Need help with my 3 year Nyingma/Dzogchen retreat.

[Adamantine]

Concerning the religious visa...I'll be looking into this further with an immigration lawyer...(i was hoping to find a Buddhist-friendly immigration lawyer on this site) but i think you have to be bringing some very specialized input to be accepted on the religious visa eg. be a Tibetan Lama etc.. otherwise the authorities are very wary of you. I know one highly competent translator who was hardly able to get the religious visa so i don't think they give it easily at all, probably not just for doing extensive retreat.

For example, R1 religious visa is no good as i won't
be fulfilling a remunerated religious function i.e. "to perform duties in a religious organization".

Hi there. I know at Pema Osel Ling the Drupta folks are often doing prayers and pujas upon request / donation from the extended sangha-- so it is actually completely truthful to say you will be "performing duties in a religious organization". I also believe that actual physical labor is often involved improving the center... regardless of the details I am sure that if you spoke to Lama Tharchin he would assure you that you'd be doing plenty of "performing duties in a religious organization" over the course of three years. Anyway, I will defer to the immigration lawyers but I thought I should add that 2cents.

[thinley paljor]

Thanks Adamantine. I guess i was not clear... the R1 Visa is a "religious worker" visa . The individual is coming to the US to carry out some kind of function (usually remunerated) eg. minister etc..which will not be my case. The fact that i will be working spiritually, is, it seems, of no importance in regard to R1 jurisprudence. And even for those who are qualified to carry out some such functions , if they are Westerners they are regarded with suspicion by the authorities, as i mentioned in my last post. If you are coming to a Tibetan Buddhist Community in the US you have more of a chance if you're a Tibetan monk or Lama . The non- American Westerner asking for an R1 to come to said Community is very suspect to the eyes of the authorities...this is not just hearsay but the actual experience of some who have it related to me.

[Adamantine]

Thanks Adamantine. I guess i was not clear... the R1 Visa is a "religious worker" visa . The individual is coming to the US to carry out some kind of function (usually remunerated) eg. minister etc..which will not be my case. The fact that i will be working spiritually, is, it seems, of no importance in regard to R1 jurisprudence. And even for those who are qualified to carry out some such functions , if they are Westerners they are regarded with suspicion by the authorities, as i mentioned in my last post. If you are coming to a Tibetan Buddhist Community in the US you have more of a chance if you're a Tibetan monk or Lama . The non- American Westerner asking for an R1 to come to said Community is very suspect to the eyes of the authorities...this is not just hearsay but the actual experience of some who have it related to me.

I feel there must be some exception for religious "school" or training. If there is not then there should be. Best wishes figuring it out. I imagine just going AWOL and overextending your visa by 2&1/2 years may not be looked kindly upon by the office of Vajrayana Foundation since it could land them in trouble or cause issues if you needed medical attention, etc. Otherwise, I'd suggest that since doing the retreat would be so meritorious it's worth whatever trouble could follow, and would probably purify it anyway.

[thinley paljor]

I certainly intend to see with some lawyers if the R1 can be "stretched out" to include long retreats it's just a drag to have to deal with this nonsense when i just want to get on with things...but anyway it's all good...i.e. it's all part of Buddhist Practise.

In regard to your comment re:POL...it would not land them into trouble whatsoever...leaving the US by land would not be problematic ...it's just that upon returning to the US i would probably be refused entry.

[Adamantine]

it's just that upon returning to the US i would probably be refused entry.

Well, considering impermanence --> it's probably best to take that risk and spend 3 years with your Lama in retreat and then deal with the possibility of not being able to return to the U.S. . that's my thought anyway. You can always invite Lama Tharchin or other Lamas to Canada after, and you can always visit masters in India or Nepal and do retreat there later on in life if you can not visit the retreat center in California again. But three years straight is more time than you'd be able to spend there if you didn't do the retreat and just went there for summer retreats etc. for the rest of your life...
If you have the clear aspiration and pure motivation don't let these politics stop you.

[Alaya7]

Can Any body help me or direct me on how to get into this retreat or if there are any other nyigma retreats in America ?
I have been calling the center and i even left a message but nobo0dy is getting back to me and when does this retreat start ?

[thinley paljor]

Did you try e-mailing the office ?