Trekchö ཁྲེགས་ཆོད་

Breakthrough Retreat

Online with Pema Khandro

June 27 – 29, 2025

Experience the profound simplicity of Breakthrough meditation, the cornerstone practice of Dzogchen that directly “cuts through” all mental fabrications to reveal our natural state of awareness. This immersive retreat offers a rare opportunity to receive authentic guidance in this ultimate practice of the Great Perfection tradition, where we learn not to attain enlightenment but to recognize what has been present from the beginning. Through skilled instruction, guided sessions, and periods of integration, participants will explore how to rest in the effortless recognition of mind’s true nature beyond all conceptual elaboration.

In the protected space of retreat, we will investigate the essence of Breakthrough—learning to allow thoughts and emotions to self-liberate without suppression or engagement, discovering the spaciousness that remains when we release our habitual grasping.

This retreat is suitable for serious practitioners who have received previous Dzogchen teachings, or have a background in meditation, and are ready to deepen their relationship with rigpa, pure awareness itself.

Join us in exploring this direct path where there is “nothing to renounce, nothing to transform, and nothing to achieve”—only the vivid recognition of what we have always been. Through Breakthrough practice, we discover that liberation is not found through struggle but through relaxation into our authentic nature, bringing profound implications for both formal meditation and everyday life.

This retreat will be led online by Dzogchen teacher and scholar, Pema Khandro. Each day will include study and practice of breakthrough practice, Trekchö (ཁྲེགས་ཆོད་, sometimes transliterated as “tekcho”), from the Heart Essence of the Dakinis (mkkha’ ‘gro snying thig) one of the most beloved Dzogchen texts in Dzogchen History The Heart Essence of the Dakini’s was the text that Longchenpa studied and regarded as his past life masterpiece, he practices this cycle and wrote commentaries to it, and thereby bringing the Dzogchen Nyingthig lineage into its flourishing.

Retreat Description

This retreat explores Breakthrough practice, an advanced meditation practice in the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The term literally translates as “cutting through” or “breaking through rigidity” – referring to cutting through delusion and breaking through ordinary, dualistic mind to recognize one’s true nature.

Key aspects of Breakthrough practice include:

It aims to directly introduce practitioners to the natural state (rigpa) – their inherent Buddha-nature or primordial awareness that is already complete and perfect.
Unlike many preliminary meditation practices that focus on concentration or gradual purification, Breakthrough medition is a direct approach that cuts through conceptual thinking and dualistic perception.
The practice typically includes resting in a state of non-elaboration and non-meditation, allowing thoughts to self-liberate without suppression or following them.

From a traditional Dzogchen perspective, Breakthrough meditation is considered extraordinarily valuable because it provides a direct path to recognizing one’s Buddha-nature and potentially achieving liberation within one lifetime. It’s seen as particularly suited for practitioners in our era who may not have time for more gradual approaches.

Philosophy of Tekchod

The significance of Breakthrough Meditation cannot be overstated within Dzogchen, as it represents the heart of the tradition’s approach to revealing one’s inherent Buddha-nature directly and without artifice.

Foundational Practice

Breakthrough meditation serves as one of the two primary practices in the Intimate Advice Class of instruction in Dzogchen (man ngag sde). It helps practitioners recognize and stabilize in rigpa (pure awareness).

Direct Path Approach

Trekchö exemplifies the direct approach characteristic of Dzogchen. Rather than engaging in complex visualizations or gradual purification methods common in other tantric practices, Trekchö aims directly at “cutting through” (the literal meaning of the term) all mental constructs and obscurations to reveal one’s inherent Buddha-nature.

Relationship to Core Dzogchen View

The practice perfectly embodies the Dzogchen view that enlightenment is not something to be created but rather recognized as already present. Through Breakthrough meditation, practitioners directly experience the inseparability of emptiness and awareness (rigpa) that is the foundation of Dzogchen philosophy.

Pre-requisites

Breakthrough meditation is traditionally considered an advanced practice that requires proper preparation and therefore completion of preliminary practices (ngöndro) is recommended. It also traditionally requires oral transmission which will be given on the first morning of the retreat.

ONLINE

June 27th – 29th

San Francisco
9am-12pm (PST)
New York
12-3pm (EST)
London
5-8pm (BST)

The Lineage Holder and Teacher

Pema Khandro, PhD

Pema Khandro is an internationally renowned teacher and scholar of Buddhist philosophy. She is the founder of Ngakpa International and its three projects, The Buddhist Studies Institute, Dakini Mountain and the Yogic Medicine Institute. In her work as a Buddhist teacher she is an authorized Lama and lineage holder of the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions and was enthroned to carry on the lineage of her predecessor, the first Pema Khandro, an early twentieth century yogini from Eastern Tibet. She has led a vibrant world-wide community since 1999. Through the Buddhist Studies Institute, she also offers a complete curriculum of training in Tibetan meditation and Buddhist Philosophy. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a Master’s degree specializing in Tibetan studies, and a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Virginia. Her scholarly research focuses on the history of Dzogchen and on Women in Tibetan Buddhism.

Tuition

Early Enrollment Tuition by 6/1 – $199

Regular Tuition after 6/1 – $277

Financial Aid Considerations All course costs are set at a minimum fee already, with financial aid built into all tuition rates. Because we are a non-profit organization, the costs of all activities and overhead of our organization must be covered by the participants of the courses or donations and all courses are offered at below cost. For those who are experiencing genuine financial hardship and wish to enroll in the course, Scholarship applications are available. Applications must be received in advance. Programs are always free for monastics.

Financial Aid Application: https://forms.gle/xwYaTamt2autMLKa9

Monastic Scholarship Application: https://forms.gle/yudBajX8wXXXsB2FA

Course Content (Registration Required)

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