No. 142 The Mirror December 2018

Dzamling Gar Song The Continuation of the Dzogchen Teaching The Construction of the Great Stupa at Merigar West Lekdanling and SSI UK Contents The Continuation of the Dzogchen Teaching

The Continuation of the Adriano Clemente Dzogchen Teaching...... 2 Early in December 2018, hundreds of peo- Dzamling Gar Song...... 4 ple from the international Sangha of the Dzog­chen Community came together at Shang Shung Foundation...... 8 the Global Gar in Tenerife to honor and re- member Chögyal Namkhai Norbu on his Lekdanling and SSI UK ...... 12 birthday, December 8. After the two days of the Sangha Retreat, Rinpoche’s translator, ASIA...... 18 Adriano Clemente, gave some explanations on the Master's teachings on an ancient Interview with Dr Dzog­chen text, ‘Dorje Sempa Namkhai Che’. Jordi Postius Robert...... 19 On the last day of his explanations, Adriano gave an important message to the Sangha. Dzamling Gar...... 21 hen the text says that our life is Merigar West...... 26 passing very quickly . In this period Tof our life we should always keep a Merigar East...... 28 messenger or somebody who continuously reminds us about presence and awareness China Tour with Rosa Namkhai of time . So then I hope that people will give & International Instructors. . . 29 importance to this . And I also wish for all those who real- Samtengar ...... 30 ly have interest in this [text Dorje Sempa Namkhai Che] that real knowledge of Ati Namgyalgar...... 31 Dzogpa Chenpo can arise beyond all lim- itations and sectarian views . This is one of Tsegyalgar East...... 32 the hundreds of gifts that Rinpoche left for those who have remained on this earth . As Dancing with Dharma...... 33 I said, each of us should try and continue as best as we can all the responsibilities The Construction of the and tasks that we have for the continua- Great Stupa at Merigar West. . . 34 tion of the Dzogchen teaching . We should not think that now that Rinpoche has Relaxing Summer passed away that his Dzogchen teaching, Vacation in Chengdu...... 41 his transmission, his activities for the Dzo- gchen Community will gradually disappear Artists in the and then in the end when our generation Dzogchen Community...... 44 dies there will be nothing for the future . Rinpoche gave everything – his life, his How I Met...... 47 body, for the teaching . Often he was not feeling well at all and yet he still planned to go here and there travelling and teach- ing to thousands of people continuously . He didn’t care about his body . He didn’t care about his health . He only cared about transmitting his knowledge for the benefit of all sentient beings . So I think that now, much more than be- fore, we should continue to be very active in Front cover: Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and Sakya Trizin at the the Dzogchen Community because we have ­consecration of the Great Stupa at Merigar in June 1998 . the transmission, we have the teaching, we Back cover: On December 8, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s anniversary, more than 500 practitioners gathered together to do practice in have many instructors, all the practices, the new Conference Hall at the Global Gar in Tenerife . ­Vajra Dance, Yantra Yoga, Khaita Dances,

2 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Then in the last three or four years he had cancer and lived like a homeless per- son . We went to see him in Grosseto where he was living in a small caravan, in a very difficult way, alone, abandoned, with this cancer . Then in the last six months he went to his sister who took care of him . In the last month he asked me and he wrote to Rinpoche saying that he was thinking to ask for some medicine to die, to just finish his life . But then he had some doubts, he thought it would be suicide which would bring some bad karma and who knows what would happen in the next life . When he asked me I told him that it would be better to ask Rinpoche this question . Then Rinpoche replied in a very simple way and there are so many things we have to con- things that are manifesting in this way . sent his reply to me . It was a really great tinue . But I don’t think we need to worry about teaching because Rinpoche didn’t say to do Also some of you may have done the these things now . Everything will take things in one way or another . He said, “We Santi Maha Sangha training and are famil- care of itself . If we are in the transmission, are Atiyoga practitioners . It doesn’t matter iar with the samayas . The samayas of the if we keep pure samaya, if we respect all whether we live or whether we die ”. That Base of the Santi Maha Sangha are sama- of our practitioners, then no problem will was a few months before Rinpoche passed yas for all practitioners, not only for those arise . Rinpoche always used to say, “Don’t away . That means that it is also relative, of who did the SMS training . give too much importance to things” . Even course . The first samaya is: are you a member of the most important things, we can think So now this is the end . I’m sorry that I the Dzogchen Community? If you are not, in any case they are relative, they are not could not finish what I wanted to do and please settle your situation . This is very im- the main thing . also I have to leave this afternoon . I thank portant . We need this collaboration from Maybe the most important thing for us the Gakyil for having invited me . I’m not all practitioners . This is part of our samaya . individual practitioners is preparation for much of an instructor type of person . I don’t We cannot think that after more than 40 dying . That is really important . We cannot go around teaching or giving explanations, years, all that Rinpoche achieved will be- escape death . We cannot resolve it in some first of all because my main commitment come history, like something in a museum . other way, unless we achieve the rainbow is to be Rinpoche’s translator, but also be- This [collaboration] is already manifesting body . cause I don’t have any real special quality . very much these days and I am very happy All of us Santi Maha ­Sangha instructors to see so many people here, just as if Rin- are more or less the same, some are better poche was here present . There is no differ- with one aspect, others with other aspects . ence . Also our practices are going well, we I’ve been studying this Dorje­ Sempa Nam- are doing many Tuns and people are partic- kha Che for 20 years, from when I started to ipating a lot . This is really excellent . So we be interested in this text . I have read many should go on like this . We are very strong commentaries and I also worked with Rin- and if we have harmony among ourselves poche for a long time . Then I thought that everything will go well for the future . Then it might be a good idea if I could help peo- even if we have obstacles or whatever, we ple understand this text a little, otherwise can overcome them . We need to have pa- it’s very difficult for people to read and dis- tience, also with ourselves . cuss among themselves . Then when I met Remember what Patrul Rinpoche said . Rinpoche in June, the last time I was able You should practice the dharma . But if you to talk to him for an hour, I asked him what are not able to practice very much then I remember Bruno Celli, one of the prac- he thought about that and he gave me his don’t be angry with yourself . Rinpoche al- titioners in our Dzogchen Community, a permission to do this . So let’s see in the fu- ways said to remember what Buddha said: kind of wild person, mentally wild, be- ture how we will proceed . I hope to contin- life is unreal . It means not giving too much cause he had some problems and was not ue the explanation of this text but it is not importance to circumstances, to tempo- stable at all . He had a lot of devotion to the a short-term activity . Even these first three rary situations . Especially now that Rin- teacher and the teaching but he could not quatrains – we can spend a long time try- poche has passed away, there is already a be near the teacher because immediately ing to understand them . lot of turmoil and agitation . This problem he would have a strong headache and very comes up – how can we resolve it? This oth- strange symptoms . So he suffered for the Dzamling Gar Tuesday 11 December 2018 er problem arises – what should we do now last 30 years because he wanted to be near because there is nothing written about it? [the Master] but if he was near he would How should we proceed? There are many feel ill .

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 3 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

Dzamling Gar Song Introduction his Song was composed by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu during his stay in Tenerife at the end of 2012, on the occasion of the Tbirth of Dzamling Gar . The words and melody spontaneous- ly and joyfully arose in his mind . May this Song, which is not an ordinary song but a complete teaching, bring joy and benefit to all sentient beings . Any mistakes are due solely to our lack of un- derstanding . Our deep gratitude to our precious Master Chögyal ­Namkhai Norbu, whose light of wisdom is always shining . Adriana Dal Borgo The Sun of Samantabhadra The Sun of SamantabhadraThe Sun of Samantabhadra Is Shining in Our Real Condition Photo by Jiri Landpaul Is ShiningIs in Shining in Our Real Condition nextDé lhod year . Butmeans when relaxed. we say to comePeb xogas soon means as possible, please it doescome; not we repeat it two The Sun of SamantabhadraThe following compilation is based on the transcription of two informal meantimes. that Zàmliŋ you should gár get la nervousji gyòg andgăŋ stressfully gyòg dé lhodforce yourselfdu peb toxog. Why? Our Real ConditionIs Shining in Ourtalks Real by Condition Chögyal Namkhai Norbu giving a profound explanation of The following compilation is based on the transcription ofcome two sooninformal . That is not the point . The point is to come as soon as the Dzamling Gar SongDé and lhod Dance: means one relaxed. following Peb axog Khaita means session please at come; we repeat it two talks by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu giving a profound explanationpossible in a relaxedof way . Dé lhod means relaxed . Peb xog means The following compilation is basedTashigar on the tran­South, Argentina,pleaseདགའ་鮐times. in come; MarchZàmliŋ콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། we 2013 repeatgár and la it ji twothe gyòg othertimes găŋ in. Zàmliŋ gyòg Tenerife, dé gár lhod laSpain, ji dugyòg peb găŋ xog. Why? theThe Dzamlingfollowing Garcompilation Song and is basedDance: on one the followingtranscription a Khaita of two session informal at talksscription by Chögyalof two informal Namkhai talks Norbu by ingiving November a profound 2013. explanationgyòggá gyid dé lhod zòm ofdu jyŭn peb xog lag,. Why? ChögyalTashigar South,Namkhai Argentina, ­Norbu ingiving March a profound2013 and the other in Tenerife, Spain, the Dzamling Gar Song and Dance: one following a KhaitaThe session reason, at gá gyid zòm jyŭŋ lag, is that Dzamling Gar is a fantastic inexplanation November of2013. the Dzamling Gar Song and Dance: dimensionདགའ་鮐콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། that is manifesting. Gá also means love; gyid means hap- Tashigarone following South, a Argentina, Khaita session in March at Tashigar 2013 and South, the other in Tenerife,gá gyid zòm Spain, jyŭn lag, gápiness. gyid Zòmzòm jyŭn jyŭŋ lag,means all manifests here; gá gyid zòm jyŭŋ lag. inArgentina, November in 2013. March 2013 and the other in Tenerife, The reason, reason, gá gyidgá gyid zòm jyŭŋzòm lag jyŭŋ, is that lag Dzamling, is that Gar Dzamling is a fantas Gar- is a fantastic Spain, in November 2013. TashigarticEverything dimensionSouth, Argentina, manifeststhat is manifesting March here, so . 2013Gá for also that means reason love; pleasegyid means come. It is true, we dimension that is manifesting. Gá also means love; gyid means hap- happinessare not just . Zòm saying jyŭŋ means it. Sometimes all manifests people here; gá think gyid zòmit means jyŭŋ that everything Excerpted from “DzamlingTashigar Gar Song” South, by Chögyal Argentina, Namkhai Norbu March 2013 piness. Zòm jyŭŋ means all manifests here; gá gyid zòm jyŭŋ lag. Revised and updated edition 2018 from Shang Shung Publications. lagmanifests . Everything here manifests because here, Tenerife so for thathas reasonnice weather please come and . It a nice condition isEverything true, we are manifests not just saying here, it . Sometimesso for that people reason think please it means come. It is true, we Tashigar South, Argentina,འཛམ་ག콲ང་ཁ일ན་ག March 콲་ར2013일གས་ཆེན་འ䝴ས་སthatfor people,everythingེ། etc. manifests But those here are because secondary Tenerife things; has nice itweather is not that way. There zàm líŋ kyon gyĭ zóg areqen sonot dùs many just dé, saying secondary it. Sometimes conditions peoplemanifesting think altogether,it means that that’s everything why we འཛམ་ག콲ང་ཁ일ན་ག콲་ར일གས་ཆེན་འ䝴ས་སTashigarེ། South, Argentina, March 2013 and a nice condition for people, etc . But those are secondary things; Zàm liŋ means globe,nowmanifests this globe,have herethe where birthbecause we of are. Dzamling Tenerife Kyon has meansGar. nice If all. thereweather Zàm were and not a nicethese condition kinds of zàm líŋ kyon gyĭ zóg qen dùs dé, it is not that way . There are so many secondary conditions mani- འཛམ་ག콲ང་ཁ일ན་ག콲་ར일གས་ཆེན་འ䝴ས་སེ། liŋ kyon gyĭ is the entirefestingconditionsfor people,globe, altogether, zógitetc. would qenButthat’s thosedùs notwhy be déwe are ,so nowas secondary easy you have reallyknow, the birththings; tomeans evenof Dzamling it isthink not thatof creating way. There Dz- Zàm liŋ means globe, this globe, where we are. Kyon meansare so all. many Zàm secondary conditions manifesting altogether, that’s why we zàm líŋ líŋ kyon kyon gyĭ gyĭzóg qenzóg dùsqen dé dùs, dé, the Dzogchen Community.Garamling . If Whenthere Gar were wesomewhere; saynot theseDzogchen kinds it would of Community, conditions be impossible. it would we are not For be example, so two years Zàmliŋ kyon liŋ means gyĭ isglobe, the thisentire globe, globe, where zóg we qenare . Kyon dùs meansdé, as all you . easynowknow, really have means to the even birth think of of Dzamlingcreating Dzamling Gar. If Gar there somewhere; were not it these kinds of Zàm liŋ means globe, this globe, wherenot considering we are. Kyon a group meansago, or all.Iorganization, had Zàm no idea itof is Dzamlingnot that. Zóg Gar. qen When dùs I dé was staying in Tenerife Zàmthe Dzogchen liŋ kyon gyĭ Community. is the entire globe, When zóg we qen say dùs Dzogchen dé, as you know, Community, wouldconditions be we impossible are it would . For not example, be so two easy years really ago, toI had even no ideathink of of creating Dz- liŋ kyon gyĭ is the entire globe, zógis qenSanti dùs Maha dé, Sangha.as you andknow, Santi we Mahameans were Sanghadoing a isretreat, what itwe all are came learning out that and here must be Dzamling meansnot considering the Dzogchen a groupCommunity or organization, . When we say itDzogchen is not that. Com -ZógDzamlingamling qen dùs Gar Gar dé . somewhere;When I was staying it would in Tenerife be impossible. and we were For doing example, two years munity,the Dzogchen we are not Community. considering Whena group we orthrough organization,say Dzogchen that weit is Community,arenot tryingaGar. retreat, toThat webecome it meansallare came more that out manyawarethat here thingsand must less are be limited manifestingDzamling than Gar because. That there are the is Santi Maha Sangha. Santi Maha Sangha is what we areago, learning I had and no idea of Dzamling Gar. When I was staying in Tenerife thatnot .consideringZóg qen dùs dé a groupis Santi orMaha organization, Sanghapeople . Santi it Maha ordinarilyis not Sangha that. are.is Zóg meanssecondaryZóg qen qen thatdùs dùsmanycauses.dé dé things means are manifestingwhere the becauseentire Dzog there -are the through that we are trying to become more aware and lessand limited we were than doing a retreat, it all came out that here must be Dzamling whatis Santi we areMaha learning Sangha. and through Santi Maha that we Sanghachen are tryingCommunity is whatto become we is are – secondaryon learning this globe. causes and Zàm . liŋ kyon gyĭ zóg qen dùs dé morepeople aware ordinarily and less limitedare. Zóg than qen people dùs ordinarily dé means are . whereZóg qen the Gar.entire That Dzog means- that many things are manifesting because there are the through that we are trying to becomewe more repeat aware two times.and less That limited is interesting than when we are singing. dùschen dé Community means where theis – entire on this Dzogchen globe. Community Zàm liŋ kyonis – on gyĭthis zógsecondary坴ན་魴མ་ཚོགས་བྱུང་ལགས། qen dùs causes.dé globepeoplewe repeat . Zàm ordinarily liŋ two kyon times. gyĭ are. zóg That Zóg qen is dùsqen interesting dé dùs we repeatdé whenmeans two timeswe where are . That singing. the punentire sum sum Dzog cog cog jyŭŋ- jy lagŭŋ lag ischen interesting Community when we is are – onsinging this . globe.འཛམ་ག콲ང་鮒ར་ལ་ཅ Zàm liŋ kyon gyĭ콲་མག일གས་གང་མག일གས། zógMeans qen somethingdùs something dé related related to the to human the human being being.. We have We three have ex -three existences: istences: body, speech, and mind . Our entire existence, our condi- we repeat two times. That is interesting when we are singing.body,坴ན་魴མ་ཚོགས་བྱུང་ལགས། speech, and mind. Our entire existence, our condition, is included འཛམ་ག콲ང་鮒ར་ལ་ཅ콲་མག일གས་གང་མག일གས།བདེ་ལ일ད་䝴་ཕེབས་ཤ일ག tion,pun is sum included cog injy theseŭŋ lag three . Pun sum means that these three . aspectsin these are three. perfected Pun insum it . When means someone that these is going three deeper aspects into are perfected in zàmliŋ gár la ji gyòg găŋ gyòg dé lhod duzàmliŋ peb xog gár la ji gyòg Meansgăŋ gyò somethingg dé lhod related du peb to xog. the human being. We have three existences: བདེ་ལWe are일ད་䝴་ཕེབས་ཤ creating Dzamling일ག Gar in Tenerife, the Gar of the globe . Ji knowledge,it. When someoneand understands is going that deeper the three into kayas knowledge, – dharmakaya, and understands that འཛམ་ག콲ང་鮒ར་ལ་ཅ콲་མག일གས་གང་མག일གས། We are creating Dzamling Gar in Tenerife, the Gar of the globe. Ji gyòg zàmliŋgyòg găŋ gár gyòg la means ji gyòg as găŋsoon gyòas possible,g dé lhod not slowly,du peb or xog.maybe sambogakaya,thebody, three speech, kayas nirmanakaya, and – mind.dharmakaya, Ourour three entire sambogakaya, qualifications existence, ourof nirmanakaya, the condition, pri- is our included three བདེ་ལ일ད་䝴་ཕེབས་ཤ일ག găŋ gyòg means as soon as possible, not slowly, or maybe next year. We are creating Dzamling Gar in Tenerife, the Gar of the globe.qualificationsin these Ji three.gyòg Punof the sum primordial means that state these – are three related aspects to our are body,perfected speech, in zàmliŋ4 gár la ji gyòg găŋ gyòg dé Butlhod when du peb we xog.say to come as soon as possible, it does notTHE mean MIRROR that· No. 142 you · December 2018 găŋ gyòg means as soon as possible, not slowly, or maybeandit. Whennext mind, year. someone and that iswhen going we deeper have allinto we knowledge, need, all the and necessary understands things that We are creating Dzamling Gar in Tenerife,should theget Garnervous of the and globe. stressfully Ji gyòg force yourself to come soon. That is But when we say to come as soon as possible, it does not meanrelatedthe three that to youkayasbody, speech,– dharmakaya, mind, everything sambogakaya, is perfect. nirmanakaya, our three not the point. The point is to come as soon as possible in a relaxed way. shouldgăŋ gyòg get meansnervous as andsoon stressfully as possible, force not yourself slowly, to or come maybe qualificationssoon. next That year. is of the primordial state – are related to our body, speech, notBut thewhen point. we Thesay topoint come is toas comesoon asas possible,soon as possible it does not in ameanand relaxed mind, that way. you and that when we have all we need, all the necessary things should get nervous and stressfully force yourself to come དགའ་鮐relatedsoon. That 콲ད་རto body,일ལ་ལ་ཕེབས་དང། is19 speech, mind, everything is perfect. not the point. The point is to come as soon as possible in a relaxed way. 19 19 དགའ་鮐콲ད་ར일ལ་ལ་ཕེབས་དང། 20

20 Dé lhod means relaxed. Peb xog means please come; we repeat it two times. Zàmliŋ gár la ji gyòg găŋ gyòg dé lhod du peb xog. Why? དགའ་鮐콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། gá gyid zòm jyŭn lag, The reason, gá gyid zòm jyŭŋ lag, is that Dzamling Gar is a fantastic dimension that is manifesting. Gá also means love; gyid means hap- piness. Zòm jyŭŋ means all manifests here; gá gyid zòm jyŭŋ lag. Everything manifests here, so for that reason please come. It is true, we are not just saying it. Sometimes people think it means that everything manifests here because Tenerife has nice weather and a nice condition for people, etc. But those are secondary things; it is not that way. There are so many secondary conditions manifesting altogether, that’s why we much on questions like which is the action mantra, for example, you now have the birth of Dzamling Gar. If there were not these kinds of are too concentrated on dualistic vision. If you really have knowledge, much on questions like which is the action mantra, for example, you conditions it would not be so easy really to even think of creating Dz- if you are in your real nature, everything manifests. aremuch too on concentrated questions like on dualisticwhich is vision.the action If you mantra, really forhave example, knowledge, you amling Gar somewhere; it would be impossible. For example, two years Sometimes we do a retreat – by retreat I do not mean doing this retreat ifare you too are concentrated in your real on nature, dualistic everything vision. Ifmanifests. you really have knowledge, ago, I had no idea of Dzamling Gar. When I was staying in Tenerife makes us special people. Through a retreat we are learning and applying Sometimesif you are in we your do real a retreat nature, – everythingby retreat I manifests. do not mean doing this retreat and we were doing a retreat, it all came out that here must be Dzamling the Dzogchen teaching – we are trying to be in that state. Many people makesSometimes us special we dopeople. a retreat Through – by aretreat retreat I wedo notare learningmean doing and this applying retreat Gar. That means that many things are manifesting because there are the already have this kind of knowledge and are in that state. Each time we themakes Dzogchen us special teaching people. Through– we are tryinga retreat to webe inare that learning state. Manyand applying people secondary causes. do something of this kind, good signs manifest. alreadythe Dzogchen have this teaching kind of – knowledgewe are trying and to are be inin thatthat state.state. EachMany time people we We might do a practice like Serkyem, for example, when we need just a doalready something have this of this kind kind, of knowledge good signs and manifest. are in that state. Each time we little rain. Almost everywhere when we do retreats, there is a little rain 坴ན་魴མ་ཚོགས་བྱུང་ལགས། Wedo something might do a of practice this kind, like good Serkyem, signs formanifest. example, when we need just a at the beginning and at the end. Rain and this kind of weather means pun sum cog jyŭŋ lag littleWe might rain. doAlmost a practice everywhere like Serkyem, when we for do example, retreats, when there we is aneed little just rain a the local guardians are active. The dimension of the local guardians is Means something related to the human being. We have threeatlittle existences:the rain. beginning Almost and everywhere at the end. when Rain we and do thisretreats, kind there of weather is a little means rain space. For that reason, when they are active, it means they are happy, body, speech, and mind. Our entire existence, our condition,theat theis local included beginning guardians and are at active.the end. The Rain dimension and this of kind the oflocal weather guardians means is they come and make contact with us. That is just a little example and in these three. Pun sum means that these three aspects arespace.the perfected local For guardians thatin reason, are active.when they The aredimension active, itof means the local they guardians are happy, is the rain is a symbol. it. When someone is going deeper into knowledge, and understandstheyspace. come For that thatand makereason, contact when withthey areus. Thatactive, is itjust means a little they example are happy, and Chögyal Namkhai Norbu So everything can manifest without effort. Also, there is nothing to the three kayas – dharmakaya, sambogakaya, nirmanakaya,thethey rain ourcome isthree a and symbol. make contact with us. That is just a little example and gá gyid rol la peb dăŋ. be surprised about. It means that we have this kind of knowledge and qualifications of the primordial state – are related to our Sothebody, everythingrain speech, is a symbol. can manifest without effort. Also, there is nothing to Why are we asking you to come here as soon as possible? Gá gyid rol la something is developing; that is good. For that reason, when we apply gáand gyid mind, rol and la peb that dăŋ. when we have all we need, all the necessarybeSo surprised everything things about. can manifestIt means that without we have effort. this Also,kind ofthere knowledge is nothing and to mordialyou know state already, – are related gá gyidto our zòm body, jyŭŋspeech, is and that mind, there and are that lovely active,be thingssurprised it means and about.they are It happy,these means theythings, that come wethen and have dramake thisxis contact lhunkind with ofgyĭs knowledge grŭb nas ,and all fortune is automati- whenWhyrelated weare tohave we body, allasking we speech, need, you all to mind,the come necessary everything here thingsas soon isrelated perfect.as possible? to body, Gáussomething . That gyid is rol just isla a developing;little example andthat the is raingood. is a For symbol that . reason, when we apply gáhappiness, gyid rol everything la peb dăŋ. is then called gá gyid. Rol la means enjoying. cally manifesting. speech,you know mind, already, everything gá isgyid perfect zòm . jyŭŋ is that there are lovelythesesomethingSo things everything things, and is then developing; can manifestdra xis withoutthatlhun is gyĭs good.effort grŭb . Also,For nastherethat, allreason,is noth fortune- when is automatiwe apply- Gá gyid rol la peb dăŋ means come here, enjoy happiness and every- gáWhyhappiness, gyid are rol we everything laasking peb dăŋ.you is to then come called here asgá soon gyid. as Rol possible? la means Gáingthesecally to gyidenjoying. be manifesting.things, surprised rol la then about dra . It meansxis lhun that gyĭswe have grŭb this naskind, of all knowl fortune- is automati- thing. This is the reason to come. WhyGáyouདགའ་鮐 gyidknow are콲ད་ར werol already,일ལ་ལ་ཕེབས་དང། askingla peb gá youdăŋ gyid to means come zòm comeherejyŭŋ as ishere, soonthat enjoy thereas possible? happinessare lovely Gáedgecally and thingsgyid and manifesting. every rolsomething and la- is developing; that is good . For that reason, gá gyid rol la peb dăŋ . when we apply these things, then dra xis lhun gyĭs grŭb nas, all youthing.happiness, know This already, everythingis the reason gá gyid is to then come.zòm called jyŭŋ gáis thatgyid. there Rol are la lovelymeans things enjoying. and ཕ일གས་ʹན་ལས་讣མ་པར་རྒྱལ། WhyGá gyid are we rol asking la peb you dăŋto come means here ascome soon here,as possible? enjoy Gá happiness gyid fortune and isevery automatically- manifesting . བདེ་鮐happiness, you콲ད་མཉམ་䝴་ར know everything already,일ལ། is then called is gá that gyid. there Rol are lovela -means enjoying. qyog gun las nám par gyál rolthing. la This is the reasongá gyid to come. zòm jyŭŋ20 ཕ일གས་ʹན་ལས་讣མ་པར་རྒྱལ། déGály things gyid gyid andñ rolam happiness, la du peb rol dăŋ, everything means is come then calledhere, gáenjoy gyid . happinessRol la and every- Means we have total victory. Victory means that what we want, what བདེ་鮐콲ད་མཉམ་䝴་ར일ལ། qyogཕ일གས་ʹན་ལས་讣མ་པར་རྒྱལ། gun las nám par gyál Meansthing.means enjoyingThis that iswe the. Gá enjoy gyidreason roltogether lato pebcome. dăŋthis means happiness come here,and enjoyall good qyog things. gun las Not nám par gyálwe wish, manifests. We don’t have to struggle to obtain that, we’re not dé gyid ñam du rol, Meansqyog gun we las have nám total par victory. gyál Victory means that what we want, what happinessonly I want and toeverything enjoy, but. This also is the you reason and to others, come . all people canMeans enjoy. we have Dé total victorymaking . Victory particular means that effort. what weWithout want, effort, we are in our real nature and Meansབདེ་鮐콲ད་མཉམ་䝴་ར that we enjoy일ལ། together this happiness and all goodwhatweMeans things. wish, we wish,we manifests.Not have manifests total We . Wevictory. don’t have have Victory to struggleto strugglemeans to obtain that to obtain what that, wethat, want, we’re what not gyid ñam du. Ñam means together. Rol means enjoy here. then everything manifests. This is the first group. བདེ་鮐onlydé gyid I콲ད་མཉམ་䝴་ར want ñam to du enjoy, 일ལ།rol, but also you and others, all people canwe’remakingwe wish,enjoy. not particularmaking manifests. Dé particular effort. We don’teffort Without . haveWithout effort,to effort,struggle wewe areareto obtaininin our our that, real we’re nature not and dégyidMeans gyidgyid ñam ñamthat ñam du. du we durol Ñ enjoy,am rol ,means together together. this happiness Rol means and enjoy all goodhere.realthenmaking things. nature everything particular andNot then manifests. everything effort.ངེད་ཅག་ག ThismanifestsWithout콲་ས 일བས་鍴གས།is the effort,. This first is the group.we first are group in our . real nature and བβ་ལ་ཤMeansonly I that wantthat콲ས་པར་ཤ we weto enjoy enjoy, 일གenjoy together buttogether alsothis happiness youthis andhappiness and others, all good andall thingspeople all good . canthen things. enjoy. everything Not Dé manifests. This is the first group. Not only I want to enjoy, but also you and others, all people can en- ངེད་ཅག་ག콲་ས일བས་鍴གས།ལན་ཅ콲ག་㽴་鮒콲ལ་དང། onlydragyid la Iñam wantxi bar du. to xog, Ñenjoy,am means but also together. you and Rol others, means all enjoy people here. can enjoy. Dé བβ་ལ་ཤjoy . Dé gyid콲ས་པར་ཤ ñam du일ག . Ñam means together . Rol means enjoy here . ŋedངེད་ཅག་ག jag gĭ dob콲་ས일བས་鍴གས། xug lhan jigŋed du jag dríl gĭdăŋ dob xug lhan jig du dríl dăŋ gyidAnd thenñam everythingdu. Ñam means goes well.together. Everything Rol means goes enjoy well here. becauseལན་ཅ콲ག་㽴་鮒 we are콲ལ་དང། dra la xi bar xog, Nowལན་ཅ the콲ག་㽴་鮒 second콲ལ་དང། group is Nowa little thedifferent: second ŋed group jag gĭ dobis a xug little lhan different: ŋed jag gĭ dob xug lhan jig བβ་ལ་ཤnot doing콲ས་པར་ཤ something일ག in a dualistic way, not fighting or strugglingjigŋed du jag dríl todăŋgĭ dobob means- xug we lhan are practitioners jig du dríl who dăŋ dwell in the knowl- And then everything goes well. Everything goes well becauseŋed jag we gĭ are dob xug lhandu dríl jig dăŋdu dríl means dăŋ we are practitioners who dwell in the knowledge of dratain la lasomething. xi xibar bar xog xog,, We are dealing with how our real nature edgeNowis, our of the Santinature second Maha groupSangha is . Thea little Dzogchen different: Community ŋed jag is Santigĭ dob xug lhan jig བβ་ལ་ཤnotAnd doingthen콲ས་པར་ཤ everything something일ག goes in well a dualistic . Everything way, goes not well fighting because weor strugglingMahaNow Sanghathe to second oband- therefore groupSanti is it a isMaha littlea perfect different:Sangha. community The ŋed Dzogchen. Everyone,jag gĭ dob Community xug lhan jig is Santi Maha Sangha Andas it thenmanifests, everything we are goes working well. Everythingwith that. Ofgoes course well becauseeverythingdu dríl we dăŋ thatare means we are practitioners who dwell in the knowledge of dratainare not lasomething. doingxi bar something xog, We are in adealing dualistic with way, nothow fighting our real or strug nature- theduis, ourgroupdríl nature dăŋ and themeans individuals we are within practitioners it, has primordial who dwell potential in the- knowledge of notmanifests doing somethingis then positive. in a dualistic way, not fighting or strugglingSanti Maha to ob Sangha.- The Dzogchen Community is Santi Maha Sangha Andasgling it tothenmanifests, obtain everything something we are goes . We working are well. dealing Everythingwith with that. how Ofourgoes coursereal well na- becauseeverythingitiesSanti . That Maha we is that relatedare Sangha. with Theour circumstances Dzogchen Community and our potentiality is Santi . 22 Maha Sangha notmanifeststainture doingis,something. our somethingnatureis then We aspositive. it are manifests,in adealing dualistic we with are way, workinghow not our fighting with real that nature . orOf struggling is,So our ŋed nature tojag obgĭ- dob xug means our energy, our effort, everything . ascourse it manifests, everything thatwe manifestsare working is then with positive that. . Of course everythingLhan jig du drílthat dăŋ means we are bringing22 it all together . Bringing བསམ་དtain something.일ན་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤ We 일གare dealing with how our real nature is, our nature 22 manifests is then positive. it together doesn’t mean that we organize by fighting and strug- བསམ་དassàm it dŏmanifests,일ན་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤn drùb par we 일གxogare working with that. Of course everythinggling, not that that way . Being together is just like when we do Guruy- sàmmanifestsMeans dŏn dŏ we ndrùb dris hope ùthenparb par xog thatpositive. xog all our desires manifest because thereoga are . When all these we do Guruyoga, in that moment, thinking this or that Meansབསམ་དkinds weof일ན་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤ conditions.hope that all 일ག our desires manifest because there are all does not distract us . We try to be in a state, the primordial state . theseMeans kinds we of hope conditions that all . our desires manifest because thereThat are is all our these real nature . So means we are being sàm dŏn drùb par xog lhan jig du dríl dăŋ བསམ་དkinds of일ན་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤ conditions.일ག in that kind of state . We repeat that line two times . This is very བβ་ཤsàmMeans dŏ콲ས་ལྷུན་ག wen dr hopeù콲ས་གྲུབ་ནས།b par that xog all our desires manifest because thereimportant are all these for practitioners . Meansdrakinds xis xis oflhun welhun conditions. gyĭshope gy drŭb ĭthats dr nas ŭball ournas desires manifest because there are all these Meansབβ་ཤ콲ས་ལྷུན་ག that with콲ས་གྲུབ་ནས། our fortune everything spontaneously manifests . Tenerife, Spain, November 2013 EverythingdrakindsMeans xis of thatlhun conditions. spontaneously with gyĭ sour dr ŭb fortune manifests nas everything because everybody spontaneously in the Dz- manifests. Ev- ogchenerythingMeansབβ་ཤ콲ས་ལྷུན་ག teaching,that spontaneously with콲ས་གྲུབ་ནས། since our the fortune beginning, manifests everything has because infinite spontaneously everybodypotentiality . Ifin manifests.theWhen Dzogchen we sing Ev ŋed- jag gĭ dob xug lhan jig du dríl dăŋ we go for- weerythingteaching,བβ་ཤdra have xis콲ས་ལྷུན་ག this lhun spontaneously since knowledge 콲ས་གྲུབ་ནས།gy theĭs dr beginning, andŭb wenasmanifests are in has this becauseinfinite state, of courseeverybody potentiality. it man -in Iftheward we Dzogchen andhave then this back, right? One, two, three, four; one, two, three, knowledgeifests . When we and are we missing are in that, this and state, we doof notcourse have itthis manifests. kind of fourWhen . That we is theare beginning . For us it is integration, so we integrate teaching,draMeans xis thatlhun since with gy theĭ sour dr beginning,ŭb fortune nas everything has infinite spontaneously potentiality. manifests.If we have Evthis- erythingmissingknowledge that, spontaneouslyor understanding, and we do notmanifests it does have not this becausemanifest kind of .everybodyWhen knowledge you do in orthein understandthis Dzogchen way . But- we also integrate outside, even our world, no? knowledgeMeanspractice andthat concentrate andwith we our are toofortune in much this state,everythingon questions of course likespontaneously whichit manifests. is the manifests. WhereWhen is we the Ev are globe?- It is within the solar system . And the solar ing, it does not manifest. When you do practice and concentrate too erythingmissingteaching,action mantra, that,spontaneously since forand example,the we beginning, do younotmanifests are have toohas this concentrated becauseinfinite kind of everybody potentiality. knowledgeon dualistic in orIfthesystem understandwe Dzogchen have is within this- the universe, so [these steps are] a symbol of in- knowledge and we are in this state, of course it manifests. When we are teaching,ing,vision it . If doesyou since really not thehavemanifest. beginning, knowledge, When ifhas you you21 infiniteare doin your practice potentiality. real nature, and concentrate Iftegration we have . And toothis then we also walk facing inwards – this is internal; knowledgemissingeverything that, manifests and and we we . are do in not this have state, this of kind course of knowledgeit manifests. or [soWhen understand we have we both] are- external and internal . Internal is body, voice, and ing,Sometimes it does wenot do manifest. a retreat – byWhen retreat you21 I do notdo meanpractice doing and this concentratemind, and we too integrate everything because in the dance, like in the missingretreat makes that, us and special we peopledo not . Through have this a retreat kind weof areknowledge learning orDance understand of the Vajra,- the principle is integration . ing,and applying it does the not Dzogchen manifest. teaching When – we you21 are dotrying practice to be in and that concentrateIn the Dzogchen too Teaching clearly the most important thing first state . Many people already have this kind of knowledge and are of all is to discover our own condition . How do we discover it? Very in that state . Each time we do something21 of this kind, good signs simply: with Guruyoga . When we are in this state, what should we manifest . do? Are we realized? No, not yet . Relatively we are in the dualism, We might do a practice like Serkyem, for example, when we [but] even if we are in the dualism, we have this knowledge . So need just a little rain . Almost everywhere when we do retreats, we should integrate . Practicing Dzogchen basically means to inte- there is a little rain at the beginning and at the end . Rain and this grate: continuing and continuing, firstly discovering what the base kind of weather means the local guardians are active . The dimen- is, and then integrating . When we are able to totally integrate, we sion of the local guardians is space . For that reason, when they are >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 5 Means if we are that way, even if there is someone who does not follow the Dzogchen teaching, not dealing with Dzogchen, they also have the potentiality to be in their real nature, and therefore everyone in this world can have benefit and happiness. When there is no happiness and we limit and struggle, this creates problems: it is completely contrary.

བβ་ལ་ཤ콲ས་པར་ཤ일ག བསམ་ད일ན་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤ일ག dra la xis bar xog, sàm dŏn drùb par xog Is the same as before.

རང་རྒྱུད་ཀ콲་讣ལ་轴གས་རྒྱས་ནས། raŋ gyúd gyi nál lug gyás nas really find ourselves in our state. All the meanings are thereMeans – external, that everyone, each individual, has their own real nature and that Chögyal Namkhai Norbu internal, secret – not just one. For this reason if I were tois write the statea com of- Dzogchen. We know that and we are in that state. Even if really find ourselves in our state. All the meanings are therein this – external,moment, for example, only ten people have the real knowledge of mentaryinternal, onsecret this –Dzamling not just one. Gar ForSong this I would reason be if able I were to write to write a very a com fine- description, even three volumes. I have a precise idea of Dzogchen,everything. maybe It next month, next year, there will be twenty. After two or >>mentaryreally Dzamling find onGar thisSongourselves Dzamlingcontinued in from our Gar previous state. Song pageAll I thewould meanings be able areto writetherethree a– veryyearsexternal, fine maybe there will be one hundred. Time goes ahead. In that way, areis deep. realized, These enlightened words . Soare the very dance deep, showsreally really. this, find alsoWe theshouldourselves words learn inwill themour be twentystate. all. . AfterAll the two meanings or three yearsare there maybe – thereexternal, will be one description,internal, secret even – notthree just volumes. one. For I thishave reason a precise if I ideawere of to knowledgeeverything. write a com develops It- slowly, without struggling or conditioning or doing of the song . internal, secret – not justhundred one. . Time For goesthis aheadreason . In ifthat I wereway, knowledge to write developsa com- slowly, mentaryisreally deep. find Theseon thisourselves words Dzamling arein ourvery Gar state. deep,Song All really.I thewould meaningsWe be should able areto learn writetheresomething them a– very external, all. fine like that, but knowledge automatically develops. Raŋ gyúd gyi In a relative sense ŋed jag gĭ dob xugmentary lhan jig on du this dríl Dzamling dăŋ without Gar struggling Song I would or conditioning be able orto doingwrite something a very fine like that, meansdescription,internal, to unite, secret even to work– notthree together just volumes. one. . In anFor absoluteI thishave reason asense precise it if means I ideawere to of to butnáleverything. write knowledgelug a gyás com It nas-automatically means automatically develops . Raŋ gyúd increasing gyi nál thatlug gyás knowledge. Tashigar South, Argentina,description, March even 2013 three volumes. I have a precise idea of everything. It integratementaryis deep. and Theseon 24this really words Dzamling find are ourselves very Gar deep,inSong our statereally.I would . All Wethe be meaningsshould able to learn writenas them ameans very all. automaticallyfine increasing that knowledge . is deep. These words are very deep, really. We should learn them all. aredescription, there – external, evenTashigar internal,three volumes. secretSouth, – notArgentina, I havejust one a . preciseFor March this reason idea2013 of everything. It if I were to write a commentary on this Dzamling Gar Song I would རis일གས་ཆེན་འ䝴ས་ས deep. These wordsེ་ཡ일ངས་ཀ are콲་ས very일བས་鍴གས། deep, really. We should learnའཛམ་འམ་ག콲ང་ཞ them all. 콲་བདེ་ལ་ར일ལ་ལ일། be able to write a veryTashigar fine description, South, Argentina, even three volumes March . I2013 have zàm liŋ liŋ gun gun zhĭ zhĭdé la dé rol la rol aལར preciseན་ཅ일གས་ཆེན་འ䝴ས་ས콲ག་㽴་鮒 idea 콲ལ་ཤof everything일གེ་ཡ일ངས་ཀ . 콲་སIt is일བས་鍴གས། deep . These words are very deep,Tashigar This South, means Argentina,that slowly all March the world 2013 is in peace . The peace of the really . We should learn them all . worldThis meanscan really that manifest slowly in allthis the way world . This is is unique in peace. . Only The talking peace of the world ལzógན་ཅ qen콲ག་㽴་鮒 dù콲ལ་ཤs dé일ག yoŋ gyi dob xug lhan jig du dríl xog can really manifest in this way. This is unique. Only talking about peace རAlso,일གས་ཆེན་འ䝴ས་ས the teacherTashigarེ་ཡ introduces일ངས་ཀ콲་ས South,일བས་鍴གས། to theArgentina, student, March zóg qen 2013 dùs déabout yoŋ peace, to doesn’tall correspondRelatively . Firstit is wejust invite a song and tosecondly say a wecouple of words. For example: raŋ zóg qen dùs dé yoŋ gyi dob Tashigarxug lhan South, jig Argentina, du drí Marchl xog 2013 askdoesn’t what tocorrespond. do . You remember, First inwe the invite teaching and there secondly is base, path,we ask what to do. ར일གས་ཆེན་འ䝴ས་སེ་ཡ일ངས་ཀ콲་ས일བས་鍴གས། gyúd gyi nál lug gyás nas/ zàm liŋ gun zhĭ dé la rol. theལAlso,ན་ཅ Dzogchen 콲ག་㽴་鮒the teacher콲ལ་ཤ Community.일ག introduces Yoŋ to themeans student, everyone, zóg qen all individuals, dùs déandYouRelatively yoŋfruit remember, as, . to well itall is justin the a songteaching to say there a couple is base, of path, words. and For fruit. example: raŋ Just that, what does it mean? Raŋ means oneself; gyúd means our real asthezógར일གས་ཆེན་འ䝴ས་ས the Dzogchen qen group. dùs dAll Community.é ེ་ཡyoŋ our일ངས་ཀ gyipotentiality콲་ས dob일བས་鍴གས། Yoŋ xug means and lhanལ ན་ཅeverything everyone,jig콲ག་㽴་鮒 du drí콲ལ་ཤ isalll xog일གin individuals, the samegyúd state. gyi as wellnál So lug gyás nas/ zàm liŋ gun zhĭ dé la rol. condition, which Tenerife,is raŋ Spain, gyúd November. Nál lug2013 would be this, is exactly the evo- zógasweAlso, the qenrepeat thegroup. dùs teacherthat dé Allyoŋ also gyiour introduces and dob potentiality askxug tolhan to be thejig andthat du student,zóg everythingdrílway, qen xog we zógdù asks qenisd é thatin yoŋ dùsthe two gyi samedéJust times. dobyoŋ that,state. ,xug to what Soall lhan does jig itdu mean? dríl xog Raŋ means oneself; gyúd means our real Also,ལན་ཅ the콲ག་㽴་鮒 teacher콲ལ་ཤ introduces일ག to the student, zóg qen dùs dé yoŋ, to lution: as it is, not modified, not changed, authentic. Gyás nas means wethe repeatDzogchen that Community.also and ask Yoŋto be means thatAlso, way, everyone, the we teacher ask all that individuals, introduces twocondition, times. asto wellthe which student, is Tenerife,raŋ zóg gyúd qen Spain,. Náldùs lug déNovember wouldyoŋ, to be all2013 this, is exactly the evo- allzóg the qen Dzogchen dùs d Communityé yoŋ gyi . dobYoŋ means xug lhan everyone, jig duall individuals,dríl xog Relatively it is just a songby spreadingto say a couple this. of words How . For should example: it spread?raŋ Here there are many things as the group. All our potentiality andthe everything Dzogchen is Community. in the samelution: state.Yoŋ as meansit So is, not everyone, modified, all individuals,not changed, as authentic.well Gyás nas means asAlso,དགའ་鮐 well theas콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། the teacher group . introducesAll our potentiality to the and student, everything zóg isqen in the dùs dégyúd yoŋ gyi, nálto alllug gyásto nas/ explain. zàm liŋ By gun spreading zhĭ dé la rol this,. zàm liŋ gun: the whole world, zhĭ dé la samewe repeat state . Sothat we also repeat and that ask also to and be askthatas to way, thebe that group. we way, ask Allwe that askour two potentialityby times.Just spreading that, whatand this. everythingdoes How it mean? should is Raŋ in the meansit spread?same oneself; state. Here gyúd So there means are many things theདགའ་鮐gág Dzogchen gyid콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། zòm Community.jyŭŋ lag, Yoŋ means everyone, all individuals, as well rol: enjoys peace and happiness. There are many things to say here, I thatYou two know times already . that all circumstanceswe repeat are thathere; also nothing andourto ask explain. isreal tomissing condition, be thatBy spreadingway, which we is askraŋ this, gyúdthat zàm two. Nál liŋ times.lug gun would: the be whole this, is world, zhĭ dé la asgág the gyid group. zòm All jyŭŋ our lag, potentiality and everything is in the sameexactly state. the evolution: So could as it is, really not modified, write nothundreds changed, ofauthentic pages . to explain. When I explain, you and we have this possibility. For that reason, with our awareness,rol: enjoys we peace and happiness. There are many things to say here, I weYou repeat know that already also andthat askall circumstancesto be that way, arewe askhere; that nothing twoGyás times. is nas missing means by canspreading understand. this . How The25 should words it spread? are profound, Here beautiful. This song of Dzam- དགའ་鮐콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། could really write hundreds of pages to explain. When I explain, you gágandneed gyidwegyid to zòmhavebe zòm in jyŭŋ thisthat jyŭŋ lag unifiedpossibility., lag, state. For Zòm thatདགའ་鮐 jyŭŋ reason,콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། lag withmeans our we awareness, thereare not are manyorga we- things ling to explainGar is . Bybeautiful, spreading I this,like zàm it. Singing liŋ gun: it over and over, thinking about can understand. The words are profound, beautiful. This song of Dzam- Youneednizing know knowto or bealready struggling inalready that that unified allthat to circumstances do all something, state.circumstances Zòm aregág here;butjyŭŋ gyid itnothing are islag zòmour here; means is self-perfected jyŭŋmiss nothing -we lag, theare iswhole not missingqualifi orga world,- zhĭ itdé again la rol : andenjoys again, peace enjoyingand happiness all the. There words is really nice. Perhaps when ingདགའ་鮐 and we콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། have this possibility . For that reason, with our aware- areling many Gar thingsis beautiful, to say here, I like I could it. reallySinging write it hundredsover and of over,pag- thinking about andnizingcation, we or thehave struggling real this nature possibility. to ofdo each something, ofFor us. thatYou Being but reason, know it inis ourthat alreadywith self-perfected state our thatis awareness, the all real circumstances qualifi point we- I wrote are here; it at nothingthe swimming is missing pool I had quite a simple idea, [Rinpoche ness,gág gyidwe need zòm to bejyŭŋ in that lag, unified state . Zòm jyŭŋ lag means we esit againto explain and . When again, I explain, enjoying you allcan theunderstand words . isThe really words nice. are Perhaps when needcation,of view, to the be the realin real that nature state unified ofof eachthe state. Dzogchen. of Zòm us.and Being jyŭŋ we We inlaghave trythat means tothis state be possibility.wein is thattheare realnotstate orgapointFor and that- reason,laughs], with although our awareness, looking at itwe well... areYou not know organizing already or strugglingthat all circumstances to do something, are but here; it is ournothing profound,I wrote is missing itbeautiful at the . Thisswimming song of Dzamling pool I hadGar is quite beautiful, a simple I like it . idea, [Rinpoche self-perfectednizingofcontinue view, or theinstruggling thatqualification, real state. state to doofthe thesomething, real Dzogchen. natureneed of but each toWeit ofisbe ustryour in . Being tothatself-perfected be inunified in Singingthat statestate. qualifiit over andZòm and- over,jyŭŋQ: thinking And lag whatmeans about do weit theagain are high and not again,and orga low enjoying- movements correspond to? and we have this possibility. For that reason, with our awareness,laughs], although we looking at it well... thatcation,continue state the is in thereal that real nature state. point of view,each the of realus.nizing stateBeing of or thein struggling thatDzogchen state . isto all thedo the something,real words point is really butA: niceit They is . Perhapsour correspond self-perfected when I wrote to all qualifiit at the the - dimensions,swim- to our dimension as it is: need to be in that unified state. Zòm jyŭŋ lag means we Q:are And not whatorga- do the high and low movements correspond to? Weof view,try to bethe in realthat statestate and of continuethe Dzogchen. in thatcation, state We the . try real to naturebe in mingthatof each statepool of I and hadus. quiteBeingthere a simplein are that highsidea, state [Rinpoche and is the lows, real laughs], aren’t point although there, also in the human condition. Ev- ཨ་ཏnizing콲འ콲་辟་དག or struggling일ངས་鮐일ངས་དང། to do something, but it is our self-perfectedlookingA: They qualifiat itcorrespond well- . . to all the dimensions, to our dimension as it is: continue in that state. of view, the real state of the Dzogchen.erything We try isto like be inthat, that isn’t state it? and Not only us, but everything. We integrate ཨ་ཏacation, tii콲འ da콲་辟་དག thegoŋ real일ངས་鮐일ངས་དང། gyóŋ nature, of each of us. Being in that state is therethe real are point highs and lows, aren’t there, also in the human condition. Ev- continue in that state. everything, no matter what it is. aMeansof tiitii view, da da goŋ that goŋ the gyóŋ Ati gyóŋreal, is statethe, state of the of Dzogchen.Dzogchen. We try to be in Q:thaterything And state what is and do like the that, high andisn’t low it? movements Not only correspond us, but everything. to? We integrate Meanscontinue that if inwe Ati that isare the state.that state way, of Dzogchen even if . there is someone who doesA: They not correspondfollow to all the dimensions, to our dimension as it is: ཨ་ཏMeans콲འ콲་辟་དག that 일ངས་鮐일ངས་དང།Ati is the state of Dzogchen. thereeverything, are highs no and matter lows, aren’t what there, it is. also in the human condition . the Dzogchen teaching, not dealing with Dzogchen, they also have the འཛམ་ག콲ང་ལ་བདེ་鮐a tii da goŋ gyóŋ콲ད་འMeans, 일ང་ང if일། we are thatཨ་ཏ way,콲འ콲་辟་དག even일ངས་鮐일ངས་དང། if there isEverything someone iswho like doesthat, isn’t not it? follow Not only us, but everything . We in- potentiality to bethe in Dzogchentheir real teaching,nature,a tii andda not goŋtherefore dealing gyóŋ with, everyone Dzogchen, in this they also have the Tashigar South, Argentina, March 2013 zàmMeansཨ་ཏ 콲འliŋ liŋ콲་辟་དག laifthat ladé we dgyid일ངས་鮐일ངས་དང།Ati éare gyid ishŏŋ that the hŏŋ way, state even of Dzogchen. if there is someone who doestegrate not everything, follow no matter what it is . Meansworldའཛམ་ག콲ང་ལ་བདེ་鮐 ifcan we haveare that benefit콲ད་འpotentiality way,일ང་ང even 일།and if therehappiness.to be is someoneMeansin their When that whoreal there Ati does nature, is isnot the no and statehappiness therefore of Dzogchen. and everyone in this thea tii Dzogchen da goŋ gyóŋ teaching,, not dealing with Dzogchen, they also have the Tashigar South, Argentina, March 2013 followwezàm limit liŋthe la andDzogchen dé struggle, gyidworld teaching, hŏŋ this can createsnot have dealing benefit problems: with andDzogchen, ithappiness. is completely they When contrary. there is no happiness andTashigar South, Argentina, March 2013 potentialityMeans that Atito beis thein statetheir ofreal Dzogchen. nature,24 and therefore everyone in this ཨ་ཏ콲འ콲་དག일ངས་ད일ན། alsoའཛམ་ག콲ང་ལ་བདེ་鮐 have the potentiality콲ད་འwe limit일ང་ང to be일། and in their struggle, real nature, this andcreates therefore problems: it is completely contrary. everyoneworldzàm liŋ can inla this havedé world gyid benefit can hŏŋ have and benefit happiness. and24འཛམ་ག콲ང་ལ་བདེ་鮐 happiness When . When there there is콲ད་འ no일ང་ང ཨ་ཏhappiness일། 콲འ콲་དག일ངས་ད and 일ན། རང་རྒྱུད་ལ་ད콲ལ་དང། isབβ་ལ་ཤwe no limit happiness콲ས་པར་ཤ and andstruggle,일ག we limit this and creates struggle, problems: thiszàm creates liŋ la itproblems: disé completelygyid it hŏŋa tii contrary.góŋ dŏn raŋ gyúda tiila drĭlgóŋ dăŋ dŏ. n raŋ gyúd la drĭl dăŋ. isའཛམ་ག콲ང་ལ་བདེ་鮐 completely contrary콲ད་འ . 일ང་ང일། Nowརང་རྒྱུད་ལ་ད is the third콲ལ་དང། . བβ་ལ་ཤ콲ས་པར་ཤ일ག Now is the third. བསམ་དzàm liŋ일ན་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤ la dé gyid hŏŋ일ག 24 a tiiAti góŋ means dŏ thatn ra theŋ gyú primordiald la dr stateĭl dăŋ is . the state of Dzogchen 24 Ati means that the primordial state is the state of Dzogchen knowledge. བβ་ལ་ཤdra la xis콲ས་པར་ཤ bar xog,일གབསམ་ད sàm일ན་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤ dŏn drùb par일ག xog knowledgeNow is the . Góŋ third. dŏn means the real sense of Dzogchen, not in an dra la xis bar xog, sàm dŏn drùb par xog intellectual way, but weGóŋ have dŏn that means knowledge the . Raŋreal gyúd sense la drĭlof Dzogchen, dăŋ not in an intellectual way, Is the same as before.dra la xis bar xog,24 sàm dŏn drùb par xogAti means that the primordial state is the state of Dzogchen knowledge. Isབསམ་ད the same일ན་འགྲུབ་པར་ཤ as before . 일ག means we integrate thatbut knowledgewe have that in our knowledge. condition . Most Raŋ people gyúd la drĭl dăŋ means we integrate Is the same as before. Góŋ dŏn means the real sense of Dzogchen, not in an intellectual way, dra la xis bar xog, sàm dŏn drùb par xog are not integrated, onlythat learning knowledge in an intellectual in our condition. way . They think, Most people are not integrated, only “Oh,but nowwe haveI know that this knowledge. or that ”. It doesn’t Raŋ work gyúd . Even la ifdrĭl we learndăŋ meansjust we integrate Isརང་རྒྱུད་ཀ the same콲་讣ལ་轴གས་རྒྱས་ནས། as before. learning in an intellectual way. They think, “Oh, now I know this or raŋ gyúd gyúd gyi gyi nál nállug gyáslug gyánas s nas onethat thing, knowledge we integrate in our that condition.and it becomes Most something people useful are . notPar- integrated, only Means that everyone,རང་རྒྱུད་ཀ each individual,콲་讣ལ་轴གས་རྒྱས་ནས། has their own real nature ticularly, we need tothat.” integrate It doesn’t the knowledge work. ofEven the stateif we of learn the just one thing, we integrate that Means that everyone, each individual, has their own real naturelearning and in that an intellectual way. They think, “Oh, now I know this or andརང་རྒྱུད་ཀ that is 콲་讣ལ་轴གས་རྒྱས་ནས།the state ofraŋ Dzogchen gyúd gyi. We knownál lug that gyá ands we nas are in that Dzogchen Ati and thenand we itcan becomes really have something evolution . So useful. I am asking Particularly, we need to integrate the is the state of Dzogchen.Means that We everyone,know that each and weindividual, are in that has that.”state. their ItEvenown doesn’t realif naturework. Evenand that if we learn just one thing, we integrate that stateraŋ . gyúdEven if gyiin this nál moment, lug gyá fors example,nas only ten people have the everybody to please try to integrate in the state of Dzogchen . This realin this knowledge moment, of Dzogchen,foris theexample, state maybe of only nextDzogchen. ten month, people nextWe have knowyear, the there that real and isandknowledge the we it real becomesare sense in of that . something state. Even useful. if Particularly, we need to integrate the Means that everyone, each individual, has their own real nature and that Dzogchen, maybein next this month, moment, next for year, example, there will only be ten twenty. people After have two the or real knowledge of 26 is the state of Dzogchen. We know that and we are in that state. Even if three6 years maybeDzogchen, there will be maybe one hundred. next month, Time next goes year, ahead. there In will that beway, twenty. After two or THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 in this moment, for example, only ten people have the real knowledge of 26 knowledge developsthree slowly, years maybewithout there struggling will be oneor conditioning hundred. Time or goesdoing ahead. In that way, Dzogchen, maybe next month, next year, there will be twenty. After two or something like that,knowledge but knowledge develops automatically slowly, without develops. struggling Raŋ gyúd or conditioning gyi or doing three years maybe there will be one hundred. Time goes ahead. In that way, nál lug gyás nas meanssomething automatically like that, but increasing knowledge that automatically knowledge. develops. Raŋ gyúd gyi knowledge develops slowly, without struggling or conditioning or doing nál lug gyás nas means automatically increasing that knowledge. something like that, but knowledge automatically develops. Raŋ gyúd gyi nálའཛམ་འམ་ག콲ང་ཞ lug gyás nas콲་བདེ་ལ་ར means 일ལ་ལ automatically일། increasing that knowledge. zàm liŋ gun zhĭ འཛམ་འམ་ག콲ང་ཞdé la rol 콲་བདེ་ལ་ར일ལ་ལ일། འཛམ་འམ་ག콲ང་ཞThis means that콲་བདེ་ལ་ར slowlyzàm liŋ일ལ་ལ all gun 일།the zhĭworld dé isla in rol peace. The peace of the world can really manifestThis in thismeans way. that This slowly is unique. all the Only world talking is in peace. about Thepeace peace of the world zàm liŋ gun zhĭ dé la rol doesn’t correspond.can reallyFirst we manifest invite inand this secondly way. This we is askunique. what Only to do. talking about peace This means that slowly all the world is in peace. The peace of the world You remember, indoesn’t the teaching correspond. there isFirst base, we path, invite and and fruit. secondly we ask what to do. can really manifest in this way. This is unique. Only talking about peace You remember, in the teaching there is base, path, and fruit. doesn’t correspond. First we invite and secondly we ask what to do. You remember, in the teaching there is base, path, and fruit. Tenerife, Spain, November 2013 Tenerife, Spain, November 2013 Tenerife, Spain, November 2013

25 25 25 tioning people. It is not necessary to condition anyone. If you are a good practitioner, you show how you are. If there are ten people and you are a tioningpractitioner, people. you It show is not how necessary you are. to Ifcondition there are anyone. ten people If you and are you a goodare a Dzogchen practitioner, you are the most relaxed of those ten. Day after day, practitioner,Dzogchen practitioner, you show youhow are you the are. most If thererelaxed are of ten those people ten. Dayand youafter are day, a they’ll discover that. Why are you always relaxed and not worried about Dzogchenthey’ll discover practitioner, that. Why you are theyou most always relaxed relaxed of those and notten. worriedDay after about day, problems? Dzogchen practitioners know very well that we are in samsara. they’llproblems? discover Dzogchen that. Whypractitioners are you knowalways very relaxed well thatand wenot are worried in samsara. about Many people say, “Oh, this year we have problem, on the 12th of Decem- problems?Many people Dzogchen say, “Oh, practitioners this year we know have very problem, well thaton the we 12th are inof samsara. Decem- ber the whole world will be destroyed, what we should do?” Many people berMany the people whole say,world “Oh, will this be yeardestroyed, we have what problem, we should on the do?” 12th Many of Decem people- ask me. I am not saying there is not a problem, maybe there is something, it berask theme. whole I am not world saying will there be destroyed, is not a problem, what we maybe should there do?” is Manysomething, people it is possible. But you don’t need to worry for that, there is no reason to worry askis possible. me. I am But not you saying don’t there need is to not worry a problem, for that, maybe there isthere no reasonis something, to worry it in this way. It’s very important we know how the situation is and go ahead. isin possible.this way. ButIt’s veryyou don’t important need towe worry know for how that, the there situation is no isreason and go to ahead.worry In that way slowly everyone develops, we can really understand and there inIn thisthat way.way It’sslowly very everyone important develops, we know we how can the really situation understand is and goand ahead. there will be no need for any kind revolution, or for changing or doing some- Inwill that be wayno need slowly for everyone any kind develops, revolution, we or can for really changing understand or doing and some there- thing. We slowly develop. Our time is not very long. Maybe we disappear willthing. be We no slowly need for develop. any kind Our revolution, time is not orvery for long. changing Maybe or wedoing disappear some- after one hundred years; after one hundred years not one of us will still be thing.after one We hundred slowly develop. years; after Our one time hundred is not very years long. not oneMaybe of us we will disappear still be on this globe. But the Dzogchen teaching will never disappear. That knowl- afteron this one globe. hundred But theyears; Dzogchen after one teaching hundred will years never not disappear. one of us That will knowlstill be- edge, if we are working and dealing with people, will continue for centuries onedge, this if globe. we are But working the Dzogchen and dealing teaching with people, will never will disappear. continue forThat centuries knowl- knowledge of the state of the Dzogchen Ati and then we canand really centuries. have This kind of evolution can perfect all sentient beings. So we Chögyal Namkhai Norbu edge,and centuries. if we are Thisworking kind and of evolution dealing with can people, perfect willall sentient continue beings. for centuries So we evolution. So I am asking everybody to please try to integrateknow that in andthe should apply it. This is something very important. andknow centuries. that and Thisshould kind apply of evolution it. This is can something perfect allvery sentient important. beings. So we state of Dzogchen. This is the real sense. know that and should apply it. This is something very important. know that and should apply it. This is something very important. དགའ་鮐콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། རང་རྒྱུད་讣ལ་轴གས་ར일གས་鮤일ད་ཀ콲ས་འཛམ་ག콲ང། རང་རྒྱུད་讣ལ་轴གས་ར일གས་鮤일ད་ཀ콲ས་འཛམ་ག콲ང། དགའ་鮐gá gyid콲ད་འཛོམས་བྱུང་ལགས། zòm jyŭŋ lag, ཞ콲་བདེ་ལ་འཁ일ད་ཡ일ང། gáབདེ་དགའ་རྒྱས་བྱུང་ལགས། gyidgyid zòm zòm jyŭŋ jyŭŋ lag, lag, raŋ gyúd nál lug dog jyod gyis zàm líŋ xĭ dé la kòd yoŋ . བདེ་དགའ་རྒྱས་བྱུང་ལགས། raŋ gyúd nál lug dog jyod gyis zàm líŋ xĭ dé la kòd yoŋབདེ་དགའ་རྒྱས་བྱུང་ལགས།dé. gá gyás-jyǔŋ lag, Raŋ gyúd nál lug means our knowledge, our understanding, being བདེ་དགའ་རྒྱས་བྱུང་ལགས།dé gá gyás-jyǔŋ lag, Raŋ gyúd nál lug means our knowledge, our understanding,You knowbeing alreadyin that dé gá gyás jyŭŋ lag means manifesting every- inRaŋ real gyúdour nature nál . lugFirst meansis dog . Dog our means knowledge, you understand, our understanding, not in déYou gágá knowgyás-jyǔŋbeing gyás-jyǔŋ alreadyin lag , lag, that dé gá gyás jyŭŋ lag means manifesting every- real our nature. First is dog. Dog means you understand,thing not in aintel perfect- way. intellectualreal our nature. way but Firstconcretely is dog . You. Dogdiscover means how your you real understand, nature Youthing not know know in aintel already perfect already- that way. that dé gádé gyás gá gyásjyŭŋ lagjyŭŋ means lag manifestingmeans manifesting every- islectual . Jyod means way butthat concretely.you not only Youknow discover it, but then how you yourremain real in natureeverything is. Jyod in a perfect way . lectual way but concretely. You discover how your real naturething is.in aJyod perfect way. thismeans knowledge that you . Jyod not means only youknow also it, integrate but then your you day remain and night in this knowledge. into your life . You do this without limitation, because you cannot རང་རྒྱུད་讣ལ་轴གས་ལ་鮦일ར་དང། Jyod means you also integrate your day and night into yourརང་རྒྱུད་讣ལ་轴གས་ལ་鮦일ར་དང། life. You do integrate in a limited way . If you are limited, you are never in the raŋརང་རྒྱུད་讣ལ་轴གས་ལ་鮦일ར་དང། gyúd gyúd nál nál lug la lug jyór la dăŋ jyór dăŋ statethis withoutof Dzogchen limitation, . First of becauseall you have you to cannot know ifintegrate there is anyin a limitedEachརང་རྒྱུད་讣ལ་轴གས་ལ་鮦일ར་དང། person way. is Ifin the real condition . means to try to Eachraŋ gyúd person nál is inlug the la realjyór condition. dăŋNál lug laNál jyór lug la jyór means to try to be limitation,you are limited, and then you you arego beyond never thatin the . When state you of are Dzogchen. that way, Firstberaŋ in of gyúdour all real you nál condition lug la . jyór dăŋ Eachin our person real condition. is in the real condition. Nál lug la jyór means to try to be beyondhave to that know kind ofif limitation,there is anythen youlimitation, can understand and then that youwhat goEachin beyond our person real that. condition. is in the real condition. Nál lug la jyór means to try to be in our real condition. youWhen are doingyou are– everything that way, you beyond do – is relative that kind . If you of sit limitation, for hours ʹན་བཟང་གinthen our you real can 콲་ཉcondition.콲་མ་ཤར་ར 일། and hours like a statue of Buddha, without movement, or if you gun sán sán gĭ gĭ ñi ñima ma xar xar understand that what you are doing – everything you do –Whenʹན་བཟང་གgun is relative. sán you gĭ 콲་ཉare ñi If콲་མ་ཤར་ར main that xar 일།condition, we can say gun sán gĭ ñi ma xar, mean- dance or work or do something, there is no difference . Whengunʹན་བཟང་ག sán you gĭare콲་ཉ ñi in콲་མ་ཤར་ར mathat xarcondition,일། we can say gun sán gĭ ñi ma xar, youIt meanssit for thathours in andthe Dzogchenhours like teaching a statue we of integrate Buddha, . In withoutthe ingmeaninggun movement, that sán thatthe gĭ ñithesun ma sun of xarofSamantabhadra Samantabhadra is is shining shining in our in ourreal conreal- condition. This Dzogor if­chen you teaching,dance or fortunately work or dowe something,have the capacity there and is nopossi difference.- isdition a realization . This is a realization also, it isalso, the it fruit,is the fruit,as in as the in thebase, base, path, path, and fruit. bilityIt means of integrating that in the. For Dzogchenexample, in Sutrateaching teaching, we thisintegrate. does not In theand fruitDzogchen . It means that in the Dzogchen teaching we integrate. In the Dzogchen 28 existteaching, at all . Infortunately Vajrayana teaching, we have sometimes the capacity there isand some possibility inte- of integrat- 28 gration, but not totally . In the Dzogchen teaching, the main point 28 ing. For example, in Sutra teaching, this does not exist atའག all.일་ʹན་བདེ་ཞ In Va-콲ང་鮐콲ད་ནས། 28 for practitioners is to try to integrate when you have the base . So drò gun gun dé dé xĭŋ xĭŋ gyid gyid nas nas jyodjrayana means teaching, that we live sometimes our life in anthere ordinary is some way . Ifintegration, you have a but not totally. shop,In the for Dzogchen example, you teaching, need to go thethere main every point day . Then for youpractitioners think, གཏན་བདེ་ཡ is to try콲་དཔལ་ལ་ར to 일ལ་ལ일། “Oh,integrate I am not when doing you practice have ”. Also the going base. to So the jyod shop meansand working that iswe livedan dé ourdé yi yi lifebal bal lain rol la rol youran ordinary practice if way. you’re If in you the statehave of a Dzogchen shop, for . This example, is part of youyour needDrò to gun gun go dé there dé xĭŋ xĭŋ gyid gyid nas meansnas means all sentient all sentient beings are beings not fight are- not fighting or chöpa,every attitudeday. Then . With you any think, kind of “Oh, attitude I am we notenter doing in the practice.” state of ing Also or goinglimiting to anyone . And slowly this knowledge is spreading theevery practice day. . Then you think, “Oh, I am not doing practice.”limitingand Also developing going anyone. to . All sentient And slowly beings thisfind happinessknowledge . Then is spreadingthey can and develop- the shop and working is your practice if you’re in the state of Dzogchen. theRaŋ shop gyúd and nál working lug: when is we your are in practice that state if then you’re any kindin the of stateat- ing.definitivelyof Dzogchen. All sentient benefit, notbeings provisionally, find happiness. and have happiness, etc . This titude,This isknowledge, part of your everything chöpa is ,in attitude. a Dzogchen With way . anyOf course kind then, of attitude Thenis also we howthey enter we can apply definitively benefit for others benefit, . This is notthe provisionally,meaning of the and have happi- progressin the state is everywhere; of the practice. there is no need for us to become mis- ness,song . This etc. is This a kind is ofalso teaching how inwe a realapply sense benefit . for others. This is the mean- sionariesRaŋ gyúd . Being nál a missionarylug: when is wenegative are in thethat Dzogchen state then teaching any kinding Ok,of of now attitude,the it song. is finished This . is a kind of teaching in a real sense. becauseknowledge, you are everything conditioning is peoplein a Dzogchen . It is not necessary way. Of to condicourse- then, progress tionknowledge, anyone . If everythingyou are a good is practitioner,in a Dzogchen you show way. how Of you course are . then, progress Ifis thereeverywhere; are ten people there and is noyou needare a forDzogchen us to practitioner,become missionaries. you Ok,Link fornow Being listening it is a finished. to the Dzamling Gar Song sung by Rinpoche: aremissionary the most isrelaxed negative of those in the ten Dzogchen . Day after day, teaching they’ll discoverbecause youhttps://dzamlinggar.net/en/dzamling-gar/dzamling-gar-song are condi- that . Why are you always relaxed and not worried about problems? Dzogchen practitioners know very well that we are in samsara . Many people say, “Oh, this year we have 27problem, on the 12th of December the whole world will be destroyed, what we should do?” Many people ask me . I am not saying there is not a problem, maybe there is something, it is possible . But you don’t need to worry for that, there is no reason to worry in this way . It’s very important we know how the situation is and go ahead . In that way slowly every- one develops, we can really understand and there will be no need for any kind revolution, or for changing or doing something . We slowly develop . Our time is not very long . Maybe we disappear after one hundred years; after one hundred years not one of us will still be on this globe . But the Dzogchen teaching will never disappear . That knowledge, if we are working and dealing with people, will continue for centuries and centuries . This kind of evolution can perfect all sentient beings . So we know that and should apply it . This is something very important .

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 7

29 Based on their brilliant and diligent Adriano and Elio are currently working on SSI Austria work so many extraordinary books were several books right in the moment and in already translated and published like: 2018 a few books should also be published earest friends and supporters of the by Shang Shung Publications . translation projects of the Shang · The Marvellous Primordial State: Mejung Also the work on the Dra Thalgyur tan- DShung Institute Austria, Tantra tra is proceeding . Do you know these books? · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: In spite of the so sad fact, that Rinpoche Longchenpa’s Advice from the Heart passed away on September 27, we still have · Awakening upon Dying: so many teachings and texts of Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of the Dead that have to be translated and published · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: for the benefit of all interested people . Healing with Fire: A Practical Manual of Please continue to support our transla- Tibetan Moxibustion­ tion activities also in the future . · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: Birth, Life and Thank you so much for all your support Death according to Tibetan Medicine and in the years! the Dzogchen Teachings Without your help we never could have · Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye: done all this tremendous work . Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Creative Vision and Inner Reality Please send your donation to our bank The Root Upadesha on · Kathog Situ Chökyi Gyatso: Togden account: the Vajra Bridge of Longde Shakya Shri – The Life and Liberation Account holder: Longsal Commentaries of a Tibetan Yogin Shang Shung Institute Austria Volume One · Gyalwa Yangönpa: IBAN: AT19 3815 1000 0003 0387 Secret Map of the Body BIC: RZSTAT2G151 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: Address of the bank: The Upadesha of the Self-Perfected Thögal Outer Rushen: Going Beyond Limitations Hauptstr . 39, 8262 Ilz, Austria Longsal Commentaries or or send your donation via Paypal: just Volume Two · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: use this link: PAYPAL Longsal Teachings Volume 1 You can also contribute and send your Chögyal Namkhai Norbu · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: donation on a monthly basis . The Crucial Preliminaries of the Path of Ati Longsal Teachings Volume 2 You can order all the above mentioned Longsal Commentaries · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: books from the website of Shang Shung Volume Three Longsal Teachings Volume 3 Publications: https://shop.shangshung · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: foundation.com/en/ These books are a series of Longsal Com- Longsal Teachings Volume 4 Thank you so much and very best wishes, mentaries, which aside from the history · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: and the root texts include the autocom- Longsal Teachings Volume 5 Oliver Leick mentaries written by the author himself, · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: Director of the Shang Shung Institute occasionally supplemented with additional Longsal Teachings Volume 6 Austria material to gather all information concern- · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: Gersdorfberg 19, 8212 Pischelsdorf, Austria ing a specific teaching in a single volume . Longsal Teachings Volume 7 Tel .: 0043 664 88 66 26 60 These series of books were translated from · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: [email protected] Tibetan by Adriano Clemente with the pre- Longsal Teachings Volume 8 www.ssi-austria.at cious help of the author . · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: The translation of these most valuable Longsal Teachings Volume 9 and absolutely unique books is part of the · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: translation work of the Shang Shung Insti- Longsal Teachings Volume 10 tute Austria: the translation project Com- · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: plete Works of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu The Dance of the Vajra and the Ka-ter Translation Project . · Dorje Sempa Namkha Che – Our main translators are Adriano Clem- The Total Space of Vajrasattva ente and Elio Guarisco . · Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: Oral Commen- tary on The Total Space of Vajrasattva

8 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 ATIYOGA FOUNDATION

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THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 9 New Publications from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu · If you are attached to this life, you are Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Chögyal Namkhai Norbu he question of the purpose or meaning of life is as old FREEDOM not a true spiritual practitioner; Tas humanity itself. What are we doing here? Why have we been born? Is there some deeper meaning in human from ATTACHMENT existence, something that is very close to us but remains Starting · If you are attached to samsara, you have elusive, waiting to be discovered? FREEDOM Chögyal Namkhai Norbu the Evolution Namkhai Norbu Chögyal • In early twelfth-century Tibet, the great master Sachen Kunga from ATTACHMENT no renunciation; The ancient teachings of Total Perfection or Ati Yoga, practiced for Nying po experienced a vision of the bodhisattva of wisdom, who

• Integrating a Classic centuries in the snowy land of Tibet and recently introduced to transmitted to him an essential teaching consisting of just four · If you are attached to your own self-in- the West, help us to discover the answer to these questions. They verses: Buddhist Teaching

present the core of our being as being both completely pure and Starting the Evolution spontaneously perfect. These teachings also provide a way to move If you are attached to this life, you are not a true spiritual practitioner; into Daily Life terest, you have no bodhichitta; from the level of the ordinary confused mind to the deepest level If you are attached to cyclic existence, you have no renunciation; of the primordially pure consciousness. At a relative level, they can If you are attached to your own self-interest, you have no bodhichitta; help us overcome existential fears and live a relaxed and happy life. If there is grasping, you do not have the view.

FREEDOM · If there is grasping, you do not have the As Chögyal Namkhai Norbu shows us, one cannot become free from attachments without learning to maintain a state of presence or contemplation. And he shows us how to maintain this state view .

continuously in one’s daily life and even at night in dreams. In so from

doing, he provides both practical and historical insights into the ATTACHMENT complete Buddhist path to self-liberation. Parting from the Four Attachments is a

€ 16 teaching on overcoming the four different kinds of attachment . Our understanding of this teaching must become something concrete; otherwise, it remains intellectual Starting the Evolution Freedom from knowledge only . To make this knowledge concrete, we must integrate it into our con- he question of the purpose or mean- Attachment dition in daily life . Teachings are not just ing of life is as old as humanity itself . ttachment is the root of all emo- for intellectual study or argument; they TWhat are we doing here? Why have tions and samsara . This was un- are for our life . Even if we are in a relative we been born? Is there some deeper mean- “A derstood by mahasiddhas like condition, if we apply this knowledge in the ing in human existence, something that is Saraha and Tilopa, who spent years do- correct way it benefits us and we do not very close to us but remains elusive, wait- ing practices to transform impure vi- have problems . This is really the value of ing to be discovered? The ancient teachings sion into pure vision . Then they realized the teaching, but most of the time we are of Total Perfection or Ati Yoga, practiced for that the problem was not vision, but attach- not aware of this . We think we are learning centuries in the snowy land of Tibet and ment . When the founder of the Sakyapa, a tradition, but learning a tradition does recently introduced to the West, help us Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, was twelve years not ultimately help . One day we will die, to discover the answer to these questions . old, he did a six-month retreat on the prac- and when our life is finished we will not They present the core of our being as being tice of Manjushri, and during that retreat take our tradition with us . But the knowl- both completely pure and spontaneously Manjushri manifested himself to Sachen edge that we have integrated into our real perfect . These teachings, presented here by Kunga Nyingpo in a vision . In his manifest- nature has the potential to help us . If we Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, also provide a way ed form, Manjushri is on a precious seat in are following a teacher, the real state of the to move from the level of the ordinary con- the dimension of different kinds of light . teacher must be integrated into our con- fused mind to the deepest level of the pri- Manjushri appeared many times to Sachen dition . Each of us must become our own mordially pure consciousness . At a relative Kunga Nyingpo, and on this occasion, he teacher . As a Dzogchen practitioner, you level, they can help us overcome existential taught him the four verses, later known as need to integrate the teachings of Parting fears and live a relaxed and happy life . Parting from the Four Attachments: from the Four Attachments within your- self ”. – Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

>> continued from previous page these fundamentals is an incredibly effec- Locations: tastes, qualities and characteristics; food tive tool for a healthy and happy life . * Tenerife, February 2–4, 2019 properties; spices and drinks; poisonous Dr . Phuntsog Wangmo presents unique Tibetan Medicine Diet and lifestyle Program, combinations; characteristics of various knowledge in a simple and understandable 1st level with Dr . Phuntsog Wangmo . To lifestyles; characteristics of age, seasons, en- way for modern people, which makes the register please contact: vironments; recommendations on nutrition course interesting not only for health spe- [email protected] and behavior for different constitutions . cialists but also for people without special * Russia, 2019 (dates to be determined) The course is based on the ancient training . The course material can be suc- Tibetan Medicine Diet and Lifestyle Program, knowledge of traditional Tibetan medicine . cessfully applied both in professional prac- Level 1 and 2 with Dr . Phuntsog Wangmo . You will learn how to maintain health and tice and for maintaining your personal For more information visit balance the body through a suitable diet health and the health of your loved ones . www.TibetanMedicineSchool.ru and lifestyle . A proper understanding of

10 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 benefits-beings-9788878341616.html? Tutorial of the search_query=vajra+dance&results=24 They are available at the Shang Shung Vajra Dance that Foundation webshop or you can purchase Benefits Beings them directly in the bookshops at our Gars . Around 50 USB-3 Pen drives are avail- ear Sangha, able at Dzamling Gar now . I hope that in the near future, we can DThe Tutorial of the Vajra Dance that also make the Tutorials available on a Benefits Beings, which consists of a de- streaming platform, for which they were tailed and easy to follow demonstration originally created . and essential explanations, is ready and The Tutorial is intended for all who have available to purchase . attended and committed to following a Other Tutorials of all Vajra Dances will course from an authorized instructor, es- follow . sential not only to receive essential expla- The Tutorial (about 13 GB material) is nations and to avoid wrong understanding available as a USB Pen drive with the vid- and habits, but also to stay connected and eos integrated in a setting of a HTML Menu . have a link to the transmission and teach- https://shop.shangshungfoundation.com/ ing of the source of this precious method, en/pendrive/837-pendrive-the-vajra- Chögyal Namkhai Norbu . dance-that-benefits-beings-200000000 Welcome to the Universal Vajra Dance 4853.html?search_query=vajra+dance mandala for the benefit of all sentient be- &results=24 ings . The Long-Life and also in the format of 2 HD MP4 CDs Warm greetings, in a DVD case . Prima Mai Practice of Amitayus https://shop.shangshungfoundation. he Long-Life Practice of Amitayus com/en/dvd/830-the-vajra-dance-that- and the related instructions on The TChülen of the Three Kayas are terma teachings of Padmasambhava discovered by Nyagla Pema Düdul . This book con- tains Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s oral com- mentary on the two texts, given during a retreat in 2014 at Merigar West, Italy . Rin- poche’s explanations alternate with rele- vant passages he had selected for the oc- casion, translated here from the original Tibetan . The complete translations from the Ti- betan of The Long-Life Practice of Amitayus from the original Tsedrub Gongdü and of The Chülen of the Three Kayas from Nyagla Pema Düdul’s terma cycle The Self-Liber- ation That Encompasses Space (Khakhyab Rangdrol) are provided in the appendix . Also included are the short and long Shang Shung Foundation · International Institute for Tibetan Culture practices of Amitayus adapted by Chögyal Shang Shung Foundation, Italy Shang Shung Institute of America Namkhai Norbu for his students on the ba- Località Merigar, 58031 Arcidosso (GR, Italy) 18 Schoolhouse Rd, P .O . Box 278 sis of Nyagla Pema Düdul’s Union of Primor- Gaetano Ruvolo: [email protected] Conway, MA 01341, USA www.shangshungfoundation.org Phone (main-Anna) 413 369 4928 dial Essences Long-Life Practice (Tsedrub www.shangshungstore.org Fax/Bookstore 413 369 4473 Gongdü) . www.shangshung.org Shang Shung Institute Austria Gersdorfberg 19, 8212 Pischelsdorf, Austria Shang Shung Institute Russia Office: 0043 664 88 66 26 60 2v Mayakovskogo str . [email protected] Bolshiye Dvory, Pavlovsky Posad district www.ssi-austria.at Russia 142541 [email protected] Shang Shung Institute UK www.shangshunginstitute.ru Lekdanling, Tibetan Cultural Centre www.tibetanmedicineschool.ru 14 Collent Street, Hackney, London, E9 6SG . UK https://www. facebook.com/shangshungrussia www.shangshunguk.org

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 11 Lekdanling Gets On the London Map

Julia Lawless (SSI UK Director)

e have had a busy year at Lek- danling with more and more Wpeople discovering our vibrant Tibetan Cultural Centre in East London . This is highlighted by the fact that early in the year, Shang Shung UK received a let- ter from our Prime Minister, Theresa May sending us her good wishes for Wesak . An- other development that has emerged over the last year is an increasing number of Tibetans engaging with our program . . for example, the live stream of a Shang Shung lecture in February by the scholar Darig Letter from PM Teresa May. Participants in the Tribute to Rinpoche in November. Thokmay ‘The different narratives of Bon and Buddhism on early Tibetan legends’ workshop using hand-carved woodblocks Speakers included Ian Baker who gave a enjoyed thousands of views by Tibetans imported from Nepal which was a great very succinct overview of the mindfulness across the world . Likewise, the online vid- success with the children . Jakob Win- movement up to the present day; Charlie eo recording of the Khaita performance held at the British Museum in Spring 2018 went viral . . indeed, it was an amazing achievement to perform at such a presti- gious venue! It has been a great pleasure seeing members of the Tibetan community in London initiating their own cultural arts program at the Centre, too . The lovely Ti- betan dancer Tenzin led a Khaita workshop in collaboration with Elena Dumcheva ear- ly in the year and then performed several Khaita workshop at Lekdanling. dances from Rinpoche’s 108 Joyful Dances Collection as part of a special Tribute to kler gave an in-depth talk on the murals Morley who spoke on mindfulness with- him in November alongside other Tibetan of Tibet accompanied by wonderful imag- in the lucid dream state; Laura Donington dancers and artists . Ngawang, the well- es . Then throughout December and Janu- who gave an insightful presentation on the known Tibetan musician and singer, now ary (2019) all visitors to Lekdanling will be role of mindfulness in psychotherapy and a familiar face at Lekdanling, also gave a able enjoy a unique exhibition of paintings Paul Weiglus speaking about the mindful beautiful performance of music at the Trib- by contemporary Eastern Tibetan artists Revolution within the business world . Our ute event for Rinpoche which was attended which will grace the walls of the Centre . ‘in-house’ speakers included Elio Guarisco, many members of the Tibetan community Lekdanling was designed as a versatile ex- Igor Berkhin and Leo Isacchi who all con- in London as well as people from the Dzog- hibition space so it is fantastic that this tributed practical instructions or work- chen Community . facility is being utilized . The paintings are shops to the Festival . Everyone enjoyed We are very fortunate to welcome Anne all for sale along with postcards and other the variety of views which were present- Bancroft onto our SSI team as Arts Director items, so please come and see the exhibi- ed, which made for quite lively discussions this year, a professional conservator at the tion and participate in this new initiative . around the round table, skilfully managed V&A Museum and a specialist in Tibetan May 2018 witnessed our first ‘Festi- by Alex Studholme who was casting the art . To further support traditional crafts, val of Mind’ at the Centre on the theme questions . The Festival in May 2019 will be we hosted a Tibetan prayer flag making of ‘Mindfulness: Past, Present and Future’ . looking at different ways of working with

12 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 our emotions with a keynote lecture by 9–10 February – LEKDANLING SSIUK Charlie Morley on ‘The Shadow in Vajra­ UK Dzogchen Open Yantra Yoga retreat yana Buddhism’ . with Leo Isacchi Other highlights from the past year in- Community and Shang 9–15 February – KUNSELLING cluded a visit to London by Naljorma Tsul- Shung Institute UK Chod retreat trim Allione to accompany the launch of organised by Jerry Forbes her new book ‘Wisdom Rising’ which em- 2019 Calendar of Events 22–24 February – LEKDANLING SSIUK phasizes the importance of giving the fem- Advanced Beginners Tibetan inine a voice in society today . . something with Prof . Fabian Saunders which is very timely given the emergence Events are held at the Lekdanling center in of the ‘me too’ movement in 2018 . She also London or the Community retreat center, March gave a practical workshop on the five Wis- Kunselling, in Wales. 2 March, (Saturday) – LEKDANLING doms as well as a one day session on ‘Feed- Practicing Together ing Your Demons’ based on the principal of January 10 am–1 pm – Collective practice – not just facing our fears but actively invit- 5 January (Saturday) – LEKDANLING Mandarava­ Practice ing them . Practicing Together 2–5pm – Vajra Dance Practice for At Lekdanling, we also hosted the book 10–1 pm Collective practice – Secret Rushen; Ayu Khandro day launch of the remarkable life story of Freda 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice 3 March (Sunday)- LEKDANLING Bedi – the Western nun who the 16th Kar- 6 January (Sunday) – LEKDANLING Vajra dance practice day mapa endearingly called ‘Mummy’ – pre- Practicing Together with Cindy Faulkner sented by the author, Naomi Levine along (following the schedule for this period of 9 March, (Saturday) – LEKDANLING with slides and original recordings of Fre- mourning) Yantra Yoga practice day da’s own voice recalling episodes from her 6–20 January – KUNSELLING with Leo Isacchi very personal experiences of spending time Personal retreat time 10 March, (Sunday) – LEKDANLING SSIUK with the Karmapa . In addition, we were de- 25–27 January – LEKDANLING SSIUK Joyful Dances for Everyone lighted to invite Francesca Fremantle to ­Advanced Beginners Tibetan with Svetlana Vajnine Lekdanling for the first time – a translator with Prof . Fabian Sanders 16–17 March – LEKDANLING – Weekend and an internationally renowned expert Tara Retreat: Green Tara practice & on the Tibetan Book of the Dead – to speak February her 21 Praises about her ground-breaking book ‘Lumi- 29 January–5 February – KUNSELLING with Julia Lawless nous Emptiness’ . Karma yoga + Losar 22–24 March – LEKDANLING SSIUK James Low gave an interesting talk and 2 February (Saturday) – LEKDANLING Advanced Beginners Tibetan weekend seminar on ‘Who am I: Buddhist Practicing Together with Prof . Fabian Sanders approaches to the mystery of me being me’ 10 am–1 pm – Collective practice – Secret which proved very popular! Fabian Sanders, Rushen; 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice April our Shang Shung UK Academic Director Losar celebration in the evening 6 April (Saturday) – LEKDANLING provided a unique glimpse into the Oracles 3 February (Sunday) – LEKDANLING Practicing Together of Tibet as well as running a series of Ti- Practicing Together 10 am–1pm – Collective practice; betan Language weekends plus a Drajyor (following the schedule for this period of 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice course . A lecture by Master Chris Chappell mourning) 7 April (Sunday) – LEKDANLING on the value of working with the body as Sunday 3rd SSIUK Practicing Together a part of meditation practise was very in- Prayer Flag Making Workshop (following the schedule for this period of sightful and is a theme that requires more mourning) investigation . As always, the beginners 6–12 April – KUNSELLING Yantra yoga weekends were well attended Karma Yoga as were the open Vajra Dance events and Lekdanling, the UK Community’s center in London 13–17 April – KUNSELLING our first Harmonious Breathing course in opened in October 2015. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Sms Base Level Retreat visited the space, giving our new open Center the London with Nataly Nitsche . We also con- name ‘Lekdan Ling’ meaning ‘Place of Good Fortune’. with Fabio Risolo cluded a Kunye Course with Aldo Oneto Lekdanling is a modern studio space in Hackney: 19–22 April – LEKDANLING held at Kunselling, our UK retreat centre Unit B, 14 Collent Street, London E9 6SG. Meditation for Daily Life & Yantra Yoga in Wales . practice Open course Kunselling, the Dzogchen Community UK’s retreat Thanks to everyone, including all the center, is an old stone farmhouse with a sunny with Fabio Risolo + Leo Isacchi volunteers who help to ‘keep the show on courtyard and outbuildings in an idyllic Welsh 27–28 April – LEKDANLING SSIUK the road’ in running all of our events as valley, not far from Hay-on-Wye. In 1998, Rinpoche The Vajra Dance that Benefits Beings personally inaugurated it, naming it ‘Kunsel Ling’: well as to all the teachers, speakers and ‘The Place of Total Luminosity.’ Open Vajra Dance Course artists who help to make Lekdanling a thriving cultural scene . For teaching and group retreat bookings at Kunsel- For information about courses and ling visit www.dzogchencommunityuk.org For personal retreats booking, please contact events visit www.lekdanling.org ­[email protected] >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 13 23–26 August – LEKDANLING Mandarava Tsalung retreat with Nina Robinson 19–26 August – KUNSELLING Vajra Dance retreat 29 August–4 September – KUNSELLING Mandarava Tsalung retreat with Nina Robinson

September 7 September (Saturday) – LEKDANLING Practicing Together 10 am–1 pm – Collective Shitro Practise; Kunselling. 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice 8 September (Sunday) – LEKDANLING >> continued from previous page 23 June – LEKDANLING Practicing Together May Yantra Yoga & Kumbhaka (following the schedule for this period of 4 May (Saturday) – LEKDANLING with John Renshaw mourning ) Practicing Together 29–30 June – SSIUK LEKDANLING 10–15 September – KUNSELLING 10 am–1 pm – Collective practice Green Tara Open Yantra Course Song of the Vajra Dance part 2 5 May (Sunday) – LEKDANLING with John Renshaw Cindy Faulkner Practicing Together 14 September – LEKDANLING SSIUK (following the schedule for this period of July Open Khaita Event mourning ) 6 July (Saturday) – LEKDANLING 27 September 4–6 May – KUNSELLING Practicing Together Global Sangha Practice Day Guru Yoga and Purification with the 10 am–1 pm – Collective practice - Semdz- 28 September–4 October KUNSELLING Short Vajra Dances ins practice; 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice Karma Yoga Practice Retreat with Cindy Faulkner 7 July (Sunday) – LEKDANLING 10–12 May – LEKDANLING SSIUK Practicing Together October Festival of Mind: ‘Working with the Emotions’ (following the schedule for this period of 5 October (Saturday) – LEKDANLING Friday Lecture: ‘Working with the Shadow mourning ) Practicing Together in the Dream State’ with Charlie Morley 18–23 July – KUNSELLING 10 am–1 pm – Collective practice – Semdz- Saturday: Speakers & Round Table Song of the Vajra Dance part I ins Practice; 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice Discussions / Reception with Cindy Faulkner 6 October (Sunday) – LEKDANLING Sunday: Practical Workshops Practicing Together 14–18 May – KUNSELLING August 5–9 October KUNSELLING SMS Level 1 - Experiential Retreat 3 August (Saturday) – LEKDANLING Guru Yoga Essential Instructions And Practice Practicing Together with Steve Landsberg with Elio Guarisco 10 am–1 pm – Collective practice Garab 11–12 October – LEKDANLING SSIUK 25–29 May – KUNSELLING Dorje; 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice ‘Sky Writing Exhibition’, Yantra Yoga Spring Intensive 4 August (Sunday) – LEKDANLING Private View with John Renshaw Practicing Together 12–16 October KUNSELLING (following the schedule for this period of Jnana Dakini June mourning) with Steve Landsberg 1 June (Saturday) – LEKDANLING 3–17 August – KUNSELLING Practicing Together Personal retreat time 10 am–1 pm – Collective practice – Semdz- ins Practice; 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice 2 June (Sunday) – LEKDANLING Practicing Together (following the schedule for this period of mourning) 3–9 June – KUNSELLING Karma Yoga 12–16 June – KUNSELLING Mandarava and Vajra Dance retreat 22 June – LEKDANLING (SSIUK & DZUK) Open Day

Kunselling.

14 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 take a look at our new programme in this Lekdanling, London issue of The Mirror and join us online . Even if you don’t manage to join us live, Online we are now filming or recording most of our London events so you can view them Join us for our upcoming in your own time either via Facebook or as 2019 Tibetan Language Course a download from the Shang Shung UK web- in London site or as a Vimeo presentation . Our SSIUK website: shangshunguk.org now contains Maciek Sikora a wide range of talks, lectures and confer- ence proceedings that have been recorded over the past 8 years, many of which con- uring 2018, Shang Shung UK began tain unique material which is not available live streaming many of its exciting elsewhere . It is our aim to gradually build Devents via Facebook and this has up an online documentary & video library proved very successful . The Khaita perfor- covering all different aspects of Tibetan mance at the British museum was viewed culture, as an easy-to-access global facility . by over 17,400 people globally and especial- In January 2019 we are starting a new ly by members of the Tibetan community series of Tibetan Language sessions with around the world . See it online at: https:// Prof . Fabian Sanders, aimed at Advanced www.facebook.com/shangshunguk/ Beginners ie those with some basic knowl- videos/1881420778535609/ edge of the Tibetan alphabet and grammar . Likewise, some of our Shang Shung lec- You will be able to join this course online tures, such as Darig Thokmay’s talk on using zoom, which is also a very useful tool traditional Bon and Buddhist folk customs in making information available to a wid- Our new 2019 programme includes our reached over 2,300 views from individuals as er audience . Prof . Sanders now uses online second Festival of Mind (May 10–12) with far afield as India, Switzerland and Canada: facilities on a regular basis to make his an amazing line-up of innovatory speak- https://www.facebook.com/shangshung Tibetan language courses and seminars ers including Charlie Morley talking on uk/videos/1822127601131594/ available to international participants . . so the theme of working with the shadow in The ability to provide online streaming whether you are based in Tenerife, Russia, the dream state . We are also happy to wel- immediately opens up our programme to a India or USA etc or it will be possible to par- come back some familiar faces including much wider audience . . so you don’t need to ticipate in our three part Advanced Begin- Ian Baker, Elio Guarisco and Igor Berkhin live in London or even the UK to tune in to ners Tibetan Language course from Friday who will be talking about different ways our upcoming talks and courses . So please 25th–27th January . of dealing with our emotions . Online views You can already sign up for this course of their talks at the Festival of Mind last on the Shang Shung UK website via the link year on the theme of mindfulness in dai- at http://www.shangshunguk.org/whats- ly life have already achieved over 2,300 19–20 October LEKDANLING on/#event=21074761 views … you can still view these at https:// 21 Semdzins For those of you who do not use Face- www.facebook.com/shangshunguk/ with Steve Landsberg book, next year we also plan to start us- videos/1933582246652795/ ing You Tube for broadcasting our open We are pleased to announce that our November events . We regularly add events to our SSIUK online shop was given a fresh new 2 November (Saturday) – LEKDANLING Shang Shang programme in London so we look in 2018 where it is possible to buy a Practicing Together recommend you visit our website regularly wide range of both public and restricted 10 am–1 pm – Collective practice Ganapuja to see what is happening . There is also a books . In 2019 we will be extending the 2–5 pm – Vajra Dance Practice designated Lekdanling website: lekdanling items available to purchase online includ- 3 November LEKDANLING .org which covers all the Dzogchen com- ing a selection of high quality incense and Practicing Together munity events happening in London as sang plus many natural remedies . 9 November well as regular weekly practise sessions . We look forward to welcoming you Yantra Yoga practice day Alternatively, if you would like to be added online . . with Leo Isacchi to our SSIUK mailing list so you are directly 10 November informed of all our activities, then please . Vajra Dance practice day email us at www.shangshunguk.org/ with Cindy Faulkner contact/

December 7–8 December (LEKDANLING + KUNSELLING) Sangha Weekend of Practice 22 December–2 January KUNSELLING Xmas Celebrations

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 15 sleepy bodies out of bed to practice Manda- A Chöd Retreat rava, and Yantra Yoga led by Bernard . The washing up karma yoga was breath taking; at Kunselling Graham, Gerallt and Carel performed mi- raculous feats of cleaning . Our domestic Drumming up Clarity efforts were coordinated and energised by Rowan, who gently but firming steered the Elizia Volkmann ship along . 30th November 2018 I chose to stay on a few more days af- Reprinted from the Dzogchen ter the official teaching retreat to practice . Community UK blog I felt a little nervous picking up the Damaru and trying to recall the melodies . With no wifi to download the mp3 of the practice I uspicious signs in Britain come in the teachings when Rinpoche told us to was on my own; just me, a printed piece of in the form of unexpectedly low “relax”, that’s what is needed, but staying paper and the drum . The storm that night Apriced train tickets, and catching relaxed was more than a little trick . Let’s was wilder than ever and as a I sang my the last available place on the course . My just say the process of practice is not a lit- heart out and offered up the only thing I journey to Wales was under a veil of mist tle humbling . You know as a practitioner really own – my body – to the spirits, it and cloud, after three trains and a bus . Fi- the sense of a little bit of pride welling up, seemed as if spirits and beasts were peer- nally I arrived in Erwood and headed to the you know when you’ve got a melody down ing in at my window as I filled up the pot pub where I was offered a cheap ride up pat? Well don’t worry about that demon be- with brains, gore and gristle . the hill to Kunselling which was complete- cause the Damaru is going to knock that The next day the storm had passed, the ly shrouded in cloud, so we could retreat right out of you . But if you prefer the de- sun rose above the hills and the sky was a unseen from the outside world to journey mons anger and frustration, yes those will solid blue . That afternoon I went for a walk deeply into the Master’s teaching . come to visit too . Playing the drum, singing with Shuny; as we passed through the gate The places that scare us are not just grave and ringing the bell, challenge the concep- she said “look at the Rainbow” . A full arc yards or battlefields; they are within us . tual mind and eliminate thought . When rose over the common land above the hap- Steve Landsberg told us that this fear was played correctly the slow beats sound py grazing sheep . A second bow arose at like a fuel for our practice and described the close to a human heartbeat . The fast dou- the base of the first, so we walked in the Chödpa’s view: where we are conditioned ble beats stir up strong emotions, more direction of the rainbow . The rain returned, to see sickness, misfortune and danger as fuel for the rite . The melodies are complex, so as Shuny wasn’t so well dressed for the terrible things a Chödpa sees these as op- lilting, at times passionate . weather she made the wise decision to portunities, so right now with the far right Alongside the teaching of Chöd Steve took walk home . As the rain came down and the rising, Brexit looming and other perils, it is us through steps to improve our meditation wind rose again a second rainbow glowed a fantastic time to practice Chöd . practice to better enter the state of contem- in the sky with it’s double rising up . Clad Rain storms railed against the windows plation and better understand the nature of in my military grade gore tex I stood and and the wind howled around the Gompa, mind . These simple and elegant reminders stared at rainbow and felt the force of the perfect Chöd weather, so we picked up our were incredibly useful and helped build a elements until it faded . I returned to the drums and bells and initially sounded like sturdier foundation for the complex prac- warm dry comfort of Kunselling thinking the worst school band at their first rehears- tice of Chöd . Steve’s teaching style is open about how I could get to Nepal to buy my al . Over four and a half days Steve gently led and spontaneous, he seemed to welcome own Chöd drum: Steve had advised that to us step by step through the practice of Chöd our questions and debate . He was very con- be the best way to get a good drum . and its intricate lilting melodies until we scientious in keep us together: “are we get- I returned to London on Sunday night could sing and play our way through this ting this?”, checking that we all understood, and dragged my tired self to the Gana Puja beautiful rite, transforming our cacophony leaving no aspiring Chödpa behind . at Lekdanling; sitting on the side were four into the powerful music of Bodhicitta . To keep out the cold Red prepared twice Chöd drums . Tina was selling them to raise Even for those of us who are trained mu- daily banquets of chilli fuelled Canton- money to help an old Lama who Rinpoche sicians Chöd presents a real challenge, the ese and Szechuan food and some nights had met many years ago in Tibet . Tina had Damaru is a wild and difficult instrument to Steve would tell us tales from his life; from suggested that he re-skin and restore the play, controlling it requires a unique kind of his travels in India and Nepal to building damarus he had in his house to sell in the strength . Even the biggest and strongest of Stupas – they really belong in print . During UK . My eye lit on one in particular . All the us found the turning of the drum exhaust- the retreat we were inspired to a sponta- drums had been blessed but the one I chose ed muscles we never knew existed . neous party and celebration . With no in- was the one the lama had used himself for The Damaru is a teacher in itself . Watch- ternet I had to summon the recipe for glu- Chöd, so without thinking twice I bought ing Steve calmly turning his drum and ten free carrot cake from deep in memory . the drum . I will have to wait patiently till singing whilst I felt my shoulder and wrist I put my success down to the sharpening of I return to Tunisia to play it . I may not live ache and the beaters of my drum flailed mind from our concentrated practice . Prac- remotely but it’s a country where drum- around often missing beats, I learned tising together is always precious and joy- ming is part of everyday life and with the quickly that playing it cannot be forced – ful, but the positive energy and open shar- disintegration of the state, it is indeed fruit- there’s a need to relax; you know the bit ing attitude meant many of us dragged our ful ground for the practice of Chöd .

16 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 ganized and with the help of our guides this visit remained unforgettable . We recommend visiting this museum to all people who are interested in the birth and development of modern medicine in Russia to see the expositions dedicated to the activity of such famous doctors as Mudrov, Pirogov, Botkin, Sechenov, Ino- News from Shang zemtsev, Zakharyin, Filatov, Semashko and others . A significant part of the exhibition Shung Institute Russia is dedicated to the medicinal successes during the two world wars . n 20–21 November 2018 there was On 22 November we visited the Center a forum “Traditional Medicinal Sys- of Medicinal Rehabilitation and the Center Otems in the Healthcare of the BRICS of Traditional Medicinal Systems at Seche- [Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa] nov University . The directors of both cen- countries” hosted by the First Sechenov ters took us on interesting tours and we Medical University of Moscow, Russia . The visited departments for rehabilitation and School of Tibetan Medicine of the Shang Signing the agreement on collaboration. external therapies that were wonderfully Shung Institute Russia acted as a co-orga- equipped with the most modern equip- nizer of the Forum together with several where they are applied . This was clearly ment . Russian and international organizations . confirmed by the talks of the BRICS coun- During our visit there was an essential The President of the School of Tibetan tries’ representatives, and the Russian and mini-seminar in traditional medicine for Medicine, professor Phuntsog Wangmo, international institutions . We hope for fu- coordinators and employees of the centre .

gave a talk at the plenary meeting as a key ture fruitful collaboration between all the Dr . Phuntsog Wangmo presented Tibetan speaker on Tibetan medicine in Tibet and participants of the traditional medical sys- medicine, and our colleagues represented in the West . Later there was a conference tems . Ayurveda and Chinese medicine . At the on Tibetan medicine with many unique https://tms-brics.confreg.org/ meeting participants discussed the most presentations, including doctor Phuntsog’s https://www.facebook.com/events/107855 important questions of integration of tra- speech “The view of Tibetan medicine on 4882313911/ ditional medicine and its approach to dif- indigestion and the development of the Another interesting event was the visit ferent pathologies . chronic diseases” . to the Museum of Medicinal History at Sech- The concluding important event was We would like to express our gratitude enov University (https://www.sechenov. the signing of the three-sided agreement to the Center of Traditional Medicinal Sys- ru/univers/structure/other/muzey-istorii- on collaboration of the School of Tibetan tems of Sechenov University and other meditsiny/) organized by our partners, the Medicine with the Center of Traditional organizers for their wonderful and great Center of Traditional Medicinal Systems . Medicinal Systems of Sechenov University . work . We are very grateful for this opportunity . We are deeply grateful to our partners for Traditional medicinal systems and their It was an exciting journey through the ex- their interest and trust . We hope for a suc- methods represent a very important direc- traordinary history of Russian medicine . cessful and long collaboration! tion in medicine capable of bringing huge The museum exhibitions are perfectly or- benefit to society and to the countries

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 17 Take Her By the Hand

Four new schools to look ahead

n these days the inauguration ceremo- nies are taking place for the four schools Idestroyed by the 2015 earthquake and rebuilt by ASIA in the rural area of Rasu- wa, Nepal thanks to the participation and support of many donors, both private and institutional . We wanted to dedicate the four schools to the memory of our beloved President and Founder, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu It is very moving for all of us to see the joy of the Yarsa and Saramthali villagers, who will finally be able to send their chil- dren to school in a welcoming and safe en- vironment . For the approximately 450 chil- Take Her By the Hand It is extremely important to invest in dren attending the schools of Arukharkha, Take Her By the Hand is ASIA’s campaign to female education in Nepal, particularly in Thangdor, Namuna and Dupcheshwori, keep helping Nepalese girls . Rasuwa . High levels of illiteracy bring more these ceremonies mark the return to ‘nor- 31 4. % of Nepalese people are illiterate, violations of human rights, which prevent mal’ life after three and a half years . and in Rasuwa district the rate is 43 4. %, children from growing up in a safe and Construction workers, carpenters, gold- among which 25 5. % are women and 17 9. % happy environment . smiths and artisans living in Rasuwa also are men (Source: Nepalmap) . attended our trainings in anti-seismic Very often, the families’ income in Ra- Watch the video building and actively participated in re- suwa is not sufficient either to buy medi- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuG9l building the schools . cines and clothes, or to afford children’s ed- Myw_EI&feature=youtu.be ucation . Children cannot attend school, as their parents cannot afford to buy books, To Donate notebooks or uniforms, or cover the school namaskarfornepal.org fees . In the most disadvantaged families, par- To Adopt ents prefer to send their sons to school, as adoptibet.org they are the ones that will always live with them, while daughters will move as soon as ASIA Branches they get married . ASIA Onlus Helping families invest in their daugh- Via San Martino della Battaglia 31, 00185 Rome, Italy ters’ education is more than simply allow- Tel +39 06. 44340034,. Fax +39 06. 44702620. [email protected] www.asia-ngo.org ing them to attend school . Indeed, in the These schools are also a reference areas where illiteracy is higher, there are Association for International Solidarity­ point for local adults and families . People also more child brides . One out of three in Asia, Inc . ASIA are trained to generate income from agri- females with no education is also victim Post Office Box 124, Conway, MA 01341-0124 USA culture, and learn more about children’s of domestic violence, while it is one out of Phone: 413 .369 . 4153, Fax: 413 .369 . 4473 [email protected] rights and the risks of child trafficking . ten among those who have attended school www.asia-ngo.org/en/ (Sourcee: NDHS 2016) . It is possible to support Nepalese girls Förderverein ASIA Deutschland e .V . by either donating (namaskarfornepal.org) c/o Gisela Auspurg or joining the long-distance sponsorship Königswieser Str . 2, 82131 Gauting Tel .: 089 / 127 630 32 programme (adoptibet.org) .

18 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Interview with Dr M: Which methods of non-allopathic med- icine have you studied? Jordi Postius Robert DP: I have not done extensive study but I have taken different courses in acupunc- November 14, 2018 ture, naturopathy, herbal treatment, diet, Clinica Integra Salud vitamins, minerals, etc . and I’ve done little Radazul, Tenerife, Spain courses about mindfulness, yoga, to see all the different possible methods of compli- mentary treatment . he complete project for the Gönpa/ Conference Center at Dzamling Gar M: So can we talk a little more about the Tincludes not only the large meeting clinic and when and how you decided to and practice area on the top of the complex open it? but also space for a Tibetan Medical Clinic DP: After I met Rinpoche in July, 2017 in on the floor below. This was the vision and Barcelona, I had this building Radazul, wish of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. In order Tenerife, which I have owned since 2015 and to have experience in running the clinic at people wanted to buy it for different things, the Gar, Rinpoche agreed to work in part- like restaurants, and I thought to rent the nership with Dr. Jordi Postius in a Clinic building or just use it for my office and my of Integrative Medicine in Radazul, North own practice . After meeting Rinpoche I Tenerife. Dr. Jordi was Rinpoche’s physician tom, for example, if I have a heart attack started to think about having a clinic for all and someone known to people in the Dzo- they put in a stent or give me aspirin, but these different kinds of medicines in one gchen Community. He is a practicing doctor they don’t treat the stress or worry about place . Something like this is impossible to on Tenerife Island and also very interested any other factors . This is the problem with do in a normal office, just one doctor could in complimentary medicine. conventional medicine . In the future there not do it, you need a big building to apply Below is a small interview with Dr Posti- will be this kind of new medicine . all these modalities, to have the staff, space us to introduce him to the Dzogchen Com- and equipment, and there will be new mo- munity. The management company of the M: When did you become interested in in- dalities that will appear in the future . We Clinic is called 108 Palgey, a name chosen tegrative medicine? are discovering more things every day . by Rinpoche, which means economic pros- DP: My interest began when I was working perity. Look for more information regarding in a hospital in Miami and the medicine in the mission and development of the Clinic the US is very strict and the doctors are in The Mirror in the future. very cold and only offered limited treat- ment possibilities without considering the The Mirror: We would like to introduce you whole patient . They would say, for example to the Dzogchen Community, since we are if you were diagnosed with prostrate can- now partners in a new clinic of Integrative cer, “Ok the treatment options are surgery Medicine in the North of Tenerife . or chemotherapy . Those are your options, Dr Postius: My name is Dr Jordi Postius so you go outside from the office for a few Robert and I am 48 years old . I am a spe- minutes and come back with a decision cialist in urology and andrologia and I have of what treatment you would like ”. This is been interested in natural medicine for a when I began to see that I thought medi- Clinic. long time; normally what people call com- cine would be something different . plimentary medicine . This is the reason Then I met Rinpoche and understood a M: Do you already have doctors to collab- we are starting this project of integrative different way to see life and my thinking orate with? medicine that will be one of the first hos- changed . DP: Yes, we are starting with around five pitals in Europe in a group . I think this will doctors and we hope to increase the num- be the future of medicine: the marriage of M: So it was after you met Rinpoche that ber of physicians as the Clinic grows . Even- conventional and complimentary medi- your interest in alternative medicine be- tually there will be more doctors interested cine . There are some doctors working with came stronger? in this kind of medicine . The first step is to complimentary medicine in Europe, but in DP: I had always been interested in inte- open your mind so these doctors who prac- private offices . grative medicine but after I met Rinpoche tice normal medicine are afraid to practice This clinic that will be one of the first I began to study a little more and to make this complimentary medicine in their nor- in Europe to work in a group, there will be contact with other doctors interested in mal practices because now there is a lot of different kinds of doctors – doctors, nurses, the same thing . I am discovering that many controversy in Europe about these forms of psychologists, physiotherapists, acupunc- doctors who are interested in integrative medicine . Now in Spain, Italy, Portugal and turists, breathing, yoga…everything that is medicine had cancer or a chronic disease France, they are saying that homeopathy also related to the medicine . In convention- so that when they themselves suffered the is not legal . al medicine normally we treat the symp- illness, it changed their mentality . >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 19 >> continued from previous page Then the next step is that we will pre- We are planning to do conferences with The other doctors are from Spain but we pare elder residential care . Now we have Dr Phuntsog when she comes to Tenerife . also have an international group that may two rooms for patients, and eventually we Also a large group of doctors from Italy work with us in the future from all over will house twelve patients . So for example contacted me and want to come for a meet- the world . if we have a patient who needs to be in the ing to see what we are doing . The people in Tenerife are open . They hospital for one or two days for treatment, I was talking also with Rinpoche and want to have an option for treatment . Also or for diet, recovery from surgery, they can Giovanni and we were speaking about how they realize that there recovery will pos- stay, also we will have nursing care for el- Dzamling Gar can be a place for a healing sibly be better if they can compliment the derly who can no longer live at home, at the center and we can all work together to es- chemo or other traditional forms of treat- beginning . But when we have the authori- tablish a healing center there . ment with complimentary therapy . zation we will have more rooms that will M: Did you and Rinpoche come to this idea together? DP: Yes we did . To treat Rinpoche was an incredible experience . When you touch a person like him you feel he is something completely different .

M: Thank you Dr Postius for your time . We wish you much success in your collabora- tive venture with the Community .

About Dr. Jordi Postius Robert Dr. Jordi Postius has a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Lleida – enrolled in the University of Barcelona – and obtained the title of specialist in Urology from the University Hospital of the Canary Islands. President and founding member of the Spanish Federation of Integrative Medicine, Dr Postius is also a member Dr Postius (second from left), Dr Postius’s wife (5th from left) with staff and friends from Dzogchen Community. of the Canarian, Spanish and European Urological Medical Societies and an active member of the Our clinic will also provide support for comprise the hospital . We can also care for European Association of Urology. Apart from his healthcare activity – including more than 200,000 people who are receiving conventional al- those with Alzheimers and dementia . We patients attended and more than 20,000 surgical lopathic treatment or they can also choose also want to care for children with neuro- interventions – he also highlights his role as a to receive all their treatment at our clinic . logical problems, attention deficit disorders researcher in the field of Urology with more than twenty scientific studies carried out. Dr Postius Always the patient must choose, the doc- since 15 % or 20 % of children have this dis- is a pioneer in the introduction of novel surgical tor can say you have this and that option, order, sensory problems, hyperactive and techniques, such as the use of the urethral cath- but it is always the choice of the patient . autism . The clinic will be for general pa- eter in kidney transplantation for the prevention of urinary leaks, the UROLASTIC and PROLASTIC tient care, not only for the elderly or chil- techniques for the treatment of urinary inconti- M: How many kinds of specialists will there dren, for all people . nence. Nowadays he is the Medical Director of the be at the clinic? It will take some months to really devel- Clinica Integra Salud and he works as a specialist in Urology in the DKV Space Health Center and in DP: Eventually there will be different kinds op, people have to come and see; it is not the Clinica Vida. of doctors from general practitioners, pe- the conventional geriatric place . diatricians, urologists, radiologists, oncolo- We hope to have some collaboration gists, to cardiologists and rheumatologists . with Dr Phuntsog Wangmo . Tibetan Medi- cine is an important part of this integrative M: Is the clinic only for elderly people? medicine . I intend to study and learn with DP: No . We are starting with outpatient, Dr Phuntsog . daycare for elderly people - it was easier As far as insurance, we had a meeting to organize these kinds of treatments . We today with one of the biggest insurance need more time to set up the facility and companies in the world and biggest in Eu- also to receive the license . It was easier rope and they are very interested to work and faster to receive a license for the elder with us, it is DKV German based, we would care . The license for a hospital is more diffi- like to work with them and they want to do cult . So we are starting with the clinic and meetings and studies and German think- eventually we will have a residential hospi- ing is a little more open and they are inter- tal . We would also like to add a floor for the ested to work with this medicine . They will hospital . We want to have all these licenses support us in the hospital and support us lined up now since I think it will be more with conferences and meetings . DKV will difficult in the future to receive a license . cover non-traditional care .

20 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Eight Movements Teacher Training with Fabio Andrico

Carlos Mena and Vicky Amarillo

round twenty-five people partic- ipated in an Eight Movements of AYantra Yoga Teacher Training giv- en by Fabio Andrico from November 16th– 25th, 2018 at Dzamling Gar . The course was aimed to train qualified instructors to teach Lungsang – Purifying the Prana, Lung Ro Salwa – Exhaling the Stale Air and Sab- mo Jorwa Zhiden or the Pranayama of The Four Profound Application (with open hold you are teaching because you want to help . emotions are more subtle, but they condi- only) openly . An instructor should remember that each tion our breath and the other way around Rinpoche has given Fabio permission to individual who comes to these classes has is also true . prepare instructors, in three different for- their own abilities and weak points, try to The Breath is the bridge that helps unify mats, according to the student’s circum- be aware of them and the reasons of why body, voice and mind . We work with the di- stances . The training involved learning not they are coming to learn . For example, mension of the body, the movement shapes only the main practices mentioned above, some people want to take an open course to the breath, and helps us to integrate the di- but also warm-ups specific to each one of deal with a physical ailment, someone else mension of the energy, prana - the base to the Eight Movements and various exercis- might take it to learn how to concentrate work with the mind . We cannot see energy es to improve the different aspects of our or relax, or to become more energetic, etc . but somehow it is easier to bring awareness breathing in a smooth and harmonious way . Communication was a key aspect of to feel the dimension of the energy, but the The principles of this ancient yoga tradi- this training . There are no specific guide- mind is a more subtle realm; and not being tion have come to us through an uninter- lines of how to work with those that don’t distracted is the game changer . Being pres- rupted lineage of adepts and masters . The have transmission, but we work with the ent and aware allows us to work with the tantra Nyida Khajor – The Union of the Sun circumstances and apply common sense in mind, and through working with the mind and Moon Yantra, which is the Yantra Yoga order to benefit them . We want to be able we can access our natural condition . root text written by Vairochana, is connect- to communicate at everyone’s level, to have There is a Tibetan word bag chags for ed to the Dzogchen teachings . The Sanskrit the capacity to allow everybody to under- habitual tendencies, one way to under- term yoga means “union”, however the Ti- stand, not in an intellectual way but in an stand it would be through viewing these as betan translation “naljor” helps to give us a experiential way . People that come to the mental habits, related to the origin of emo- more precise understanding; naljor means classes are looking for something . When tional patterns that condition our breath- to remain in the real condition as it is . So, they find an aspect that helps them, the ing . And the reverse is also true, we purify we understand Yoga as an experience of practice becomes something concrete for the traces by purifying the karmic prana our condition, where we embody what we them, and that can be adopted into their through working with our breath, which is are doing, and we experience movement in lives . When teaching an open course, we interconnected with the emotions that are that dimension – the state of being . So this should keep in mind the audience, by us- conditioned by our potential inclinations . practice has its transmission and its final ing clear language that is not charged with This allows us to refresh and let go of men- goal is to discover our true condition . spiritual jargon that is hard to understand . tal states . During the course Fabio shared that he We should present the information so that So now and then take a deep breath . once asked Rinpoche what the real mean- someone without a background in yoga or Yantra Yoga works with harmony as the ing of yoga is . His response was that yoga is Buddhism, feels they can participate, and seed of the quality of the breath . The warm conservation of energy . Through the inte- get something out of it that will be useful in up exercises involved training and becom- gration of body, voice and mind, we are able their daily life . An example of communicat- ing aware of the different aspects of the to expend less effort in all our activities . ing to a wider audience is The Tibetan Yoga complete breathing, with diaphragm or ab- Over the first few days, Fabio gave an of Movement, which was meticulously de- dominal breathing, intercostal muscles and in-depth introduction about the origin veloped with these considerations in mind . upper chest muscles, clavicular breathing, and key points of these teachings from a These ten days were an immersion into pelvic diaphragm breathing, dorsal breath- carefully thought out secular approach . deepening our understanding and expe- ing . These exercises helped us develop full Working with the transmission is some- rience of the dimension of the breath . We and complete breathing in an integrated thing concrete which is explained in detail can observe if there is tension in our body, way, to breathe with less effort and less in the Teachers’ Training booklet (SS Series if the movement or the breath doesn’t flow . mechanically . This is fully explained in the of Teachings 187E ) . To be an instructor is It is easier to observe when some aspect of book Breathe as You Are . Fabio wrote it to not only related to mastering the practice; our condition is overcome by stress, other >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 21 Oct. 25–30: Purification of Six Lokas Retreat with Igor Legati. November 4–7: A Course on Awakening Presence in the Flow of the Experience of the Five Senses with Elio Guarisco, Stoffelina Verdonk and Alessandra Policreti.

November 8–12: Inner and Secret Rushens from the Stair- November 26–30: Training in the Dance of Song of Vajra with Prima Mai and Adriana Dal Borgo. way to Liberation with Elio Guarisco.

December 1–2: Dzamling Gar Song and Dance Course with Adriana Dal Borgo. Dec. 3–6: Explanations of the Drajyor system and Ganapuja text by Fabian Sanders.

>> continued from previous page of the practice they tend to focus on copy- The Health benefit of each movement is ex- expound the micro details of the three di- ing the physical details . We embody the im- plained in detail in the book Healing with mensional approach of our breathing . portance of why fluid breathing should be Yantra Yoga written by Elio Guarisco and Little tricks were taught to bring aware- free of any control except the position . Yan- Dr . Phuntsog Wangmo . ness, to remind the mind to be present in tra Yoga’s golden rule is not force anything . Those who went through the supervision the breathing, to be aware of the necessity When Fabio introduced the rhythmic process, and received Fabio’s final approval of being aware, to coordinate the energy . breathing he explained that all of our di- to give classes, left with the promise to be In Yantra Yoga we let the body look for the mension is rhythm, from the belly of the back in two years, to re-check that no muta- balance to settle on, every session is slight- mother, the rhythm of the heartbeats, cir- tions have developed in the teachings . Par- ly different, we come to the practice in dif- cadian rhythms . All the movements were ticipating in the course doesn’t imply that ferent circumstances, sometimes there are designed around the holds . Inside the di- you need to go through the supervision, one variations needed – we never step in the mension of the breathing, the holding is can also participate to deepen the practice . same river twice . When you want to know if the deepest level of cellular breathing . and There may be more opportunities in the fu- you did it well, you check the breathing, but it is the movement that makes it happen, ture . In Dzamling Gar there is a Harmonious when people don’t understand the essence that shapes the breathing into the holding . Breathing Teacher Training later in 2019 .

22 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 December 5–6: Semdzins – explanations and practice with Elías Capriles.

December 14: Beginner’s Khaita Training with Adriana Dal Borgo. December 15: Lobsang Zatul, a Tibetan language teacher, did a session on Khaita Songs.

December 16–18: Khaita Course for everyone with Adriana Dal Borgo and Salima Celeri. Dzamling Gar Gönpa. Photo by Elena Ihilcik

US Office: [email protected] European Office: [email protected] Editorial Staff: Naomi he irror * * * T M Zeitz, Tsegyalgar,­ Conway, MA, USA * Liz Granger, Merigar West, Arcidosso, Italy * * Advisor: Adriano Clemente­ * Newspaper of the Special Advisor: Yuchen Namkhai * International Blue Gakyil Advisor: Libor Maly * International Publications International Committee English Language Advisor: Liz Granger * * Design & Layout: Thomas Eifler * * Webmasters: Dzogchen Community of Yuchen Namkhai and Luigi Ottaviani * * Available at melong.com * Online Mirror: www.melong.com * * All Chögyal Namkhai Norbu material © 2018 by The Mirror * * Reprint by permission only * * We reserve the right to edit all submissions .

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 23 Recalling the Presence of the Master

December 8 at Dzamling Gar

n December 8, 2018, on the occasion of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s anni- Oversary, more than 500 practitioners from the international Dzogchen Commu- nity around the world gathered together to do the first practice in the long awaited Gönpa/Conference Hall at the Global Gar in Tenerife . The new building still requires a little time and some finishing touches until it can be inaugurated and used ‘officially’ The reason is, and you probably know birthday and brought us a text of Green but due to the significance of the occasion, from Rinpoche’s biography, that he was Tara and said, “Now this time we’ll do this ”. Rinpoche’s birthday, the red tape was over- born through the grace of Tara . Rinpoche’s It was Green Tara practice more or less as looked for a couple of hours so that those parents didn’t have a son so Rinpoche’s we do it now but what was different was present could remember and honor the father went to the great Dzogchen mas- that he included what we call the Bodhic- Master in the building that he had worked ter Adzom Drugpa . Adzom Drugpa gave itta commitment . Bodhicitta commitment so hard to complete . him some advice to do Green Tara practice means that we don’t need to take a vow For many years now, this particular day and so Rinpoche’s parents invited a practi- from some lama or outer object, but we has been celebrated by doing the Mandar- tioner, a lama, to the family’s house where take the commitment with ourselves, in- ava Long Life practice led by Chögyal Nam- he did Tara practice for one month, with ternally, in the presence of the guru, deva, khai Norbu . This year Rinpoche’s main the 21 Invocations etc . Then after a year or dakini, buddhas and bodhisattvas . In order translator and senior student, Adriano Cle- so this lama had a dream in which he saw to do that there are some verses that we mente, led a Green Tara practice in order a yellow flower blooming and then he un- use, mostly from this Bodhisattvacaryav- to recall the presence of Rinpoche . Before derstood that a male was going to be born atara, the text from Shantideva . That day starting, Adriano spoke about the signifi- there . When their son was born, the par- Rinpoche brought this text and from the cance of the day and the importance of the ents were so overjoyed that they consid- text that Rinpoche brought that day I have Green Tara practice . ered him to be a gift from the sky and they copied and integrated it into this new “Good day to everybody and welcome called him ‘Namkhai Norbu’ which means booklet we have prepared now ”. to this beautiful new Gönpa that we have here . Everybody knows that this is a very important day, first of all because it is the first time that we are doing collective prac- tice in this new Gönpa that we have been waiting for so many years and which Rin- poche put so much effort into . You know how many hours a day he spent prepar- ing these Evolution Creations necklaces to find the money to build this Gönpa . So it is something very special that we have here and that Rinpoche left for all of us and for future generations . And today is also Rinpoche’s birthday, his anniversary, and usually over the last 10 or 15 years what we always used to do is the Photos by Jiri Langpaul Mandarava Long Life practice . That is what ‘Jewel or Gift from the Sky’ . So it is import- Rinpoche started to do with all of us for ant that we know that . his long life and also for the benefit of the Then once, I remember very well, Rin- teachings and all practitioners . This time, poche told me, “I was born with Tara and I however, I thought that maybe instead of will die with Tara” . doing this Mandarava long life practice, In 1986 Rinpoche was still working at which is, of course, very important, but for the university and living in Formia so he remembering Rinpoche’s presence it would wasn’t spending all his time at Merigar . But be good to do a Green Tara practice . then he came to Merigar the day before his

24 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 The Dzamling Gar Houses Accommodation Service

Collaboration and Harmony Between the Houses

Aims and Values Dzamling Gar accommodation program promotes living together in harmony fol- lowing the principles of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and the values of the International Photo by Paolo Fassoli Dzogchen Community (IDC) by providing an accommodation service to all people with ASIA Onlus house . The beautiful gardens Dzamling Gar & Kundusling House: genuine interest in these same values and are linking the houses as living symbols [email protected] associated activities . The houses within of the harmonious flow of communication Dzamling Gar, while respecting their in- between the houses, they are nurtured Tashigar North & South House: dividual cultures, serve as collective bas- as ornaments of the spaces between the [email protected] es for the promotion of the co-existence of houses . All visitors are welcome to partic- peace and unity within cultural diversity . ipate in a wide variety of educational and Samtengar: [email protected] artistic activities that facilitate relaxation for China: [email protected] and enjoyment, discovery of knowledge and understanding and express the natu- ATIF, Tibetan Medicine: ral love of humanity . [email protected]

How to book Merigar East & West: All IDC members are welcome to support [email protected] the Gar they are a member of and make a reservation in the corresponding house . Tsegyalgar East & West: If the house of your Gar does not provide [email protected] the accommodation option you need, you can reserve your stay in other houses . For Kunsangar North & South: reserving accommodation please submit a [email protected] request to Booking Managers of Dzamling Gar houses . Namgyalgar: [email protected]

IDC/ASIA Onlus: [email protected]

General Manager: [email protected]

Each house is connected to different IDC gars or organizations: Merigar (Europe); Samtengar (China and Asia); Kunsangar (Russia and Ukraine); Tashigar (South America); Tsegyalgar (North America); Namgyalgar (Australia and Asia Pacific); Dzamling Gar (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain); Tibetan Medicine and Atiyoga Foundation house; IDC and

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 25 A Message of Thanks from Merigar West

ear friends, D At the moment the Stupa of Illumi- nation at Merigar, which, since last October, contains the remains of Master Namkhai Norbu, cannot be visited inside . This op- portunity will only be possible on “special” occasions, of which we will give plenty of advance notice . In the last weeks hundreds of people from all over the world have come to Meri- gar and thousands have joined the practice sessions through the webcast . Dozens of volunteers have taken turns to make Merigar always welcoming and clean, distribute hot drinks and simple meals, facilitate moments of practice, man- Photo by Edith Casadei age the webcast and everything necessary to receive so many people . We will shortly send out more infor- We will carry your projects, your A fund was set up to cover all the ex- mation about the December program, the ideas, your endeavors forward and penses of this intense period . We collected Christmas period and next year . we will evolve in every corner of the €52,138 36,. and would like to thank all the An excerpt of the speech given by Cos- planet. donors, many of whom remained anony- tantino Albini as representative of all of us: We will be with you again and mous . again, for many lives to come, until As the Gakyil of Merigar and on be- “At the conclusion of the first supreme realization. half of the whole Dzogchen Community retreat of Dzogchen teachings, at This is your promise. we want to thank all the volunteers . They Subiaco in the summer of 1976, he This is and will be our life.” were so many that it is impossible to name explained his vision for our future: them one by one . Everyone worked so hard, ‘We will not only make a Buddhist The Gakyil of Merigar with a deep sense of family, a spontaneous center,’ he said, ‘but rather, we will harmony that held us and continues to form a community of practitioners. For information you can hold us in a simple yet strong embrace . Every Dzogchen practitioner is a call the office at 0564 96 68 37 During this period in the collective ses- living center of knowledge of the write to [email protected] sions we practiced mainly Guruyoga, pu- Teaching, a free, relaxed person, rification practices such as the practice independent of titles and schools. of Vajrasattva, the 25 spaces of Samant- A community of practitioners can abhadra, the Ganapuja to purify our sama- extend anywhere, even across the ya and the Invocation of the Lamp to rec- earth. Every practitioner wherever ognize the importance of our relationships he goes will find his family, his with vajra brothers and sisters connected brothers and sisters who, sharing his to the same Teaching transmitted by the same knowledge, will welcome him Master . and support him in his practice.’ We intend to continue to practice all to- Now, Master, we, your students, gether, on weekends and on special days, in are thousands and are all over the the coming months, both at Merigar and at earth. Today there are many of us other gars, also in webcast, . We will try to and we are here to pay homage to communicate the dates as soon as possible you but this is not a farewell, it is not through the usual channels of the Dzogc- a goodbye. hen Community . You, Master, live in the heart In addition to the collective practices at of each one of us. Thanks to your Merigar we invite everyone to do activities compassion we are now your Body together like sewing prayer flags and mak- that continues to live. ing tsa tsa, gardening, singing together, Let us continue the journey walking, drawing . together, to bring your vision to fulfillment.

26 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 A New Location for Zhenphenling

Sergio Quaranta

or many years the Dzogchen Com- munity in Rome, Italy gathered in the Fhomes of generous practitioners who made their spaces available to enable us to meet and practice together . They were won- Photo by Edith Casadei derful and exciting years, we were young, many of us at least, and not infrequently Why then look for a different place? The All this happened just before this sum- there would be a telephone call with, “To- characteristics of the place in Via Miani, mer and we found ourselves in the middle night there will be a Ganapuja at the home and those who went there know it well, of the work just when the Master left this of Laura (or Paolo and Poupee) and the Mas- were not really the best for livability and dimension . This fact, which has shocked us ter will also be there!” Marvelous! didn’t correspond to the requirements to all, has for us a further meaning, for the Then the community grew and it seemed be able to increase external attendance . coincidence of the times, a message and an the moment to find “our” place, a Ling, Thus began a search, always difficult in a encouragement to grow further, to ‘come where we could gather, practice, but also in- city like Rome, where costs are not low and to the light’, concretely and metaphorically . troduce ourselves to those who were inter- distances are sometimes an almost insur- We are at the final stage of the work, the ested in the Teachings of the Master . When, mountable obstacle . I’ll skip the part about mandala painted in transparency on the over seventeen years ago, we were offered a the many places we visited and evaluated, parquet is beautiful, the furniture will be space in Via Miani, we were all very happy, the endless discussions on pros and cons reduced to a minimum to leave as much as a bit like leaving our parents and going to and sustainability forecasts because they possible the feeling of openness and light live on our own . I remember the great ac- are not important now . What is important, that we missed for so long . It will be ‘the tivity, the collaboration, the work of many . and which I find extremely significant in beginning of a new life’, as someone dear There, in Via Miani, the Master gave the ini- many ways, is that almost unexpectedly a has wished us . tiation of the practice of Mandarava, there place appeared . Not only that, but at afford- You are all invited to visit! Yeshi Namkhai held two Teaching retreats, able conditions, in a very lively district like there many teachers of our Community San Lorenzo, full of light and air, quiet from via dei Marrucini, 10B led courses of explanations and practices, the point of view of noise, and with a room 00185 Rome, Italy there we held courses of Yantra Yoga, of that can contain the Mandala of the Vajra [email protected] Vajra Dance, of Santi Maha Sangha, and we Dance! I have never seen greater agreement www.zhenphenling.it practiced, held assemblies, hosted confer- and appreciation from our practitioners as ences, just as we should do at a Ling . on this occasion .

together, enjoying each other, and partak- Spring in Ireland ing in the riches of Ireland . Anneli, from Ireland, found what ap- his past Spring some practitioners pears to be an ideal venue in County Mayo in Tsegyalgar East, in the U .S ,. came near Westport . It is a dance hall with a Tback from their respective travels in sprung floor, some limited accommoda- Ireland and were sharing their experiences tions upstairs, a kitchen/breakfast area of this beautiful country with each other . A where we can eat together, a car park and spontaneous idea arose to do a Green Tara pub at the front with large screen TV in retreat on this lovely green Island . one room and a pool table in the other . We began working with some of the Many practitioners have al- Irish practitioners, as well and formed an ready expressed their inten- organizational committee . tion to come . There are many B&Bs What has developed, is to have a long and Airbnb possibilities in the area . We weekend together of concentrated practice, will present a list of some of these shortly . 4 Thuns a day of Green Tara from Thurs- Please let us know of your questions, in- day, May 16th through Sunday, May 19th . terest and intention to attend all or part of We will also include time for Khaita, Yantra this retreat by contacting Paula Barry and Yoga and Vajra Dance . Anneli Watson [email protected] The intention is to have a practitioner [email protected] led retreat where we practice intensively

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 27 Erecting the Second Thank You For Stupa at Merigar East Supporting the Merigar East Camping Kveta Svedova ear friends, n 2012 we began the construction of the We thank you for your support! For Stupas at Merigar East . The foundations Dcoming to help with your flesh and Iwere laid and Chögyal Namkhai Norbu bones, for donating, for all the other nu- kindly consecrated them both . You may merous ways of putting your energy and know that when looking at the Merigar intention into this project . East ground, the paths show the symbol of This autumn, the new Merigar East the Longsal with the gönpa on the top and Camping Residential Area received its final the two stupas in the corners of the two And also we are looking for sponsors touches and in spring will be ready to wel- branches . for the necessary building works, trans- come you again! One of the stupas was nearly finished port of material, printing mantras, filling Together, we: this year (2018) and it only needs to receive material etc… · connected the new kitchen and new the metal umbrella on the top and the stat- As you probably know, building a stupa showers to the old water pump (so no ue of Guru Padmasambhava in the special is considered extremely beneficial, leaving more salty water!) niche . We have them already . very positive karmic imprints in the minds · we put tiles in two of the new camping The body of the second stupa needs to of those involved in building, cooperating, showers be fixed very soon in order not to fall apart . getting into contact and means accumulat- · raised the roof of the new camping kitch- For that reason the construction works are ing infinite merits . It is said that because en and insulated it to prevent rainwater planned for the early summer of 2019 . stupas are connected with Buddhas and all from dripping into our spaghetti bowls realized beings, they generate loving kind- · made a new roof extension on the West ness and compassion and benefit the plac- Side to stop anything heavy coming from es where they are built . that direction We are thankful for any support in any · gave brand new metal clothing to the old way, all good wishes, material or financial camping showers - now they look nice donations . and will live longer! May all be auspicious! · built the main structure (dome-like) for Merigar East Gakyil a vegetal shading area for the hot sum- mers For more details you can contact our proj- So far 11,000 Euros have been donated At the same time to bring the project ect coordinator: for this project and we still need 2,000 to to its final fulfilment, we will organize Kve˘ta Švédová, [email protected] cover all the expenses . workshops to prepare the mantra rolls You can donate here: https://dzogchen. and tsa tsas to be placed inside . The first of For all kinds of donation transactions by ro/component/option,com_zj_donation/ these workshops will take place at the Gar Bank transfer to Merigar East, use the fol- Itemid,101/controller,donate/id,20/task, during the Mandarava drubchen in Feb- lowing link or account: donation/ ruary 2019 – for those, who cannot attend https://dzogchen.ro/component/option, the event at Dzamling Gar, we will organize com_zj_donation/Itemid,101/id,1/view, to follow the webcast together at Merigar campaign/ East with the possibility to join the mantra Account in EURO: rolling in our free time . Other workshops UniCredit Tiriac Bank SA will follow soon . 30, Constantei Str ., bl . H1a We already have the trunk of the tree RO-905500, Mangalia, Romania for preparing the srog shin – the tree of Swift: BACXROBU life, the spine of the stupa representing the Asociatia Culturala Comunitatea dharmadhatu . This was kindly and swiftly Dzog-Chen­ found, cut, delivered and donated to the Gar IBAN: RO50 BACX 0000 0002 6751 3001 by the Bulgarian sangha . A big thank you! If you make a donation by bank trans- We wish to organize the process of put- fer, please write in the message field your ting all necessary materials together by name and the purpose of the donation . In cooperating with all the Lings of the Gar… some cases our bank statement doesn‘t each of them bringing some pieces of pre- show who the money is coming from, so it cious material to put inside (for example is good to add this information in the mes- the translated texts of our Master Chögyal sage . Thank you! Namkhai Norbu) .

28 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Yantra Yoga Course in Targu Mures, Romania

he benefits of having a resident Yan- tra Yoga instructor at Merigar East Tstart manifesting also in other parts of Romania . Following the invitation of the Targu Mures Dzogchen Community, Mag- dalena Ourecka was happy to travel and the Yantra Yoga beginners’ course took place during the weekend of 23–25 November . Thanks to the generosity of Laszlo Csa- ba, we were hosted right in the centre of this beautiful city, so it was easy to have a taste of it even if the time was relatively of China during late October/early Novem- limited . China Tour with ber 2018 . They visited the Dzogchen Com- munity centers Jamyangling in Beijing, Rosa Namkhai Samtengar in Yichun, and also Chengdu & International where they presented a program of Santi Maha Sangha Base teachings, Vajra Dance, Instructors Yantra Yoga and Khaita Joyful Dances . osa Namkhai and international in- In this particular moment it was im- structors Fabio Andrico, Costantino portant to share the practice with the RAlbini, Prima Mai, Adriana Dal Borgo Chinese Sangha who had been waiting so and Salima Celeri made an extensive tour much for Rinpoche’s visit .

We were overwhelmed by the hospitali- gmail.com, for reservations our Geko at ty and generosity of the Targu Mures Sang- Ecologic Dark Retreat [email protected] ha and also we were able to personally ex- perience and appreciate the effort it takes House in Prices: to drive from there to Merigar East – and Czech Republic For 1 night for IDC members, 10 Euro; we can trace a continuous participation of for 1 night for non-members (with trans- practitioners from Targu Mures to the dif- Filip Štys mission), 20 Euro . ferent events at the Gar! Food supply and cooking from Geko 10 We hope there will soon be a direct e would like to invite you to our Eur per day . There is an additional fee for highway from Targu Mures to Merigar East brand new dark retreat house . cleaning 12 Eur . so we can meet more easily and more often WIt’s in Phendeling deep inside We would like to thank all donors and in the relative plane! a forest in southern Bohemia, close to ­karmayogis, who helped to finish this project . the Austrian and German border . We’ve Czech Dzogchen Community built it exclusively from natural materials (wood, straw, earth) creating a very relax- ing, peaceful and healthy ambience inside . The house is designed for comfort and is suitable even for longer stays in the dark as there is a lot of space, big bathroom, state of the art ventilation system, etc . Another important feature is a high level of sound insulation . It can host a normal retreat as well since it features kitchen, fridge, windows with a nice view, terrace and a mandala in the main building of the centre . Celebrating together. Come to practice in Phendeling! For information about the project you can follow the FB page “Dark Retreat for Central Europe” or contact Filip at filip23@

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 29 Recent Courses at Mandarava Long Life and other places, gathered in the confer- ence halls of Holiday Inn in Century City, Samtengar, Yichun, Retreat in Chengdu Chengdu, China, to participate in the Long China Life Practice of the Immortal Dakini Man- or seven consecutive days starting darava, taught by Khenpo Yeshe Wangpo . from the last Saturday of September, After each session, there were also Yantra Fover 100 students of Rinpoche from Yoga, Khaita Joyful Dances and Vajra Dance all over the country, including Taiwan courses .

October 5–12, Vajra Dance Teacher’s Training with Adriana Dal Borgo.

September 13–17, Yantra Yoga Tsalung with Fabio Andrico. Oct 14–20, Khaita with Adriana Dal Borgo and Salima Celeri.

November 5–9, SMS Course with Costantino Albini. November 5–9, Khalongdorjeikar of the Song of the Vajra with Prima Mai.

November 5–9, Tummo Course with Fabio Andrico.

30 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Annual Namgyalgar Retreat 2018

Robyn Catchlove

his year’s traditional gathering in the tropical greenness of Namgyal- Tgar was such an heart-felt occasion, with over fifty members coming together to not only focus on practice, but to be in the closeness of dharma family following Rinpoche’s recent passing . While we cele- This time went too swiftly yet still in- Om Ah Humming away with limitless en- brated that oneness, many, with great de- structor and students together created lightened beings and limitless bodhisat- light, shared their priceless stories about a vibrant, shimmering realm filled with tvas in limitless space, suddenly a great Rinpoche . timeless frolicking dakas and dakinis flock of uncommon Australian black par- Of course the retreat was greatly en- alight with good intention; an authentic, rots filled the sky, encircling the entire hanced by the presence of esteemed teach- full program which would have simply de- Gönpa singing their own bird mantra . . only er and long-time student of Rinpoche’s, lighted Rinpoche . to swoop away to the east as we completed Oliver Leick, who took precious time to And so it was as the final morning and the session . . . twas a rare blessing without fly all the way from Austria to teach the the final practise came, and we all began doubt . Khorde Rushen – a traveller with a purpose to achieve . Completing five sessions a day with a simple Ganapuja each evening, fol- lowing clarity instructions from Oliver, it Moving to the Tune of was along with the tweeting of colourful birds that from each early dawn till dark- a Relaxed Heartbeat ness, students arose together in harmony to begin further developing our fleeting Suze Smith minds . Each side of the main retreat, two well ni Mckinstry led us dozen practi- attended Yantra Yoga courses led by in- tioners through an immersion in structor Oni McKInstry were held which Ocomplete breathing, khumbaka were well attended and much appreciated practice and advanced yantra yoga in late by students . November/early December at Namgyalgar . In between the Rushen sessions, each For several of us it was a yantra sandwich day there was continuous Yantra Yoga, with the Khorde Rushen retreat led by Oli- ­Vajra dancing and Khaita dances, really ver Leick in the middle . generous karma yoga activity, the best of The days were characterised by the that were relaxed, present, serious, easeful, food, combined with lots of laughter, live steaming Queensland heat with a couple funny and inviting . The feeling of friendship music, a successful auction and a totally of fresh tropical storms thrown in towards grew alongside increasing skill and capaci- rowdy, fun filled games night . the end of our time together . Butcher birds ty in our yantra and khumbaka practice . Since Oliver’s visit was a collaboration and yellow tailed black cockatoos sung us between Shang Shung Institute, Australia, as we embarked on our yoga experiences and the Dzogchen Community of Namgyal- each day . Practice was punctuated by each gar, he also spent an afternoon giving us other’s delicious home cooked meals . As a glimpse of the current changes to Rin- we hungrily got down to the business of poche’s various organisations all of which sharing meals, we took a moment of ‘clap- will now fall under the global banner of the ping for the cooker’ in appreciation of the Ati Yoga Foundation . Rinpoche’s passing seriously excellent food we were enjoying . has presented all of us world wide with a And the wine and cheese aperativo’s were great deal to consider, and already there has very civilised after sweating it out all day been restructuring and a change of think- learning synchronised yoga of breathing ing . While more information will come our and moving in our tin shed gonpa . way in the New Year, Oliver cautioned that Falling into practice with Oni was like there is still much which is unknown, and becoming a finely tuned instrument . As he, like the Namkhai family, requests we let we attended to the detail of coordinating this year pass in reflection before moving rhythm, movement and breath we all ar- Advanced Yantra Yoga retreat November 30–December 6, into the upcoming new phase . rived in ourselves and in our group in ways 2018 at Namgyal­gar, Australia.

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 31 Tsegyalgar East 4th Annual Wishing Our Summer Sangha Retreat July 20–July 28, 2019 with Stoffelina Ver- Worldwide Vajra Family donk, Carisa O’Kelly, Kyu Kyuno, Bodhi a Happy New Year from Krause, Paula Barry, Naomi Zeitz, Mariano Tsegyalgar East! Gil, Michael Katz . Summer Vajra Dance at Khandroling ummer plans are underway, and we August 1–September 1 , 2019 are currently organizing the Tsegyal- Deepening Course Song of the Vajra with Sgar East program lineup . We invite Prima Mai and August 1 to August 9, 2019 you to join us this summer at Khandroling: Vajra Dance Course taught by Stoffelina Summer Yantra Yoga Camp at Verdonk and Vajra Dance Course taught by Khandroling Prima Mai to be offered between August 10 and August 18, 2019 . Programs and dates to be confirmed shortly .

Tsegyalgar East 2nd Annual Dance Dance Dance at Khandroling Middle through end of August 2019 . Program and dates to be confirmed shortly .

Please check back regularly for course July 6–July 14, 2019 with Maxim Leshchen- updates . Visit Tsegyalgar.org or contact: ko and Nataly Nitsche for beginners and [email protected] experienced alike . We hope to see you soon! Tsegyalgar East Community and Gakyil

the Indestructible Song The Song of resonating in the white noise of the waves washing ashore Natural Sound in Playa Paraiso

Doro Franck, or in the sound of rolling stones Dzamling Gar 2018 perfectly round black pebbles rumbling mumbling aloud Fortunate as we are when the water returns to the sea being told the secret of space doors you didn’t even see And from time to time open when you pass sounding loudly from a white tent where dance ist the way of walking and coming from afar we enter and taste singing the way to talk a depth of now the blue of a swimming pool The windproof palmtrees outside breathe freshness of flowers the paraquito at the bar and the fluttering of a thousand ragged coloured flags the neatly parked cars and the ripe papaya from the shop across the Gar Ignorant as we are all confirming (having become experts in erring) we discover a secret map yes you are here hidden in the syllables of the here you are National Anthem of the Universe you are.

32 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 from the performance itself, and less from Dancing subsequent reflection or interrogation of the experience . with Dharma Interestingly though, the spiritual val- ue of undirected, impromptu dance is en- Essays on Movement and Dance dorsed, here, by the Tibetan yogic tradi- in Western Buddhism tion . The esteemed Karma Kagyu yogi and scholar Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso Rinpoche Ed. Harrison Blum would often ask his students to dance McFarland and Company, inc., Publishers spontaneously, whether they were in a Jefferson, North Carolina secluded mountain retreat, or in a busy 2016, 272 pp street or airport . From the enlightened ISBN (print) 978-0-7864-9809-3 perspective, all movement can be experi- ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4766-2350-4 enced as the dance and play of pure, Bud- dha energy . “Every time your body moves Alex Studholme around, it is vajra dance,” Khenpo Tsultrim avers . He continues: “The buddhas surely do sing and dance, / To sing and dance is ancing with Dharma is the first of cultivating the central Buddhist virtue surely profound practice, / By practicing proper survey of dance practice in of awareness, generally rooted in a sche- profound song and dance, / We reach en- Dwestern Buddhist circles: a trailblaz- ma of Buddhist categories, such as the four lightenment – how amazing!” ing collection of 38 essays from 27, mainly foundations of mindfulness, the five (or Of the practices described here which North American, contributors . It is also an six) Buddha families of the tantric manda- are formally choreographed, two derive expression of a more general recognition la, or the three phases of the trikaya doc- from Vajrayana Buddhism . The first is an of the importance of paying attention to trine . One contributor also identifies “flow” ancient tradition called Charya Nritya, the body . Some of the essays here are not or “breakthrough” states with moments of originally the preserve of Nepalese priests, actually about dance at all: Reginald Ray, Buddhist insight . The so-called Dharma recently brought to a Newar Buddhist tem- for instance, presents a practice he has de- Jam developed by the book’s editor Harri- ple in Portland, Oregon . The second is a vised called “earth breathing” as a means son Blum, though perhaps a little noisier dance of the 21 Praises of Tara, created in of deepening embodied consciousness, ar- –, or poppier – sounding than others, is a Hawaii during the mid-1980s via the vi- guing that meditation be approached not case in point . Participants dance in their sionary collaboration of a western woman as “left-brain, top-down”, but rather as “so- own style to contemporary tunes of build- called Prema Dasara and a Tibetan teacher matic, bottom-up” . Dance is, of course, the ing tempo, interspersed with moments called Lama Sonam Tenzin . Both employ most expressive and potentially joyful way of stillness and enquiry, bookended with costume, music, mantras and mudras to of engaging with the physical . Gone are the short periods of meditation . Three phases express the qualities of the tantric deity . days when the only alternative to hours of called Tune In, Get Down and Join Up are The Tara dance is a group practice cele- sitting on the cushion was desultory ses- linked to the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dhar- brating the divine feminine, which has sions of somber walking meditation . ma and Sangha . “The Buddhist part of the travelled around the world and been per- Most of the dance practices described dance happens internally,” Blum explains, formed before many Tibetan lamas . here share the following two characteris- “in how we perceive and respond to expe- The third, the Dances of Universal Peace, tics: they are improvisatory and self-con- rience .” came into being in the late 1960s when a sciously therapeutic . Practitioners find For those of us in the Dzogchen Com- Sufi teacher in San Francisco saw the their own way, individually or in a group, munity used to the highly formalized prac- need for people to experience “joy without towards moving in a specific fashion, tices of Vajra Dance and Khaita, both of drugs” . The dances are ecumenical in spir- meanwhile reflecting on what that expe- which demand hours of concentrated ap- it, each having as its seed a sacred phrase rience reveals or resolves . As one teacher plication simply to master the basic steps, from a particular religion, and are “a com- says: “By looking inward toward our stress such comparatively free approaches seem munal expression of our need to come to- and understanding ourselves through our lacking in a sense of discipline, or of sub- gether and say ‘no’ to destruction and ‘yes’ dancing bodies, we invite the possibility of jecting oneself to a path of training . As a to life ”. Watching these dances, the head quite literally moving beyond what binds Theravada Buddhist nun, writing here on of the FPMT organisation Lama Thubten us ”. Much of this is not intrinsically Bud- body awareness and qigong, puts it sternly: Zopa said: “I have been sitting here making dhist . A number of the contributors origi- “While certain forms of spiritual dance can prayers that you never stop doing what you nally hail from what might be described as be very reflective, a lot of dancing is not are doing . The airwaves of our world are New Age dance groups (such as 5 Rhythms about waking up . It’s about following im- polluted and these songs and dances help or Continuum Movement) or belong to the pulses and desires .” Formal, choreographed to purify them . You have no idea of the secular American Dance Therapy Associa- dance practice, conversely, provides a ves- power of this practice so please keep doing tion, which now even brings dance therapy sel within which impulses and desires are what you are doing ”. into public mental health institutions . checked and transformed . It is also less What makes these practices Buddhist is self-consciously therapeutic, as the ben- essentially that they are all seen as means efits of the practice come more directly

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 33 The Construction October 26, 1995 of the Great Stupa at Chögyal Namkhai Norbu indicates the center of the site Merigar West for the Great Stupa From The Mirror no. 33. November/December 1995

n October 1995 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu indicated the site of the Great Stupa of Merigar West . With n the morning of the Ithe support and contributions not only of the global third day of the eighth Dzogchen Community but also of the local population, Omonth in the current its function is to harmonize the energy of the entire year of the Wood Boar (October region and bring protection and benefits to all . 26, 1995), Chogyal Namkhai Nor- To construct this monument correctly, in a tradition- bu indicated the exact place on al way, and also to prepare the enormous amount of tsa which the new stupa of Meri- tsa and other precious objects to fill it took three years . gar will be built . Rinpoche led a With the visits of several well-known Tibetan teach- short ritual of purification and ers, the emerging building was consecrated on various offering on the spot in which occasions . And finally, on June 28, 1998, H .H . Sakya Triz- several practitioners took part . in and Chögyal Namkhai Norbu officially consecrated Afterwards Rinpoche spoke the completed structure . about the project for the stupa, On October 3, 2018, the Great Stupa took on an even dwelling on some of the details greater significance when the body of our Teacher, about the structure and the Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was placed to rest within its meaning linked to it, the mate- main chamber . rials to be used for construction During those three years of intense planning and and everything that the stupa construction, several articles were published in The will contain . In regard to this Mirror describing the details of the ongoing work of Rinpoche said that “those who preparation and construction as well as the moments wish to acquire merit can col- with visiting teachers who consecrated the building at laborate”, and can offer part of The spot for the Stupa indicated by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. different times . In this issue of The Mirror, we present their time for preparing tsa tsa some of the material that was published in those years and other things to be placed within the stupa such as precious stones and describing how the Great Stupa came about . other materials and so on…

December 17, 1995 Propitiatory ceremony on the site for the Great Stupa with Tai Situ Rinpoche

The Real Mirror is Your Mind The XII Tai Situpa Teaches on Mahamudra at Merigar, December 12–17, 1995 By Liz Granger From The Mirror no. 34. January/February 1996

ix days of teaching given by H .E . the 12th Tai Situpa have just drawn to a close at Merigar . S His Eminence gave a clear and detailed com- mentary on The Aspiration Prayer of Mahamudra by the 3rd Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje as well as Consecration ceremony with Tai Situpa in December 1995. The Thirty Seven Bodhisattva Practices by ­Acharya ­dNgol-chu Thogs-med bZang-po . During his stay on his right by Milarepa, on his left by Gampopa and then red-hatted Situ and Rinpoche was accompanied by Lama Lodoe and black-hatted Karmapa hierarchs… . Lama Tenam . During this week of teaching, snowstorms and strong winds battled fiercely The teachings were held in the Gonpa with His Em- around Mt . Amiata, which left Merigar snowbound . . inence seated against the background of the painted On the final day of his stay, just before teaching, Tai Situpa consecrated the figures of the Kagyu lineage, Marpa at center flanked site in the presence of his entourage and many of the retreat participants .

34 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 June 15, 1996 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu lays the first stone.

The Great Stupa of Merigar By Raimondo Bultrini From The Mirror no. 36. July/August 1996 Translated from the Italian by Liz Granger

aturday, June 15th, 1996 will be a date to remember because on this very Sday the Dzogchen practitioners, the citizens of Arcidosso, the political authori- ties of the area where the Dzogchen Com- munity was born in the early ‘80s, all took part in more than one event linked to the On June 15, 1996 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu lays the first stone in the presence of the Arcidosso Mayor and the Prefect. construction of the Great Stupa of Merigar . After a brief meeting at the Yellow House ‘Drung Deu Bon’ was presented in the mu- In the presence of the local administra- with the town mayor, Attilio Marini, and the nicipal library in the presence of the local tors, Rinpoche explained, “There are differ- Prefect of Grosseto, Anna Maria D’Ascenzo, authorities . Rinpoche reminded us of the ent types of stupas, but one of the princi- a long procession accompanied the Master importance of not letting ancient knowl- ples is to re-balance the energies of the re- and the authorities across the fields towards edge be lost, in order not to risk – and this gion . Conflicts between different energies the place where the Great Stupa will stand… was one of his examples – ending up like can always arise and the people become On the same Saturday as the laying of the Etruscans, with museum pieces but passive and there is no progress . This is the first stone of the Great Stupa, the new without a real knowledge of their customs, one of the reasons why these stupas are book by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche entitled the culture, the traditions … built ”….

September 3, 1996 Winter 1996 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu deposits precious relics Fundraising and Emergency Tsa Tsa and other objects in the foundation Emergency Tsa Tsa The Great Stupa By Rita Bizzotto From The Mirror no. 37. Sept/Oct 1996 From The Mirror no. 38. November/December 1996

fter some days of inclement weather, the sun broke through the he Stupa project set up by Mingyur Dorje on Rin- clouds and on Tuesday, September 3rd, 1996, Namkhai Norbu Rin- poche’s instructions, involves different floors or Apoche deposited several objects in the foundation of the Great Stupa Tlevels in which the cardinal points will be filled of Merigar in order with tsa tsas (clay images of stupas of various dimensions to keep away neg- and forms of realized beings, each containing a grain of ativities, wars and rice authenticated by the Master) for a total volume of 8 violence . There cubic meters . Rinpoche gave an approximation of the were more than 60 number of tsa tsas required: 80,000 . After five months of people present and work the number of finished tsa tsas amounts to 4,750 . we practiced the So even though collaboration is always open to ev- Medium Tun with eryone and welcome in any moment, it has become Degyed Serkyem necessary to organize weekends of Karma Yoga so that led by Rinpoche . lack of tsa tsas does not slow down the construction of the Stupa . In fact, the places where the tsa tsas will be placed must be gradually filled while the construction is going ahead, not when it is completed . It is expected Rinpoche deposits objects that the general structure, without the finishing, will ceremonially in the foundation to keep away be completed in about a year . negativities. >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 35 >> continued from previous page Ten people will be able to participate in making the tsa tsas at the same time since this is the number of moulds that are available . Shifts will be worked out so that work can proceed uninterruptedly from the morning to the evening . The practice of making tsa tsa accumulates merit and wisdom and allows one to purify one’s karma through continual recitation of the hundred syllable mantra . We offer sincere thanks to the Master who has offered us this possibility! The thousands of tsa tsas for the stupa.

1997 April Lopon Tenzin Namdak consecrates the new stupa with the rab ne (rab gnas) ceremony

Easter Retreat with Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche At Merigar West March 28–April 3, 1997 By Jakob Winkler From The Mirror no. 40. May/June 1997.

magine the beautifully painted Tem- ple of Great Liberation at Merigar and ILopon Rinpoche sitting on the throne below the depiction of the great Bonpo Dz- ogchen master Tapihritsa, who looks just Lopon Tenzin Namdak consecrates the new stupa with the rab ne (rab gnas) ceremony. like a white Samantabhadra floating in a sphere of rainbow light in the sky . On the riving from the Dharmakaya, which is contained in the Bonpo Kangyur . Rinpoche based same panel is a painting of Lopon Tenzin his explanations on the commentary of Drenpa Namkha (Dran pa nam mkha') who was Namdak, as the main lineage holder of the one of the twenty-five disciples of Guru Rinpoche . Rinpoche used Drenpa Namkha’s com- Bonpo transmission today… mentary called “The Offering of the Explanation of the Base”; in Tibetan “She Zhi Cho” (dGos During the Easter period Lopon Rin- 'Dod gSal Byed bShad gZhi'i mChod) . It was the first time this teaching has been taught poche taught for six days, morning and in the West… afternoon, on Dzogchen according to the Before leaving Merigar, Rinpoche consecrated the new stupa with the rab ne (rab gnas) Yetri Tasel (Ye khri mtha 'set), a teaching de- ceremony .

term srog shing can mean the sustaining column of the Stupa or the spine of a statue­ or May 16, 1997 the support of a ritual object such as a namkha . We made the srog shing of the Stupa from a tree trunk that was squared like an obelisk: The Raising of the Srog shing at the top it ended in a point and at the bottom I sculpted a stylized half dorje . On each of its four faces I carved and painted the mantras that Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche had left . The Raising of the Srog shing Before starting the work, Minjyurla had told me that the mantras had been very simplified . By Piero Bonacino Since winter had set in, that news cheered me up a lot . From The Mirror no. 41. July/August 1997 One day, while Mingyurla and I were looking for a suitable tree for the srog shing, we saw a dried up cypress tree that seemed suitable in a field, but after we had felled it and taken off the branches we discovered that it wasn’t right because it was bent .And so we continued our search . hanks to Minjyur Yeshe (who made We were getting discouraged when, in Santa Fiora, a majestic pine appeared about twenty the design for the Great Stupa last meters high, dry and without its needles . We could also see that it was completely straight . Tyear during his stay at Merigar – ed ). A few days later with the help of Frank Alleotti we cut down the pine, brought it to be we were able to make the srog shing . The squared at the sawmill and then to Merigar 2 where we put it in the semi-basement . Day

36 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Tsok Nyi Rinpoche consecrates the stupa during his Christmas 1998 retreat at Merigar. by day, when the weather permitted (it was the end of No- vember), we did the work of carving . Mingyurla was the Dec 27–Jan 5, 1998 architect, the mind, while I used my experience of work- ing with the wood chisel . Now that the work is finished Tsok Nyi Rinpoche consecrates the stupa I remember the fear I had at the beginning . I was full of during his Christmas retreat at Merigar doubts at the time of sculpting the dorje . All in all I think I did a good job but it would have been better if Mingyurla had not left . On May 16th I was very excited when I woke up . Besides June 28, 1998 being a day dedicated to Guru Rinpoche it had also been indicated by Rinpoche as a propitious date for raising the Chögyal Namkhai Norbu & H.H. Sakya Trizin srog shing . The weather was unstable . When we went to consecrate the Great Stupa Merigar 2 to carry the srog shing on our shoulders to the Stupa as we had decided (more than a mile – ed ),. we won- Chorten of the Enlightened State dered if the weather would permit us to raise it and do the of the Mind consecration ceremony before it rained . Chanting the OM by Franco Branca A HUM, which marked our steps, we slowly reached the Translated by Nina Robinson Stupa . From The Mirror no. 45. June/July 1998 Once we arrived, while we were deciding how to raise it, the others made preparations for the practice . In this regard Rinpoche had sent us precise instructions: some unday June 28th, 1998, a truly beautiful day . It is still early when I go mantras in particular and his precious advice . A serene air down to the Stupa, and Merigar is immersed in the luminous peace pervaded everything . It was like having an enormous um- Sof the morning . Today the intense heat of the past days is gently miti- brella to protect us from a possible storm . gated by a soft wind from the Southeast . From the palpitating green of the During the Ganapuja, while the mantras indicated by surrounding vegetation the exuberant songs of many little birds almost the Master were being recited, the srog shing was raised seems to rise in gratitude for this pleasant atmosphere . and deposited in the awaiting vase . All of us were aware of I’d better light the fire at once because glowing embers are needed to the fortune to be participating in the construction of the make abundant smoke when the time comes for the sang offering: first Great Stupa of Merigar . some dry sticks and then some good pieces of oak . Luciano and I prepare the seats for the Masters and the monks, doing our best to follow Rinpoche’s indications: something plain and simple and well-done . Meanwhile the Stupa stands there, beautiful and immaculate, with its colored decorations standing out against the white plaster and the gilding above gleaming in the sun . Ornamental pots of flowers in fes- tive colors surround the base . “It’s really beautiful,” says the Master when he arrives and smiles radi- antly as he circumambulates before stopping in the shade on the West side to wait for the practitioners who at first arrive a few at a time and then more and more pour down across the field . His Holiness Sakya Trizin will not be late to arrive . It is said that, since Merigar began, Rinpoche has always had in mind the idea of building a large Chorten here . When Giovanni Boni went to visit Rinpoche during the painful period of his stay in hospital in New York at the end of 1994 and beginning of 1995, he found Rinpoche, as if by chance, Working on the srog shing. >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 37 eighty centimeters in diameter, which was the roof of the room and going up to the top to contain the objects for the first authen- of the concentric gilded structure called tication . At that point we had constructed the “Thirteen Dharmas” . Piero Bonacina a platform of reinforced cement, seventy and Mingyur Yeshe carved the base of the centimeters high and with a top surface of srog shing in the form of a half vajra and three by three meters . Around the begin- the mantras on its four sides . They paint- ning of June Rinpoche was to return from ed the surfaces red, the mantras gold and his winter journeys in Asia and Australia the Vajra yellow . When Mingyur Yeshes left and a ceremony was programmed towards Merigar, he consigned the rest of the work the middle of the month for the placing of to Piero . He was to finish the srog shing the foundation stone, in the presence of the and to do all the wood and stone carving Mayor and other local authorities . which we can now admire on the Chorten . The ceremony took place on a Saturday The srog shing was raised at the be- morning . The platform, which wasn’t any- ginning of the summer after a Thun on a thing special to look at in itself, had been special day of Guru Rinpoche, like that on adorned with pots of flowers . The foun- which, months later, we proceeded to cover dation stone was a block of peperino - a it with sacred texts . Copies of all the books gray colored volcanic stone - on one side of by Rinpoche that have been published in which the Tibetan syllables OM A HUM had different languages were used for this, but been carved . Rinpoche placed it, amid ap- mostly we used the study texts for the plause, on some cement, which I had spread first levels of Santi Maha Sangha . At a cer- The Thirteen Dharmas. in the place where the door-post was to be . tain moment, the fluttering of hundreds It turned out later that, for several reasons, of golden Tibetan ‘A’s glittering in the first >> continued from previous page this stone could not remain there; in the glow of the sunset, offered us an indescrib- intently examining plans for a Stupa which end it was walled into the base of the niche, was about to be built . “Certainly, it would which houses the statue of Buddha . In the be good if we made one at Merigar too,” our following days Rinpoche arranged for the Master said to him on that occasion . So as surface area of the platform to be increased soon as our engineer returned to Italy he to four by four meters and some of the pro- got to work . A first set of plans was sent portions of the drawings of the plans were to the authorities in the spring of 1995, the altered to harmonize . Mingyur Yeshes, an year in which, on his longed for return to excellent Tibetan painter and sculptor who Merigar, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu indicated had studied at Tashi Jong (the art-school, at the exact point where the Chorten should that time directed by Dugu Choegyal Rin- stand . Having obtained the approval and poche in Himachal Pradesh, India) and was related permits, work on the foundation at that time staying at Merigar as guest of could begin in the spring of 1996 . the Shang Shung Institute, completely re- The first time I went to see it, the top of drew the plans, which met with the enthu- that hillock was a bit different from how siastic approval of Rinpoche . it looks now . Anyway it was quite delight- Before leaving Merigar again Rinpoche ful, sloping ground, covered in dense, dark authenticated the base in a ritual offer- green weeds, broom and brambles and a ing of sang and sergyem . The central well great heap of mossy rocks removed from was filled with jars and sacks Rinpoche the fields by farmers in the past . A chest- had carefully prepared for days and days . Franco Branca places the heavy pinnacle on the top nut stake, beaten into place by a sledge- A large stone cover was cemented in po- of the Stupa. hammer, marked the center of the future sition as a seal over the well and a layer of construction . concrete brought the level of the platform able vision . Straight afterwards the srog The first thing that was necessary was to its present floor height . Meanwhile au- shing, covered with books, was wrapped in to open up a road for the delivery of build- tumn and then winter arrived and work strips of five-colored cloth and then water- ing materials and then the site had to be proceeded more slowly . The room and the proofed . leveled for the foundations . The farmers’ wide platform, called the “’Great Lotus” At the end of autumn the rough struc- mossy boulders were inserted into the which serves as its roof, with the structure ture of the Stupa was finished . In Piero’s base of the foundations of the walls togeth- on which the upper steps rest was built in workshop the carved frames of the fixtures er with those obtained from the old med- the spring of 1997 . had only to be painted; and in his garden the icine room (behind the Yellow House, or In February Mingyur Yeshes and Piero lotus petals handsomely sculpted in peperi- Serkhang), which Paolo Pagni was restruc- had already found, in Santa Fiora, a suit- no were waiting to be mounted in place . turing at that time to make an apartment able tree for the central pole, called the As soon as Rinpoche returned at Easter for the Gekos . At the center of the foun- srog shing . It was a cypress which, when in 1998 he said that the Chorten must be dations several stones were laid in such a squared up would serve as the spinal col- finished in time for the appointment with way as to form a kind of cylindrical well, umn of the Stupa, placed at the center of His Holiness Sakya Trizin, so that he could

38 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and H.H. Sakya Trizin consecrate the Great Stupa. consecrate it . All of the plastering had to be gradually constructed until we reached the possible to completely finish all the details done, the fixtures walled in, the entrance point where it was necessary to fill in right in time, we proceeded to give a first coat of stairway constructed, the large space in to the top, at least in the parts that would white plaster over the roughest parts so as the upper steps filled, the tsa tsa placed in be hard to reach at arms length when the to at least give an idea of how the Stupa will the vase and the top parts mounted . vault of the niche began to slope towards look once it is finished . On Guru Rinpoche day in May we filled the key closing point . Two holes had been His Holiness Shakya Trizin arrives punc- the levels (the upper steps) under the vase . left open in the roof of the vase to allow tually at nine . Rinpoche goes to meet him Around the base of the Sog Shing were the finishing of the filling once the niche and greets him with an embrace typical placed many jars which Rinpoche had pre- was complete . of Masters of equal stature . The ceremo- pared and left for the occasion and the At last the moment had arrived to wall ny begins immediately . The ringing of the rest was filled with cereals and wood of up the fixtures and to place the top parts . bells and the gentle chanting of the liturgy conifers . It was fortunate that many prac- Augustinas, Paola, Caterina and Daniela spread out into space . A soft breeze blows titioners came to help in the work be- had for some time been intently painting the dense smoke of the sang right in the cause, although it may not seem like it, and gilding the fixtures, while Adriano direction of the Stupa in front of which a the amount needed to fill the space was Grimaldi of Canelli who had taken care of monk is making the ritual gestures of the remarkable and several people had to go to the execution of the work in copper for the consecration . In one hand he holds a bunch get new provisions quite a few times . summit, sent the “Thirteen Dharmas” to a of peacock feathers, which he moves with On Guru Rinpoche day in June we began craftsman in Florence to coat them with slow gestures that seem like a dance, the to place the tsa tsa in the vase . Mingyur gold leaf like the other copper parts which auspicious rice flies through the air, an or- Yeshes and Phuntsog Wangmo had showed had already been sent to him from Amiata . ange khatag floats towards the statue of us how to mould them and Rita Bizzot- On June 18th, with the help of a crane lorry Buddha . A sudden flapping of prayer flags to guided and co-ordinated practitioners the “Thirteen Dharmas” were placed to per- announces a stronger gust of wind, which in this patient work for three years . The fectly cover the cone above the vase, which deposits it on the edge of the large upper quantity of tsa tsa needed to fill the vase consists of the top part of the Sog Shing step called the “Great Lotus” had always been an amusing puzzle during surrounded by a conical construction made His Holiness’s elderly master of rituals the whole course of the work . At a certain of small bricks . The Umbrella, the Sun, the approaches Nyida, the Tibetan doctor who point I can remember honestly thinking Moon and the Spherical Pinnacle were in- is adding sang to the fire, and whispers that there would be enough left over to fill serted onto a copper rod, the base of which something to him . I notice Nyida looking another Stupa . The “sauna” was overflowing was fixed inside the “Thirteen Dharmas ”. for me with his eyes and then he approach- with boxes stuffed full of tsa tsa . But when [The top sphere is immensely heavy; plac- es me, he has to go up and put the khatag we came to place them in the vase we soon ing it took all Franco’s strength and skill] in the Buddha niche . So we hurry off to get noticed that there would maybe be only There is only a week to go to the begin- a ladder, which has been left nearby just in just enough . The work went on for three ning of the retreat and only now can we case of need . It is a beautiful sight . Nyida days . As the tsa tsa were placed the wall take down the scaffolding and set to work picks up the khatag, unravels it and holds of the niche for the statue of Buddha was on the plastering . Since it would not be >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 39 >> continued from previous page it open, his hands at the sides of his body at the level of his heart, he asks the master of rituals for clarifications . He is answered from below . He goes to the statue and en- circles the base of it with the khatag . This is how the ceremony ends . Maybe I am over optimistic but I couldn’t help gathering a very favorable omen from that image . On the new great Chorten of Merigar a young Tibetan, born and raised in Tibet is offering an orange khatag at the feet of Buddha Sakyamuni . May the Sublime Teaching spread in every direction! Maybe, despite the atrocious adversities of this cen- tury, the Tibetan people with their precious culture will succeed in maintaining their identity . Maybe, in this way, all beings will have more possibility to one day meet with a Master able to indicate to them the way which liberates from suffering, thus they will be able to walk towards the Realization Chögyal Namkhai Norbu inaugurates the Stupa in the presence of the local authorities. of the “Enlightened State of the Mind ”. and people from Arcidosso who were cu- August 22, 1998 rious about the event and wanted to take part in the ceremony . Chögyal Namkhai Norbu with After the reception Rinpoche and all the local authorities inaugurate those present left on foot towards the the Great Stupa Great Stupa, followed by a long procession . Once they got to the Stupa, they did the An Eventful Day customary ritual circumambulations and, By Elisa Copello at a sign from Rinpoche, the authorities From The Mirror no. 46. September/October 1998 were given some khatag, the local popula- tion multicolored carnations from a large basket at the foot of the monument, and t eleven o’clock there was a recep- the practitioners handfuls of rice . Then all tion on the veranda of the Yellow were invited to throw or lay their offering AHouse for the local authorities who at the foot of the Stupa while Rinpoche re- had been invited to the official inaugura- cited mantra and invocations in an under- tion of the Merigar Stupa and local busi- tone… ness people who had generously collected The ceremony was brief and essential funds in the past to contribute to its con- but very moving especially for all of those, struction . Several shopkeepers timidly ap- and there were many, who had seen the peared at the door of the verandah – Rin- Stupa growing and who had actively col- poche had a word with all of them while he laborated in the creation of this work, cer- spoke with the guests about the projects of tainly unique in Italy and perhaps in Eu- ASIA in Tibet and about his recent visit to rope (at the time – ed ). for its grandeur, China . In the meantime the square below accuracy of workmanship and artistic and had filled up with practitioners, tourists spiritual value .

40 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Relaxing Summer Vacation in Chengdu

Vicki Sidley USA, Harmonious Breathing instructor

re we still on?” I emailed Cecilia Damiani, the Italian organizer of “A the tour . “We are in . Heart-broken, but we are in . This was Rinpoche’s wish ”. she replied . Just a week earlier we had been encour- aged to hear that Rinpoche had made it to Italy to receive the Commander Order of Merit of the Italian Republic award . It gave me cause to hope that, having made this journey, he might also make it to Chi- na . But shortly afterwards came the an- nouncement on September 16th that the Master’s health was declining . Now we knew for certain he would not make it to Chengdu . Then through a Norbunet re- quest we learned that Fabio Andrico was Author of article Vicki Sidly in center. leaving China and returning to Merigar . Very quickly most participants booked on ed a young American businessman on the file of the gigantic Global Center sweeping the China tour made other arrangements . international flight who was also flying to back and forth were curvaceous bands of A day later Cecilia wrote me to say that Chengdu . He alerted me to the fact that deep violet and white light against a night we (those on the tour) were not a lot of often the gate number as advertised may sky . This would be the first of many architec- people but we “can stay together ”. At this be changed, without announcement . He tural light animations on immense buildings point I imagined that there might be 8 or 10 could speak some Chinese, and discovered that would delight me in the days to follow . people left, and I casually offered to teach that we were in fact, waiting in the wrong Chengdu is a modern “second tier” city a session or two of Harmonious Breathing . gate . And so we hustled down the length with a population of about 13 million in Cecilia was delighted . of the terminal and to another floor into a the greater Chengdu area . It is situated in The following day, the day before I was crowded waiting room . Our flight and a lat- a huge fertile valley surrounded by moun- due to leave, she wrote again, “We are hap- er flight had been combined into one, and tains . The weather is in September is of- py to announce that from 29 September till so I would be arriving two hours late . ten overcast and muggy . I personally found 5 October Yeshe Wangpo will be with us! The second piece of good luck was the the warmth and high humidity very pleas- He’s a really good teacher, chosen by Rin- fact that I already had the application ant . Chengdu has one of the lowest annual poche to teach in China ”. “WeChat” set up on my phone, thanks to Pa- sunshine records in China . This, I learned, This was good news indeed . Still, only trizia setting up a chat group to include the gives rise to the quaint saying, when re- 12 hours before my flight was due to leave, Chinese teachers of Harmonious Breath- ferring to something rare, that it is like “a Cecilia let me know there were only 4 of ing in China . Everyone in China, and in dog in Chengdu barking at the sun” . It used us on tour, and that there would be no other places in Asia, uses the very power- to have the reputation of being a very laid Vajra dance . Now I had second thoughts ful ‘WeChat’ . ‘WhatsApp’, along with a host back place . about going . Was it possible to back out? of different applications, search engines, One of the many reasons the trip to China Since almost everyone had cancelled, was it email services and websites are either re- was so superb is that I felt completely tak- foolhardy for me to continue? But the mo- stricted, or just not available in China . But en care of, by Lulu, from beginning to end . mentum behind the many arrangements it with ‘WeChat’ I could let Lulu (my contact in Lulu had chosen a Holiday Inn in Chengdu took to go was like a large ship at sea . I was Chengdu) know that I would be hours late . with an attached business center . In the US pre-determined to go, it seemed . My trepidations melted away as soon as the Holiday Inn is seen a decent hotel with- Arriving in Shanghai I was relieved to I met Lulu and Oscar . Lulu was responsible in the budget range . But the one we stayed see that the airport signage was in English . for organizing the entire event in Cheng- at in Chengdu, was more like a 4-Star hotel, After a little hiccup with the customs of- du, and immediately took me under her with a capacious marble lobby, a number ficial who detaining me, objecting to my wing . They had waited patiently at the air- of restaurants including one that offered a passport, and saying it was too new, (my port for me, and had ordered a car to take sumptuous feast for breakfast, and well-ap- old one had expired), I was waved through, us to the hotel . pointed rooms . It felt rather luxurious . From and made my way to the gate for the plane On the way there I got my first impres- my room window I could see a large lake . bound for Chengdu . Luckily I had befriend- sion of a modern city; along the rooftop pro- >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 41 For the most part it was not the noxious en- sport credit cards . All payments are made on a digital tablet . I ordered something vironment I had imagined . It was fairly qui- through a cell phone banking system and only because it was beautiful . It was called et, largely insulated from traffic noise . QR codes (similar to a bar-code) . Even at the “green pearls”, and I suspect it came from On my first evening Lulu ordered a car top of a mountain a woman selling a root the sea . Dish after dish arrived . It was a to take me downtown to the IFS center . She that tasted like a melon had the QR code feast to behold and in which to indulge . said “Meet us by the Panda Bear” . I looked on the basket that held her wares . I was This was true of most of our meals in around and could not see one . Finally I starting to think of USA monetary modes restaurants . Thanks to our host Lulu, there looked up to see the giant sculpture of the as outdated . were always an abundant variety of dishes . bear scrambling up to the top of the build- While this works very well for Chinese Everything, to my palate, was delectable . ing . Over dinner that night I learned from people, please heed my word of warning to During the following four days Cecilia, Lulu that there would be over 100 Chinese visitors to China . Neither my credit card nor Heidrun Goetsch from Austria, and I were students of Rinpoche attending the retreat my ATM card could be linked to the soft- treated to a spectacular tour of various im- the following week led by the Chinese ware . Only Chinese credit cards are accept- portant sites within a few hours drive of monk Yeshe Wangpo . Now I realized that ed by vendors . The ATM machines did not Chengdu . (The fourth tourist had cancelled teaching Harmonious Breathing would recognize my ATM bank card . While I have at the last minute ). be part of that retreat . I also learned that had no trouble with these cards to access I shall merely list, but not describe Chengdu is only about 500 kilometers from cash in Europe, Australia and South Africa, them, should you have the chance to go where Rinpoche was born . they did not work in China . So I was quite there yourself and experience them afresh . The next day I went to meet Lulu down- restricted in my spending . So for visitors it There was, in the order that they were pre- town again at the Monastery of Manjushri, is best to bring plenty of cash with you . The sented to us by our wonderful guide Ken, also know as Wenshu Monastery . The site hotels will change the money for you . a friend of Lulu’s; the Giant Panda Breed- dates back to circa 618 AD . I was surprised Shortly after tea we met Cecilia, Lushan ing Center, the ancient town of Luodai, the to learn that you come here to register as and her husband and baby in the monas- Great Buddha of Leshan, Dafo Monastery, a Buddhist . In the US you might claim that tery restaurant . The menu was presented Elephant City, a live acrobatic musical at a title for yourself if you believe in the tenets theater in E’mei City, Mount E’mei with its of Buddhism, but in China you have to go golden statue of Samantabhadra, and the through some formal process of study to Taoist mountain called Xingcheng with its be awarded that nomination, in this case many temples . I might say only that the Gi- by the Buddhist Association of Sichuan and ant Pandas, who spend most of their time Chengdu City . Here Lulu and I whiled away heavily draped over or between branches some time looking at the buildings, the or slumped in slumber on man-made plat- gardens, and then having tea, a delightful forms, are the very epitome of relaxation, and typical Chinese pastime . the theme of our tour . Over tea I learned that as a rule, few Every single one of these venues provid- urban Chinese carry cash . Nor do they ed an experience that was rich, unique and

42 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 exotic . Ken both guided us and took care of ercises . One note of interest was that most all details, including the buying of tickets all the Chinese practitioners kept their for various bus, cart and cable rides, and socks on . At first I thought it was a sign ordering food for lunch or dinner . Cecilia of respect, that is, not showing the teach- dubbed him “our superhero’ – and he was . er the soles of the feet, but I later learned On the way to Leshan Ken told us to look from Crystal that this is a custom based out for clusters of white houses that could more on the belief that a cold wind can en- be seen from the freeway . If we saw a par- ter through the soles and cause illness . ticular house with a large black circular After Harmonious Breathing came the graphic painted on the wall, it was a sign teaching by Ben of the Nine Purification that announced that someone over ninety Breathings and the Tsigjong series . He was years of age was living in that house . Great very thorough in his explanations and very age, in China is an achievement, rather precise in his demonstrations . Even Ben than hidden away for the most part, as it is kept his socks on, taking one off only brief- in the United States . ly to show how the toes should bend in the ticing together, I felt a greater closeness Back in the hotel, Chinese practitioners first movement . Of course, I did not under- with him throughout the entire time in were gathering for the teaching by Yeshe stand his words, but I picked up several China . And feel even now . Without doubt, Wangpo . He would be teaching Mandarava cues from watching him demonstrate . For regardless of place, across a broad swathe in the mornings of the coming week . these sessions Crystal, Lily, another love- of the planet, at this special time, I am not I was introduced to Ben, the Chinese ly Yantra Yoga practitioner, and I walked alone in this feeling . teacher of Yantra Yoga, and using the around the room watching and correcting Many thanks to Yeshe Wangpo for the translation talents of a Yantra Yoga practi- people . People were very appreciative of teaching, Cecilia, Lulu and Oscar for the tioner Crystal Shi, we set a retreat agenda these corrections . strength, tenacity and capability in pulling for Harmonious Breathing and Yantra Yoga Following the Yantra Yoga was a session this trip together, to Lushan and Anna for for the afternoons . of Khaita, taught by Cecilia and Lushan . I teaching dance, to Ben for Yantra Yoga in- Yeshe Wangpo was warmly welcomed think that most people were not familiar struction, to Crystal, Wen, Ken and others by the 150 students . I had learned that with the particular Khaita songs but ev- who translated for us, to Fabio for Harmo- morning from Cecilia that Rinpoche has eryone was game to try . There were even nious Breathing, and to the Chinese sang- passed away . Did all the Chinese students a couple of very young girls in the group of ha as a whole . know? How would Yeshe Wangpo an- Khaita dancers, and everyone was clearly Homage to the Master! nounce this? His approach to sharing the having a great time . fact of Rinpoche’s passing was very subtle . On the third day of the retreat I rec- It was both true for those students who did ognized a face from Dzamling Gar . It was and those who did not yet know . At some Anna, a Vajra dance teacher and she was point he simply said that Rinpoche could there with Vince Li . Would she lead us in not physically be with us, but he was, in the Vajra dance? All we needed was a man- fact, present with us . dala . So I asked Lulu, and just like magic, the next day a mandala was brought to the teaching room . And so we got to dance Va- jra dance after all . Anna gave us instruc- tions, translated by Vince, on the 12 As, and then we danced on the mandala . There were many, many dancers who danced well, and very gracefully . I was surprised to see how many could dance both the Pawo and Pamo parts . Learning from Yeshe Wangpo was ex- tremely valuable . So was being around so many very knowledgeable and diligent Teaching Harmonious Breathing to practitioners . They were open and generous some eighty students was also a great op- in spirit, and with their time . The feeling of portunity and a pleasure . On stage with me friendship was as abundant as the food . was the lovely Crystal Shi who translated The Chinese have a culture that is very each sentence, giving me a few moments to different from ours here in the west . Only think about what should be said next . The one aspect of this was just how very polite practitioners were at a distinct advantage, and considerate they are . There are, I sup- as their sitting posture, which compared pose, levels of subtlety to these manners I with western students, was already quite have yet to understand . open and stable . They were very attentive Thinking of Rinpoche, being close to and diligent in their application of the ex- where he was born, dreaming of him, prac-

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 43 Artists in the Dzogchen Community

Painting the Mystery – Exploring Color, Culture and Ideas

Jennifer Baird

grew up in an artistic family, particu- larly on my father’s side so there were I often highly artistic aunts, uncles and older cousins around, influencing me . My father was a really good teacher so ex- tremely early on, when I was about 2 years old, I was painting . And right from the beginning I always wanted to portray the inner worlds, things that were mysterious to me even at 2 years of age . As I grew older and read stories such as C . S . Lewis etc, stories that yearn for the luminous, the mysterious, a spiri- tual guide – those archetypal symbols and narratives came in quite early on in my painting . I never really decided that I was a couple of weeks before they left they in- think I was able to avoid, to some degree, going to become an artist . It’s just what I vited me to come with them since my time the conditioning of post-modernism – par- always did . at Kham House was drawing to an end and, ticularly in the world of art . Then I went more or less straight from of course, I did! On my second day there I It also gave me a lot of opportunity to school to Lama Chime’s meditation centre met a boy on the beach and fell madly in continue my Vajrayana practices in an un- near Saffron Walden . In those days it was love, as I probably would have done on Ta- tainted environment, neither eastern nor called Kham Tibetan House . I met Lama hiti, The Seychelles or Mauritius or any western, it was something quite different . Chime when I was 17 and spent a lot of other island . It was the idea of the noble It was in 2004 that a friend in England time there . He would only let people stay native and the beautiful scenario . So I end- sent me a cutting from the Snow Lion for a year at a time and then they had to ed up living in Tobago for about 34 years, newspaper on the back of which was an go back into the world for a while . In those painting all the time and exhibiting often, advertisement for Chögyal Namkhai Nor- early days I was assistant cook to Deirdre, both in Trinidad and Tobago . bu’s teaching in Margarita . I had heard as she was known then, but later became As soon as I got there, I was intrigued about Namkhai Norbu from very early days Pema Chödrön . It was a really wonderful by the vast difference of the culture and and I knew that he was a great Dzogchen time and we all lived together in the house all the influences that made it up – from Master . I just couldn’t believe it, that this with Chime Rinpoche, until he and his fam- very strong African influences to the Am- incredible teacher was going to be in Mar- ily got their own house in the village . While erindian Carib and Arawak cultures . It was garita, which is so close to Tobago . At that I was there I learned to read and write Ti- easy to find shards of pottery with fantas- time I was living as a recluse in the rain- betan and discovered Tibetan iconography tic animal heads and scraffito markings in forest where I spent the last 16 years of my which all nourished my art . I’ve often put gorgeous designs and so all of this wove time in Tobago – high up in the mountains some written Tibetan in paintings, partic- into my art as well as the various mystical in a very isolated place; painting and doing ularly the Lantsa script and more recently interests that I had in Buddhism, Quantum one of those very long Anuttarayoga Tantra Phags-pa script because I think they are physics and cosmology and ancient my- practices that requires a retreat situation . aesthetically so beautiful . thologies such as Greek, Egyptian, Norse, I was coming to the end of that, in the last When I was around 23 I went to ­Tobago . Celtic etc . I’ve always read a great deal and stages of the completion stage, when I got I was living at Kham House at the time everything that provokes my curiosity or this newspaper cutting and I didn’t think, I and my parents came to visit me . They inspires me is integrated into the paint- just knew that I had to go there . were planning the holiday of a lifetime and ings . So that period of more than 30 years So I packed my backpack and took my brought all these brochures of exotic trop- painting in Tobago took me on a course passport and set off and as luck would have ical islands . I thought the one of Tobago that was very very different from anything it Namkhai Norbu had just returned from looked nicest even though I’d never heard I would have come across if I had remained Mexico where he had been looking at some of it . So they booked their holiday there and in England or the modern western world . I land someone wanted to give to the Com-

44 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 Ornaments of the Natural State Deep Time 8. Protolanguage Flow On a background of a clear, starry sky the freely brushed ‘Enso’- symbolising the One of a series of 8 paintings exploring vast time spans as the earth evolves through the ‘Natural State’ - is ornamented with intricate jewel-like geometries representing aeons - forming and reforming, becoming ever more complex as dimensions and matrices all the experiences of our senses in wonder and amazement at the great mystery emerge and then become enfolded and encoded. Shifting, morphing, throwing up ever of being. more complex novelty. munity . And he was there! There wasn’t a cover what England was like now – it had of the artist affects the power of the final retreat going on so there were not many changed hugely – and to find out where finished piece, as well as all the techniques people but the folk there were from all over in the country I felt drawn to . So in 2012 I that the artist has learned, built up and ex- the world . I met Rinpoche personally and came to live in Hastings, knowing instant- perimented with during their artistic life . spent 4 or 5 days there, returned to Tobago ly that that was the place . Its kind of edgy All their complex knowledge of how to use to finish the completion stage of my prac- and bohemian and has an extraordinarily colour, line, form, ratio and the layering and tice and then went straight back to Mar- vibrant music and art scene . texturing of colors to get particular effects . garita . I went back and forth quite a bit – it My point of view as an artist has For the last few decades there has been a wasn’t expensive to get there and I would changed and evolved over time interwo- fashion in art to be very spontaneous and take a tent and my paints . ven with my experiences and ideas . For emotional and to throw, splash and drib- It was fantastic there . I found the whole me it was a radical change coming to live ble paint around a lot and whatever arises, international community there was great . in England . First of all the color themes whether it’s accidental or intentional, that It was really eye-opening as to how prac- changed . I noticed that people in England is it . I can understand how that evolved titioners from radically different cultures don’t wear such bright colors as they do and how that needed to happen, but it’s can work and practice together and that in the Caribbean and the color schemes in become so normal now that people don’t itself was a huge asset . People weren’t people’s houses are a lot more subdued so even question where the actual ability of restrained by their own cultural point of for a time I toned my colors right down al- the artist comes in or how to be able to view, they were more open and interactive . though in a few years color started to reas- discern that, or how to view the capacities In 2009 I began to feel that my time in sert itself once again . I’m enchanted with that the artist has, to be able to produce Tobago was coming to an end and that I color and experimenting with it . I feel that something intentionally or at least produce needed to move more into the world . I also there are no limits to the discoveries one an intended effect on the consciousness of had the feeling that something was going can make . the viewer . So I’m very interested in that on in the world, some kind of waking up Then there is a theme in art that par- dynamic . When I had a show in May I tried process possibly that I needed to have my ticularly interests me . There is this whole to get people to talk about this subject a bit finger on the pulse of . I wasn’t sure how idea (I guess it has been in art since art has more but because of this view or attitude to be involved in it, probably through art . been documented although it’s not talk- in contemporary art at the moment that I still don’t know . So there was a period ed about enough at the moment) – of the anything goes and anything can be called of going backwards and forwards to dis- spiritual in art and how the consciousness >> continued on the following page

THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 45 I’m 63 now and not sure whether I want to spend four years accumulating works for a show . But I do want to explore the ideas I mentioned earlier: the connection between the consciousness of the artist, their spir- itual and artistic development through life and their capacity to be able to produce a work that has a direct effect . Say, for ex- ample, that someone gave Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche some paper and paints; would whatever he did, even if he deliberately (or accidentally) tipped the paint over the paper, would that finished piece carry the vibe of his wakeful state so that whoever saw it, it would have the power to transmit something? Or in order for that to happen, would he also need the technical skills and understanding of how a color affects oth- er colors etc, the entire background of an artist’s training . The whole idea is very in- Opening the Wisdom Eye Joy at Sunset teresting and I would like to explore that On a background of multiple OM AH HUM seed syllables, This painting depicts the utter joy and bliss I often felt - more . 2 forest leaves embedded with jewels open to reveal the living wild and free in the lush, unspoiled rainforest of a www.jenniferbairdartist.com wisdom eye. The Eye Of Horus. tropical isle. Curious about ancient cultures that celebrated harmony with nature whilst exploring direct freedom with Images copyright of the artist no cultural interface at all.

>> continued from previous page art, it’s all subjective etc – it seems taboo to question too much . Since I came back to England, I’ve had two successful solo art exhibitions both in Hastings where I chose to live . I also took part in shows in San Francisco and Hun- gary . As far as another exhibition goes – I’m not sure . The way I’ve always worked is to intensely paint for about four years, accumulating a body of work to exhibit . Anupravishta That’s the way I like to do it rather than This painting has an ‘other-worldly feel. having dribs and drabs here and there . For An alien sky. Galaxies are forming in my art in particular, 50 or more paintings what might be an island coastline, seen from high above. This Sanskrit word exhibited at a solo show in a gallery ‘talk’ in translates as ‘interpenetrate’ – as in all great depth to each other and build a ‘field’ . realities interpenetrating and contain- That way it’s easier for people to get into ing each other. An ancient Buddhist concept but also hinted at in some inter- the work . pretations of Quantum mechanics and I brought a book out called ‘The En- Unified Field physics. chantment Aesthetic’ to coincide with my last show . I dedicated it to my teach- esoteric meanings in a painting that most ers Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and Kyabje folk would miss . At the same time they Chime Rinpoche . It’s more than just a cat- can make their own interpretation . Or cer- alogue, with about 100 pages – including a tain aspects of a work might have a very foreword by an art professor and philoso- personal meaning to them . I like people to pher, an in-depth introduction, biography have the opportunity to read what I have to and full color images with statements on say about it . The two approaches don’t have all the paintings . At the moment there is a to be mutually exclusive . trend among some artists in that they do not want to talk about their works – it’s up to the viewer to decide . In my case, I think that people need a portal into the work because often there are interesting sto- ries behind pieces or symbols I’ve used or

46 THE MIRROR · No. 142 · December 2018 How I Met Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

Cinderella Pernia ings as well about the Master, and on sub- sequent occasions we saw each other again think the story of how I found the Mas- and he invited me to follow the readings ter begins a long time ago . and practices of the Santi Maha Sangha I Some people believe that we have a that they did every week in their house . He pending task since we were born, I’m one also explained the Ganapuja to me and in- of them and I believe mine was to find Rin- vited me to participate in them . In return, poche . Since I remember, I had felt the need he asked me for the commitment to take to move and look for something important, the worldwide transmission that would be this was reflected in me as the sensation after a few months . And so, it was done . of a black hole in the middle of the chest Then Rinpoche announced a retreat in that needed to be filled . I started my search Tashigar North, Margarita Island, in No- without knowing what or how with what I vember 2010, and I really received very had at hand . I had so many questions, so I magical gifts to realize that unexpect- went from my house to the public library, A short time later, I married my phi- ed trip . I arrived in Tashigar North . I have I began to read freely universal literature, losophy teacher and we were together for never seen the colors so clear, I have never mythology, symbolism, Western philoso- seven years . I was in love with him, and I phy, ancient Greek, the theory of religions, entered completely in the way that every- among others, and each of these books body approved of . I had a job, I began my opened other doors and possibilities for my Master in philosophy, I had a comfortable mind to navigate between ideas and words . and “stable” life, I could in some way realize My life process, as many others, has my worldly desires . I really tried to be hap- been complicated, I had a daughter at age py in that way . I tried to satisfy the wish- 20, I tried to make a “normal” life, work, ac- es and expectations of those around me . I quire things, eat, sleep and repeat the in- tried to make them happy in that way . But finite cycle, but after three years and un- contrary to what I expected, my black hole der a specific circumstance, I understood just kept growing and eating me, and each that all this was no use, because my black day that passed felt like little by little I was hole was still consuming my existence, so, dying without having done what I had to I decided to move to another city and study do . Until this time I had not experienced literature in Merida, Venezuela . any major torture, only the one that myself When I arrived in Mérida, in March of and my fears manifested . 2000, the day of my exam to be admitted in One day, I took courage and decided to the university, I reconnected with a friend leave that comfortable and stable place in before experienced beauty in such a tangi- from my adolescence, Carlos Garcia, whom which I was, I decided to leave everything, ble way, never before was the center of my I had not seen for many years . After a short my husband, my career, and my job . Be- chest so full and radiant; all the anxieties, time he would move to our student apart- cause I had proven that none of this made fears, my darkness, vanished . I found him!!! ment . Thanks to this and to many conver- sense, I let go, I abandoned, I left the space The black hole was filled, with his pres- sations we had, I heard from him for the for that I was looking for, I trusted and in ence, with mandalas and colorful dances, first time that there was a teaching called that way I found Rinpoche . with beautiful people, with harmony, with Dzogchen and a Master named Namkhai The thread that took me to him, to my sounds, with flowers, with smells, with Norbu . Carlos was amazed at what was Master, was through a curious writing by teachings that I still could not understand happening to him . Carlos Garcia that I found among my old but with an absolute faith that one day I However, at that time, I was not yet books and notebooks, where basically he would understand . . ready . I was still looking for other detours, told me “not to change what is essential for Since then I began a journey deep into and in one of them, I found an experience a quiet place in the world” . I read it, and I de- Rinpoche’s presence, his teachings, to that was terrifying for me, an experience cided to contact Carlos, who I didn’t know know and share with my beautiful Sangha, of emptiness for which I was not prepared . anything about for eight years . I contacted has been a real journey inner and external, After this, I took refuge in the mundane him and asked him for help because I was full of infinite discoveries and rediscover- world, like I never did before . I wanted to floating aimlessly, and he recommended I ies that continues until now, and here from feel part of something, not divided, sepa- contact Elías Capriles, who was in the same the heart of one of his dreams, in Dzamling rated, but as a part, and I inserted myself city where I was . After a few days I wrote Gar, I live with the confidence that we will in the order of things and I achieved it for to Elías and he gave me an appointment never separate . Thank you, Maestro! a while . and he was very kind and receptive, he ex- plained a little about the Dzogchen teach-

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