Katog Rit’hröd Visitor’s Guide

Welcome to our visitors’ guide. Here you will find what you need to know to help ensure your visit to Katog Rit’hröd is well informed and well planned.

  • If you’re planning a day trip to Katog Rit’hröd, an email to [email protected] before you come is appreciated, but not required.
  • We suggest you check the event schedule  to see what’s happening on the day you’re planning a visit or to schedule your visit to take part in a particular activity.
  • Katog Rit’hröd offers overnight lodging and longer term retreat space for Khentrul Rinpoche’s students who have a strong connection to him.   
  • Anyone planning to stay longer than a night or two will be referred to Khentrul Rinpoche for permission and guidance during their stay.
  • Because Katog Rit’hröd has a small resident staff and is quite rural, we are not able to provide lodging for the general public, nor do we offer work study programs.
  • To be considered for overnight or longer lodging, please complete the Extended Stay Request Form below.
  • We offer rooms with covered mattresses but ask that you bring top bedding for your stay. This helps us keep our laundry loads to a minimum. A sleeping bag is often an ideal solution.
  • Please bring your own towel and toiletries. You’ll have access to bathrooms and a shower.
  • We don’t have air conditioning, please consider bringing a small fan.
  • Tenting is also a housing option. The best time is spring and fall. We have a few (non-powered) tent platforms to keep you off the ground.
  • You’ll have access to fridge space and a kitchen in order to prepare your own food.
  • The closest grocery store is Harp’s in Jasper, a 30 minute drive.
  • To establish interdependence and to contribute to the center’s maintenance, we ask that you consider making a donation towards your stay at the center. The donation may be any amount.
  • You can donate online by clicking here. In the “comment box” just above where you enter the donation amount, please enter, for example, ‘for weekend stay – August 11 & 12’.
  • Alternatively, you may place cash or a check in our donation box located in the library of the main house.
  • Each of you will be given a small task called ‘karma yoga.’ It’s a way to generate merit and one of the ways to make a deeper connection to the dharma.
  • When you know what time you’ll be arriving, please let us know so someone can meet you and help you get settled.
  • We have sitting cushions in the temple, but you might want to bring your personal one from home.
  • In the warmer weather, you may want to bring a swimsuit – there’s a swimming hole just down the road.
  • The center is not able to accommodate dogs – including service dogs. We apologize for any inconvenience.
  • Please don’t pet our lovely black cat, Maya. Originally feral, she bites hard and unpredictably.

Katog Rit’hröd offers overnight lodging and longer term retreat space for Khentrul Rinpoche’s students, who have a strong connection to him.  Those who plan longer stays will first be asked to contact Rinpoche for permission and guidance during their stay.

If you plan a day trip to Katog Rit’hröd, there’s no need to complete the lodging request form below.  A call or email before you come is nice, but not necessary.

Please complete and submit the request form below if:

  • You’re a student of Khentrul Rinpoche, who has a strong connection to him.
  • You’d like to visit and stay overnight for a day or two.
  • You plan a longer stay for a work or practice retreat.

Once we receive your form, we will contact you to let you know about the status of your request.

Name(Required)
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Liability Waiver

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION

1. I acknowledge that my presence at the premises of Katog Choling Mountain Retreat Center, referred to below as “the Center,” located at Parthenon, AR, is voluntary.

ASSUMPTION OF RISK

2. I am aware that while at the Center, my activities may involve strenuous physical activities such as labor, volunteer construction work and/or meditation. Also there may be risks associated with being in a rural setting, including contact with poison ivy, insects, and wildlife. I am also aware that people may experience intense and unusual psychological, spiritual and/or physical states of mind and body arising from meditation and associated activities. I am voluntarily participating in any activities at the Center with full knowledge of the risks involved, and hereby agree to accept any and all risks of harm that may result from these activities and/or my presence at the Center.

3. If I am under psychiatric care, I have or will consult with my healthcare provider before attending this retreat.

4. I understand that if I bring a child with me to the Center, I have sole and complete responsibility for supervising and caring for the child, including keeping the child safe from any dangerous condition that may exist on the premises.

5. I understand and agree to the following restrictions:

  • No weapons
  • No drugs
  • No illegal substances
  • We are not able to accommodate pet or service animals, dogs included

6. I will not operate any machinery or power tools (e.g., lawn mowers, chainsaws, or any construction equipment) without proper know-how and understanding of all risks involved. I will not use such machinery if I do not have health insurance. If I do use such machinery while at the Center, I assume full responsibility for all risks involved and recognize that I alone am responsible for any harm to myself or others that results from my voluntary use of machinery or power tools.

7. I am aware that access to the Center involves using a low-water bridge to cross a river, that river flow at times makes the crossing impassable or dangerous, and that an ill-timed crossing can result in stalling or wash-out of a vehicle that could lead to severe injury or even death. I agree to use the utmost care in determining whether to cross the low-water bridge at any given time, and in using the bridge to make the crossing. I assume all risk in crossing the river using the low-water bridge, including the decision to attempt a crossing in a particular vehicle, or in assenting to a particular operator of said vehicle. Further, I recognize that once on the land, there may be times when the river is impassable, and that in those times the Center may be isolated from areas where essentials like medical care, medicines, and food are available. In order to minimize the chance of a medical emergency, and fully knowing that the Center may be cut-off from essential services for an indeterminate period of time of a week or more, I agree to bring additional servings of necessary medicines and to use utmost care in everything I do on the property. I understand that if an emergency medical situation arises during times where the river is impassable, the only way to get essential medical care is through evacuation by helicopter and agree that I am solely responsible for the costs of such an evacuation. I acknowledge that helicopter evacuation insurance is available through AirMedCare.

WAIVER, AND INDEMNIFICATION

8. In consideration for being permitted by Katog Choling or one of its affiliates to be present at the Center and use its facilities now and on any future visits, I hereby assume all risks in connection with my being at the Center, and travel to and from the Center, for any harm, injury or damage that may befall me, any child accompanying me or my property, including all risks connected therewith, whether foreseen or unforeseen. I further waive any and all claims that I or a child accompanying me may have against the Center, past, present or future, known or unknown, in exchange for access to the Center and the ability to volunteer, that arise from my presence at the Center. I also agree to indemnify and hold harmless Katog Choling, its affiliates, employees, agents or volunteers from any claim, demand or lawsuit from any other person or entity arising out of my presence and/or activities at the Center, the presence and/or activities of any child accompanying me at the Center or during travel to or from the Center, including both claims arising before, during or after being present at the Center.

9. I am over the age of eighteen and legally competent to execute this Waiver. I understand that the terms herein are contractual and not a mere recital, that this document is legally binding, and that I have signed it of my own free will.

I HAVE FULLY READ AND INFORMED MYSELF OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WAIVER AND RELEASE, AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK BY READING IT BEFORE I SIGNED IT ON BEHALF OF MYSELF, MY HEIRS AND THE HEIRS OF MY CHILDREN. I RECOGNIZE THAT CONSTRUCTION WORK IS INHERENTLY DANGEROUS, AND I WILL NOT UNDERTAKE ANY WORK I AM UNQUALIFIED FOR. I FURTHER REALIZE THAT I ALONE AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE I SUFFER WHILE PERFORMING ANY CONSTRUCTION WORK.

I agree that my electronic signature of this form carries the full force of my written signature.

AirMedCare Helicopter Evacuation Insurance(Required)
I understand that if an emergency medical situation arises during times where the river and/or roads are impassable, the only way to get essential medical care is through evacuation by helicopter and agree that I am solely responsible for the costs of such an evacuation. I acknowledge that helicopter evacuation insurance is available through AirMedCare.
Typing your name in the box below is equivalent to your handwritten signature of this waiver.
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