the retreat continually returns to essential questions:

What truly brings happiness?
What is our actual motivation?
How far can rational thought take us, and when must we surrender to direct experience?

This advanced retreat is available by approved application only and requires an established meditation practice, along with completion of a significant portion of foundation practices. If those practices are not yet complete, applicants must be actively progressing in their foundation work.

We believe any path can become a vehicle for awakening, yet there is no substitute for the power of direct experience gained through meditation. That is why meditation is one of the four foundational practices in our teaching.

Apply Here

What's Expected of Me if I Come to This Retreat?

A strong foundation of parami and a willingness to explore other dimensions and cultivate your mind, drug free.
More extensive meditation experience is an advantage.
You are responsible for your own wellbeing.
To support deeper practice, participants are asked to avoid reading, internet use, phone use, and music during the course.

Schedule

Arrival: October 9th at 3pm, MT

Sample brief daily schedule:

9am Class with Teacher
11am Group Meditation led by a Senior Student
12:30pm Lunch
3pm Group Meditation led by a Senior Student
6pm Dinner
7:30 pm Meditation and Q&A with Sensei

Departure: October 25th

*Daily schedule is subject to changes closer to the course date.

Questions about the retreat? Phone , or contact

To allow time to rest after travel before the retreat begins, we recommend that domestic travelers arrive one day early and long-distance international travelers arrive two days early. After the retreat, we also suggest staying at least one more day for integration, though you are welcome to extend your stay through one of the hybrid stay options.

If you are booking a flight, airport pickups can be arranged when you register for the retreat. In the rare event that this retreat is cancelled, or if unforeseen global circumstances interrupt travel, we strongly recommend travel insurance and flexible tickets.

Meet the Teacher

Catherine Pawasarat Sensei

Catherine Pawasarat trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan starting in 1998 through an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. Alongside Buddhist philosophy and its application to daily life, Catherine also draws on generative living and the arts. With Qapel Doug Duncan, she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies.

About Clear Sky

Set in the BC Rocky Mountains, Clear Sky offers more than 300 acres for deep practice and reconnection with nature.

Founded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei, it is home to students from around the world who are committed to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in the modern world.

In line with its quadruple bottom line, the center sources food as locally and organically as possible.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here, what to bring and what to expect.

FAQs

What is Tantra practice in this retreat?

This retreat teaches Vajrayana Tantra as a path of transformation, using desire, perception, and lived human experience as means for awakening rather than as sources of attachment and suffering.

Detailed Daily Schedule (Long retreats)

Specific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST)

6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice
7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare, eat, clean up
8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice
9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers
10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk
10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha
11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice
12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare, eat, clean up
1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice
3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha
4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice
5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare, eat, clean up
7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice
7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers
8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed

Dana and Pricing

Dana:

This retreat is offered on the basis of dāna, or generosity.

Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity,” and it is the traditional way Buddhist teachings are offered. Through dāna, giving becomes a mutual exchange of generosity. You may know this as “pay from the heart.” It is our joy to offer this course, and we trust you will match our time, energy, and passion with an amount that feels healthy and appropriate for both you and us.

You will receive a link to offer dāna to the teachers after registration.

For more information on dāna click here.

Pricing:

In addition to Dana to the Teacher, Clear Sky Meditation Centre provides an exceptional setting for your retreat. Located on a beautiful 310-acre property in the Rocky Mountains, the center and its karma yogis provide nourishing daily meals and comfortable accommodation. Read more: Staying with us (Clear Sky Meditation Centre)

Please visit the retreat registration page for details on the all-inclusive fee for this retreat.

Scholarship Application

We aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible.

As a center run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service), retreat fees cover food, accommodation, and the equipment required to offer them online.

The teachings themselves are offered on the basis of dāna (pay-from-the-heart).

For some, this remains a barrier to entry.

If you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat, please complete a Scholarship Application form.

What will participants learn during the Tantra Practice Retreat?

Participants train through the four classes of Tantra, including creation stage visualization practices and completion stage meditation, progressing toward direct realization of ultimate reality.

Is prior meditation experience required?

Yes. This is an advanced retreat requiring an established meditation practice and active progress in Ngöndro foundational practices.

What makes Tantra a unique spiritual path?

Tantra is seen as a richer and more integrated path because it works with the full range of human potential, including desire and lived experience, transforming them into liberation rather than rejecting them.

What are the foundational practices emphasized in this retreat?

The retreat strengthens four key foundations:

Reflection on impermanence and precious human birth
Understanding karma
Cultivating bodhicitta (awakening motivation)
Developing devotion to teacher and lineage

What is expected from participants during the retreat?

Participants commit to disciplined practice, personal responsibility for wellbeing, maintaining a drug-free environment, and minimizing distractions such as phones, internet, reading, or music to deepen the meditation experience.

Microdosing/Psychedelics

We recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths.

Please note that the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will interfere with your experience and may cause negative side effects.

We ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately afterward.

What are states vs stages of consciousness?

States of consciousness are temporary meditation experiences such as clarity or bliss, while stages of consciousness are stable developmental shifts achieved through sustained practice that permanently transform perception and understanding.

Yoga class in Bull River

Yoga class in Bull River