Frequently Asked Questions

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is a world-renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher and meditation master in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions.

As a young child, Chokyi Nyima—“Sun of the Dharma”—was recognized as the 7th incarnation of the Tibetan meditation master Gar Drubchen.

Rinpoche spent his youth studying under some of Tibetan Buddhism’s most illustrious masters, such as His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, and his father, Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.

In 1974, Rinpoche joined his parents in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he assisted them in establishing Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. Upon its completion in 1976, H.H. the Karmapa enthroned Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche as the monastery’s abbot. To this day, Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling remains the heart of Rinpoche’s ever-growing mandala of activity.

For more information about Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and his international activities, please visit:
shedrub.org

Rinpoche will teach in Tibetan. There will be translation into Vietnamese, English, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Nepali, and Dzongkha. The broadcast translation via the speaker system will be in VIETNAMESE. To listen to translation in any other language, you will need an FM radio receiver, whether a separate device or through your FM radio capable cell phone and you will also need headphones. Please make sure you have what you need to listen to translation before you arrive at Tam Chúc Pagoda Complex, as it may be more difficult to get needed equipment there.

Visa regulations depend upon the country of issue of your passport. For more information, please consult this link:https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/en_US/web/guest/trang-chu-ttdt

Unfortunately, we are not able to give any advice about visas. For complete and accurate information, please consult your local Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate.

According to Rinpoche’s wish, the teachings themselves are free of charge. The registration fees are to cover travel and accommodation for Rinpoche and the monastics, translators, and staff; your accommodations and meals, your transportation to and from the airport to the temple complex, printing of texts, facility rental, technical equipment rental, and other incidental costs associated with making an event of this size possible. Also included in the fee is a symbolic group offering for Rinpoche and the monastics, and a modest stipend for the translators. You will have the precious opportunity to make offerings to Rinpoche and the monastics in person, and to show your appreciation for the translators as well!

The generosity of the sangha makes a number of scholarships possible, so there a limited number of scholarships available. There are 100% scholarships available for ordained sangha members who need them and sliding scale scholarships up to 50% discount available for lay practitioners in need of financial assistance. Please fill in the scholarship form when registering.

Once you have paid, we cannot offer any refunds. You may be able to transfer your registration to another participant who has not yet registered.

If you require a single room for medical or other reasons, we may be able to help you with a booking offsite. Please contact us.

Bus provided by seminar: Airport transportation is included for all participants, please specify your time of arrival on registration website and save our bus schedule below:

Airport Bus schedule:

Important: Please note that you will likely have to stay overnight in Hanoi before your flight back home. This hotel stay is not included in your fees, but we hope to be able to recommend some good places to stay at different price points.

Please also note the routes we provide and estimated travel time:

Self-transportation: Transportation is provided for our accommodation packages ONLY. If you book hotels outside of our list, please arrange your own daily transportation to/from the venue. Please make sure you arrive at Tam Chuc on the evening of November 21st to check-in, receive your badge and join our first dinner on the 2nd floor, Vesak venue, Tam Chuc Pagoda.

It is nearly impossible for international visitors to arrange private transportation on their own. Taxis and ride sharing apps are not readily available. You may be able to arrange some private transportation with your hotel, but this might be expensive and is not included in your registration fees.

Essential items:

1. Radio: Rinpoche will teach in Tibetan and there will be broadcast translation in VIETNAMESE via the speaker system. If you want to listen to the teachings in English, Chinese, French, Dzongkha, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Nepali, Ukrainian, or Vietnamese, please bring your own FM radio along with headphones! It is possible to use your phone but only if it has an actual FM radio receiver built in! A radio app will not be able to receive the signal over WiFi.
2. Any medication you take regularly--remember that we are far away from a pharmacy and cannot guarantee availability of any particular medicine you might need. Remember blood pressure medicine and other types of essential daily medicine sometimes require adjustment with a retreat lifestyle and thus it is always better to be prepared with extra supplies.
3. Medicines that you may take occasionally, for example: sleeping aids if you are prone to insomnia, headache medicine, digestive aids, creams for skin irritations etc.
4. Any environmental allergies such as mold or pets, bees or any other insects: Please note that we have many bees and if you have allergies please bring epi pens with you as we cannot keep them in stock. Spring pollen counts can be very high, so if you suffer from allergies, please be sure to bring whatever medication works best for you.

Personal items you may want to bring with you:

Please note: Rinpoche has reminded us to respect the temple etiquette. Therefore, we request you to not wear shorts or skirts that fall above the knee or tank tops with thin straps.

• Warm clothes for cooler evening weather
• Sunscreen and protection for your head
• Ear plugs if you are a light sleeper
• Mosquito spray - In general, it’s good to wear clothes that will cover your skin.
• Rain jacket or umbrella
• Thermos or a bottle to refill
• Shoes that are easy to remove
• House slippers
• A yoga mat if you want to sit on the grass

All necessary texts for the Annual Seminar and TTE retreat will be provided.

If you registered for one of our packages, you will eat breakfast at your hotel. If you have made your own accommodations, you will also need to arrange for your own breakfast.

Rinpoche’s wish is that we eat together as one family; therefore, we have organized lunch, dinner, and tea breaks at the pagoda complex. There will be a vegan and vegetarian buffet lunch and dinner provided everyday (except lunch of November 29th) at the 2nd floor of the Vesak Venue. Please select whether you wish a vegetarian or vegan meal when you register. We also provide tea breaks twice a day at the Vesak venue, next to the harbor.

On November 28^th, the annual seminar participants will make a day trip pilgrimage to the wonderful Bai Dinh Pagoda complex, located about a 1 and a half hour drive away from Tam Chuc. This beautiful pagoda houses precious relics of the Buddha. For more information about this special place, you can visit this link: https://vinpearl.com/en/bai-dinh-pagoda-ninh-binh

Due to our current capacity, the pilgrimage trip is limited to annual seminar students only. Students registered for the TTE retreat but not the annual seminar, please note that you can only check in to your hotel on November 28th noon.

We cannot guarantee the exact travel time from the pilgrimage site to the airport and are not responsible if you miss your flight scheduled on the same day. Please take note of this schedule before registering. We have buses that leave directly from Bai Dinh to the airport (please check the question above: 'What are the transportation arrangements?'), so if you wish to leave for the airport that same day, please make sure to check out in the morning, take your luggage with you, and notify your hotel seminar staff for airport bus arrangement.

There are no easily accessible ATMs or currency exchanges at Tam Chuc; therefore, we recommend that you get local currency in Hanoi.If you would like to make cash offerings to Rinpoche, the monastics, and your translator, you may do so in any currency. We also have digital payment options available.

The teaching hall is on the ground floor and there are plenty of chairs available. Each of the hotels has an elevator. If you have special needs, we will try to assist you as much as we can.

There will be publicly available WiFi at the pagoda complex and all hotels. We cannot guarantee, however, that it will be fast or reliable enough for you to attend classes or work meetings online.