Online Live & Replay, 27 Nov 2026 - 29 Nov 2026

What if the world we experience is not as solid and real as we believe it to be? What if learning to see through our illusions could transform the way we experience life?

In our everyday lives, we perceive ourselves, others, and the world around us as solid, permanent, and independently existing. We become attached to what we like, reject what we dislike, and allow our thoughts, emotions, and expectations to shape our experience of reality. Yet, according to Buddhist wisdom, the way things appear to us is not their true nature. Our limited perception keeps us trapped in habitual patterns of attachment, aversion, and suffering.

Gyulü, the Yoga of the Illusory Body, is one of the Six Yogas of Naropa, a comprehensive collection of advanced practices of Tibetan Tantrayana Buddhism intended to lead to Buddhahood in an accelerated manner. Gyulü is a profound practice that teaches us to recognize the illusory nature of ourselves and all phenomena. This does not mean that nothing exists, but rather that everything arises through causes and conditions and lacks an independent, permanent self. Like a dream, a reflection in a mirror, or a rainbow appearing in the sky, phenomena can appear vividly without existing in the solid and fixed way we usually perceive them.

Through Gyulü, we train ourselves to see beyond ordinary appearances and recognize the true nature of reality. An important aspect of this practice is learning to experience our own body, speech, and mind as illusory: the body like a reflection, the speech like an echo, and the mind like a moving cloud. By gradually becoming familiar with this understanding, we can loosen our identification with a fixed sense of self and free ourselves from habitual reactions and emotional suffering.

Gyulü goes beyond intellectual understanding. Through visualization and meditation, we learn to transform our ordinary perception into a pure way of seeing. 

Gyulü also explores the illusory nature of our experiences during waking life, dreams, and the intermediate state between death and rebirth. By recognizing the dreamlike nature of these states, we deepen our understanding of the relationship between mind and appearances and gradually develop greater wisdom and inner freedom.

During this Online Live Retreat, Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche will share the profound teachings of Gyulü and guide us in exploring how to transform our perception and recognize the true nature of reality. Through teachings and practice, we will discover how this wisdom can help us experience life with less attachment, greater equanimity, and a deeper sense of inner freedom.

You will receive video recordings of all retreat sessions, allowing you to revisit the teachings and deepen your practice at your own pace.