VAJRASATTVA: Incubation & Invocation
Psychedelic Buddhist Retreat
With Psychedelic Sangha

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NEW COHORT STARTING SOON!

This program is for those interested in participating in a group, or individual, Psychedelic Buddhist purification retreat.

Vajrasattva practice is a form of deity yoga designed to purify one's subtle body of negative karma. It is a powerful methodology that employs focused attention, mantra recitation, ritual, and visualization of archetypal symbolism to engender spiritual growth.

We believe the cultivation of a consistent home practice is an essential prerequisite for a successful retreat. Therefore our program includes a 4-6 week study and practice incubation period in preparation for a 1-day group or individual Psychedelic Buddhist retreat.

Our retreats feature meditation instruction by Doc Kelley and live vibraphone by musician Chris Dingman.

PROGRAM
4 Study sessions: 7-9 pm every Wednesday
4 Practice sessions: 11-12 noon every Sunday
1 Day-long retreat featuring live music by Chris Dingman
2 Integration sessions

TUITION
Sliding scale

CAVEATS
-We adopt a non-sectarian approach that looks at a variety of sadhana from several traditions.

-This program requires a commitment to engage in a daily home meditation practice.

-Zoom option available for study and practice sessions only—the retreat is only in-person.

MEDITATION GUIDE
Christopher “Doc” Kelley is co-founder and organizer of Psychedelic Sangha. He received a PhD in religion from Columbia University where he studied Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with Robert A. F. Thurman. He is a part-time associate professor in Religious Studies at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the New School University.

MUSIC GUIDE
NYC-based vibraphonist and composer Chris Dingman is known for his distinctive approach to the instrument: sonically rich and conceptually expansive. In his captivating solo performances, he casts an enveloping atmosphere, creating layers of simultaneous sound on the vibraphone. It’s an immersive listening experience that many have described as transportive and deeply healing.

Chris has worked with legendary artists Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, and many of today’s jazz, creative, and world music luminaries. He brings together this background with a host of influences from around the world, including his studies of the mbira music of Zimbabwe, in service of taking listeners on a journey to a transcendent place.  

While working as an acclaimed vibraphonist in NYC since 2002, Chris documented his solo improvisations privately for many years, until his world changed. When his father entered hospice care in 2018, he created the 5-hour extended album Peace, recorded as he played it for his father, and ultimately released in 2020.  This led to an ongoing evolution of his solo music and his critically acclaimed albums  journeys vol. 1 and vol. 2 , which have been described as “hypnotic” (The New York Times), “spellbinding” (Bandcamp), “absolutely beautiful” (Jazz at Lincoln Center), and “solo masterpieces” (Downbeat).

Chris is actively touring, performing in concert, healing, and hybrid modalities for audiences around the world, both in person and online. Recent concert performances include Omega Institute (Rhinebeck), Timucua Arts (Orlando), Art + Literature Lab (Madison), Lawrence University (Appleton), Redwood Jazz Alliance (Eureka), and many others including a 10-date solo tour of the US supported by a grant from South Arts. Chris also leads the twice-monthly online series Transformations, inviting participant dialogue as part of a healing music session. This exchange has proven to be very meaningful, leading participants to describe the experience as “immediately energizing and healing on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.”

Chris has performed around the world including in India, Vietnam, and extensively in Europe and North America. He has been profiled by NPR,  the New York Times, Downbeat, AMNY and many other publications, and has received fellowships and grants from Chamber Music America, New Music USA, South Arts, and the Thelonious Monk Institute. Hailed by the New York Times as a  “dazzling” soloist and a composer with a “fondness for airtight logic and burnished lyricism,” the fluidity of his musical approach has earned him praise as “an extremely gifted composer, bandleader, and recording artist.” (Jon Weber, NPR).