THE SELF-ILLUMINATION OF THE SUN AND MOON: DARK RETREAT PRACTICE WITHIN THE YUTHOK NYINGTHIK
THREE DAYS OF RARE TEACHINGS ON DR. NIDA’S INSTRUCTIONS OF DARK RETREAT
We are so very pleased to announce that Dr. Nida Chenagtsang will be teaching from a work that he composed entitled, The Self-Illumination of the Sun and Moon: A Supplement to the Dzogchen Teachings of the Yuthok Nyingthig focusing on the Dark Retreat Practices of Lhündrup Tögal, the ‘Naturally, Spontaneously Accomplished Skipping Over’ Practices of Ati Yoga. This text was originally published in Tibetan by SKY Press in 2023 in the book གཡུ་ཐོག་སྙིང་ཐིག་གི་ཕྱག་རྫོགས་ ཀྱི་འགྲིལ་བ་ཉི་ཟླའི་འོད་སྣང་ or The Self-Illumination of the Sun and Moon: Dzogchen and Mahamudra Teachings of the Yuthok Nyingthig.
Dr. Nida’s text unifies aspects of Dungtsö Repa’s original root terma on Yangti Practice along with the Yuthok Nyingthik and as a result, is a very important synthesis of aspects of the Yangti Nakpo with the Yuthok Nyingthik.
While Lama Justin privately received the transmission for this text from Dr. Nida in 2023, the year that The Self-Illumination of the Sun and Moon: Dzogchen and Mahamudra Teachings of the Yuthok Nyingthig was published, this work has not been publicly taught in North America.
Given that this text is a very focused and extensive text on dark retreat practice, this program is limited to practitioners with extensive dzogchen experience and as such it is not being publicized outside of the limited groups of those who have completed the Yuthok Nyingthik Ati Yoga Program Mirror of Light or the dzogchen cycles, Complete Liberation of the Three Realms or the Karma Nyingthik.
This program will be limited to 25 participants and is application-based, and in-person only, which means that we will be screening to ensure that everyone who is accepted has appropriate experience. Please do not make travel arrangements or reserve accommodations until final acceptance is announced.
All applications must be submitted by June 26th in order to be considered for the 2026 teachings. Final announcements will be made on July 3rd.
We intend on offering these teachings annually with Dr. Nida, so those who are unable to attend may join us in the coming years.
Please Note: We are holding these teachings in a very traditional manner. This means that translations of the root text will not be provided and while Yangti Yoga Retreat Center will record these teachings for its own institutional purposes, no recording of the teachings will be permitted - participants will be allowed to take notes.
THE DETAILS
DETAILS & LOCATION
The program will be held at Yangti Yoga Retreat Center, nestled in the forested hills of Western Massachusetts. Participants are being asked to find their own accommodations off site - there is work being planned on the property and for safety reasons we will not be allowing any camping on the Yangti property.
Lunch will be catered and provided daily on-site. All participants will be responsible for arranging their own breakfast and dinner.
The Yangti Team will be happy to connect participants so that people can work together to rent places to stay that may accommodate several people and allow for ride-shares to and from the retreat center and for people to prepare their breakfast and dinner meals off-site.
There are limited camping locations in the vicinity, but please be aware that it can dip down into the low 40’s and even the 30’s at night in October. If you are planning on camping in a state park or nature reserve, please pack accordingly and be aware of best practices around staying safe during hunting season.
GETTING HERE
The Yangti Yoga Retreat Center is located in Buckland, MA which is a semi rural location there is not direct transportation to Buckland unless you are coming by car. Nearby airports include Boston (BOS), Hartford (BDL), or Albany (ALB). From these airports further transportation via bus, train, or taxi can be arranged. Rome2Rio is a very helpful site for planning your trip and comparing options. Valley Transportation is another helpful resource for private and group shuttles from the airport to our center. Additional instructions and exact address will be provided to all confirmed participants upon registration.
PRICING • $1008
Not included in registration cost:
Optional Teacher dana
Transportation
Accommodation
Breakfast & Dinner
Registration is limited to 25 participants
All applications must be submitted by June 26th in order to be considered for the 2026 teachings. Final announcements will be made on July 3rd.
Upon submission of application below participants will receive information from Yangti regarding how to submit payment and finalize registration.
GENERAL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY OCT 1ST
Suggested arrival travel day
FRIDAY OCT 2ND
10am - 12:00pm | Morning Teaching Session + Yuthok Nyingthik Essential Empowerment
12:00pm - 2:30pm | Lunch Break
2:30pm - 4:30pm | Afternoon Teaching session
SATURDAY OCT 3RD
10am - 12:00pm | Morning Teaching Session
12:00pm - 2:30pm | Lunch Break
2:30pm - 4:30pm | Afternoon Teaching session
SUNDAY OCT 4TH
10am - 12:00pm | Morning Teaching Session
12:00pm - 2:30pm | Lunch Break
2:30pm - 4:30pm | Afternoon Teaching session
MONDAY OCT 5TH
Suggested departure travel day
MEET OUR GUIDE
Dr. Nida Chenagtsang is a traditional Tibetan physician and lineage holder of the Yuthok Nyingthig, the unique spiritual healing tradition of Tibetan Medicine. Born in Amdo, in North Eastern Tibet, he began his early medical studies at the local Tibetan Medicine hospital. Later he was awarded scholarship to enter the Lhasa Tibetan Medical University, where he completed his medical education in 1996 with practical training at the Tibetan Medicine hospitals in Lhasa and Lhoka.
Alongside his medical education, Dr. Nida trained in Vajrayana with teachers from every school of Tibetan Buddhism, especially in the Longchen Nyingthig of the Nyingma school from his root teacher Ani Ngawang Gyaltsen and in the Dudjom Tersar lineage from Chönyid Rinpoche and Sremo Dechen Yudron. He received complete teachings in the Yuthok Nyingthig lineage, the unique spiritual tradition of Tibetan Medicine, from his teachers Khenpo Tsultrim Gyaltsen and Khenchen Troru Tsenam, and was requested to continue the lineage by Jamyang Rinpoche of the Rebkong ngakpa/ma (non-monastic yogi and yogini) tradition.
A well-known poet in his youth, Dr. Nida later published many articles and books on Sowa Rigpa (Traditional Tibetan Medicine) and the Yuthok Nyingthig tradition both in the Tibetan and English languages which have been translated into several languages. He has extensively researched ancient Tibetan healing methods, and has gained high acclaim in the East and West for his revival of little known traditional Tibetan external healing therapies.
Dr. Nida is the Medical Director and principal teacher of Sorig Khang International and the Sowa Rigpa Institute: School of Traditional Tibetan Medicine; Co-Founder of the International Ngakmang Institute, established to preserve and maintain the Rebkong ngakpa non-monastic yogi/ini culture within modern Tibetan society; and Co-Founder of Pure Land Farms and Yangti Yoga Retreat Center. In addition to his work as a physician, he trains students in Sowa Rigpa and the Yuthok Nyingthig tradition in over forty countries around the world.
RETREAT APPLICATION
This program will be limited to 25 participants and is application-based, and in-person only, which means that we will be screening to ensure that everyone who is accepted has appropriate experience. Please do not make travel arrangements of reserve accommodations until final acceptance is announced.
All applications must be submitted by June 26th in order to be considered for the 2026 teachings. Final announcements will be made on July 3rd.
WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING
It's a very well-structured and paced course that allows you to deeply practice this dzogchen cycle. Lama Justin is deeply knowledgeable about both the history of Tibetan Buddhism and the direct experience of practice. I appreciated the Q&A format and input from my fellow students. Some explanations were above my knowledge level, but the year time frame and pace allowed me to build skills and I'm repeating the class next year so I can continue studying with Lama Justin.
EMMA B.
WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING
“Lama Justin’s teaching and supportive guidance created a powerful container for exploring Dzogchen as presented by Rangjung Dorje within the Karma Kagyu tradition.”
SCOTT C.
WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING
“You could feel the blessing of lineage in this class. The cycle takes you step-by-step through practices that support the experience of the Rigpa state in a way that feels both structured but also open and spontaneous.”
SARAH K.