Dark Retreat Workshop at The Rubin Museum

Using the absence of light over stretches of time is an advanced technique in Tibetan Dzogchen practice to help the practitioner shed the external distractions, recognize internal distractions, and ultimately come to clarity and balance.

In this introductory workshop, dharma teacher and chaplain for Hart Island Justin von Bujdoss contextualizes the practice, and aims to help workshop attendees anticipate what may or may not arise in a dark retreat setting. There will be a period of up to 40 minutes of complete darkness during the session. These experiences tend towards the visionary and have qualities that appear to mirror some of the experiences that are encountered with certain psychedelic substances.

This year the Rubin is becoming a global museum and closing the building on 17th Street on October 6, 2024. During this transformation, the Rubin is exploring how to release attachments and reframe perspectives. Join us as we examine Buddhist ideas of non-attachment in this workshop. We commonly think we need light to tell us what is. However in this practice of dark retreat meditation, the reverse might be true.

Prior to the workshop, Justin von Bujdoss will lead a 5:15 PM tour of the Lukhang Murals located on the second floor. The murals depict practitioners preparing to enter into dark retreats, a visual guide for participants to more fully understand this undertaking.