Joy of Living 3: Awakening Wisdom Residential Meditation Retreat in Portugal

This eight-day residential retreat offers a rare opportunity to explore The Joy of Living Level 3: Awakening Wisdom in an immersive retreat environment. Through the practice of analytical meditation, unconscious beliefs are brought into the light of awareness, loosening the grip of the conceptual mind and revealing the ever-changing nature of our perceptions and, ultimately, our basic goodness.

In this retreat, led by two senior Tergar Guides Tsunma Kunsang Palmo and Holger Yeshe, you will have the opportunity to explore the full Joy of Living 3 curriculum, integrating the teachings directly through meditation practice, while simultaneously completing much of the JOL3 homework requirements.

In this level, you will learn:

• How to use insight meditation to dissolve the distorted views that create confusion and suffering
• How to see beyond superficial thoughts and emotions to discover the basic goodness that lies within
• How our rigid beliefs about ourselves and the world around us sustain anxiety and dissatisfaction
• How to see reality more clearly, beyond our projections

This retreat will include video teachings by Mingyur Rinpoche, teaching and facilitation by the two Tergar Guides, group meditation, awareness yoga, and the opportunities for private interviews.

Silence will be observed from Monday until Saturday, with speaking limited to the teaching sessions and interviews. To support the integrity of the practice environment, participants are asked to remain on site for the entirety of the retreat.

Many participants from previous Joy of Living retreats at Karuna have shared how practicing in retreat greatly deepened their understanding and experience. Whether you are new to Joy of Living 3 or learning it for the first time, this retreat is a wonderful opportunity to deepen practice.

This retreat is offered in-person, in English only. 

Testimonials from Joy of Living Tergar Retreat Participants

“Receiving Mingyur Rinpoche’s teachings with the support of the amazing guides and surrounded by a safe and welcoming community was life-changing. I am so grateful for the opportunity to practice this way.”

“It was the most wonderful spiritual journey I have undertaken. The teachings and guidance were extraordinary. It is a blessing to be part of the Tergar Community.”

“This retreat was exactly what I was looking for. Mind, body and soul reset. Absolutely brilliant and time flew. Keeping silence was an additional benefit to the overall teachings and meditations.”

“The retreat was a wonderful opportunity to practise meditation within a serene and supportive environment, guided by highly experienced instructors. Engaging with the Joy of Living program in this setting truly brought these practices to life for me.”

Prerequisites

This program is open to all those who have completed Joy of Living 1 and 2 and the practice requirements for both (50 hours of formal meditation practice for each level). Alternatively, if you have at least 3 years of meditation practice, you may join with permission from the guides; please email retreats@tergar-retreats.org with a brief description of your meditation background before registering.

Retreat Cost

The retreat cost is all-inclusive, including all costs for the program, room and board at Karuna (all prices are in Euros):

1. Sponsor Rate – €1000: This rate allows us to offer reduced rates to those who need financial assistance. Please consider choosing this option, or making an additional donation to Tergar Retreats if it is within your means.
2. Base Rate – €850: This is the standard rate that covers all costs for your attendance.

We offer a limited number of need-based scholarships for individuals with a strong intention to meditate but facing financial limitations. If this applies to you, please contact retreats@tergar-retreats.org to explore scholarship options.

All funds for these retreats are being managed by Tergar Retreats, which is a 501c(3) non-profit in the USA. There is no tax charged. Any profits from the retreat, if there are any, will go towards future Tergar Retreats and also be partially shared with Tergar International.

Payment Schedule

A deposit of 50% of the total is due upon registration. The other 50% is due by May 1. Unless otherwise arranged, any remaining balance will be automatically charged to the same credit card that was used for your deposit on May 1 (we will send you a reminder beforehand). Other payment requests can be arranged upon request.

Cancellation Policy

If you should need to cancel your registration, the cancellation policy is as follows: If you cancel more than 30 days prior to the first day of the program start date, you will receive a refund less a €150 cancellation fee. If you cancel between 15 and 29 days prior to the program start date, you will receive a refund less a €300 cancellation fee. No refunds will be given within two weeks prior to the start of the retreat.

Daily Schedule, Accommodations, Meals, Travel

For further information about accommodations, meals and travel please see this document: Retreat Information, Joy of Living 3.

In case of unforeseen circumstances, we recommend purchasing refundable tickets and/or trip cancellation insurance.

Attending both Joy of Living and the Meditation Immersion Retreat?

Attending both Joy of Living 3 and the Meditation Immersion Retreat  allows the momentum of the first week to carry seamlessly into the second. As a special offer, if you plan to attend both retreats, when you register for the Joy of Living 3 retreat you’ll receive the discount code for a 15% reduction on the Meditation Immersion Retreat.

About Tergar Retreats

Tergar Retreats is a non-profit organization specifically focused on supporting in-person meditation retreats in the Tergar lineage as taught by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. It is financially independent from Tergar International. As part of Mingyur Rinpoche’s larger vision and global projects, Tergar Retreats is a part of the Tergar Mandala that includes Tergar International, Tergar Schools, Tergar Institute, Tergar Asia, Tergar Sangha, Tergar Charity, and more.