Kusali Chöd Weekend

Saturday, August 10th & Sunday, August 11th
10 AM to 4 PM (New York Time) with a short lunch break from 12 PM-1 PM

In-person & On Zoom Participation
[Registration Required, see below]
If you’re unable to register via the form below, please click here.

Kusali Chöd (“Beggar’s Severance”) is a distinctly Tibetan Buddhist practice focused on “severing” attachment to the self, particularly as embodied in one’s physical form. This practice, originating with the 11th-century yogini Machik Lapdrön, integrates the profound wisdom of emptiness from the Prajnaparamita Sutras with Vajrayana methods that engage directly with the psyche. By freeing oneself from such attachments, practitioners become more capable of genuinely benefiting others.

In this program, Drupon Palkyi will teach Chöd instructions as transmitted by Kyobpa Jikten Sumgön, the 12th-century founder of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage. While Chöd is often discussed as a method for overcoming difficulties related to unseen beings and harmful influences, Jikten Sumgön’s teachings, like those of Shakyamuni Buddha before him, emphasize the transformative power of loving-kindness and the realization of emptiness to surmount all problems.

[Note: Although not required, having a vajra and bell, a Chöd drum, and a tomra is ideal for this program.]

About Drupon Palkyi

Drupon Palkyi received her education and training as a retreat master from Drikung Samtenling Nunnery in Dehradun, Uttarkand, India.
She became a nun at age fourteen, and received a thorough monastic training in Tibet where she also practiced extensively in retreat. She has completed four full cycles of the Drikung Kagyu ngöndro for the five-fold path of Mahamudra, and has practiced Nyungne extensively, completing a 200 day Nyungne retreat, a number of 16-day Nyungne retreats, and many 2-day Nyungne retreats.
After traveling to India in 2001, Drupon Palkyi joined Drikung Samtenling Nunnery where she studied grammar and Buddhist philosophy for six years. She also received extensive training in music, rituals, and dance, and served as the head chant master of Samtenling Nunnery for three years.
After completing her philosophy studies, Drupon Palkyi entered a traditional Three-Year-Retreat in 2008 where she practiced the Five-Fold Path of Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa.
In August 2013 she was invited by Drikung Garchen Institute to Munich, Germany where she continues to serve as a resident lama, regularly offering teachings and leading group practices and retreats.
In February 2023 Drupon Palkyi completed a 200 hr Holistic Yoga Teacher training program with Pyramid Yogshala in Rishikesh, India and is now a certified Hatha yoga instructor and enjoys leading yoga retreats that combine Buddhist yogic practices with Hatha yoga.

Register to Attend

Aug 10th & 11th

Suggested Registration For Event: $100

Suggested dana to Drupon Palkyi: $50

[You can register regardless of your ability and/or willingness to offer. The suggested amount simply reflects operational & living costs involved in offering the programs we offer using the “offer what you can” model.]