THE MIRROR Newspaper of the International Dzogchen Community May/June 1999-Issue No. 49 Schedule of CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU for 1999-2000 KALIYUGA, 1999 2000 WAR AND PRACTICE EUROPE Jan 14-16 Brisbane Retreat by Slavica Yoglar July 7-11 Merigar Retreat, Italy Jan 21 -23 Cairns Retreat July 21-25 Kunsangar Retreat, Russia Feb 4-6 Adelaide Retreat Feb 11-13 Melbourne Retreat arly in the morning, I take a look at the On the bus I do the purification of the five USA + MEXICO watch, eight o'clock, what kind of day is elements. Pollution is much above the normal, July 30 - Aug 1 New York City Retreat SANTI MAHA SANGHA IN E ahead of us? Three days already without oil refineries are often hit, all day I watch Aug 4-8 Tsegyalgar Retreat, Conway, NAMGYALGAR, AUSTRALIA water, and mostly without electricity. I spent black smoke from my terrace. Some of the Massachusetts Mar 3-5 SMS Base level exam the whole day yesterday with friends in their animals in the Zoo have eaten their babies, the Aug 13-15 Chicago Retreat Mar 6-9 1 st level training garden, barbecuing, trying to use up the food owl, the tiger ate two. but they saved the third. Aug 20-22 Houston, Texas Marl7-19 SMS 1st level exam from our freezers fast. The director of the Zoo is begging for dona­ Aug 27-29 Santa Fe, New Mexico Mar 20-24 SMS 1st level training Sharing it. Still, the day was ugly and tions, because nobody visits the Zoo any Sept 9-12 Tara Mandala, Colorado Mar 25-26 SMS level II exam rainy; luckily my friends have a nice veran­ more, and there is not enough food for the ani­ Mar 27-31 SMS level III training Sept 17-19 Mexico dah. Manly talks about the disappearance of mals. Sept 23 San Franciso, California the just, knightly fight, face to face. We are The Danube is the most polluted river Sept 24-28 Lake Tahoe, California April 19-23 Easter Retreat, Namgyalgar being attacked treacherously, from the sky, because the factories have thrown chemicals October 8-10 Portland, Oregon feeling completely helpless. One doesn't into it to avoid releasing them in the air, which Oct 15-17 Malibu, California SINGAPORE & JAPAN know when, where it will hit. Listening to would endanger the lives of all the people in Oct 27-31 Hawaii Apr 28-30 Singapore Retreat their stories, I have understood that Kaliyuga Belgrade. I read in the newspapers that pluto­ May 6-7 Taipei Retreat is already quite present. It is pointless to think nium or uranium stays in the earth for the next NEW ZEALAND & AUSTRALIA May 13-14 Kaoshiung Retreat about the past and future time, without 5000 years. It may be true, but I don't trust Dec 3-5 New Zealand May 19-21 Tokyo Retreat thought, I will relax, try to find myself in the any information any more. Dec 10-12 Sydney, Australia state of contemplation, A. I understand why Dzogchen is about Dec 26-Jan 2 Namgyalgar Retreat Further Information see pages 3,10-14 I must go and buy food. I go with my dog becoming more present - when we are to a shop, we have 348 stairs ahead of us, I bombed with different information, it is nec­ li ve on 23rd floor. I think, if the war continues, essary to go beyond the dualistic mind. There MERIGAR HOSTS I will look like Cindy Crawford. In front of the is no truth, no lie, nothing to know. shop, there is a line of some thirty people, The bus passes through the center of town, waiting for bread and milk. I spot a neighbor, which looks unreal, like the scenery for a war VESAK CELEBRATIONS talking over the mobile phone, the image is movie. The building for the TV station has unreal, on the threshold of the 21st century. been hit; Ivana, a practitioner who met Rin- The neighbor starts to explain to me which poche in Belgrade used to work in this build­ by Liz Granger buildings were destroyed in the night, how ing. Luckily she was fired in time. Now she many dead, etc. has another problem. I talked with her on the I wait for half an hour, and as soon as I phone, she has no work, no money, her wash­ ver the last weekend in decide to give up, the bread arrives. They give ing machineand boiler are not working, and OMay, the Merigar only two loaves each, and I go to another store her mother called her, crying over the phone Dzogchen Community was to get water and minced meat; the cash box because she has no money to buy bread. She the venue for the Vesak cele­ doesn't work and everything is calculated on decided to ask for financial help from some brations held on the anniver­ paper. I buy newspapers, and see a big title, friends abroad. sary of the Buddha's birth, "Patients endangered in hospitals, machines The bus continues. I reach a square where awakening and parinirvana. for dialysis out of work." What is it like to all four buildings have been destroyed. One of The event was organized in watch the machine which gives you life, but the buildings was hit 15 minutes after the oth­ collaboration with the Ital­ doesn't work? Compassion, contemplation. ers. A man lost both legs trying to help the ian Buddhist Union and par­ A. I climb up to my flat, passing by old people wounded immediately after the bomb, when ticipants included both who rest between the floors. My dog is the next one exploded. I practice exchanging monks and nuns, as well as exhausted, he is old, he looks up to me asking, myself with him, compassion, contemplation lay people from the "What is happening?" How long are we going A. I reach the square where I should meet a Vajrayana, Zen, Theravada to do it? It is too complex to explain the col­ friend to give her the text for correction, and I and Chan traditions. The Meeting at the Merigar Gonpa L. GRANGER lective karma to him. I often talk with my dog. continued on page 9 theme of the meeting was My daughter is expecting me, she is happy to entitled, "Monks, nuns and lay people on the Buddhist Path". see the warm bread. There was no bread yes­ The Italian Buddhist Union (U.B.I.), founded in 1985 by Buddhist centers belonging to dif­ terday. CONTENTS ferent traditions was officially recognized as a religious organization in 1991. Associated with I decide to go downtown to do something the European Buddhist Union, it includes thirty two Dharma centers from various Buddhist spir­ about the book I am writing. It is about divina­ itual traditions such as Theravada, Zen, Chan and Vajrayana. Each year the U.B.I, organizes the tion using 41 symbolic pebbles; I have been 2 Teaching Vesak celebration as an opportunity for its members to meet. working on it for years, and the main point is Chögyal Namkhai Norbu During the warm sunny May weekend The Temple of Great Liberation or the Great Flower in the chapter which explains a possibility to was host to more than three hundred-fifty Buddhists, both lay people and monks from all parts of see the state of death and the state of mind, the 3 Retreat Schedule Italy, the various traditions identified by their colored robes - the Theravada monks swathed in path of thoughts in that moment. Apart from Summer-Autumn with ochre, the Zen monks and nuns in stiff gray and black, the Vajrayana monks in the more familiar my children, I consider this book an important Chögyal Namkhai Norbu maroon and yellow. After a welcome on behalf of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and the President of personal act. You probably wonder whether I the U.B.I., Elsa Bianco, on Friday afternoon, activities got under way with a roundtable discus­ was able to predict war? Well, I did see it 4 Asia Report sion on the theme of the meeting. In the evening the film, "Kailash, the Sacred Mountain" was clearly two days before it happened. I was Daniela Tarizzo shown: a documentary of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu's pilgrimage to the sacred mountain in 1988 very upset, but at the same time I understood accompanied by a large group of his students. that the information couldn't be shared with 6 Dreams On Saturday morning four sessions of teachings were given consecutively at the Gonpa by anybody, because people simply wouldn't and Tibetan Medicine Maurizio Missimi, Prof. Corrado Pensa, Master Eugako Taino and Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. take me seriously. Now I ask people around Dr. Nyida Chenagtsang During the afternoon, a series of guided meditation sessions were held by practitioners of the me, whether they thought that it might really various traditions at the Gonpa while the spiritual heads of the different centers had an official happen. Almost 99% answer, no. 7 The Mirror and its Future public meeting with the Prefect and the Mayor of Arcidosso in Arcidosso. This was a session On the way to the bus, I hear sirens for which was open to the local public and a moment of interaction between Merigar in the person danger, which means we should go into the 8 Shang Shung Edizioni of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu along with his guests and the local authorities. After the official shelter, taking water and food with us.