No. 102 January, February 2010 Upcoming Retreats with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Photo: L. Graf 2010 Argentinia Tashigar Sur March 22–30 Mandarava Chüdlen Retreat Argentina Rinpoche teaching in the new Tashigar South Gonpa. Photo: S. Mariani Tashigar Sur April 8–10 SMS Base Level Exam April 12–21 Dzogchen Teaching SMS 1st Level training Canaries May 21–23 Canaries retreat Retreat UK From the terma of Changchub Dorje, Lamed Nyingthig Yangtig, Supreme May 28–June 1 Essential Teachings on Dzogchen; Zhi Lam Dras, the Base, Path and Fruit in London Retreat Dzogchen with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu June 2 Light of Kailash presentation Tashigar South, Argentina, February 12–24, 2010 Russia June 2–8 Naomi Zeitz Clinic treatment June 11–16 he ten-day retreat of Dzogchen please”, were the fi rst words Rinpoche place, at the perfect time, with the perfect Moscow retreat Teachings, a Teaching Terma of spoke as he settled down in his seat and teacher and the perfect sangha, one almost Rigdzin Changchub Dorje, began attentively awaited the countdown and sig- feels able to remain in the non-dual state June 18–20 T on the day of new moon in February at nal from the webcast ‘dream team’, letting of Dzogchen without doubt. To communi- Saint Petersburg retreat Tashigar South. The freshly inaugurated him know everything was ready to go. cate in this way is no simple accomplish- June 28–July 4 Gonpa was fi lled to the brim with approxi- ment and requires a level of mastery rarely Crimea retreat mately two hundred and twenty people, “Good day to everybody and everywhere.” found in this world. How lucky we are! including many new participants, and also And then the powerful, essential and il- Romania the fortunate one thousand plus of web luminating teachings began. Rinpoche’s In these ten days, Rinpoche covered the es- July 9–16 cast viewers and listeners from everywhere tremendous energy and capacity to de- sential Base, Path and Fruit in Dzogchen Merigar East retreat on the globe. liver and make understood the profound as explained in the terma of Changchub July 19–22 level of teachings such as these marvelous Dorje. On the fi rst day he began by lay- SMS Level I exam Rinpoche strode into the Gonpa in robust Dzogchen terma teachings from his root ing the foundation with Sutra, Tantra and July 23–August 1 form accompanied by his ever-present master Changchub Dorje is no less than Dzogchen. Rinpoche encouraged people SMS Level II Training bodyguard, said good morning to every- awe inspiring. In the moment, from mo- by saying they should not worry about one, and walked to his chair. “Sit down ment to moment, together in the perfect >> continued on page 4 Italy August 13–20 Merigar West retreat August 23–29 Teaching Teaching News Teachers’ Training September 3–10 Chögyal Namkhai Yeshi Silvano Tashigar Personal retreat Norbu Namkhai Norte September 17–19 Entering Dzogchen Introduction to Zhitro purifi cation for all those Knowledge the State of Ati Tashigar who have died Sur >> continued on page 4 » Page 2 » Page 3 » Pages 16–17 THE MIRROR · No. 102 · January, February 2010 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu 2 Entering Dzogchen Knowledge Santi Maha Sangha Base Level Retreat Margarita Island, Venezuela December 26, 2009 to January 1, 2010 December 29th, 2009 t is very important to understand Guru Padmasambha- va’s specifi c explanation of how we enter in Dzogchen Iknowledge. There is an explanation called togpa nampa zhi; the Four Understandings, the Three Characteristics, tsennyi nampa sum and the Four Branches of Approach and Attainment, nyendrub yenlag namzhi. Guru Padma- sambhava used these three arguments in the writings on the point of view. This is not only the explanation in the Dzogchen teachings, but in all three inner Tantras of the Nyingmapa tradition. If you understand this, you can un- derstand everything more generally and particularly when Guru Padmasambhava explains these arguments. Guru Padmasambhava explained the state of Dzogchen as the fi nal goal or most important fi nal point of the Vajrayana teaching. The Guhyasamaya Tantra was already translated at the time of Guru Padmasambhava. This Tantra has been Rinpoche at the Mandarava Drubchen in Margarita. Photo: J. Crisp very diffused through all traditions. There is also Sangwa Nying po or Guhyagarbha, the very essence and considered points, which are the pure and impure dimension and all Like the syllable here we have the symbol of white A and the root Tantra of Mahayoga. Guru Padmasambhava also is connected with the center, the dharmakaya, the cause. a thigle of fi ve colors. Developing that way we can have explained the fi nal goal of this Tantra in these arguments, Now you can understand why it says ‘the same cause’. We more complete knowledge and we transform or manifest which represents the Dzogchen teaching. For that reason can also say relative and absolute condition, but the real that knowledge in a more perfect way. This is the second we have it in the base of Santi Maha Sangha and we should nature of everything is the same cause. Here it explains of the four. learn these three main principles. absolute and relative truth; making the same cause under- The third is chingyi labkyi togpa. It means the under- The fi rst principle is called togpa nampa zhi; the Four Un- stood. This is very important for having knowledge of our standing with the blessing. Guru Padmasambhava ex- derstandings. We have a quotation from the text of Guru real nature; we all have the nature of the vajra, instant pres- plained this understanding with the example of the white Padmasambhava where he explains the knowledge of the ence or dharmata. You should remember that. This is the cotton. The condition of the cotton is white, but if we want same cause, the knowledge with the syllable, the knowl- fi rst understanding, the understanding of the same cause. to transform that white cotton into red, we need a red col- edge through blessing, and the direct knowledge of the The second is yig dru tsulgyi togpa, which means we have or that has the capacity to transform the cotton into red. real nature. knowledge and understand through the letter or syllable. In the same way in the teaching, there is an empowerment Then we go more deeply into the explanation of all The syllable represents the knowledge of the three vajras. in connection with transmission with this potentiality so it four. If you want to prepare Santi Maha Sangha training it Which syllable is presented? For example, when we use does not remain some idea or fantasy, but becomes some- is important to learn these by memory. You could be asked any kind of mantra, at the beginning of most mantras we thing real. So this is another of the four understandings. what the Four Understandings of Guru Padmasambhava have the very important syllable OM. In the Dzogchen Now you know three. You remember that the fi rst is the or one of them are. You are missing knowledge if you do teaching we use A. A represents the nature of our dhar- same cause, the second is with the example of the letters not know them. You do not need to go into the smallest mata and the origin of all sounds. OM is more developed and syllables, how to get in the perfection with the knowl- detail, but you should try to go into the essence. These ar- than A; for becoming OM fi rst we need A, then O and then edge of the three kayas, and the third is with the capacity guments are very important. For example, through these M. In Western language it becomes OM. In the Tibetan of blessing. For that reason we can get in the transmission Four Understandings you can understand why we trans- or Sanskrit system, fi rst we need to write A, A transforms and experience something concrete. form and why we can get into the Dzogchen state directly into O and then there is a thigle and it becomes OM. That Ngönsumpar togpa, the last of the four understandings, through introduction. means the syllable develops and that development repre- means having concrete knowledge. Concrete means not Number one is gyu chigpa, the same cause. The same sents the perfection of our real condition. only a concept, but we discover something through the ex- cause is explained by saying that everything in our con- For that reason the syllable OM represents the perfec- perience of body, speech and mind. To discover means, for dition, all phenomena, when we go into its real nature tion of our three kayas. The three kayas of ordinary people example, I show you this pen and you see it. So you know is absolute truth. That means emptiness. It also says un- means we have the physical body, the energy level or voice, that in my hand I am showing a black pen so I don’t need born, birth and death do not really exist, and everything is and mind. Its real nature or potentiality is called the three to explain it, what black means or what the function of a relative.The real nature, all phenomena, is dharmadhatu. vajras. In general we represent the three vajras with the pen is. You already know that. This is direct introduction. Dharma means all phenomena. Dhatu means its real na- three syllables OM A HUM. That means we are not only Now I ask you to please forget what I have shown you. ture.