No. 96 January, February 2009

Upcoming Retreats with Chögyal

Photo: M. Farmer 2009 Australia Caloundra March 16–21 Teaching Retreat teaching in the Gonpa at Tashigar South. Photo: N. Zeitz Melbourne April 3–5 Weekend Teaching Retreat Namgyalgar “Don’t go too much after April 10–15 Retreat April 17–22 titles of teachings” Retreat Singapore Tregchöd Retreat with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu May 1–3 Tashigar South, Argentina, December 26, 2008 to January 1, 2009 Weekend Teaching Retreat Japan Paul Sablich May 8–10 Weekend Teaching Retreat have arrived to the conclusion that the in the Presence (its name in the Upade- knowledge. This is the main practice, like Russian Federation best way to end a year and start a new sha series). Maybe trying to explain what drinking water: an activity made more Moscow Ione happens in a teaching retreat with Tregchöd is in a clear and precise way, as to enjoy rather than to live. Naturally, May 15–19 our precious Master. The end of 2008 was Rinpoche does, would be too daring. Nev- Rinpoche is absolutely conscious of our Retreat crowned again with his limitless wisdom ertheless, I would like to comment some still limited condition, which is why he and compassion, in this opportunity, from passages and events of this wonderful re- presents us with a range of practices that Germany Tashigar South in Cordoba, Argentina. An treat which caught my attention. we can apply to overcome our different May 27–31 inclement and warm sun greeted us, while limitations and recognize our true con- Teaching Retreat intense and prolonged summer rains At the beginning of the retreat, Chögyal dition. One of them is known as Yeshe Romania greeted others. Christmas festivities were Namkhai Norbu said, “…having dualism Zangthal and was transmitted to us during Merigar East on, a nice excuse to share time together vision is not main problem. The problem the second day of the retreat: through ex- June 12–21 and enjoy a show with some improvised is we do not know how our real nature is, periences of emptiness, clarity and joy we Teaching Retreat but joyful dancers. It is thus that this time and we are not in that condition. Then all can discover Instant Presence. At the same of the year becomes not only an opportuni- our karmic, ordinary vision becomes very time, that calendar day was New Moon, June 2–28 ty to be physically closer to Rinpoche and concrete for us.” Then, problems and suf- auspicious date to perform Ganapuja. SMS Base Exam our Vajra brothers and sisters, but also, fering become “real”. Nevertheless, the Our patient Master explained once more June 29–July 6 above all, to receive instructions on what Teachings become an incomparable tool to the simple version of it, so all could take SMS I Level Training the Master said is the main teaching in discover or enter Dzogchen knowledge and part in this banquet of limitless offerings Italy Dzogchen: Tregchöd or Total Relaxation dwell permanently in such non-intellectual and strengthen our . Later, the day Merigar West >> continued on page 6 August 7–17 Rinpoche’s Personal Retreat Teaching Teaching News August 10–16 Retreat Sept. 4–14 Chögyal Namkhai Yeshi Silvano Namgyalgar Vacation in Sardegna Norbu Namkhai and Dzogchen and as Tashigar Sur Oct. 2–10 Direct Transmission Experience Retreat

>> continued on page 9 » Page 2 » Page 3 » Pages 14–15 THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

2

zogchen Teachings are related to transmission. We do not learn Dzogchen only through intellectual Dunderstanding. In this case, transmission becomes important. What is transmission in teaching? In Vajrayana you need to receive initiations with any kind of practice and teaching. If you don’t receive initiations at least you need to receive the transmission of the lungs of all man- tras. It doesn’t mean when you receive a all is perfect. A lung is a kind of permission. You can recite and pro- duce the recitation of mantras. To make the recitation com- plete you need initiation, transmission of lung and instruc- tion – all these three. Then you learn how to do the practice as well. This is generally done in Vajrayana teaching. Dzogchen teaching is part of Vajrayana. Vajrayana, for the most part, is the path of transformation. That is the reason for the initiations. For example, if you are follow- ing teaching, you don’t need any initiation. You only need to do something like and, in the system, cultivating . You can study and learn everything related to the teachings in a more intellectual way. So you can see the difference. We can have initiations related to the Anuyoga tradi- tion in the Dzogchen teaching, but introduction is most Photo: A. Chlimper important in the Dzogchen teaching. Introduction does not mean that the teacher explains, and then you listen and understand something. When we speak of transmission Dzogchen and Direct Transmission we speak of three kinds, and these three kinds are related to how this teaching originally arose. We say gong da nyen Day 2 – The Dzogchen Tregchöd Teaching of Jigmed Lingpa gyü (dgongs brda snyan brgyud) in Tibetan. Gong means direct from the Instruction of Yeshe transmission, so that means when we are in a state of dhar- makaya we directly receive that understanding and knowl- Tashigar South, Argentina, December 27, 2008 edge. For example, when we say or Samantab- hadra, and how the teaching was transmitted historically, some words of the root principle of the teachings called if there is a small mirror, when you look in the mirror you we understand that all sambogakaya manifestations re- nyengyü (snyan brgyud), these are still oral teachings. For can see the refl ection of a gigantic mountain. It is impos- ceived that transmission directly. Direct transmission example, when started Dzogchen teaching sible to put that gigantic mountain in a small mirror. But means beyond words, beyond explanations, beyond visu- generally it is said that there was no Dzogchen teaching, it can manifest. That is why we say infi nite potentiality. So alizations like , deities, and pure dimensions. and that is why he started to teach Dzogchen. But what it refl ections are like our mind level. At the mind level we are That is the principle when we say masam jöme (ma bsam really means that there were no and lungs and orig- judging, thinking and creating so many things. That is the brjod med). Masam jöme means we cannot explain because inal books of Dzogchen teachings, like today. It does not example of different kinds of refl ections, good or bad. it is beyond words; sometimes it means we cannot even mean there were no nyengyü or oral teachings and some Now you think a little, what is the relation between think that. If we are generating a and deities, we important words, etc. Nyengyü teachings existed at the that refl ection and the mirror? Mirror means the poten- are doing that with our mind. That is not beyond mind. time of Buddha Shakyamuni and even before that. There tiality of mirror, you cannot say there is no relationship So masam jöme means it is beyond all this; it is the trans- were twelve or thirteen very famous teachers of Dzogchen between the refl ection and the mirror, and then you can mission from the dharmakaya and that is the origin; but in ancient times. All the teachings we have today, and most understand how that corresponds to the relationship of then that transmission is received by sambhogakaya, and Dzogchen tantras, were not originally taught by Garab our mind to the nature of mind. It is just like that. You see sambhogakaya transmitted it to nirmanakaya. Sambhoga- Dorje, but by many of these twelve teachers who transmit- how symbols function and help us to understand many kaya means all manifestations through the essence of ele- ted and taught in different epochs. things. Symbol and oral transmission are mainly for the ments. So there are forms, different kinds of manifesta- But of course, the condition of our world and human direct transmission. We say there are three transmissions tions, and we say that the pure vision or sambhogakaya beings in the human condition is always within time and that are not independent, but they can be independent for is transmitted to the nirmanakaya and from the nirmana- time changes with circumstances. There have been many some people. If someone did a lot of practice in a previous kaya to our condition. dark periods and also of periods of different kinds of life and has knowledge of teaching, it is not necessary in Many , for example, even if they live in the teachings, and when the dark periods start then all teach- this life that something like direct transmission is done. It human condition their capacity is not limited like an ordi- ings disappear. A few nyengyü-like things remain, because can be that the teacher only explains orally that knowledge nary human being. They have the capacity to go and be be- nyengyü does not require books or representation on the and that person wakes up. So in this case, it can be that yond time, and for that reason they can have contact with material level. Nyengyü remain in the mind of some prac- oral transmission is independent. It can be the same way sambhogakaya manifestations. Some people in our con- titioners or realized beings. Realized beings exist in any also for symbol transmission. We are not at that level. It is dition have some fantasy. These people say they have vi- moment everywhere, sometimes manifesting openly and very diffi cult for us to be at that level. sions of sambhogakaya. It is not easy to have these visions; sometimes not. That is an example of nyengyü. In history there were some people who had this experi- if you have those visions you can manifest the quality of Da yig (brda yig) means with symbols. Teaching with sym- ence. For example, in ancient times, Manjushrimitra went sambhogakaya, even nirmanayaka, and then you must bols developed very much in tantrism in Vajrayana. In , to argue with Garab Dorje. He did not go to to manifest like mahasiddhas, not only having sambhoga- for example, the mandala and deities are all symbols, not the learn and receive teachings from Garab Dorje, but when kaya vision. In general we call this fantasy. real condition. It is also the use of symbols when we do Gu- he asked Garab Dorje some questions, Garab Dorje used Sambhogakaya manifestations or visions are not fanta- ruyoga and the visualization of the white A and thigle. When some words to explain, and through that oral transmission sy. Some people take substances like drugs and say, “Oh, we use that symbol, we can have the realization the same Manjushrimitra immediately woke up and became one of I have sambhogakaya visions.” That is complete samsaric way that the mandala and deities, all the symbols, are devel- Garab Dorje’s most important students. That is an exam- vision, not sambhogakaya vision. You are not respecting oped. Even the manifestation of deities, how many arms and ple, so these kinds of students do exist. Also in Tibet we your energy level. You are charging your energy and then legs they have, what they hold in their hands, etc., everything have history of these kinds of students, but it is very rare. you have these kinds of aspects. You charge and charge, is a symbol and represents something. That is why tantrism We mainly use direct transmission in Dzogchen Teach- again and again, and then one day you explode. One day developed very much with the use of symbols. ing. That is the principle taught by Garab Dorje. We have you fi nish your life and that is sambhogakaya for that per- In the Dzogchen teaching symbols are also very impor- the three statements of Garab Dorje. Those statements son. So then you can understand what fantasy is. tant. Sometimes if a teacher needs to explain to help the are the conclusion of Dzogchen teachings, they are how You can understand the capacity of nirmanakaya mani- students understand such things, then by using symbols, we enter into and apply Dzogchen knowledge. How can festations like Guru and all mahasiddhas. people can understand much better. For example, one of we have realization of Dzogchen? Everything is related to They have contact with sambhogakaya manifestations and the symbols used in Dzogchen teachings is the mirror. If these three statements of Garab Dorje. In the three state- receive transmissions. It means the real initiations you re- we want to know the relationship of mind and nature of ments of Garab Dorje, the fi rst statement is direct intro- ceive through sambhogakaya, through manifestations. You mind, explaining with words is not easy, but we can have duction. That means the teacher introduces directly to the do not receive initiations by someone explaining that you a more clear idea by giving examples with a symbol. For student. This is the Dzogchen way, not the tantric or sutric should do this or that. That is ordinary oral teaching. There example, we say nature of mind, our real condition, is like way. We introduce Dzogchen teaching, the real knowl- are oral teachings that started with Buddha Shakyamuni the potentiality of the mirror. We know that the mirror has edge, which is beyond explanation. For that reason, the and for years and years Buddha taught these teachings ev- infi nite potentiality and for that reason anything we fi nd teacher cannot explain and introduce with oral transmis- erywhere. Everybody listened and heard what Buddha said. in front of mirror can manifest instantly that refl ection. sion, but still the teacher explains for hours and hours to This is called oral teaching. When the teachers today ex- We don’t need to put any program in the mirror. make the students understand how to have the knowledge plain for hours and hours what we should do, that is oral That means that infi nite potentiality means going be- and in which way one can receive direct transmission. The teaching. Maybe they are not just like Buddha Shakyamuni, yond any kind of program. That is the example of our real teacher also gives examples with symbols, so oral and who is a totally realized being, but even if they are not real- nature and our real nature has infi nite potentiality. That symbol transmission function together. So this is how di- ized we consider them so, and we listen and receive oral is how we explain primordial potentiality, as sound, light rect transmission is used in the Dzogchen teaching.  transmission. This is called oral transmission. and rays - just like the nature of the mirror. The mirror Even though the books of very ancient teachings no can manifest good or bad. The form, color and shape of Transcribed and edited by Naomi Zeitz longer remain with all the complete teachings but only the object in front of the mirror manifests perfectly. Even THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Yeshi Silvano Namkhai

3

Dharma as Experience Excerpt from teaching at Tsegyalgar West Baja California, Mexico Rigbai Kujyug, The Six Vajra Verses Nov 24, 2008

Yeshi Namkhai gave this explanation have this attitude to take texts, at Tsegyalgar West in Baja, Califor- of course there are people who nia. In this teaching Yeshi wanted to are so brave they even take a text explain how it is possible to utilize like the Rigbai Kujyug, and start aspects of modern society to explain to invent meditation from this, Dzogchen, in this case he was specifi - but generally people are more cally referring to the New Age trends respectful; especially professors that are particularly dominant in from universities. They take a su- North America. tra text and start to do meditation and say that if we don’t apply it, it ow we will do an inter- makes no sense. They understand esting exercise because there is some activity to do. Nsometimes things mani- How does it happen that fest by themselves. We understand sometimes people even under- that we cannot always relate in stand some of the meaning? For Yeshi Namkhai teaching in Baja, California, Mexico November 2008. Photo: P. Barry the same way, for example, Bud- example, in this case, I do not dha needed to change his speech know who this person is and it is thinking they have to open their someone very cool comes with this fellow understood this part and the way he communicated better I do not say the name, but minds and feel emptiness or shu- some books in a very nice medita- of this text; what we are talking with people; Buddha changed he understood something and he nyata. At the maximum they ar- tion center, and then starts to talk about. This is not different from his speech, form and everything, said, “In this exercise I am giving rive to this understanding. like this and maybe he looks nice Dzogchen. relative to the different kinds of in a Buddhist center, we will do Eventually he did a correct and a lot of people think he has He goes on and after RA, which people and beings he addressed. meditation considering the fi rst substitution because he says, “I knowledge, let’s do what he says, is the understanding of real ex- Now I will take a text that I came 5 letters of the alphabet don’t have to think about in and but the main point is to under- perience, then there is the under- to by chance because of a series of that has more than 20 letters.” So out-breath, we can refl ect that stand what we are talking about. standing of our limit. There is no dreams I had in Moscow. These this fellow works with the Prajna there is nothing called breath, This is about the fi rst letter. time or space. PA is about this. dreams were connected with the Paramita, the wisdom sutra, and there is just the experience of This scholar tried to go a little Then it is very interesting when he idea of a better understanding of takes this alphabet and for each the physical sensation of breath- deeper, but of course there is a goes on to explain PA. PA is a little the Prajna Paramita. letter he fi nds the connection in ing.” From a physical point of limit of understanding of the tricky in the sutra of wisdom. It The study of the Prajna Param- the wisdom sutra. But he says, that is correct. Also for a approach of renunciation. In- says that PA is the door to the in- ita is defi nitely not my natural at- “For the purpose of this exercise Dzogchen practitioner it is cor- stead of thinking in terms of the sight that all have been titude because I am not a scholar I decided to use experience as rect. We don’t give importance feeling that this is my body, try expounded to the ultimate sense. at all. My character is exactly the the translation of dharma. “ He to what we contemplate; we just to think in terms that there is a For me how he gets the meaning opposite, so for me it was very thought to do something with the accept the state as it is. We un- physical feeling. What does this is incredible. He says, “Try to say strange to have these dreams understanding of dharma as ex- derstand it is a state. Unfortu- mean? Instead of thinking that something about sensation to- about such a complicated text. It perience, which is interesting for nately then he speaks only about this is my body, try to think about tally out of the meaning”, but at is complicated because I do not someone who is working at the the physical sensation of breath- the nature of the feeling itself. a certain point he says, “If I look fi nd it easy to memorize all these university and working with the ing. So immediately we under- This is the nature of body. If we down at my body this is simply a kinds of texts that are connected wisdom sutra. For some reason stand what the path of renun- get the nature of body and since sensation of sight. If we are look- with behavior – behavior mean- he thought if he substituted the ciation is; it means to work with everything is connected, when ing behind the mirror to see if ing that you work from logic on word dharma with the word ex- the body. But we are Dzogchen you discover one you discover all, we see the object inside the mir- one side and you defi ne a rule perience, it would make a totally practitioners so we don’t limit to and immediately you must dis- ror, we only fi nd the mirror.” So that refl ects with some precise different meaning and sense. the point of only physical breath- cover the nature of mind. This is somehow he understands what behavior and that behavior has That is why I found this in a ing. What is breathing? Breath- why sutra works. When you really the real meaning is. We all have symbolic meaning. Then you fol- very complicated way, which I will ing is life. So what is the differ- understand the meaning of sutra, illusion. Somehow simply from low all the activities written step explain later. But it is important ence between understanding the then sutra works perfectly, when changing the word from dharma by step. The Prajna Paramita has to understand how it works. He meaning of the letter A in this you understand the nature of the to experience he gets a different this characteristic. You know very took this alphabet, the fi rst fi ve context that he explains, even body then you can understand understanding. First of all this well the heart of this text is the letters or syllables which are A RA totally intellectually, and what the nature of mind. Immediate- means that we are very much , but in the heart sutra PA SA NA, which is also the Man- we are doing? There is no differ- ly. It cannot be different. All has conditioned by words. So when it is written exactly the opposite. jushri , A RA PA SA NA DI ence. If you understand the path to manifest. We have three exis- we study Buddhism, like a pro- It says: “There is no nose, no eyes DI DI DI; you do a very strong DI of renunciation then we can do tences and all three should mani- fessor, it’s enough to change to and in the end there is no dhar- like you do with the practice. this in the same way, we can join fest at the same time. “Focus on have this little understanding, ma”, which means that in the end So for each of these syllables he this meditation group and do ex- the experience that is the fl ow of this knowledge, or one second we try to integrate all as we always found an explanation in the wis- actly the same. The difference is sensation and perhaps mental of wisdom that gets this connec- do as the fi nal goal in Dzogchen. dom sutra. For example, with the that maybe they still continue to activity, rather than extrapolat- tion that dharma can also be ex- What is important is that letter A, which is the same as the think there is body, but we know ing from experience something perience. Immediately this sutra sometimes we get into the un- Tibetan A, but of course in San- that the body is just a vision, but solid,” he says. That means focus makes totally difference sense. derstanding of things, but even- skrit it is not written like Tibetan. the method is correct because we on experience itself, leave it as it This is what Rinpoche al- tually we transform because we He says that this A is the door to are not thinking that in and out is, instead of focusing on the idea ways says. We don’t have to be work with mind, so it is very im- the insight of all dharmas that breath makes some thing, we just of the experience. So it’s correct. attached to words. We have to portant. That is why we study the are not produced, which means know that breathing is part of It is what I explained until now. go beyond this vision of form; Precious Vase as the fi rst Santi they are not born from the very our life. Our body is connected to Then there is the second letter words are form. That’s all. Then Maha text; we study this beginning. So it means dharma, this breathing and this letter has RA. “It is the door to the insight there is SA, for example. It is the because we need to understand from the letter A, from the vowel certain kinds of power, which is that all dharmas are without door of the insight that decrees. that we have three paths of liber- sound, and therefore it means all the origin of unborn dharma. dirt.” What does this mean? This The birth of any dharma and so ation. We understand and work dharma comes from the sound of What is dharma? Dharma is means that there is a third vision on; it’s about being reborn. The with all three paths. It is not that the letter A. Without being born. experience because we know that called pure vision. This is the important part is that he refl ects we take this path like a catego- This is the same meaning we beside reality there is the second main meaning. Something done about experience and discovery. ry and say it is like this or that, have in Dzogchen. That is why type of vision, the vision of the once might be pleasant, but done “Once we start thinking about or in the end we say what is the we sound the letter A. And then experience of the practitioner. At a dozen times may be unpleas- this experience or that experi- nice or bad aspect of each and he says, “But how do I substitute this point when we get these two ant. That means you get bored. ence, my experience or yours, then choose something with our the word dharma with experi- understandings, immediately the One day the same thing that may we are already dividing up these mind. And in the end we choose ence?” He gives a very interest- third understanding appears, thrill us may bore us. Experience things.” Which means it’s not a what we like but what we like is ing explanation and he says, “ So pure vision. If we are Dzogchen is just experience and therefore it matter of yours and mine. It’s vi- just a concept, something totally rather than thinking for instance practitioners we can interpret it is pure. This is correct. It means sion. In general we have insight relative. If we work this way we that there is in-breath and out- like this. This is something to- if we understand that experience of vision, because these are all don’t go into the meaning. breath,” why is he talking about tally new age that you can fi nd in is just experience, the vision of doors, gates to understanding, For example, this text that I breathing? He is talking about any place on the Internet. a practitioner, then this vision these 5 letters. Why does this all found on the Internet is a series breathing because they do medi- I am trying to explain this be- immediately becomes a quality come? If I go to the text for sure I of experimental sessions of lec- tation, sutra style, and they go cause people are very much con- and a kind of wisdom. It is one do not fi nd this written. He just tures and meditation. We usually and meet together and breathe nected to the idea of form. If of the wisdoms of Buddha. Even >> continued on the following page THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Yeshi Silvano Namkhai

4

Interview with Yeshi Namkhai by Susan Carol from Destino Los Cabos Magazine http://www.destinomagazines.com/index.html

Baja California, November 2008

Susan: In our newspaper we can- ing of life and death, values that not go into too much depth about are a lot different from common the teachings, but I would like to Catholic values. In Catholic values know something about you as a you have different images. In the teacher who has come to Baja. It Catholic religion the metaphysi- is very intriguing to Mexicans and cal is stressed, something out- Americans to know that this [the side of yourself. In Buddhism it is Dzogchen Community] is going a lot more the inner side. So you on here. I wanted to ask, since work a lot more with your inner you are a business consultant, vision. At this point, I integrate how did you get on this path that both; I live respecting totally the fi nally led you out into the world Catholic religion. As a matter of to teach? fact, the Dzogchen Community Yeshi Namkhai: It was always this respects the Catholic religion, way; there has been no change but we know we are interested in really. About how I experienced this path and we continue with change in a more traditional way, this knowledge. I am not trying to say that someone has this to infl uence my children because kind of change [experience] like it makes no sense and in the end Yeshi Namkhai teaching in Moscow. Photo: I. Shakov in the movies, when you start they will decide what they want. off in a certain way, you have a This teaching is more connected But it does not really fi t with mistake. No one is perfect. May- important fi gure in Tibetan Bud- climax and everything changes with knowledge; you need to have the understanding of Dzogchen; be you are perfect and you real- dhism. The is head of and then you can connect your- this knowledge to discover this Dzogchen doesn’t work like this. ize and you have enlightenment, the Gelugpas, the biggest school, self with this experience and you knowledge. It is not about believ- It is not such a physical thing. It but this probably happens at the and the is the head of suddenly have empathy and so ing something or not. You choose makes no sense that we are go- end of you life, if you are lucky. the Kagyupas. My father made on; it is not like this. When you to believe and this is a totally dif- ing and checking [for reincarna- Or maybe it takes many lives. possible a connection between have something deep, it is always ferent approach. So for this rea- tions]. I was in Tibet in the sum- This is what Buddha said. We try the Vatican and the Tibetan tradi- deep. Then there is the right - son I grew up with this attitude mer of 2007. I went to my monas- to go into the essence, to the un- tion many years ago. ment to do something and you and I do the same with my family. tery and there were some monks derstanding, and then, of course, see that you have to do it and you who knew me in the previous life people have different situations, S: So your father is the founder of do it, otherwise you don’t need S: What happened along your and so on and I recognized a lot different conditions…some take this tradition? to change anything. This is the path that caused you to come out of things from my previous life two minutes, some two years and YN: Yes, at least of this Dzogchen main point. But time is passing and teach, like here in Baja? there, but really I did not even tell some two lives to understand Community. In Buddhism we say and the Dzogchen Community is YN: Dreams are particular to this them because I thought it is not something very simple. there are three jewels: the Teach- quite widespread. We have 6000 transmission . Of course good. You say that and then they er, the Teaching and the Commu- members around the world. everyone deals with dreams be- start to worship, and they start to S: How about the rabbis, minis- nity. I am part of this lineage. Be- cause they are part of our lives; worship the object without un- ters and priests. Do they accept fore, one of my father’s teachers S: Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is half of our life we spend sleep- derstanding the teaching. They your teaching? Do you encounter was his uncle, and I am a reincar- your father. Were you raised un- ing. We cannot pretend to de- had also received teaching from resistance to your teaching? nation of this uncle. der this umbrella of teaching and velop our practice while we are my father. It is much more im- YN: This kind of situation is very the Tibetan way of life? Was it working or traveling, so of course portant that you understand the high level. This is more a public S: When did you discover that? pervasive in your home? we need to develop while we are teaching than you attach to this situation, where you have differ- YN: Rinpoche knew this from YN: Well, no, but of course if your sleeping. This is the main point, object. Nothing changes if an ob- ent kinds of meetings. Of course one of his dreams from the Long- father is Tibetan you will know but besides this we can say when ject is recognized, but something my father did that. Already within sal cycle. He had this dream of something about Tibetan culture. we are dreaming we are in a state changes if you understand what the fi eld of we meeting my mother and then I I lived mostly as a normal Italian. that is not limited, so it is easier is the meaning of this teaching. have this aspect and sometimes was born and so on. Then once Then when it was the moment, that we may have some clarity and Then you discover it is your path problems. Tibetan Buddhism is he sent out a Christmas postcard I chose the way I preferred. So I understanding of the future. I al- and you already follow this path. divided into four main schools with my picture saying Happy did both. I grew up with certain ready had dreams some time ago So a lot of things because obvi- and we don’t support the idea of Christmas, and one of the main values connected to the Asian about this place. But you cannot ous and normal, because a lot of creating a school or belonging leaders and teachers of the - tradition; values connected with always leave everything and go. If people do some chanting, some to a school. So we already are a pa School saw my photo and rec- friendship, with understand- you have a family then you have to mantra, and this mantra you rec- bit strange for them. Tradition- ognized me as a reincarnation take care of your family, your wife, ognize and you start to chant and ally it has been thought that my of my father’s uncle. That is part your children, and you try to do all you feel something special and father belongs to the Nyingmapa of a very famous lineage called >> continued from previous page that is possible for both. You try then people think, “Oh that is School. At this big ritual called Jamyang Khyentse. It is a very an- understands the sense of expe- to take care. When I saw that time incredible that I feel something the in Graz, Aus- cient lineage and one of the fi rst rience. This means that the way was passing and the Community special”, but it is obvious if you tria, with His Holiness the Dalai fi ve in Tibet. But then of course we learn, the way we deal with was growing a lot, I thought may- spend all your life doing this at Lama they gave my father a place some are recognized because words, with visions of karma, are be I would try and help a little bit. least you should recognize some- of respect in the Nyingmapa sec- they really have something and totally relative. It doesn’t mean This was what happened. It was a thing if it’s your path. If you re- tion. But he said, “Oh maybe I some are recognized because the that he did a fantastic study and natural progression. That is the ally did this your whole life of have problems with my knees” monastery needs a guide, some- he found the real meaning of this main point. And it is progress- course you will recognize it. But and he tried to go where all the one to sit on the throne. Usually I sutra. It is not written in the su- ing in a way that it was thought of then you don’t give it too much people were sitting, but of course don’t talk very much about this. tra that we should interpret it in from the beginning. importance; you try to under- in the end they could not accept this way. Simply he had some un- stand in this moment, this life, that and prepared a chair and S: What was it like growing up derstanding and understanding S: Is Dzogchen something spe- what you have. everything. There is this idea of with this knowledge? manifests in this way. This is the cial to this generation? respect and the teacher must sit YN: Of course it is not easy be- way we manifest. YN: No, this teaching is very an- S: It seems that teacher like you higher and so on, but he decided cause you have all these people So when we say we should cient. But it is always revealed always get groups who want to to do things differently because saying, “Oh I hope you come at keep the transmission pure it differently because we live in attach and be literal about your he does not want to categorized least one day before I die and I means from one side we have to time and space and time change teachings. How do you recon- in a school, etc. We don’t care, can see you”. It was like this in work with text. To be precise and every time; we ourselves are dif- cile that with what you are doing but other people care. If they see the summer in Tibet and there not inventing, not going around ferent and even the teacher is dif- now? he is sitting in the Nyingmapa were these old men and women and saying that Dzogchen is this ferent every time, but the essence YN: This is the normal attitude of section, they will think they have waiting to see me before they and inventing something. From should be the same. So tradition- people. An attitude of grouping, to fi ght and struggle. died. Of course for them it is very one side we take the text and the ally we say when there is a rein- and being literal is a natural thing, My father created a meeting important. other the commentary and we carnation, it is like liquid in the so you have also this side. It is im- for Pope Paul the XI and His Ho- work precisely with this. cup. When the cup breaks you portant to understand the mean- liness the Dalai Lama. He orga- S: How did you handle that? take the liquid and it goes in an- ing and when you understand nized all so that they could meet. YN: You go there and make them Transcribed and Edited other cup, which is the body of the meaning you try to apply. Of He was the man that organized happy, of course. You dress by Naomi Zeitz the new teacher. course you can always make a also for the Karmapa, another Tibetan, you do what they want; THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Yeshi Silvano Namkhai

5 at least before they die so they die in black because he wants to be happily. This doesn’t mean they very humble and with his com- Earth Ox Year really understand something mentary he says generally maybe about this teaching, but at least this text means this or that. He is for my vajra brothers & sisters you make them happy. Of course teaching like this and he teaches when you realize and understand a lot from these kinds of texts via Hail, to the herd instinct moving us this when you are 20 years old, web casts. in unison through winter’s thick and thin it is not easy to accept. Maybe So it can be interesting for over razors edge between this or that crest. when you are 30 and you have a anyone who is interested in One-pointed focus tames brute force family, maybe you can accept it Dzogchen. The idea is we don’t of cloven hoofs to the grindstone, heads a bit more easily. You are more close and we don’t say this is my bowed intently with nostrils fl ared — ready to do something like this. Dzogchen. It is a very ancient our horns poised to strike the bullwork of obstacles For sure I did not go when I was tradition and we can say the way shored up against realization or imagined enemies. younger, I was not ready to do Rinpoche [my father] received For, we are the earth-movers, something like this, to face this understanding, is very typical of who graze with ease among sticks and stones kind of situation. the Dzogchen Community Long- where nothing grows sal . So the way he receives except a sweet determination S: So is there are teachers trained understanding is typical, but we to succeed!. with you who lead the Communi- never say this is my Dzogchen, ty, or do people only gather when because if you go around on the you are around or how do they Internet you fi nd everyone is get together? talking about Dzogchen now. Best Wishes to all this coming year, YN: Really we don’t have this Rinpoche was the only and the Jacqueline Gens precise idea of ‘teachers’. Some fi rst in the west to talk about Brattleboro, Vermont, USA groups have this kind of structure Dzogchen. Also his lineage is to- but this is more Lamaistic. In this tally connected with Dzogchen case someone is called Lama, and Rinpoche is also recognized this version of the practice he re- that do not have certain kinds of is publicity all the time, even this and that person has intellectual as the emanation, which means ceived from his grandmother for limits. For us it is totally different you can discover this is different. knowledge. You are working and the mind of and not really the his whole life. His grandmother at this point. We feel fear. It eas- Then you discover it has a differ- you have an exam and when you body of, an ancient teacher in Ti- was a very good practitioner. ier for us to think of something ent nature, you have to go into pass this exam you are allowed to bet called Adzom Drugpa. If you Rinpoche discovered this text similar to how we are. So if there the nature of what you are drink- teach. We try to see if there is a do research you will discover that and he had a lot of dreams that he is mind, it is a general conscious- ing instead of just looking at the clear sign and then when things this teacher was not monastic. He wrote down. So today when we ness and this is very easy to think. bottle, and like this maybe you need to manifest they manifest by used a system of teaching and liv- do Odzer Chenma practice, we But we don’t know if this is true. discover. themselves. We do have a course ing together because Dzogchen do this version precisely. This is First we have to understand how called Santa Maha Sangha that teaching has the characteristic somehow unique. Everyone does is mind, what is the nature of S: When you were in the business is a typical Buddhist course of that if the teaching does not fi t to Tara practice. It is very common. mind, and then maybe we can world, which is very contrary to study, because if something is the reality [daily life] something When you don’t know what to do, discover something more. This is what we are studying with the not clear then at least it is clear is wrong. If it reveals in time and you do Tara, they say in the Tibet- the main point. Dzogchen teaching, how did you what you need to say. You can fol- space, it has to reveal perfectly, fi t an tradition. But one of things is This view is not so different keep yourself balanced? low a book and there are some perfectly. that we try and be correct in the from most cultures. Every culture YN: I have to say this is totally study texts. The fi rst place that Adzom lineage because it means there is looking for something. There wrong. I mean all people think My father is a very famous Drugpa organized was called is direct contact and something are a lot of cultures that also use like this. I had a very fast career researcher, and besides all the Gar, which in Tibetan means meaningful. substances to discover conscious- because I had a totally different books he has written, he is one place. He meant a place where ness and understanding, like the approach to business. I became of the most famous researchers you can develop knowledge. In S: You were saying in the teach- shamanic approach and so on. the youngest manager in my of Tibetan history and culture in the same way, Rinpoche created ing about how the body comes The point is if you are still in the company and my company is a the world. He is the most famous the Dzogchen Community. At and goes but the mind stays in limitation of what you see, you big international company. It person in the world after His Ho- the end, it also fi ts today. But at tact. Is that how you put it? How discover only what you see. If you has something like seventy-four liness the Dalai Lama regarding that time it was something crazy. do you put words around what understand this is only one of the different companies all over the Tibetan Culture. He has written Now it is normal. the mind is? possibilities and you discover na- world. It is huge and it is based the most about the source of Ti- For example, one of the stu- YN: Mind is more the access to ture of mind, then you probably in the northeast of Italy. My sec- betan culture. Most people think dents Adzom Drugpa accepted understanding. There is not re- discover all. It’s by chance that tion worked with IT systems, in- it comes from Chinese culture, when she was running away ally an idea of something out- shamanism discovered this side formation technology, and I was but this is not true. It is a lot more from Chinese persecution was side. There is just an illusion that and in the other part of the world a very young manager because I ancient. He wrote a lot, he taught Rinpoche’s grandmother. She there is something outside in the someone discovered something had a totally different approach a lot about it and then in the end had no idea of receiving teach- real sense. We have this illusion else, but as they are limited in to the business. I really did not his version was realized as the ings, absolutely no idea. She had because we do not understand their vision they only understand work with the idea of making most realistic. In the beginning a totally different kind of life, vision. We have body and imme- this. If you see a bottle like this more profi t, but with the idea of when he came to the west no one she was totally into the world diately we believe in the sensa- you think a bottle is only like this. balancing all the main aspects. believed him. Slowly, he became of money, married to one of the tion of body, but it doesn’t mean You cannot recognize the nature When you have a company to- famous as a researcher and what- richest Tibetans in the region and when we have feelings and ideas of bottle. The bottle contains liq- day you discover the companies ever he does he uses a scientifi c she really didn’t care about the that these feelings and ideas are uid but if you are into the nature that work better are the ones that approach. Not really like others, teaching. When she was running real. For example, for us when of this object, even if the bottle is have correct balance between who just tell some stories. away from the Chinese and she our husband or wife has a rela- bigger or smaller, you can under- profi t, customers, internal activi- Now he is working on a very couldn’t fi nd any place to hide. tion we feel bad. This feeling bad stand it can contain liquid. ties, knowledge and the growing famous text called the Dra Thal- She had help from one family can also create cancer for exam- of knowledge. So people have to gyur. This text, the Dra Thalgyur, and then she met Adzom Drug- ple. How many people have this S: Would you say the only way to feel good in their company. You is the most ancient text for Dzog- pa’s son and she received a lot of problem? But this is the same re- understand these concepts is to don’t make people happy with chen teaching. There are some teachings. After a while this little ality as touching your body in the study other concepts? So maybe money. You make people happy commentaries. This text is diffi - child came out and she recog- end. This means it is vision only you can see there is a similarity? when they feel fi ne and are satis- cult to read, it is even for a Tibet- nized that he was an emanation and if it is vision there is no idea YN: In our normal way it is a fi ed with their job and also from an to understand the meaning. of her teacher, Adzom Drugpa. of something. It’s mind. First you little like this. We observe, also the other side, when they learn So he collected all the commen- Still now when Rinpoche is giv- recognize mind, what kind of na- through a scientifi c method, and something. We spend most of taries he could fi nd, as well as ing a certain Tara practice - there ture it has. Then maybe you can then through observation we our time working and if we don’t writing his own. He is not saying is one form of Tara that is yellow, discover there is something else. can defi ne a law. We can say the learn anything it becomes very these are his ideas, but he is ex- very common in Buddhist tradi- Maybe you discover something so bottle is like this. It is something diffi cult to work. So I always plaining the text in general. For tion for money and wealth, and extraordinary that maybe today it you can immediately understand use this modern and holistic ap- example, in the book he is writ- called the Odser Chenma mani- is better not to think. This is what when you are traveling. In this proach. ing now, he uses different colors festation, which is a Tara with a we say is kept secret. All this vi- place Coca Cola is made like this, indicating which commentary it sun at the back and so on – he sionary area of this tradition says, in another country it is not in S: Not having the profi t concept, is. For example, if you are talk- is giving instruction he received “Oh the dimension may not only plastic but in glass, and then you did you get the organization to ing about the commentary of the from his grandmother. His be one, there are six main dimen- discover that Coca Cola is differ- move that way and did they see direct students of Buddha, like grandmother was very humble, sions with eight families and all ent in different places; but until the benefi t? , then my father indi- but she wrote something about these that are presented are terri- you travel you do not discover YN: Also if you sell only for prof- cates Vairocana’s commentary her experiences with her teacher ble. Just imagine something that that. I don’t even speak about it, the fi rst time you may sell and with the color red. Then the oth- and during instruction. She had is different from our conception. mind. Even Coca Cola can be dif- the second time you won’t sell er commentaries are in other col- dreams about this manifesta- For some beings it is normal to ferent. Something so common anything. Anyway you need some ors and he adds his commentary tion of Tara. Rinpoche has done eat each other. Or there are beings and something for which there >> continued on the following page THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Yeshi Silvano Namkhai

6

>> continued from previous page age your family, drive around for intimacy between customer and your work, all this is good. Then supplier. In the modern world they start to understand that you you have to work like this and are not so stupid. After that, in then it is more about collabora- the end, they start to trust a little. tion, in the end. And I was al- The point is at the end they ask, ways into building the relation what is the difference between of collaboration. Maybe today you and others because you are you don’t make the profi t, but af- doing better then they are. They ter two years you notice that still could not get what was differ- you have a relation, and relation ent. “Oh, maybe I am Buddhist, means we are both surviving. You that is why.” “Oh”, they say, “I can’t make money all the time. am interested in that too.” And Sometimes it is more about sur- then I discover all are interested. viving. Also when you see your Because they understand there is company instead of being twenty an approach that is connected to people, it becomes two hundred human vision. Not only to wor- people. This is fi ne. Somehow you shipping something. It is more help two hundred families. You active. They recognize that and gave jobs to two hundred people. they say, “Oh this is good, I am This is a very common approach. very interested.” Harvard Business School calls this system a balanced scorecard. S: Do you think people under- This is a holistic approach. In stand that Buddhism is a way of Italy it is not very common, not life and not a doctrine? very diffused, so I was a little bit YN: It depends. Some understand Photo: S. Carol in the group of people applying and some not. a more modern approach and not only that you read a book and the cave and stay there in your in Tibetan.” It is like this. For us technology. Basically I apply the S: So you are just leaving your you are in a nice place and you do golden temple and what do you it is normal. We integrate into basic approach from the teach- corporate business life and are meditation; you need to have ex- know? Nothing. You dress in Ti- life. For others it is better to dress ing. They fi t perfectly. I just said, going to do teaching full time? perience. And when the teaching betan or Hindu style and you go a certain way and have a certain “Ah, this comes from the Harvard YN: I do what is needed really. I is manifesting you have experi- there and they make some music distance. Our path is connected Business School and it works like don’t think I will leave or not. If ence anyway. So it’s not easy. You and what do you know? with the way of integration, so this because someone under- I want to go back to work I have are supposed to overcome this, we have to have this experience stood in the end we cannot only plenty of offers. I don’t have no? To show how you can over- S: So you feel you have to take of modern life. make profi t. We have to take care problems in that area. The main come. So you need experience. care of the Dzogchen Commu- So I decided I would like to of people. So they invented this point is I do what is needed now. nity at this point? have important experiences in system and it works. In the US it S: I never heard a teacher say that YN: Of course if I say I recognize my life, not just work 9–5 and works perfectly.” It also worked S: You are the main teacher other before but it probably is more dif- ‘The Three Jewels’, that does not do nothing, have no responsibil- in Europe. I was lucky because than your father? fi cult to be a teacher than to live mean I only recognize the Teach- ity and so on. So as soon as I had my boss was interested in work- YN: No, no. My father is the life. I don’t think regular people er. I have to take care of each one the possibility I started to run as ing with the idea of culture, not teacher. I am only helping. It is would think that. of the three aspects. If I see that fast as possible because I thought really with profi t. different. I am not going around YN: It’s not easy. Imagine if you here there are a few people who maybe one day I have to help, at Also I was invited to do strat- saying I am a teacher, absolutely have four or four thousand stu- need help, I try to come here. Be- least I want to know what life egy with companies, not only for not. If you start doing this then dents. How many things would fore there were two thousand six is. It’s like if someone is saying, technical issues, like how to make the questions arise, like where you need to know? There are hundred people in and “Oh, I don’t like communism or this company alive. Maybe a com- are you, what are you doing, what things that are universal. There there had not been retreats for capitalism”, I had friends who pany was on the market and now is your lineage, what are your are things that are absolute and years until I went there. They had said, “Oh these people are rich it has problems. Of course I was plans for the future, what is your relative and you need to be able problems to organize retreats. with their nice cars, but I don’t in a more technical area, but any- strategy. I am not at all interested to help on both sides. We have a Russia is not an easy country. like these people, they are hor- way, you have to attend a meeting. in this. I try to do something use- dualistic vision. It’s not enough Russia is not easy for permission, rible”, and I said, “Oh yes, I had You arrive at the strategy meeting ful if I see there is some need. If you say, “Oh it’s like this, it’s per- and they are against all religious this nice car and it is better to and there is the president of the there is not anymore need I can fect”, but if I don’t say the right organizations. Now we are try- drive a nice car.” It is up to you company and the owner, mostly live perfectly doing something word for you in this moment, you ing to organize. You see, for ex- to understand the nature of these the owners in the European real- else because it is easier. For sure don’t get what I am saying. We ample, there are one thousand things. It is obvious that to live ity, and they look at you and say, it is easier to work than teach, communicate through language people waiting in Russia and you more comfortably is better, and “And your boss, when is he com- without a doubt. and words; words are limited. cannot go because you do not then you don’t know if you will ing?” “No really it’s me”, you say. Experience is beyond words. Ex- have a visa. So I went there to see always this possibility, so when And then they start to look very S: Why is that and what is easier? perience is something you have what the possibilities are and in you have, to try to enjoy. You en- badly at you. They are thinking, YN: Because when you are teach- to try yourself. It is not that sim- the end we went to this Buddhist joy without thinking and when “This very young man, what does ing you are miserable. This is the ple. You cannot be too young or state in Russia. This is the fi rst you have it. he want?” Anyway I started to main point. At least on this path not have life experience. If your time we had something like that work and after one hour I say yes, it works like this. You need to un- community is made of normal and I was very happy. When we S: Well we have come to the end. but I am married and I have two derstand what the real problem working people, you also need to had this meeting with the presi- Thank you for graciously sharing children and they say, “Ah, this is, what the nature of the prob- have this experience. That is our dent of , the president your time and it will be nice to is already something.” They rec- lem is. How can you understand teacher, our founder, he is not said he was very impressed be- share this with our readers. ognize at least you have some life the nature of the problem with- working now because he retired, cause he never saw a lama work- experience. Then they ask where out having experience? Someone but he worked all his life. There ing. Rinpoche said, “Yes imag- Transcribed by Naomi Zeitz you come from and they realize tells you, “Oh I have this prob- are not many teachers like my fa- ine, for many years people were Edited by Naomi Zeitz & Liz Granger that you are from a mixed culture lem, I lost my parents, I have this ther. He worked all his life and criticizing me because I drove a and that is good and then they problem with my wife, my hus- had so much success. How can car, imagine if they knew I was notice that maybe you drive very band, all this attachment”, how you teach if you don’t know what working and using a laptop on far to get there, and you can man- can you understand this? It is modern life is? You come from line, instead of writing by hand

>> “Titles” continued from page 1 Master asked: “Which is the fi rst discover the whole universe in its I” we must answer: “I am my po- And speaking about animals, went on with an interesting video capacity, most important for fol- totality…”when you discover one, tentiality, my instant presence.” metaphorically speaking, Dzog- of Asia Onlus. lowing Dzogchen Teaching? Re- you discover all” quoted our Jewel That day ended with a moving chen practitioners correspond ply: Your participation”. of Space on the fourth day of the and inspiring video of the story of to eagle category according to Our retreat continued the next retreat. Also, he asked us to train Namgyalgar. In it, Rinpoche said a Semde text. Namkhai Norbu day, starting with Guruyoga of A Rinpoche’s work never ends. He in not following our thoughts, “everything is possible. Maybe a Rinpoche said at the beginning and Song of Vajra. Namkhai Nor- commented that it took him sev- since that is the origin of all our little complicated, but possible”, of the fi fth day of the retreat that bu Rinpoche stressed the impor- eral years, working day and night troubles. Only in the state of In- a quote we should have always in a small eagle is perfect while it is tance of reciting it once and again to copy and revise a commentary stant Presence we will be beyond mind. Later, we could enjoy two inside the egg and when it comes in order to discover through it, of the Dra Thalgyur Tantra, until all mental conditioning, without funny anecdotes of the Master, out it is ready to fl y. In the same our true nature. Also, the connec- it was perfect (and he is still re- changing anything. In this way, it related to the moment of sing- way, the progress of practitioners tion and interest that practitio- vising it). And, what do we work is mind that must obey us and not ing Song of Vajra and its “sum- is very fast, which is different to ners must have in relation to the for? We work in order to discover the other way around. Therefore, moning power” in cows and el- other paths of liberation. So, in Teachings was manifested when our true Nature. In doing so, we when we ask ourselves “who am ephants! >> continued on the following page THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 News

7

Australia Celebrates The Master’s Return Jan Cornall

inpoche’s return to Aus- happened to be an old student of tralia after a six-year ab- Rinpoche’s who was very active Rsence was marked by cel- in the Sydney community in the ebrations across the whole coun- 90’s. One day he woke up to fi nd try. In a timely coincidence Aus- not only his Master staying in his tralia Day was in full swing – a hotel but he was reunited with national holiday which celebrates Vajra brothers and sisters he has the arrival of the fi rst fl eet of Eng- been sorely missing in his life. It lish convicts on 26 January 1788. is strange how far away from one Indigenous Australians call this another we can sometimes feel, day ‘Invasion Day’ as it marks the only to fi nd we are just living in beginning of the destruction of the next suburb. the nomadic tribes, which have After the talk as the public went inhabited this continent for over on their way with ’s 10,000 years. Fittingly that eve- strong words and presence im- ning just below Rinpoche’s bird’s printed in their minds, a bunch nest apartment looking out over of old Sangha friends ended up Darling Harbour, a public con- in China Town eating and drink- cert with Indigenous songs and ing and remembering old times. Rinpoche‘s arrival in Sydney. Photo: P. Kapp dances was projected on a large Mark Farrington (just in from screen hanging over the water. London), Sydney/ Canberra com- the Dzogchen Community video This time Rinpoche said, “As you some one important returns into At 9 o’clock outside Rinpoche’s munity members and organisers: journal – Buriatia, Merigar, Mar- go to sleep, rest in the presence your life it is easy to become re- window, a huge fi reworks display Tony, Twii, Heather, Trevor, Meg, garita Is, Rinpoches travels to of A.” Doh! I got it! I tried it. I had fl ective, maybe even nostalgic and lit up the sky for fi fteen minutes and Jonas (concierge) Alathea, Tibet in 1997, and more. Also a dream, not profound, not lucid, yet when the master arrives again with Fabio recording on video Pamela, myself and others had playing at the bookshop was the but an experience of bliss. An ex- in person every thing wakes up in from the living room. The Sydney much catching up to do – so long awaited video history of perience, aha, that’s something! his presence. Colours are more Gakyil couldn’t have planned a much can happen in six years! . Namgyalgar beautifully woven I will try again tonight and the vibrant, sounds more subtle, better welcome. Next day at the Sydney Univer- together by Graeme Horner and next and the next. And this time taste more exquisite – everything On the Friday night in a sity Village our weekend retreat Lynn Geary. It shows archival I won’t give up and say – “Oh, comes into an intense focus. You grand hall at the Masonic Cen- began. Rinpoche arrived and got footage of Rinpoche’s teachings but it doesn’t work for me.” I will wonder where you have been all tre Rinpoche gave his public talk straight into explaining how we and travels to Australia from the continue until it does! this time, what have you been do- to an attentive crowd. Those of can apply the Dzogchen teach- mid eighties, the buying of the At the end of the teaching as ing with your life, how often you us who haven’t seen our Master ings, expanding on the introduc- land and the development of the we sang the Song of Vajra I re- were present and how much of it since 2003 stood pinching our- tion he had given the previous gar until 2003. membered many other times and you spent distracted, going after selves and hugging old friends. evening and emphasising the On Sunday morning Rinpoche places I had sung this wonderful goals and striving after achieve- Rinpoche’s teaching was strong importance of Guru Yoga. Not explained more about daily prac- song. Most recently at the funeral ments you realise in the end will and powerful, covering the ba- far into the teaching I wrote in tice. He said, “We think when of Carmel Lennon, another long have no lasting value. sics of the , my notes in capitals – HOW YOU someone does one hour of prac- time practitioner we hadn’t seen Without the teacher to remind the difference between Sutra, CAN REALISE? APPLY WHAT THE tice per day that is very good but for many years. She was there in me I sometimes forget and yet Vajrayana and Dzogchen and giv- TEACHER HAS TAUGHT! what about the other twenty- Kyneton in 1989 when we stood it seems the circumstances of ing simple techniques for prac- The importance of this rhe- three hours? We must integrate singing around Rinpoche as he life always bring me back to the tice in daily life, like making a torical question is not lost on me twenty-four hours a day by going sat in a small cave at Hanging practice. When love doesn’t work commitment to simply be pres- and I refl ected on what a joy and into the essence”. Here I wrote Rock. I remember singing it at out, I come back to the practice, ent for one or two hours a day. privilege it is to be reminded per- in capitals: OUR LIFE BECOMES midnight in the gonpa at Nam- when I get a bad review I remem- He also remarked that those who sonally by Rinpoche to apply the PRACTICE! gyalgar at the Millennium New ber the practice, when success come to the Dzogchen teach- practices he so tirelessly teaches He also said “Try to learn the Year when the fi rst web cast went just doesn’t have the same zing ings most certainly have a previ- us year after year. Each time you essence of the teaching, not go- out to the world community. And it once had, I come back to the ous connection with Dzogchen. hear these reminders it seems ing after intellectual study but in 1990 in the smoke fi lled medi- practice. In reality the Master is Many of us I know, who have ar- there is a deepening, as if you are using what we learn. The most cine room at Merigar just before always present in the practice. rived at Dzogchen by accident hearing it for the fi rst time or in a important is Guru Yoga. Wake The Dalai Lama visited. At But when the Master is in resi- or strange coincidence share an different way to before. Some of up with Guru yoga, go to sleep Budhha Dharma in the wild days dence at our gar we come back unmistakeable feeling of hav- us noted afterwards –“Rinpoche with Guru Yoga. Integrate the of endless chod practice around to the practice big time, and we ing arrived home. Of course in is teaching exactly what we want four moments of sitting, stand- blazing bonfi res and long Guru relish the precious moments we Sydney as in other places, many to hear! How did he know this ing, sleeping and eating, then we Dragpur sessions when Rinpoche have with him. We give thanks follow the Master fervently then was my question?” Answer: HE have possibility for realisation.” was recovering from his cancer. he is with us again and we hope drift away into other parts of KNOWS! He explained also in a simple And now we were singing togeth- we can continue to go ahead in a their lives. Some lucky ones how- After lunch Elise Stuchbury way to do practice of the night er again as if it was yesterday. positive and constructive way. ever fi nd that not only the teach- explained the Short Thun to new- and a twenty-four hour dark re- Lucky for us, Rinpoche is in “We go ahead,” Rinpoche said ings but the teacher arrives right comers and following a delicious treat. I’ve read and tried many Australia for three months with as we were taking the hotel lift to back on their doorstep. On this afternoon tea spoke about the times to do the practice of the several retreats planned. There the car that would take him on occasion the hotel concierge international community, while night bringing the A up from will be a lot of reminiscing and the long drive to Namgyalgar. where Rinpoche was staying Tony Laurent showed clips from the heart to the throat and so on. remembering going on. When “We go ahead.”

>> continued from previous page The next morning two beautiful of the primordial state, visions ly hours. I have to mention that The assembly of all these experi- Dzogchen teachings the prin- rainbows crowned the sky, an are not problem, there is no dif- auction collected an important ences in the brief time of a week ciple of Kadag and Lhundrub is omen of the powerful teachings ference between pure vision and amount of money to cover the reaffi rms me in considering that stressed since the beginning: the we were about to receive that day. impure vision, problem is our many needs of the Gar. Finally, the best way to end a year and main point of the teaching is the The four Chogzhag were the main attachment, our attachment is during the closing of the retreat start a new one is a retreat with discovery of our true nature, rath- subject of the sixth day of the re- in ourselves, not outside”… Lat- on the fi rst day of the New Year, Rinpoche and the Vajra brothers er than accumulation of merits treat and, maybe, the hardest to er, after sunset we shared a nice the advices for daily life from and sisters. Infi nite thanks, pre- or purifying. Naturally, Rinpoche understand. They represent the New Year dinner with all practi- the Master, as well as the lungs cious Master, for always trying to said that does not mean these lat- condition of Dharmata. The fi rst tioners and we had the chance to for different practices, arrived as make us open our eyes and “see” ter are not important or neces- three Chogzhags are because we participate in an auction to raise invaluable tools to manage our our real condition! sary, but rather, relative. Equally, have three existences, we need to funds for Tashigar South. It was a relative condition and advance PS. By the way, the title of this re- a Dzogchen practitioner must relax body, speech and mind, all very exciting moment we shared in a practical way toward realiza- treat was “Dzogchen Tregchöd not be interested in building ar- three. The last one is related to vi- with Rinpoche who delighted us tion. In order to celebrate the end Teaching of Jigmed Lingpa from tifi cial compassion. Being in the sions: “When you are in your real with his calligraphy. We received of these Teachings we did a Me- the instruction of Yeshe Lama”. state of Guruyoga is at the same nature, visions good or bad, there 2009 toasting and very happy, dium Ganapuja, followed imme- time supreme purifi cation and are no any differences, both are with folk songs typical of some diately by a lottery, full of fun and Translation: Regina Robles true compassion. visions… visions are ornaments countries and dancing until ear- surprises. THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 ASIA

8

mulate heat in order to heat the ASIA’s projects in Tibet: rooms and the classrooms. At the moment there are 70 Perspectives for 2009 students and several teachers, Andrea Dell’Angelo two who come from Ten- Director of ASIA Onlus zin Namdak’s college in Nepal. After checking all the work ecember 2008: almost 10 of the health project fi nanced by we prepared the second phase of months after the tragic the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the project – which we hope to be Devents in Lhasa, we re- which had been suspended since able to complete during 2009 – to turned to the Tibetan autono- May because of the disorders that build the kitchen, refectory, of- mous Region and Amdo. took place in Lhasa and in all the fi ces and a separate building with The main aims of the mission areas inhabited by the Tibetan 9 rooms to be used for practic- were to meet the ASIA staff – Ti- minority. The local authorities ing the most esoteric teachings betan and ex-patriot – who had had refused to renew the permits linked to Dzogchen. remained there during this ex- for our staff, which had had to re- We collected all the documen- tremely diffi cult period, monitor turn to Italy. Once we were in Lha- tation in order to start up a dis- the projects that were underway, sa we managed to obtain authori- tance support project for all the verify new projects to present to zation for them and the medical students at the college who will donors for 2009 and verify the fu- coordinator arrived in Chamdo attend the study and practice ture of ASIA’s projects in China on December 1st to start up ac- courses for nine years. with the authorities. tivities again involving training The scholastic perspectives of The impact on Lhasa is very and furnishing equipment to the the village, however, are very dif- Singkhri. sad to see. clinics of the district and to the fi cult. As soon as we got to the In recent years the city has suf- villages in the county. school we discovered that the county school. We tried to con- ter having gathered together of- fered more drastic moderniza- Unfortunately due to the great government authorities intended vince them to leave the Dongche fers and estimates, we fi nalized tion and destruction. Old Tibetan tensions that continue to exist to close the Dongche School – middle school, too, but up to the contract with a printing press houses have been destroyed and in all regions and to the new re- the fi rst school built by ASIA and now we haven’t succeeded and in Tienjin for the publication of their place taken by buildings pressive measures of the Chinese inaugurated by Namkhai Norbu meetings and negotiations are the entire 240,000 volumes. The in modern Chinese style. The government, we were not able Rinpoche in 1997. still under way. printing work should be fi nished strongest impression was to see to monitor some of the ongo- In recent months, in Hainan It is important to remember, by June 2009 and then the texts Lhasa completely under military ing projects in the eastern areas prefecture the government has for example, that this year one will be distributed to 160 Nying- control. Soldiers, roadblocks, of the Tibetan Autonomous Re- drawn up and is putting into of the Tibetan students from mapa colleges in Sichuan, Qing- soldiers posted on the roofs, ar- gion. operation a new policy for ed- Dongche who has followed all hai, Gansu and Tar. moured cars in the heart of the Leaving Lhasa we went to Xin- ucating the Tibetan minority the courses from the nursery At the same time, we veri- sacred city are something diffi - ing where one of the most impor- called the “Combining Educa- up to the middle school at this fi ed the start of a second project cult to get used to. tant seats of ASIA is located and tion Policy”. This reform plans to school and then attended sec- with Sangkhri monastery, again The hotels and restaurants started our mission to Amdo. eliminate all the Tibetan village ondary school at Gonghe, with fi nanced by the Dutch Embassy, are empty and there are very few We left for Dongche where schools and to group all the stu- distance support through ASIA, which plans to construct a build- Chinese and Western tourists. ASIA has built a primary and dents from the primary, middle won fi rst prize as the best student ing with 10 classrooms for cours- Discontent, fear and frustration middle school, a Tibetan medi- and secondary schools in a small in the whole of Qinghai province es and 12 rooms to accommodate number of schools. The prima- and has been admitted to the uni- the 300 students who are regis- ry schools will be concentrated versity of Peking. This student is tered at Sangkhri College. Even at the district level, the middle not the only one to have obtained this project that should have start- schools at the county level and excellent results and many stu- ed in May 2008 had been blocked the secondary schools in the pre- dents from Dongche have ob- up to December and fi nally now fecture capitals. The schools will tained brilliant results thanks to after various meetings and after be large barracks with 2000/3000 the training courses organized having prepared the new archi- students, housed in enormous by ASIA. This is proof that these tectural designs is in the phase of modern buildings devoid of any types of schools work and guar- starting and should be complet- type of historical, cultural or en- antee a modern education in a ed by December 2009. vironmental context. rural environment and are ac- Another very important proj- The aim, so they say, is to give cessible to all students whether ect is the clinic of Ane Kandroma, equal opportunities to all stu- from farming families or nomad- a famous lady doctor and Master dents and to improve the quality ic ones. who lives near Lake Kokonor. of education. But actually, the re- Then we went on to Tongde Here, several years ago, ASIA sults will be to bring up the new where ASIA has been working built a traditional clinic special- generations far from their cultur- for several years with the Nying- izing in medicinal baths. Since Derge school. al and family surroundings. It is mapa monastery of Sangkhri to Ane Kandroma was very well unthinkable that the culture and publish all the texts used at the known in this area, the number were the feelings that we met ev- cine clinic and, in 2008, the fi rst traditions of a people such as the study colleges of this school. of patients immediately began ery day when meeting old friends Bonpo study and practice college Tibetan people can be transmit- The fi rst phase of this project to grow and required enlarging or walking in the streets. in Hainan prefecture. The col- ted and preserved only through was concluded at the end of 2007 the clinic and accommodation In Lhasa we started up a lege was completed in September scholastic teaching. The culture with the publication of 3000 sets for the health staff. The second three-year health project jointly and, thanks to the contribution of a people is transmitted from of twenty volumes each, for a to- phase of the project was pre- fi nanced by the European Union. of the Dutch Embassy, ASIA has the fi rst days of life by living in tal of 60,000 volumes which were sented to donors and fi nanced The project will provide three constructed a building with 14 one’s own cultural ambient, ob- distributed to students from the in May 2008. Unfortunately the year training for medical staff rooms for 72 students, one with serving, learning and experienc- Nyingmapa colleges in Qinghai local government decided that from Panam County in Shigatse 12 rooms for the teachers and ing one’s own customs and tradi- and Sichuan. all the buildings near the lake prefecture. older students and another with tions handed down in the course Seeing the success of this ini- had to be destroyed. We do not The fact that we obtained au- 6 classrooms for courses which of centuries, from generation to tiative and the requests coming know when and we do not know thorization for our expatriate will last nine years and will cov- generation. from all the regions in China if owners who will be expropri- staff and for starting up activities er subjects ranging from gram- Of course we tried to get them inhabited by Tibetans, a second ated will receive indemnity. Due for this important project meant mar to astrology and medicine, to change the decisions made phase of the project for the pub- to this uncertain situation, the a great success at this particular study of the , Tantras and about Dongche. After numerous lication of 12,000 sets for a to- second phase of the project was time in which most international Dzogchen. meetings with the authorities of tal of 240,000 volumes was pre- not started and through meet- organizations have been forced All the buildings have been the county they decided that the sented to the Dutch embassy and ings and discussions ASIA has to leave the country. constructed using techniques Dongche School would not be fi nanced in May 2008. Unfor- been trying to obtain permission In Chamdo prefecture in the that is energy saving and that closed and would remain a pri- tunately, up to now, we had not from the government to rebuild Tibetan Autonomous Region, make use of bio-architecture; mary school. The middle school managed to start up the project the clinic in another area and to we also restarted the activities with solar walls which accu- students will be transferred to the again and fi nally in December af- >> continued on the following page THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 ASIA

9

are 66 nuns who live in retreat Long Distance Sponsorship ly or by check made out to “ASIA” Khamdogar Project for long periods without contact ASIA has started a program of and sent to: Update with the outer world. Sponsorship at a Distance for the ASIA, Post Offi ce Box 124, At present, because of the dif- 66 nuns who live in retreat at De- Conway, MA 01341-0124 USA. fi cult situation in Tibet, the en- drol Gonpa. If you would like to help History tire complex of Khamdogar is in The objective is to contribute spread the work about these hamdogar is an ancient ruins and the local people live in to maintaining all 66 nuns by projects, please request Kham- community of practitio- conditions of extreme poverty. 2008. This objective has been dogar brochures and/or a copy of Kners founded by Ring- Concerned about this situa- met, thanks to all of you who the Khamdogar DVD by emailing dzin Changchub Dorje, the mas- tion, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu have become new sponsors. [email protected]. ter of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche asked Tsegyalgar East Thank you! We are sending brochures and Rinpoche, in the early 1900s. and ASIA to help this community However, 19 of these sponsor- the DVD to each North American Ringdzin Changcub Dorje, a in order to preserve the Teach- ships are temporary and we need You can make a donation local Gakyil and practice group. Dzogchen master and a famous ings transmitted by his Master to fi nd individual sponsors for securely and easily via paypal: We encourage you to share this Terton (discoverer of treasures) and provide aid to the practitio- these people by the end of 2010. 1) Go to www.paypal.com information with anyone you lived in this place with his family ners there. We continue to fund raise for 2) Log in or open a new account. think might be interested in help- working as a doctor and trans- the other aspects of the project. 3) Click on “Send Money” tab at ing with these projects. mitted his Teachings in a com- Activities top of page. pletely informal manner without 1) Building a small study and What you can do 4) Send money to asia-usa@ Thank you very much for your creating monasteries or religious practice college. Estimated cost Make a Tax Deductible Donation tsegyalgar.org collaboration and many tashi deleks structures. Over the years monks $ 71,533 USD. You can contribute with a do- to you. and lay people came together 2) Construction of an aqueduct. nation to the construction work, Become a Sponsor ASIA America board members around him in order to receive Estimated cost $ 55,636 USD. for which fund-raising has al- With $ 300 USD per year you can and staff his Teachings and practice, cre- 3) Restoration of the old temple ready begun. provide food, basic medical as- ating a lay community to which where the Chorten of Rigdzin Receive a genuine quartz crystal sphere sistance, educational materials Association for International Sol- each person contributed his or Changchub Dorje is preserved. with the longsal symbol engraved and everything necessary for a idarity in ASIA, Inc. her work. Estimated cost 463,594 USD. within, for making a donation ($ 150 nun to have a decent life within ASIA, Post Offi ce Box 124, Near Khamdogar, in an area 4) Restoration of the printing minimum) or by starting a sponsor- the monastery. Right now, these Conway, MA 01341-0124 USA called Dedrol, there is a cave in house (The original woodblocks ship now! practitioners do not have enough Phone: 413.369.4153, which Atha Lhamo, the daughter of Changchub Dorje’s Dogchen Each sphere comes with a light base food and their health is in very Fax: 413.369.4473 of Master Changchub Dorje, lived teachings are stored here – the that emits rainbow lights throughout poor condition. You can make [email protected] and practiced. After a long period roof is falling in and water threat- the crystal. payments according to your cir- www.asia-ngo.org/en/ of inactivity due to the Cultural ens to damage the contents) and cumstances such as: automatic Revolution, the nuns have man- the Chortens built by Rigdzin monthly bank drafts of $25 each, aged to build a small monastery Changchub Dorje. payment by credit card through and take up their spiritual activi- Estimated cost $ 55,636 USD. PayPal in full/biannually/quarter- ties again. At the moment there

Oct. 23–30 Upcoming Retreats with Shitro Khordas Rangdrol Retreat Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Spain >> continued from page 1 Nov. 13–17 Dzogchen Teaching Retreat Venezuela Dec. 4–11 Dzogchen Longsal Longde Teaching Retreat Dec. 26–January 3 Tsedrub Chüdlen Retreat

Khiugmo.

>> continued from previous page of sanitary conditions for the lo- uprisings or disorders, the Chi- make them pay indemnity. Up to cal population. In spite of the nese government has deployed a today, we have not been able to diffi cult situation, we managed huge military machine. fi nd a solution, but we hope that to complete the fi rst two build- In spite of this, ASIA will con- in March the project will fi nally ings of the Derge School and tinue its humanitarian, peaceful be able to start. during this period we bought and non-political commitment ASIA is still managing a lot of all the equipment for the class- in favour of the Tibetan people ongoing projects in Qinghai and rooms and the dormitories. Then who today more than ever need other projects should start up in the equipment was transported your support. the course of 2009. To that end from Chengdu to Derge and de- we have met with all the authori- livered to Khembo Sonam who is Rome, January 2009 ties in Qinghai who have assured in charge of the school. us that ASIA is very respected at 2009 will be a very complicat- ASIA Onlus the local level and that the proj- ed year for Tibet, for the Tibetan Via San Martino della Battaglia 31 ects are welcomed and will be people and for the non-govern- 00185 Rome, Italy able to continue without prob- mental organizations that work Tel +39.06.44340034 lems. in these areas. This year there Fax +39.06.44702620 During this mission it was not are three anniversaries: the cel- [email protected] possible to get to Derge because ebration of the 60th year after www.asia-ngo.org the entire prefecture of Ganze the long march of 1949, the 50th was closed to foreigners. For this anniversary of the insurrection reason ASIA had to close two im- in Lhasa and the fl ight of the portant projects – the sanitary Dalai Lama from Tibet, and the project fi nanced by the Italian 20th anniversary of the massa- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and cre of Tiananmen Square. As the a project for creating 10 water month of March slowly draws systems in 10 villages in Derge nearer the tensions are growing county and for the improvement and with the aim of preventing THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Shang Shung Institute

10

The international Shang Shung We also would like to offer Shang Shung Institute Institute has spent about 45,000 you some really wonderful and Euro for the Ka-ter Translation unique items. On the website of Report from 2008 Project, and about 20,000 Euro the Shang Shung Institute Aus- Oliver Leick for the Public Books Project. tria you will fi nd several Donation In 2008 the international Shang Packages with marvelous and 008 has ended and we Shung Institute spent a huge extraordinary statues. We offer would like to give you a amount of money for the trans- statues that have never been seen 2short report of the activi- lation, the editing, the produc- or made available in the West be- ties related to translations and tion and the publication of books fore, like statues of Changchub publications: for the public and the Dzogchen Dorje, Adzom Drugpa, Jigmed · In 2008 we published three · In autumn 2008 the latest book translation of the book “Light of Community. These activities Lingpa, , Vajrapani, books for the public, the book from the Longsal series, “Long- Kailash, Vol. I”. Now the text is in could only take place with the Dorje Yudronma or Yutog Gonpa. “Birth, Life and Death” in Eng- sal Vol. 8”, was published. the process of editing and hope- support of everybody. We have the wonderful and huge lish and in Italian. The third · Our main translators – Elio fully will be published by spring In order to be able to contin- statue of Yab/ book “Longchenpa’s advice from Guarisco, Adriano Clemente and 2009. ue our work we need your sup- Yum in stock again. If you would the heart” has just gone to press Jim Valby – met several times and · This year work on the book “Yan- port. The Shang Shung Institute like to receive one of our unique and is now available. continued their translation work tra Yoga – the Tibetan Yoga of is working on many different statues as a present for your do- · In summer 2008 we held the on the Mejung Tantra. This text Movement” was completed and projects and we are active for the nation, please have a look, check fourth Training for Translators should be published in the sec- Snow Lion Publications fi nally preservation of Tibetan culture in it out and enjoy. from Tibetan at Merigar. We of- ond half of 2009. published the book in November. various fi elds. You may fi nd a really exquisite fered two classes, one for begin- · Elio Guarisco completed his work · At the beginning of 2008 Nancy Please join our activities also gift for a friend or for yourself. ners and one for more advanced on Rinpoche’s new book about Simmons became the new editor in the future by dona- students with Prof. Fabian Sand- “Moxa”; this book should be pub- for the Public Books Project and tions or by becoming a member Oliver Leick ers leading both classes. lished in the fi rst half of 2009. is working editing the books. of the Shang Shung Institute. Shang Shung Institute · Donatella Rossi has worked in a very concentrated way on the

same year. It is not renewed au- · a very nice and useful time · a very nice and useful time Membership in the international tomatically. Ordinary members scheduler for 2009 called TEAM- scheduler for 2009 called TEAM- Shang Shung Institute have the right to attend the annu- WORK (25,5 x 17,5 cm); WORK (25,5 x 17,5 cm); al general assembly of members. · a luxury ballpoint pen of the SSI; · a beautiful leather notepad of Become part of the responsibility Each ordinary member receives · free mailing of these gifts to ev- the SSI; · a crystal with the logo of the erywhere in the world; · a calculator of the SSI; he international Shang The preliminary membership is a Shang Shung Institute printed · full access to our web shop. · full access to the web shop; Shung institute is dedi- limited membership and no com- inside or the “Merigar Calendar” Please make your choice! · free mailing of these gifts to ev- T cated to the preservation mitments regarding the Shang for 2009/2010; In order to receive restricted ma- erywhere in the world. of Tibetan culture. You can share Shung Institute are being taken · a luxury ballpoint pen of the SSI; terial of our web shop one has to Please make your choice! In or- our engagement and commit- with this membership. This kind · free mailing of these gifts to ev- be an actual member of the inter- der to receive restricted material ment so become member of the of membership is just a manda- erywhere in the world; national Dzogchen Community of our web shop one has to be Institute and help us. As a mem- tory requirement to purchase any · full access to our web shop. and one must have received the an actual member of the interna- ber you have access to all our of the products offered by the In order to receive restricted ma- transmission of the Master. tional Dzogchen Community and products and activities, you sup- Shang Shung Institute. terial of our web shop one has to Price of the membership: one must have received the trans- port the institutional mission of The membership lasts from be an actual member of the inter- 108 € or 160 US $ mission of the Master. the Institute, and you will also your fi rst purchase until the 31st national Dzogchen Community Price of the membership: contribute to make the unique of December of the same year. It and one must have received the Meritorious membership 2009 360 € or 500 US $ treasure box of intrinsic wisdom is not renewed automatically. transmission of the Master. The membership lasts from your and understanding of Tibetan Actual members of the inter- Price of the membership: payment of the membership-fee You can get your membership in people accessible also for future national Dzogchen-Community 50 € or 70 US $ until the 31st of December of the the webshop of the SSI Austria, generations. do not need to get this prelimi- same year. It is not renewed auto- the webshop of the SSI Italy, or We offer four different kinds of nary membership. The free ac- Sustaining membership 2009 matically. Meritorious members the webshop of the SSI USA. In membership (the prices in dollars cess to the web shop of the Shang The membership lasts from your have the right to attend the annu- each of these webshops you can apply to the North- American us- Shung Institute is a free service to payment of the membership-fee al general assembly of members. pay with your credit card on our ers): all actual members of the Inter- until the 31st of December of the Each meritorious member receives web safe sites. 1. Preliminary Membership: national Dzogchen Community. same year. It is not renewed au- · 10% discount on all courses and 5 € or $ 7 In order to receive restricted ma- tomatically. Sustaining members seminars of the ISSI; The staff of the international 2. Ordinary Membership: terial of our web shop one has to have the right to attend the annu- · a crystal with the SSI-logo print- Shang Shung Institute wishes 50 € or US $ 70 be an actual member of the inter- al general assembly of members. ed inside or the “Merigar Calen- you all a very happy and prosper- 3. Sustaining Membership: national Dzogchen Community Each sustaining member receives dar” for 2009/2010; ous new year and many TASHI 108 € or US $ 160 and one must have received the · a crystal with the logo of the · a crystal with the A printed in- DELEGS! 4. Meritorious Membership: transmission of the Master. Shang Shung Institute printed side; 360 € or US $ 500 Price of the membership: inside OR the “Merigar Calen- · one item – CD, DVD (produced Very best wishes, 5 € or 7 US $ dar” for 2009/2010; by the SSI), or books (produced by Oliver Leick Preliminary membership 2009 · one item – a CD, or a DVD (pro- Shang Shung Edizioni) – from our on behalf of the international In order to be able to purchase Ordinary membership 2009 duced by the SSI), or a book (pro- website of your choice for free; Shang Shung Institute some items from our shop one The membership lasts from your duced by Shang Shung Edizioni) · a luxury ballpoint pen of the SSI; www.shangshhunginstitute.org must be member of the interna- payment of the membership-fee – from our website of your choice tional Shang Shung Institute. until the 31st of December of the for free;

After getting a Bachelor of Sci- cal Text (Gyud shi) Translation 2nd Day: Menopause and its care in with tea break from 16,15 to 16,45 The International Shang Shung ence degree at Delhi University, Department” of Dharamsala in Tibetan Medicine Location: Merigar West Institute of Tibetan Studies Doctor Namdol Lhamo sat for an May 2008, where she is currently 3rd Day: Osteoporosis and its care in Program: organizes entrance examination and was se- working together with other fi ve Tibetan Medicine 1st Day: Understanding of three prin- lected to attend a fi ve-year course doctors. Registration fee: 150 euro ciple energies or humors (nye-pas) and Two Tibetan of Traditional Tibetan Medicine Please register by April 15th at: their etiology at the Tibetan Medical and As- Geriatrics, menopause and courses@ 2nd Day: Seven unique psychophysi- Medicine Courses trological College of Dharamsala osteoporosis in Tibetan medicine shangshunginstitute.org cal nature (7 rang- bzhin) and intro- on the following Subjects: from 1998 to 2003. After a year Date: April 24th–26th Tel:+39 0564966940 duction on pulse examination Geriatrics, menopause and osteoporo- of internship at Men-tsee-khang Timetable: 10 am–13 pm 3rd Day: Practice on determining sis in Tibetan medicine and an Intro- branch clinics in Delhi and By- with tea break from 11,15 to 11,45 Introduction to the three humors, your unique personality and, diet and duction to the three humors, the seven lakuppe, she attained a Bache- 3 pm–6 pm the seven types of personalities behavior types of personalities or nature and lor’s Degree in Tibetan Medicine with tea break from 16,15 to 16,45 or nature and their diet and Registration fee: 150 euro their diet and behavior (Menpa Kachupa) in 2004. Then Location: Merigar West behavior Please register by 25th April to: April & May 2009 she worked as consultant Doc- Program: Date: May 1st–3rd courses@ Led by Doctor Namdol Lhamo tor in Bangalore and neighbor- 1st Day: Geriatric care in Tibetan Timetable: 10 am–13 pm shangshunginstitute.org ing places for about 4 years, until Medicine with tea break from 11,15 to 11,45 Tel:+39 0564966940 she was recruited by the “Medi- 3 pm–6 pm THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Books

11

ways, they would not be able to within the frame of being aware it, no matter what tradition it be- Longchenpa’s do anything else. This is not true. and undistracted. If we are dis- longs to. We can do everything when we tracted we will encounter many Some people pay exaggerated Advice from the are present, even work. Actually, problems. Some people, feeling attention to names and titles of Heart if we are present it is much bet- they have a modern outlook, say teachings. In reality all teachings Chögyal Namkhai Norbu ter because we do our work more they are attracted to Dzogchen are relative in the sense that, if at precisely. Problems arise when because the Dzogchen principle a certain moment of our life we we are distracted. For example, if is not linked to pujas, or chant- need them we apply them. If we Transcribed and edited by Elio we are distracted while preparing ing in a religious style, and they don’t need them we don’t apply Guarisco a meal, when we cut the meat we dislike chanting and so on. It is them. For example, people who Shang Shung Institute 2008 may also cut a fi nger. important to recognize these at- are agitated need to coordinate There are different ways in titudes. their energy; others who are ill The teaching that follows is an excerpt which we can practice, in a ritual If one wants to follow need to overcome their illness; from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s in- way or in a more simple way, but Dzogchen, one must be com- still others who are affected by troduction to Longchenpa’s Advice the crucial point is to be present. pletely free, unconditioned by negative provocations need to from the Heart published recently When being present we should opinions; only then can one dis- get rid of them. In these cases, by Shang Shung Institute. also relax because if we are not cover one’s real nature and deal we must apply certain practices and more, we may be able to re- relaxed we charge ourselves up with every situation. It does not in order to overcome these prob- The Path: the Essence of the main for some minutes, then and this leads to an accumulation matter if a practice involves chant- lems: these are relative practices. Practice for some hours, thus becoming of tension. Accumulation of ten- ing, a rite or a religious form. It is When we need them and we have he Path refers to the Dzogchen yogins. sion is the cause of many prob- up to us, if we wish to participate the transmission, we can apply knowledge that arises in To be a Dzogchen yogin is to lems. When we are present we in it or not. It is not indispensable them. We have a nice example to T us upon the discovery of no longer be conditioned. Al- can discover the roots of prob- that everything we do in terms of illustrate this point. If you have a our real nature. At the moment though one lives a normal life, lems such as attachment and practice be strictly in accord with raincoat that you like very much of discovering one’s real nature, one dwells in the state of instant fear. Thus, it is very important Buddhist tradition. We can in- for its color or cut, you wear it certainly there is no difference presence, one’s real nature. Even that we try to apply the practice tegrate all kinds of traditions if when it rains. If you were to use between oneself and Samantab- if, at the beginning, we have no with an emphasis on the essence they are necessary and prove to this raincoat when it is not rain- hadra. But Samantabhadra capacity to remain in a state of in- of the practice. be useful. But integration does ing just because you like it, peo- dwells permanently in that state, stant presence, at least we should When practice is mentioned, not mean taking something from ple would consider you strange. while we remain in that state only not be distracted. Our problem is some people immediately con- here and something from there, It is not a sensible thing to do. for two seconds or so and then that we are always distracted. For ceive it as chanting mantras or and creating a mixture by putting It would mean you do not know immediately fall into dualistic vi- that reason the advice is given praying. These are also aspects of these different things together. how to work with circumstances. sion. Therefore, we need to apply to always be aware, to be pres- practice. Others have the oppo- That amounts to creating con- Relative practice means that we the practice in order to slowly de- ent. Being present also enhances site attitude; they are attracted to fusion not integration. Integra- use it when we need it, and thus velop our capacity. our capacity for presence, till at a the Dzogchen teaching because tion means that fi rst we have dis- it is benefi cial for us.  At the beginning, we may certain point one can be present they think in Dzogchen there covered our real nature and dwell dwell in our real potentiality or continuously twenty-four hours is nothing to do and one can be in it. Now we are in the center of real nature for fi ve or ten seconds at a time. free. It is true in Dzogchen there our total dimension; if we need in a period of twenty-four hours. Some people think that if they is no obligation to do anything in something we can make use of Then, applying the practice more were to maintain presence al- particular. One is totally free, but

explains how the social and spiri- the teachings that he has received Twelve Step Buddhist tual sides of these systems work. whether in the Meeting Room or Darren Littlejohn Finally he offers a Primer on Bud- the Gonpa. I have encountered dhism itself in one chapter. several other attempts along Beyond Words Publishing these lines and the sad fact is 20827 NW Cornell Road, Suite 500 The core of the book is Mr. Little- that the writer often presents an Hillsboro, OR 97124 john’s review of each of the 12 arrogance for having out grown http://www.beyondword.com Steps, offering explanation of the lesser vehicle for the higher, 503-531-8700 Phone the working of the Step and then more esoteric one. Never is that 503-531-8773 Fax tracing the Buddhist principles intent or tone present and as that are present. This allows an such it make this book infi nitely individual to integrate and deep- more readable and useful. It is K. B. Heaney en the understanding of the Step quite clear that Mr. Littlejohn has process and to fi nd unity in these traveled the road, hit the bottom, t is quite an honor to review deep underneath is a desire for systems. He provides the reader paid his dues and most impor- Mr. Littlejohn’s book. I have spiritual essence. In the second with specifi c Tibetan perspec- tantly reaped the rewards from I not met the gentleman but and larger part of the book, he tive on the core concepts to the dedication and commitment to am quite taken with his words offers a text that quite artfully by the Fellowship of Alcoholics Step and to the overall 12-Step using these systems to transform and thoughts. I am qualifi ed to blends the practice of the Twelve Anonymous) to permit an escape systems. He provides guided himself. write this piece as one who is Steps and Buddhist thoughts and from the hell state of addiction. meditations, inner dialogues and something of an authority on the activity. Mr. Littlejohn experi- explorations for each of the 12 I not only recommend it, but I treatment of chemical depen- ences suffering and then fi nds a The reader follows in the next Steps. will try to implement it in my dency and as a dedicated student way to turn the wheel and gen- movement in the Author’s life, hospital, where I am the Clini- of the 12 Step Methodology and erously offers to share this with as he relapses and resumes the It is hard to imagine that the cal Director, and into my private (with more than a little embar- the world. A patient who saw the path of recovery that leads him reader, no matter what level of practice. rassment I admit to being) a me- book in my offi ce remarked “Lit- through a host of attempts to experience or expertise in 12- diocre practitioner of Buddhism tlejohn should have written it in a build a spiritual life, from the Step or Buddhism, would not be In a letter written in 1961, shortly and Dzogchen. Which is to say shorter form so I could get to the self-help rooms to the enriched and benefi t from a close before his death, Dr. Jung wrote that I am familiar personally, in- good part right away. I can’t wait cushion and fi nally up to Chögyal reading and employment of the to the co-founder of Alcohol- tellectually and clinically with the for relief.” Namkhai Norbu, his Root Guru. multitude of practices that Mr. ics Anonymous, Bill Wilson. subject of the text. Littlejohn has provided. The text He congratulated Wilson on the Mr. Littlejohn has accomplished The book has several chapters allows the reader to deepen un- achievement of the AA society In a classical piece of apocrypha a rather remarkable literary feat that increase the reader’s knowl- derstanding of these two systems and stated that he had always felt from the oral history annals of with this volume. He has told an edge base on the enormous top- and see how much connection that humans sought union on the the World of Addiction/Recovery, intimate and personal account of ics of the book. Mr. Littlejohn exists between the two methods. deepest level. In the Dzogchen it has been stated that the Swiss his own life and the development explains the cost and complexity tradition this might be called the psychiatrist-mystic, Carl Jung, of addiction and his efforts to of addiction in a manner that is I was somewhat skeptical of any non-dual state, beyond hope and described alcoholism as a low achieve recovery. In the process compassionate and comprehen- author’s ability to maintain un- fear, the release from the dream level search for God. This may he explains his use of the systems sive for a book of this size. He derstanding, respect and appre- and distraction. This would seem not have been Jung’s words but of change through 12 Steps and informs the reader of the cur- ciation for both the 12-Step and to be the point where the roads of it does provide an apt description Buddhism. Mr. Littlejohn allows rent understanding of the ad- Buddhist systems. This is the the 12 Steps and Buddhism join. I of the text. Darren Littlejohn does the reader to understand the dire diction process and what differ- heart of the challenge for such a believe that The 12-Step Buddhist two remarkable things in this and bleak life that he was brought ent treatments are available. He cross-cultural examination. Mr. will help others to reach that book. First he offers a travelogue to by his substance use and how next looks critically at 12-Step Littlejohn is more than up for place. though the dark region of ego, he came to use the spiritual sys- (AA, NA, etc), the strengths and this type of task. His writing ex- alcohol, self and drugs, where tem of the 12 Steps (fi rst created weakness of this approach. He presses a genuine gratitude for THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

12 West Merigar West Merigar Arcidosso 58031 phone: 39 0564 966837 merigaroffi [email protected] GR Italy fax: 39 0564 968110 www.dzogchen.it

April 10–13 May 7–10 August 24–31 Green Tara retreat with 21 Invocations Santi Maha Sangha First Level course July Teachers’ Training of Yantra Yoga Calendar and Ozer Chenmo practice With Jakob Winkler July 1–5 With Fabio Andrico and Laura Evangelisti With Costantino Albini Yantra Yoga Third and Fourth Series of Events May 16–17 With Tiziana Gottardi supervised by August 28–30 April 17–22 Yantra Yoga: the Second series Laura Evangelisti Gomadevi explanation and practice Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and Pranayama retreat 2009 Dzogchen Teaching Retreat With Tiziana Gottardi July 8–12 With Enzo Terzano Namgyalgar, Australia – open webcast Dance of the Song of the Vajra May 15–19 Advanced Course with September March April 17–22 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu practice September 15–20 March 16–21 Dance of Song of the Vajra Dzogchen Teaching Retreat With Prima Mai Dance of the Song of the Vajra Chögyal Namkhai Norbu revision course Moscow, Russia – open webcast advanced course Dzogchen Teaching Retreat With a local teacher July 16–19 With Adriana Dal Borgo Caloundra, Australia – open webcast May 23–24 Xitro explanation and practice retreat April 24–26 Course of Santi Maha Sangha With Nina Robinson September 25–October 1 March 21–22 Tibetan Medicine course Base Level Dance of the Song of the Vajra Anniversary of Ayu Khandro Geriatrics, menopause and Guide to study and practice of the July 24–27 course part 2 Worldwide Day for Dance of the Vajra osteoporosis in Tibetan medicine Second part of The Precious Vase Yantra Yoga First and Second series Dance of the Song of the Vajra Retreat With Dr. Namdol Lhamo With Costantino Albini in-depth course October With Laura Evangelisti October 2–10 March 27–29 April 25–26 May 27–31 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Gomadevi and Dance of the Vajra Course of Santa Maha Sangha Base Chögyal Namkhai Norbu August Dzogchen Teaching Retreat practice retreat Chapter 5 of The Precious Vase Dzogchen Teaching Retreat August 1–8 With Enzo Terzano With Costantino Albini Cologne, Germany – open webcast First Level Teachers’ Training of October 23–30 Dance of the Vajra Chögyal Namkhai Norbu April May June With Adriana Dal Borgo and Prima Mai Dzogchen Teaching Retreat April 3–5 May 1-3 June 1–11 Course of the Dance of the Six Spaces Chod practice retreat Mandarava practice and Tsalung retreat August 10–16 With a local teacher With Elio Guarisco With Nina Robinson Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Dzogchen Teaching Retreat April 10–15 May 1–3 June 12–21 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Tibetan Medicine course Chögyal Namkhai Norbu August 17–22 Dzogchen Teaching Retreat The 7 types of personality & balancing Dzogchen Teaching Retreat Dance of the Song of the Vajra Namgyalgar, Australia – open webcast the humours through diet and behaviour Merigar East, Romania – open webcast course part 1 With Dr. Namdol Lhamo With Margit Martinu with supervision

Upcoming: Explanation and practice retreat of the Short Thun of the Inner Practice of Guru Jñanadhakini Gomadevi combined with the Dance of the Song of Vajra Led by Enzo Terzano 27–29 March 2009 Requirements: having received the ini- tiation of Gomadevi or Jñanadhakini, or having received the transmission of the Mantra of the Essence (also via webcast). The course is also open to those who don’t know the Vajra Dance and intend to practice Gomadevi. The course is free. Photo: L. Graf * planations on how to approach Kunye course Introduction to the study of the Base in a correct way Photo: L. Dumcheva with short practice sessions on at Merigar SMS Base the 7 Semdzin. He outlined the Song T. Park tails, giving and receiving fan- richness of Kunye methods and Paolo Ferraro general principles of “The Pre- tastic massages throughout the the variety of techniques provide cious Vase” and stressed the im- Kunye course was held course. We all felt more balanced the possibility to heal, balance bout twenty practitioners portance of understanding the at Merigar from January and energetic toward the end of and alleviate many disorders of followed this introductory sense of the SMS that goes far be- A2nd through 9th of this the course. Everything was taken body and mind through regula- Acourse to the study of the yond simple intellectual under- new year 2009. There were eight care of and very well organized. tion of energy. Base of Santi Maha Sangha led standing. In fact, the intellectual participants. Most of them had All of us expressed our intention We all hope that Kunye cours- by Fabio Maria Risolo in Merigar effort that is required to learn the already studied and practiced to further our knowledge and es will continue to develop to West from January 16 to 18. Al- contents of “The Precious Vase” Tibetan Kunye massage before. practice and requested to have benefi t all those who will be able though at the beginning the stu- is not an end in itself but a means Seven participants graduated and intensive Kunye study camps to have a wonderful opportunity dents were a little apprehensive to understand the extraordinary received Diplomas of the Kunye sometime in the future. We were to experience Tibetan culture and of the complexity of some of the signifi cance of the Dzogchen International School (Traditional very glad to have this opportuni- the healing methods of Tibetan philosophical concepts that they Teaching. Tibetan Massage School of the ty to deepen our knowledge and Medicine. We all felt deep grati- had to understand and learn, Heartfelt thanks to Fabio for Shang Shung Institute). Aldo practical understanding of this tude to our Master, for making they gradually became more and encouraging us to go ahead in Oneto did an excellent job teach- marvelous system. this possible by creating Shang more courageous and started to our study of the Base! ing this course. Having had studied many dif- Shung Institute and founding the take the initiative thanks to Fa- He impressed all of us by ferent systems of healing and Dzogchen Community. bio’s way of explaining simply both his deep knowledge and massage, I was very impressed and clearly. Fabio alternated ex- very modest and caring way of and fully appreciated the subtle- relating. All of us had a very nice ty, complexity and effectiveness time, learning Kunye in great de- of this massage. The amazing THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

13 MerigarWest

mitting us his teaching with sac- Ship” and from “You are the eyes Swept up by a rifi ce, compassion and devotion, of the world”, a Dzogchen text now is the time for the fruit to by Longchenpa translated into hurricane manifest, especially at the level of English under this title by Ken- Elisa Copello behaviour. Our behaviour should nard Lipmann and Merryl Pe- no longer be that of a bee buzz- terson, assisted and inspired by ing from fl ower to fl ower or of a Rinpoche. he retreat at Merigar given deer remaining isolated in a cave Later Yeshi also spoke about by Yeshi Silvano Namkhai to “have a living experience of the Sangha pointing out that young T was like being “swept up” the teachings”, but rather that of students should work more at the by a hurricane, by a fl ood of irre- a lion able to express his strength level of energy to bring fresh new pressible energy, by an approach not only at the personal level but vitality to the community while which, besides being profound most of all at the level of the en- “older” students should work and compelling, counterbalanced tire community. The commu- principally on the level of the in a detailed and precise way the nity should show that it has re- mind. In this way the two “vital teaching of Chögyal Namkhai ally understood the meaning of forces” of the community could Norbu, “his Master” whom he behaviour and act according to work together, integrating with continually refers to with respect circumstances, based on its own each other yet leaving space for and devotion. He gave us many awareness and clarity. Only in new students to express them- guidelines to refl ect on in order to this way will our beautiful Gonpa selves and giving the possibility verify our real level of knowledge not be just a ‘museum’ fi lled with Photo: M. Lascombes to older ones to share their own and presented the teaching in an valuable paintings and , experiences and knowledge with original way - at times it seemed but a temple where we live the who at the time was in his early all the qualities and energy of the others. Even though he was of- deliberately provocatively - in or- real sense of the teaching day af- teens, described how and why he Wisdom Dakini. How fortunate ten tough, at times critical and der to reawaken those who had ter day, practising in harmony, no longer called Rinpoche “dad” we students were to have received cutting, Yeshi also knew how to sunk into a type of overly concep- overcoming inevitable confl icts but rather “Master”. the transmission of these unique create a relaxed atmosphere, a tual knowledge that does not re- by looking in the mirror of others He repeatedly emphasized the and precious teachings in such a dialogue that was frequently en- ally correspond to the real sense and avoiding falling into the lim- absolute uniqueness and essen- direct and essential way! For this joyable, completely informal and of Dzogchen. its of hierarchy and bureaucracy. tial qualities of the teaching of very reason, Yeshi pointed out, it anti-conventional which really Starting with an explanation Then he shared several per- Chögyal Namkhai Norbu who, is important for all of us to prac- made everyone feel at ease. of the Six-line Verse of the Rig- sonal moments of his life with besides transmitting the three tise Gomadevi, the expression of At the end of the retreat he re- bai Kujyug, he went deeply into Rinpoche with us, such as when series of Dzogchen, has up to the path of joy and pleasure, one minded us to put our trust in our and clarifi ed various aspects of the Master tried out the steps of now gathered all his gterma and of the two principle ways of un- own state of perfection and in our the base, the path and the fruit, the Vajra Dance with him as he re- gonter teachings received through dertaking the path. In fact, Yeshi potentiality and to do our best, as elaborating in particular on “na- ceived it through his dreams, and dreams or pure visions into the explained that there can be two Rinpoche always says, trying not ture” and “vision” and quoting the episode in which Yeshi dis- eight volumes of the Longsal. approaches to the path: through to be always conditioned by our repeatedly from “the Supreme covered that the Master sings the Referring to this Yeshi surpringly suffering or through pleasure emotions. Source” as well as many other Song of the Vajra in a particular confi ded in us that the Master is and, as proof of his statement, Thank you Yeshi for your texts on which he commented way which is diffi cult for us West- the Nirmanakaya manifestation read and commented on several words of wisdom and may your with wisdom and precision. Ye- erners to distinguish and put into of Dakini Gomadevi, even though quotations from volumes two and fi rst retreat mark the beginning shi said that after the many years practice. Another episode that I he has taken a male body in this fi ve of the Longsal series, from of a long journey for the benefi t that the Master has been trans- found touching was when Yeshi, life. In fact the Master embodies the commentary to “The Precious of all beings.

with a Gomadevi practice and the Vajra Saturday June 13–Sunday June 14 New space Dance. The practice was followed by a Course of the Dance of the Song of session of explanation and practice of the Vajra – 4th weekend for activities the Dance of the with Adri- inaugurated in ana Dal Borgo. Later in the morning, Centro Commerciale Gorarella Grosseto everyone toasted the opening of activi- via Papa Giovanni XXIII ties with sparkling wine and snacks. Grosseto The Hall, which belongs to the lo- On Wednesday January 28th, a new cal council, will be available to the For information contact: space for activities under the umbrella Institute on a regular basis and Gros- Egle Purtulyte: 3200845539 of the Shung Shung Institute was in- seto practitioners have already set up [email protected] augurated in the town of Grosseto, the a programme of Vajra Dance courses Paolo Ferraro: 0564412850 3395059162 provincial capital of the province that over a series of several weekends. Today [email protected] is home to Merigar West. The town was the starting point for a series of is about 50 km from Merigar and the activities which we hope in the future space is located in a quiet shopping area will attract more interested people and in the south of the town, surrounded by present more aspects of Tibetan culture the Mediterranean pine trees that are and the Dzogchen Teaching to a wider Photo: P. Ferraro typical of the Maremma area. It is also public. next door to Yeshi Namkhai’s Grosseto Many thanks to Luigi Ottaviani for upcoming courses Saturday May 9–Sunday May 10 offi ce. arranging the use of the Hall with the Saturday April 18–Sunday April 19 Course of the Dance of the Song of The Hall was big enough to hold a local authorities and to Egle Purtulyte Course of the Dance of the Song of the Vajra – 3rd weekend Vajra Dance Mandala and practitioners whose enthusiasm and hard work helped the Vajra – 2nd weekend from Grosseto were joined by others to make the inauguration possible. from Merigar to launch activities there

Accommodation Service at Merigar Christina von Geispitzheim Information for people who intend to come to Merigar for Email: [email protected] retreats or to follow courses Phone: 0039 0564 957542 If you are looking for accommodation, airport transfer, local car Mobile phone: 0039 339 1370739 hire or only logistic assistance, you can contact the following information and reservation service: We cooperate with local hotels, family pensions, residences, agriturismo, Community members who have rooms or houses to rent or sublet. Also we can advise on car rental (at airports Accommodation Service or locally), on the best itinerary and time tables of trains and (Information available in English, German, French and Italian) buses, and we have now a circuit of residents who offer various Information service and reservation of accommodation during useful services like transfer from the airports, local taxi service, retreats, local transport, & logistic solutions: translations, baby sitting, etc. THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Namgyalgar

14

Longsal Thugthig of Jnanadhakkini at Namgyalgar February 2009 Teaching on “Lama Yeshes Khadro’i Thugthig: The essence of the heart of Guru Jnanadhakkini and simple practice of Guru Jnanadhakkini”

Jean Mackintosh

högyal Namkhai Norbu covered by the eight auspicious made a triumphant return symbols drawn in white fl our on Cafter a fi ve year absence, the road by Rabgyi Lama and his to Namgyalgar, the Gar of the Pa- friend the thanka painter Urgyen cifi c Rim. Although hot and very Sonam, a local Tibetan. Rinpoche dry from lack of rain, Namgyal- and Rosa were driven up over the gar was spruced up and looking symbols to a welcoming group at good for Rinpoche’s visit. Twelve the door to Gawaling. Rinpoche or so dedicated practitioners had sat on the verandah for some been staying at Namgyalgar for time as people came to welcome four months or more prepar- him back to Namgyalgar. He was ing everything for the visit and offered white scarves and gave as well practitioners in the cities blessings to those present be- had also been working for the fore going inside to rest after the last year on preparations for all long drive. The day was very hot aspects of the visit. and windy and there were very At Namgyalgar more tanks bad bushfi res in other areas of Photo: G. Horner were installed for water storage, the country some not so far from camping areas prepared, a new Namgyalgar. But as Rinpoche ar- and everything began to fl ower, gave so much of himself and peo- all stood in a group and sang the wood fi red pizza oven, the solar rived the black clouds came over the plants and the practitioners ple from all countries mixed to- practice of Odzer Chenma. As and a delightful happiness has re- gether in such an open and lov- we sang these mantras the sky mained since his arrival through- ing atmosphere. turned pink and then a pinpoint out his visit. This atmosphere culminat- of strong orange light appeared The teaching on “Lama Yeshes ed in Losar celebrations, which through a cloud. This grew big- Khadro’i Thugtig”, The Essence were truly wonderful. I went to ger and bigger until it was a large of the Heart of Guru Jnanadhak- Mystery Bay to swim at 6 am in round sun and the light shone kini and simple practice of Guru the darkness of Losar morning, like a road across the water to Jnanadhakkini” began with an introduction and simple Gana- puja together. This retreat was webcast around the world with over 1000 connections coming in. The webcast also went out to individual practitioners in China with instantaneous translation. On the third day there was the introduction of transmission and the tön wang (don dbang) of Lama Yeshes Khadro. Rinpoche said tön wang (don dbang) means going in the essence. The tön wang (don dbang) of Jnanadakkini is done in a very simple way. First there is the teaching, then the instruc- tion and then the transmission. Rinpoche talked about his dream in which he dreamed of a statue Flag Pole with Gawaling in the background at Namgyalgar. Photo: G. Horner of Gomadevi. He understood the statue to be a real wisdom mani- power upgraded and a new com- and a light blessing rain began to festation and after singing the mercial kitchen was constructed. fall. Song of Vajra at the place where Losar at Mystery Bay, Jean Mackintosh in the center. Photo: G. Horner Gawaling, Rinpoche’s residence, The fi rst day of the retreat he was, it began to change into was upgraded with a renovated soon arrived and people came something resembling Tianan- and already there was a group shine on the sand in front of our bathroom, changes to the ceil- from cities all over Australia. men Square where a large crowd of thirty people there swimming group. It was a magical morning ing of the lounge room to make it From overseas there were practi- of people was singing the Song and standing around in the dawn and the whole day that followed warmer and a new heater. tioners from Italy, China, Singa- of the Vajra. This dream came to light. I was amazed as the water seemed enchanted. Rinpoche’s Rinpoche and Rosa arrived pore, USA, Montenegro, France him in 1985 in Singapore. is quite cold but on this magi- visit has brought the light back to from Sydney by car. Everyone and Israel. We received the instruction cal morning many people were Namgyalgar. was waiting to welcome them There was an emotional wel- of the practice of Lama Yeshes swimming and the water was as they drove up from the main come for Rinpoche as the Direc- Khadro’i and the transmission quite warm. After the swim we gate through Namgyalgar to tor of the Gakyil as Catherine of Thuntshog and the following Gawaling. The road was lined Simmonds formally greeted day the introduction to the state with prayer fl ags. On the saddle Rinpoche back in Namgyalgar of Jnanadakkini. At the end of there was a fl agpole of prayer Gonpa after such a long absence. the retreat we learned the beau- fl ags made in the traditional way Sustained and loud applause fol- tiful melodies that accompany by our monk, Thupten Rabgyi lowed, as this was a special arriv- the Ganapuja and we all did the Lama, with the sun and the moon al for the Australian people just Ganapuja with Rinpoche to end in colored wood on the top and a like rain after a long drought. this retreat. skirt of colors covering the start And of course it rained again Rinpoche’s message during of the fl ags as they fanned out after Rinpoche began teach- the retreat was to stay in the es- from the pole and blew strongly ing. The small plants and trees sence of the practice. in the wind. As we looked up the in the garden began to soak up About 200 people attended mountain to Gawaling, there was the moisture and came to life this retreat and learned this prac- another of these mirrored at the again as did the presence of our tice. Rinpoche’s advice to us was top next to Rinpoche’s house. Master in the Namgyalgar Gon- to use this instruction and to Practitioners lined the road wav- pa. The teachings and the prac- practice this so that it becomes ing fl ags of the fi ve colors as the tice of Jnana Dhakkini given by alive. car passed by. Just on the last as- Rinpoche spread a wonderful The atmosphere in Namgyal- cent to Gawaling the road was feeling throughout Namgyalgar gar became so joyous as Rinpoche THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Santi Maha Sangha

15

It’s very easy not to take an exam Griselda Gálmez

n January 5th, after the profound Teachings of OTregchöd given by our Master Chögyal Namkhai Nor- bu were fi nished, the Base Level Santi Maha Sangha exams in Tashigar South began. During four days from 10am until 1pm, we could see students waiting to enter the little Gonpa and dem- onstrate their knowledge and un- derstanding. Generally they were silent and seemed calm, but we who did not take the exam knew they probably felt insecure, a little tense and maybe they were discovering how many things did not remember and needed to consult in The Precious Vase. So we kissed him or her saying some encouraging words and then we Santi Maha Sangha First Level Training Tashigar South. Photo: A. Pearl enjoyed the exquisite breakfast prepared by practitioners in the vestigate how he or she felt dur- “This visit to Tashigar was incred- “To take the Santi Maha Sangha his time, work and Teachings! nearby kitchen. ing the exam or which questions ible for me. It is the fi rst retreat surpassed my expectations…. Almost fi fty people including Really it’s very easy not to take they were asked. where I met Rinpoche in per- Once more I confi rmed the cor- people from Holland, Spain, Po- examination… Meanwhile, another student son. I was studying the SMS and rect view of the Teaching and land, Italy, Chile and Bolivia, par- Meanwhile the student has en- enters the Gonpa and the cycle I took the exam….I could answer the importance of the Sangha to ticipated in the Training. tered the little Gonpa where the repeats, generally in the same what I knew from the heart, but navigate in this Ship. I can not ex- examiners were waiting. There way. Twenty-three practitioners I couldn’t answer another ques- plain what, but something inside All the people who had the for- awaited two SMS Base Teachers, presented for the exams and tions so, I was ready to leave and me changed from this exam…” tune to live at Tashigar South dur- Ricky Sued and Grisha Mokhin, they came from different cities say to Marisa, Grisha and Ricky, (S. H.) ing this Santi Maha Sangha pro- and a 2nd level Yantra Yoga In- and countries: Costa Rica, Peru, “Please, do not worry for me.” It gram felt like it was a celebration structor, Marisa Alonso. All of EEUU, Venezuela, Mexico, Rus- is really great to have studied, to Certainly, it’s very easy not to and our Master decided to close them very serious and precise sia and Argentina. Some of them have had the experience with you, take an exam, but this comfort- it with two activities to relax and practitioners and a very precise are old practitioners that felt this to hear the Master’ ….At the end ableness means nothing if we enjoy. The fi rst one was watching board of examiners, but also gen- exam was like a debt with them- I passed and now I am doing the compare it with the joy and emo- videos with the wide and mar- tle and smiling. selves, others were new practitio- Training and feeling very happy” tion of those who have studied, velous landscapes of Tibet, his Maybe for this reason the fac- ners who discovered the Teach- (F. H.) collaborated with the Commu- people, his beautiful songs and es of the students looked radiant ings recently, but felt a powerful nity through the Karmayoga, and dances; and the second one was a and smiling when after the exam respect and enthusiasm for the Others practitioners with more who have used their time and picnic, altogether with Rinpoche they exited the Gonpa. It was not Teaching and the Master. experience wrote: resources to get a better under- and Rosa, eating a traditional necessary to ask the result. The “For me, the fact of take the base standing. Argentinean barbecue and play- happy face was enough and we Consulted about the recent ex- level exam means to make a big- ing under the cool shadow of the embraced him or her and invited perience, a new practitioner an- ger commitment to the Teach- How compassionate our Master great pines and the blue sky of them to drink a coffee and cele- swered: ings “(C. N.) is, how clear his explanations Tashigar South. brate. It was exciting then to in- are, and how generous he is with

Books by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

U Yantra Yoga U Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light U Dzogchen Teachings U The Supreme Source U Dzogchen: The Self- Perfected State U The Crystal and the Way of Light

www.SnowLionPub.com Tibetan Buddhist news and thousands of items online. FREE quarterly newsletter 800-950-0313 and catalog on request. [email protected] THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

16

East Merigar East 23 August 907005 phone: 0040 746 26 08 61 Merigar Asociatia Culturala Comunitatea Dzog-Chen Constanta offi [email protected] Romania wwww.dzogchen.ro

Countries located in the Eastern In Lei kitchen and a nice, isolated room. ME the responsibility for organizing these Membership News part of Europe and near ME, pay their UniCredit Tiriac Bank SA is searching for karma yogis who are events. membership fees to Merigar in Roma- 30, Constantei Str., bl. H1a ready to stay there. For general information, please con- Dear Vajra Family, nia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, RO-905500, Mangalia, Romania In the end of February (27th, 28th tact offi [email protected] Recently you received a letter from the Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Esto- Swift Cod: BACXROBU and 1st March) we have organized a For questions regarding courses and Merigar West Gakyil talking about one nia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, ASOCIATIA CULTURALA COMUNITATEA weekend of Yantra Yoga course for be- activities organized by the Blue Gakyil, Merigar in the whole Europe, having Macedonia, Moldavia, Montenegro, DZOG-CHEN ginners in Oradea (close to Hungarian please contact [email protected] two places with two faces – Merigar Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, IBAN: RO77BACX0000000267513000 borders). Regarding Karma Yoga or any kind West (MW) and Merigar East (ME). The Slovenia, Turkey. We would also like to inform you ME is collaborating with the SSI of help for the Gar, please contact idea of having one Merigar suggests For practical reasons membership about activities plans and concerns to raise awareness amongst the local [email protected] also having one budget and one mem- fees should be paid according to this for the year 2009 in ME. As you prob- people. In May 2009 there will be events For any question regarding membership, bership policy for both Gars. There are administrative division. ably know the task number one in ME to present Tibetan medicine, culture, please contact [email protected] the same membership fees, members We kindly ask you to send member- is to build the Gonpa on our land with food and dance in Romanian big cities Warm greetings to you all, can attend retreats and courses accord- ship fees for the year 2009 to Merigar mandalas, , roads and gardens in like Bucharest and Constanta, and also Gakyil of Merigar East ing to their preferences and the same East by the end of March 2009 (in the the shape of Longsal according to vision in the village 23 August, which is about www.dzogchen.ro discounts apply in both Gars. attachment you can fi nd specifi c infor- of Yeshi Namkhai. The hardest part of 3 km from the Gar. At present, for legal reasons, each mation about membership types and this entire task so far has been to get all From June 1st to July 8th we will Gar is a separate non-governmental corresponding fees), using our new the necessary permissions to start the be very happy to welcome our Master organization and so European countries bank accounts: actual construction work. By spring we Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in ME. From are divided into two groups: In Euro are going to start the project by build- June 12th to 21st there will be a teaching Countries situated in the Western UniCredit Tiriac Bank SA ing the roads and making the gardens. retreat with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. part of Europe pay their member- 30, Constantei Str., bl. H1a On the land of ME at the moment Later in the month the SMS Base Exam ship fees to Merigar in Italy: Austria, RO-905500, Mangalia, Romania the wooden barn is being rebuilt and will be held (22nd-28th June) followed Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Swift Cod: BACXROBU in spring 2009 it will be ready to serve by the 1st Level Training (29th June-6th Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Neth- ASOCIATIA CULTURALA COMUNITATEA as a shelter for karma yogis and people July). The ME Gakyil is looking for ex- erlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Swe- DZOG-CHEN doing personal retreats. Inside there perienced people ready to take part of den, Switzerland, United Kingdom. IBAN: RO50BACX0000000267513001 will be a bathroom with toilet a small

be familiar with semi-outdoor condi- with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu as a 1. The shadow project – we are planning 3. A clearing saw – our land is situated Temporary guardian tions and be able to help in the Gar with team-leaders or helpers. to build a small wooden construction in the middle of the fi elds in completely daily work. with a straw roof in classical, rustic agricultural scenery. To maintain it we If you are interested to be a team-leader needed style for the summer retreat here. Those defi nitely need some professional tools. This is a Karma Yoga offering, plus also for the Teaching retreat (12th–21st As the preparations for the construc- who have already visited this place may One of them is a good clearing saw a possibility to do a part-time personal June) or Santi Maha Sangha 1st Level tion phase of the and Gar’s in- remember the “sky mandala” condi- for cutting the weeds, grass and other retreat and experience unforgettable Training from (29th June–6th July), frastructure at Merigar East go ahead, tions as quite strong sun and windy. plants growing here very quickly. days in the middle of the ‘sky-mandala’, please send your short skills description there is need for a reliable, fearless and Therefore we are going to construct a Cost of the project: 500 euro as Rinpoche said of this place once. to [email protected] dedicated individual or, even better, a shadow area connected to the barn to We would be very thankful for any couple, who can stay as guardian(s) of a You can see some pictures of Merigar Regarding Karma Yoga or any kind give people the possibility to rest com- donations! relatively isolated place at the commu- East at: of help for the Gar, please contact: fortably. We are going to use wooden If you send a money transfer do not nity land, ideally from spring until the http://picasaweb.google.com/ [email protected] beams and a straw roof made by the forget to note which project you are summer retreat in June (but a minimum grzegorzladra/MERIGAREAST local villagers. The whole construction donating to. of 3 weeks), to discourage local thieves Passage?authkey=YXMOH6rin2s& can be taken down before winter easily by their presence. feat=directlink Sponsor a project and used over the following years. Donating more then 50 Euro you get Merigar Please send all questions, details As you all already know, here in Meri- Cost of the project: 260 euro East special t-shirt. Food is provided and accommodation is and applications (along with your gar East we are preparing the land of in a barn (used to store different tools 2. The stove project – for the barn we For all details concerning payment pos- local Gakyil’s statement on your the Gar for the construction process. and things and as a dormitory during need a little wood fuelled heating stove. sibilities (bank transfer or paypal sys- behavior), to [email protected] or Therefore we are using the barn, which the summer retreats). In recent months As the nights on the land might be quite tem), please contact the yellow Gakyil [email protected] up to now is the only building on the it has been transformed into a livable fresh even in April, we have decided to ([email protected]). land, as a place to stay for people who place, with a separate room, toilet and use the stove as a source of heating for You can easily fi nd our bank data on our would like to spend some time here and shower, and with water, equipment for the people who will live there. website www.dzogchen.ro Team-leaders and help us. cooking, electricity and a wood-fuelled Cost of the project: 250 euro We have created a living space inside The Merigar East Gakyil heating stove coming soon. It is a 15min helpers for summer with a room, toilet and kitchen. We still walk from the Black Sea shore, 3 km retreats need some equipment and therefore we from the village (where the Geko lives). The Gakyil of Merigar East is looking ask you to help, sponsor and donate for The person we are looking for must for experienced people willing to take these projects! communicate in English (best also in part of the responsibility and help with Right now we need some funds for 3 Romanian), organization of the summer retreats small projects:

Europe Vienna the hills nearby reaching 1089 metres Upcoming First new ling in above sea level. Our house is standing Denmark Austria Vajra Dance of the Song of the Vajra, completely alone, the nearest neigh- Upcoming Vienna Part 1 with Rita Renzi Czech Republic bour is about 300m away and it is 100m Yantra Yoga 1st Series Course Upcoming April 8–13 from a road which makes it accessible Led by Christen Norre Bundgaard under We have the pleasure to announce the Yantra Yoga 2nd & 3rd group even in winter. the supervision of Laura Evengelisti Location: Tai Chi Center, fi rst new ling in the Czech Republic has with Laura Evangelisti April 1–5 Bennogasse 8A, 1080 Wien been founded. Rinpoche said about it: Distance: Prague 157 km, Brno 215 km, March 5–8 Contact: [email protected] Costs: 280 Euros with the usual “I am very happy with your wonderful Linz 106 km, Wien 221 km. On the 5th and the 6th of March there discounts for members news. It is really a very important thing. The Ling’s website is under construc- will be only one evening session on each The name of your Ling is: Info and registration: Honza Dolensky tion, the link will be posted soon. day. On 7th and 8th there will two ses- Phendeling (Benefi t and happiness)” +43(0)660/521 96 99 Directions on how to arrive there are sions a day. [email protected] The opening ceremony took place on included. Location: Kriterion Yoga Center, Reis- 15th November 2008 and is the birthday You all are all very welcome in Phendeling! nerstrasse 16, 1030 Wien of the Ling. We would like to express With warm greetings deep gratitude to our Master for his Czech Gakyil Costs: 135.- with the usual discounts for Czech Republic Upcoming support and blessings in this project. members Santi Maha Sangha Base Level Retreat The Ling is located in South Bohemia, a Info and registration: Honza Dolensky with Jim Valby very beautiful part of the Czech Repub- +43(0)660/521 96 99 April 21–30 lic, in a protected natural reservation, [email protected] Contact: [email protected] * THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

17

How to go there from Paris: Marseille Location: Studio de Danse Palama South France Solar Mandala Europe >> continued Métro: line 13, Station Malakoff or Upcoming Centre Commercial La Parade, Chemin Inauguration Station Châtillon-Montrouge Course of the First Part Dance of the de Palama 13013 Marseille, France. The brand new South France Solar Man- Bus: Line 194 or 295 (from the station Song of the Vajra dala will be inaugurated during the in- France Prices: 280 Euros with usual discount Paris “Porte d’Orléans”, south of Paris): with Stoffelina Verdonk ternational day of the Vajra Dance, 21st for Dzogchen Community members: Upcoming Station Augustin Dumont April 27–May 3 of March. Ordinary member (20%): 224 Euros Yantra Yoga Course for Beginners Registration Who can attend? Sustaining Member (80%): 56 Euros For those who are interested in sharing led by Laura Evangelisti Early registration is welcome. This course is open to everyone who has Reduced Member (50%): 140 Euros this event with us in the countryside, March 20–22 For additional information and to regis- received the Transmission from Chögyal please ask for details of our 5 day pro- Information & registration: Friday 20, 18:00–21:00 ter please contact: Namkhai Norbu and is a member of The gram from: Please register as soon as possible and Saturday 21 and Sunday 22, 10:00–18:00 Dzogchen Community, this year 2009. Michel Touveron, Elisabeth Dong: be precise if you want to do or [email protected] or Cost: 120 € (ordinary membership), [email protected] Schedule: Pamo. Nicole Morineau: 70 € (Reduced membership), Web site of French Dzogchen Friday 27th April 6 pm to 8 pm In order to receive an access plan, [email protected] 24 € (Sustaining membership) Community: Other days: Every morning from 10 am to please contact: http://association.dzogchen.free.fr 1 pm. Afternoon training and practice. [email protected] Place: Le Magasin Address: 137 avenue de la Panouse 144, avenue Pierre Brossolette * 13009 Marseille, France (3, impasse de Châtillon) Tel : + 33 (0)4 91 82 16 03 92240 Malakoff

It is in the middle of the city and near And here you will fi nd the map: * A bit more expensive but still cheap is * Good hotels you may also fi nd at Germany to the central station. http://www.koelnkongress. the: “Hostel am Rheinauhafen” www.hotelreservierung.de Cologne Restaurants and cafes are nearby. de/wEnglisch/locations/guerzenich/ www.am-rheinauhafen.de For more information on registrations upcoming The Rhine, Germany’s longest river, is downloads/Anreise_Guerzenich_ Apartments and payments, please contact: also close by. 8-07-pfade.pdf_ Chögyal Namkhai Norbu * Rooms and cheap apartments you Dzogchen Gemeinschaft Deutschland e.V. teaches Dzogchen Costs and registration: Cheap fl ights to Cologne are available can fi nd here Helga Betz May 27–31 If you pay before 1 May, you will get with TUIfl y, Germanwings and Air www.hk-hostelling.de Lindemannstraße 12 early bird discount: Berlin. Also you can take the (fast) * For private pensions and apartments 40237 Düsseldorf The retreat will start on the 27th at Non-Member: € 224, later € 280 trains, ICE, IC, Thalys, etc. you can look at www.babk.de, Telephone and Fax: 0049 (0) 211 682657 6.30 p.m. and end on the 31st at 12 Meritorious: € 0 It is cheaper if you book early! www.bed-and-breakfast.de/zimmer/ offi [email protected] a.m. Sustaining Member: € 48, later € 60 hotel-koeln.htm and www.dzogchen.de Accommodation: Chögyal Namkhai Norbu will teach in Ordinary Member: € 179, later € 224 www.koelner-pension.de You should book your accommodation Updated Information can be found English. Reduced Member: € 112, later € 140 as soon as possible because Cologne Hotels here: www.dzogchen.de/retreat-2009 Translation into other languages can The price for Non-Members includes the (Köln) is an international city with many * If you are looking for a hotel, it’s best be organized. All information is subject to membership fee (ordinary or reduced) events, especially in May. So it could be- to book at http: www.hrs.de Please contact: [email protected] modifi cation. until the end of the year, if you wish. come diffi cult and expensive to fi nd any You may fi nd the “hrs” website also in Program of the Retreat This membership will not be automati- accommodation, if you wait too long: your language! (www.hrs.it or www. * Teaching sessions with cally renewed. hrs.ru – just try out). The prices for Beds or Rooms Chögyal Namkhai Norbu To be a member of the international a room in hotels start with about 50 * “Station Hostel Cologne” is a private May 27, from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. Dzogchen Community allows you to Euros per night. hostel with beds from 17,- to ca. May 28 – 31, from 10 to 12 a.m. take part in the retreats and webcasts 30,- Euro per night, depending on the with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu or in the The main teachings will be accompa- numbers of beds in one room courses with the usual reductions for nied by explanations of the transmitted www.hostel-cologne.de members. It is valid all over the world. practices and by courses and practice in Yantra Yoga and Vajra Dance, which will The registration becomes valid when be held in the early mornings and after- your payment is received on the follow- noons. There will also be information ing bank account: and talks from ASIA and Shang Shung For the bank transfer: Institute, two NGOs that are dedicated Dzogchen-Gemeinschaft Deutschland e.V. to supporting Tibet and preserving the Stadtsparkasse Duesseldorf Tibetan culture. All these courses and Account number: 110 478 91 the information are included in the BLZ: 30050110 entrance fee. For transfers from other Euro-Countries: IBAN: DE40300501100011047891 Please bring cushions and blankets to BIC: DUSSDEDDXXX sit on. Chairs are also available. Reason for payment: “retreat” Retreat location: Gürzenich Köln Withdrawal: Martinstraße 29–37, 50667 Köln If you cancel 14 days or less before the The place for the retreat is famous in retreat begins you must pay € 30 ad- Germany. It is called “Gürzenich” and ministration charges. Passages you will fi nd photos here: Born: On the 3. January 2009 Arik Wido Traveling: Here is the information on www.koelnkongress.de was born, son of Matthias Nielsen née how to get there: Please click on Gürzenich. Lützen and his wife Katrin. Red sunrise, http://www.koelnkongress.de/w snow, sun, wind and rain were accom- Englisch/locations/guerzenich/ panying the birth. anreise.php_ Dance of the Song of the Vajra part 2 with Karin Heinemann in Berlin, Jan. 2009. Photo: M. Möhle

Greece New Book in Greek House For Sale Hellenic Dzogchen Community is happy near Merigar West to announce the publication of the Case Brezza book: “Dzogchen, the Self-Perfected between Pescina State” translated in greek. and Seggiano Greek title: «Τζοκτσέν, η Κατάσταση της Αυθόρμητης Τελειότητας». 120 sq.m., 3 large Publisher: “Fysiki Teleiotita – Elliniki bedrooms, 2 bath- Koinotita Tzoktsen”. rooms, Kitchen/ dining room, sitting room with fi replace, store- Warm regards, room, pizza oven outside, gas heating, completely The Greek Gakyil renovated, new roof. 270,000 euro/negotiable

Contact: Sangiorgi Tel: 0039 34 95 40 22 70 Email: [email protected] or Tuscanary: [email protected] THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

18

about the Longsal Upadesha, Europe >> continued Introduction to the State of Ati, the text from Vairocana. We could Hungary understand that if we use the four contemplations of Semde, not Budapest Retreat step by step, but from the begin- ning together, that this way is a with Yeshi Namkhai profound Upadesha method. Af- January 9-11, 2009 ter the teaching, since it was full moon, there was Ganapuja with Zoltan Cser the participation of more than one hundred people, which also ur Community invit- served as a fi nal celebration of ed Yeshi Namkhai to the course. OMerigar East during On Monday we practiced Rinpoche’s fi rst level Santi Maha Phowa together, Yeshi clarifi ed Sangha course, and he accept- some doubt, and after he kindly ed our invitation for a weekend answered our questions. teaching. The weekend was right Before leaving for Moscow we after the New Year at the begin- managed to visit Rinpoche’s fa- ning of January, so we were busy Yeshi teaching in Budapest. Photo: Z. Somogyvari vorite bath together, relaxing in preparing everything, while try- the hot water, and smiling into ing to keep the trekchöd principles and listen to the fi rst day of the tion and the many subjects and main emphasis, as Yeshi pointed the face of the very cold and fog- that Rinpoche was teaching via teaching, on the famous Heart objects, and at the end the con- out, was the body, speech and gy weather. webcast in those days. After Ye- Sutra from the Dzogchen per- nection between the path of self mind level of understanding of Thank you Yeshi, for showing shi’s arrival on Friday, there was spective. The explanation was ex- liberation and the neither sub- this practice. In the evening Oli- us how to integrate presence and only a little time to rest and the traordinary; how Yeshi explained jects nor objects. ver Leick shared a joyful presen- awareness into daily life in a very course started at the Budapest the logical connection between On the second day we enjoyed tation about Shang Shung In- intelligent and relaxed way, and Buddhist University in the main the path of renunciation and the the explanation about the real stitute and also Yeshi said some also thanks to all the Community hall, which is a part of, as we call one subject, the so called I, and meaning of Phowa, an explana- words about the archive project. members from Slovakia, Czech, it, an art deco . More than the many outer objects, and then tion that closely followed the The third day, as the fruit, Austria, Italy and Russia who 200 people gathered to see Yeshi between the path of transforma- previous day’s teaching. Here the Yeshi gave a brilliant explanation took part in the teaching.

Italy Community of Venice we wanted Lastly, Anita, the small daugh- to receive him in the warmest and ter of Alessandra and Marco of- HH Dalai Lama in most enthusiastic way possible fered a katag to His Holiness and on the invitation of and with from the crowd. Venice, Italy the participation of the organis- In spite of the rain and the Anna Lessana ing committee, we decorated the high level of the water, every- façade of the S. Angelo Hotel on thing went ahead in the best pos- n Tuesday February 10 the Grand Canal where the Dalai sible way. we had the great joy to Lama was staying by hanging up There was a very light-hearted Oreceive the Dalai Lama 5 coloured prayer fl ags that we moment when the Dalai Lama, in Venice on the invitation of had sewn. seeing that the water was high in the local authorities wishing to Giovanna had got hold of a gi- Venice, said he was a little wor- confer honourary citizenship on gantic image of Padmasambhava ried because he didn’t know how him. This had been requested by and put it up on the façade along to swim. the signatures of a great number with the eight auspicious sym- The wonderful event of his of citizens of Venice and its sur- bols and Tibetan fl ags offered by presence for receiving honou- rounding areas that had been the municipality of Venice. Vera rary citizenship offered a ray of collected by several associations and Marco helped in the prepara- light for respect of human rights promoting the initiative. tions and the entire Community among the peoples of the world. The act was warmly welcomed participated to make the event Photo: G. Carraro It was with a smile that he left knowing the selfl essness, the successful. the Venetian Lagoon. moral and cultural integrity and While the Dalai Lama was go- bhya”. His Holiness smiled and re-lai Lama in front of her for the We pray for the Long Life of extraordinary humanity of the ing into the Town Hall, our old- peated the invocation to her with a whole day keeping at heart the His Holiness and of all the Mas- 14th Dalai Lama arising from his est practitioner, Anna, feeling contented and positive expression.joy and the peace that his pres- ters! study, meditation and continu- the need to pay homage to him, Anna was deeply moved by this ex-ence had instilled in her. al asceticism. As the Dzogchen greeted him with “Namo Guru- change and had the image of the Da-

not met the Master yet but have shown Rimini Contact: great interest in yantra yoga. upcoming [email protected] Marco was patient, precise and at- Yantra Yoga * tentive to the observations made by Led by Michele Salvatore under the Laura whose presence was a great help supervision of Laura Evangelisti to all those present. April 17–19 The course took place partly in the in Desal Ling, Rimini Libertango gym near Campo S. Base- Open to All gio and partly in the gym at the Re- nier Michiel school near the Maravegie bridge. Naples A fi nal toast in the historical Vene- tian tavern called “da Codroma” gave a happy ending to the course with a promise to meet again with Laura in the Photo: G. Carraro autumn to do another revision course. Yantra Yoga in Venice ing that was very useful for the Venetian Our thanks to the Master for this by Giuliana Giromella yantra yoga practitioners who were wonderful opportunity! encouraged to continue and improve ccompanied by rain, snow, wind * their practice. and even a bit of salt water, a Practitioners went over the Tsadul, course of Yantra Yoga was held A Lung Sang and the fi rst group of yantras in Venice from January 31 to February 2 with their relative pranayama, preceded led by Marco Baseggio with supervision by lots of warm-up exercises. by Laura Evangelisti. There were even practitioners from The course was excellent and chal- Udine and Bologna for the course and lenging, a period of revision and check- for part of it several people who have Yantra Yoga Advanced Course with Gino Vitiello. Every Tuesday from 8:30 to 10 pm in Namdeling. THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

19

Moscow Europe >> continued Netherlands upcoming Russia upcoming New Gakyil Santi Maha Sangha Base Level Retreat New Russian Mirror Team World Day of Dance of Vajra and Red: Vera Taihuttu, [email protected] with Jim Valby Vajra Dance Weekend Lithuania Coordinator – Kirill Shilov upcoming Blue: Marc van Westreenen, April 10–19 March 21st Editor – Andrei Besedin Lithuanian Dzogchen community [email protected] in Amsterdam Kunphenling Information from Russian speaking is happy to announce the Yellow: Andy Hodge, More information will follow. community – Nataly Kim * Santi Maha Sangha base retreat [email protected] Saturdays and Sundays there will be (Darya Mikhaylova) Yantra Yoga Course with Jim Valby Secretary: Madina Tanekeyeva, two sessions. with Viktor Krachkovsky from 10th to 19th of July in Vilnius There is large group of translators and [email protected] Teaching on weekdays from March 28–April 5 editors. The details of the retreat will follow. 19.00–21.00 9 breathings, Lungsang, Tsijong, * * For registration and information: Tsandul, 1–5 group of Yantras and 1–4 Greetings [email protected] group of Pranayamas, Vajra Wave Gakyil of Lithuanian DC Registration: www.rinchenling.ru/form * Open Yantra Yoga presentation with Viktor Krachkovsky Yeshi Namkhai in April 8 Moscow, Russia * Open Yantra Yoga Course Ivan Shakhov with Viktor Krachkovsky April 10–14 e were excitedly wait- “YY as a way to coordinate life energy” ing for Yeshi Nam- Contact: [email protected] Wkhai’s visit to Moscow in January of 2009. His tremen- * dous energy always brings de- Fabio Andrico teaches Pranayamas velopment and maturing of our May 23–27 understanding of Rinpoche’s Kunphenling teaching and always something Retreat on Pranayamas of Yantra Yoga happens in the Community that Contact: [email protected] brings very positive and intense changes. Two months before the visit and Yeshi did his best to explain he told us he was going to teach all the details of how we should the Upadesha of the Total Behav- apply the method – doing visu- ior of Equal Taste in Moscow, and alization, working with sound, that he had dreams connected to etc. He paid a lot of attention to his previous stays there. clarifying the experiences people Yeshi said that our Gonpa could have. should defi nitely be the place for Yeshi Namkhai teaching in Moscow Photo: I. Shakov Yeshi seemed very relaxed this teaching and no matter if it and joyous during these days of is big or small, but this was the and would not accommodate all tantra and very much believe it ings. It describes fabulous meth- teaching, showing that the prac- place connected to transmission. 300 people that intended to par- to be the real way the teaching ods of how a practitioner can titioner of Dzogchen has a com- The Gonpa of Moscow Com- ticipate in the retreat. Fortunate- should be, and therefore we do learn to self-liberate all fi ve emo- pletely different attitude and be- munity is a very nice place on the ly, we had an opportunity to rent not understand Dzogchen, which tions. Starting from the emo- havior from what the practitio- rooftop of fi ve-fl oor building, a hall on the 1st fl oor, that we is beyond these limitations. tion of attachment, which we ners of sutra and tantra have. We which is full offi ces, but it is iso- connected with video and audio For the retreat he prepared a can, self-liberate by understand- have all heard it numerous times lated so the Community has no to the Gonpa to make it a single large booklet, which besides the ing the nature of enjoyment, Ye- from our Teacher, but still tend problem to do different activi- space for the teaching. So, Yeshi root text of upadesha contained shi gave vast explanations of all to fall into very limited vision of ties. Here we have the possibility stayed there giving teaching and the commentary on Kunjyed upadesha, bringing the mean- Dharma. to use the roof for having fun on people could listen and watch Gyalpo and his dreams related ing to a much wider understand- warm days and performing the him downstairs. to this teaching, which he had in ing than we could gain from just Vajra Dance when the weather is He started the fi rst day with Moscow and Berkeley. reading the text. nice. Needless to say, in January it explanation of the difference be- The Upadesha of the To- On the evening sessions we is freezing. tween three paths of liberation. tal Behavior of Equal Taste is performed the Guruyoga of Though very good for our dai- We all have a strong tendency to- Rinpoche’s terma, contained in Kunjyed Gyalpo together, the ly needs, the Gonpa is quite small wards the attitudes of sutra and the 8th volume of Longsal Teach- practice connected to ,

Vajra Dance Course with Luda Kislichenko Kunphenling, December 26, 2008–January 4, 2009. 2nd part of The Song of Vajra St. Petersburg with Luda Kislichenko, December 9–17, 2008 .

Main Offi ce: PO Box 479, Conway, MA 01341, USA * Tel: 413 369 4208 * Fax: 413 369 44 73 * [email protected] * * European Offi ce: The Mirror, Istituto Shang Shung, Podere Nuovissimo, GR 58031 Arcidosso, Italy * Tel: 39 32 98 86 52 92 * [email protected] * * Editorial Staff: Naomi Zeitz, Tsegyalgar, Conway, MA, USA * Liz Granger, Istituto Shang Shung, Arcidosso, Italy * * Literary Editor: John Shane * * Advisors: Des Barry, Adriano Clemente, Anna Eid, Barbara Paparazzo, Jim Valby * * International Blue Gakyil Advisor: Fabio Andrico, International Publications Committee * * English Language Advisor: Liz Granger * * Layout & Design: Thomas Eifl er * * Web Site Managers: Thomas Eifl er, Malcolm Smith * * Printer: Turley Publications, Palmer, MA, USA * * Distribution: Tsegyalgar at Conway, MA, USA * * Subscription Rate/6 Issues: $35 US available through Tsegyalgar; 30 € through Merigar * * Visa and Master card welcome * * Online Mirror: www.melong.com * * All material © 2009 by The Mirror * * Reprint by permission only * * We reserve the right to edit all submissions. THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

20

Europe Russia >> continued Retreat with Yeshi Namkhai in Saint Petersburg Anna Osipova

aint Petersburg, the second rience, daily life. Yeshi explained largest city and Dzog chen how we demonstrate sutric and SCommunity in Russia, host- tantric approach in our behavior, ed a retreat with Yeshi Namkhai and how this approach limits us through cold winter days of Feb- at the same time. Through these ruary 7–9 2009. examples it was easy to recog- Peter the Great founded Saint nize ourselves, our friends and Petersburg in 1703 by as “a win- our life, because these examples dow for Europe”. Rinpoche vis- were so natural and close to what ited Saint Petersburg only once we are. in 1992, and we were all looking The second day was Phowa, a forward for this particular retreat teaching that many of us seemed with Yeshi Namkhai that in some to know. Guruyoga, oh, that is sense would reintroduce the simple, just remain in presence. teaching to our Community. I remembered a nightmare that The place of teaching was I had just before the retreat: I rather special. It was the hall of was falling asleep and thought Yeshi Namkhai with students in Sangyeling Photo: I. Shakov a secondary school – with chil- to myself – oh, falling asleep is dren’s drawings on the walls, like little death, imagine it is the ever read. This was advice for we all seem to know since we together with Yeshi – lunch at large toilets with no individual moment of death. So what do daily life. But again, there was have heard it so many times. a home style restaurant where cabins, and the school bell ring- I do? The answer comes right no distance and time in the real During the traditional Gakyil there was one big table for all ing every 20 to 40 minutes even away – guru yoga. But what re- sense between what Yeshi ex- meeting, Yeshi gave some sim- of us to share, a visit to the Her- on weekends. Around 140 people ally is guru yoga? That was my plained as the teaching of a monk ple, valuable advice on collabo- mitage museum in group, and a gathered in the hall with white nightmare. The teaching of Yeshi who lived through diffi cult times ration. The Dzogchen Commu- spontaneous concert at the end walls and large windows. Some that day was exactly about what with no internet, offi ce work and nity is not a kind of hierarchy, of the teaching. During the of- faces haven’t really appeared in you are instead of what you do stress, while our life that is made where there are old practitioners fi cial closure of the retreat our the Community for years, you in that moment, in a dream or a of all of this. During those mo- with merits and new practitio- team leader spontaneously said, can only meet them abroad, at situation that we consider “real”. ments one could really have a ners with no merits, where we “Dear Yeshi, thank you, this re- the other side of the planet at re- From this explanation of Phowa vivid understanding of “how it all practice the teaching of one treat helped us to overcome the treats with Rinpoche, but not at it was clear that a teaching and is”. Yeshi’s teaching is not based teacher, we should not fall into tensions between us.” And these home. You can trace them down its methods is not a technology, on classical phrases, but relies on groups that practice more Yantra were not just words, we really felt also through webcasts, but they but a vision of our real nature and real experience. Yoga, or Santi Maha Sangha, or that way, at least at that moment. were all physically present at this application of methods in ac- Yeshi introduces another di- Vajra Dance. Of course tomorrow we’ll fi ght, teaching. cordance with our situation in a mension Rinpoche’s teaching. Looking back on this retreat, but today we aren’t really in that The fi rst day was about the particular moment. Our real na- He tries to avoid “buzz words” the fi rst thing that comes to my dimension. Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen ap- ture or guru yoga is the supreme that “old practitioners” know, mind is that it was fun. Instead Besides, notwithstanding that proach to knowledge. But these Phowa. Teaching is not a tech- that in some sense has lost its of the traditional somber Bud- the weather of Saint Petersburg foreign words like Sutra, Tantra nology, but a living knowledge meaning like leaves lose their dhist view that life is suffering, that is more adapted for the life of and Dzogchen were no longer unifi ed with life and death. color in late autumn. Yeshi gives Yeshi clearly demonstrates that penguins, not humans, we hope words with a lot of concepts in- The third day was on Long- that fresh fl avor to the topics that there is also enjoyment. There that Yeshi felt warm with us. At side – they were part of our expe- chenpa’s text that only few had were things that we simply did least we had this warm feeling.

Serbia Spain New Gakyil Yellow: Radomir Markovic [email protected] Red: Ivana Radicevic Karaman 23rd–29th May [email protected] Dance of the Song of the Vajra, Part I Blue: Jelena Zagorcic [email protected] with Stoffelina Verdonk To book, please contact Rowan Wylie Tel: 01223 473 528 Email: [email protected] 6th–7th June Jnana Dakini Weekend with Sally Field To book, please contact Mike Beddard Tel: 0781 5299976 Email: [email protected] 8th June–16th July Personal Retreat Time Yantra Yoga Supervision with Gloria Pinsach supervised by Laura Evangelisti February 9–12, Kundusling Barcelona. To book, please contact Nick Segust Tel: 02920 652 866 [email protected] 13–19th April 17–19th July U.K. Karma Yoga with Xinas practice Introduction To Meditation www.jcrows.com Kunselling Programme To book, please contact Colin Ellar with Oliver Leick April–July 2009 Tel: 0208 737 0347 To book, please contact Mike Beddard Email: [email protected] Tel: 0781 5299976 ® 10–12th April (Easter) J. Crow’s Email: [email protected] Mulling Spice Folk Medicine Xinas practice 1–4th May Bank Holiday with Colin Ellar Yantra Yoga – Beginners Course 24th–30st July Tibetan Medicine To book, please contact Mike Beddard With John Renshaw Karma Yoga with Six Lokas Practice SpicedCider.com Tel: 0781 5299976 To book, please contact Mary Duckett To book, please contact Colin Ellar fax or phone: 1 800 878 1965 603 878 1965 Email: [email protected] Tel: 07717 432339 Tel: 0208 737 0347 [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

21

East DCA Tsegyalgar East Tsegyalgar PO Box 479 Phone: 413 369 4153 [email protected] Conway, MA 01341 USA Fax & Bookstore: 413 369 4473 www.www.tsegyalgareast.org

Rinpoche has indicated that Khandrol- Karma Yoga ing will become a pilgrimage site for the Dzogchen Community. To fulfi ll Help Needed on this vision, the Community will reno- Khandroling vate a farmhouse and barn to serve Beginning This Spring!!! as a support for the Teachings and the Community. This will include a Gonpa, Dear Vajra Family, guesthouse, and offi ce space. In com- Tsegyalgar East invites the Dzogchen ing years, the Community will fi nish the Community to participate in a marvel- construction of several retreat cabins. ous opportunity on Khandroling, the Finally, the crown structure for Khan- sacred land of the and birth- droling will be the completion of a large place of the Vajra Dance. Spanning 220 Vajra Hall to protect a Universal Dance acres (89 hectares) of picturesque hills, Mandala. streams, a pond, meadows, fi elds and We welcome all current Community forest, Khandroling offers Dzogchen members to apply. Please feel free to Community members a place to deepen email Ed Hayes, the Khandroling Devel- their connection to Chögyal Namkhai Rinpoche’s house. opment Director, with any questions or Norbu’s Dzogchen transmission. for a karma yoga application. This project offers us all a great op- to provide room (a bed in the Tsegyalgar At the same time we are working on the [email protected] The Gakyil of Tsegyalgar East is under- portunity to serve and collaborate with East dorm, or tenting) and board as well house for Rinpoche we will be actively taking a large development project on Rinpoche and the Dzogchen Commu- as discounts on retreats in exchange for involved in a variety of other very im- Many Thanks, Khandroling. First and foremost, we nity. It is a most fortunate occasion! a serious work commitment. Karma portant work projects on Lower Khan- The Tsegyalgar East Gakyil and are building a house for our precious Yoga positions include both skilled and droling, as mentioned below. There Khandroling Development Team Master, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, on We need your help! The Gakyil of Tse- unskilled laborers. Some jobs include: will be no lack of work and activity for this land where he has received and gyalgar East is looking for dedicated electrician, carpenter, painter, manual skilled and unskilled karma yogis. We offered many profound teachings. volunteers to offer karma yoga. Help laborer, gardener, cook, etc. hope very much that this effort will be We will begin the construction on will be needed beginning this spring a great collaboration from all corners of Rinpoche’s home this spring near lower with the preparation of the land for our Dzogchen Community. Khandroling. Rinpoche’s house. The Gakyil is willing

New York Santi Maha Sangha Retreat with Jim Valby May 15–17, 2009 At Kundrolling 151, West 30th Street, Suite 403, Level 4, New York near 7th Avenue and Penn Station 212-564-1024 www.nydzogchen.com

EVERYONE READS THE MIRROR! Santi Maha Sangha Base Level Retreat with Jim Valby Photo: N. Zeitz February 7–9 2009 at Tsegyalgar East.

West Tsegyalgar West [email protected] Tsegyalgar Baja California Sur, Mexico At Tsegyalgar West itself: [email protected] http://jardindelosnaranjos.org/

natural area with old trees, river pools, Proposed Job and wildlife. Within thirty-fi ve minutes Chöd Retreat with Nina Robinson there is the international airport of in Baja California, Mexico Description San Jose del Cabo and the old Mexican by Joel Crisp and Qualifi cations for Hospitality seaside town of San Jose. Within 50 and Outreach Manager(s) minutes is Cabo San Lucas, a popular he sun rises on a green moun- The Dzogchen Community in Los Cabos, tourist town in Baja Sur. Surrounding tainside as 10 people gather Baja Sur, Mexico seeks an individual or this peninsula is a World Heritage Bio- T to dance. The view from the couple who will reside on our mountain sphere Area, with 22 species of whales Mandala extends for kilometers up property (Tsegyalgar West) near Los and plentiful marine life. and down the valley. The practitioners Cabos, and provide outreach and hos- from Europe, Mexico, and the U.S. have pitality services, as well as supervision If you are interested in this position, gathered here in the mountains above for hospitality-related tasks performed please contact the Secretary at Tsegyal- the resorts of Cabo, Mexico to listen by others. gar West to the kind wisdom of Nina Robinson. [email protected] She is leading us in a 10-day Chöd Preferred candidates are members of Retreat, and everyone in the group of the Dzogchen Community. Fluency Thank you! 18 appreciates the importance of this in English and Spanish is absolutely re- gathering to deepen our experience of Nina Robinson leads Chöd at Tsegyalgar West in Cabo, Mexico. Photo: J. Crisp quired. Minimum time commitment is the teachings of our precious Master. one year; two years is preferred. The world’s largest Gar is still buzzing our stay in this beautiful wilderness. from Yeshi Namkhai’s visit last month Thank you Nina for our silent moments The hospitality/outreach manager(s) as we sit down to delicious meals of of presence under Rinpoche’s favorite will be compensated with room, board, mostly organic food. Hot showers, tree. And thank you Chögyal Namkhai and a modest monthly stipend, plus use swimming in the mountain pools and Norbu for...Everything. of Gar vehicles. Residence is in a scenic Dharma movie-time help to soften THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

22 Tsegyalgar West

as far North as Oregon and each to work during the day could par- Mandarava in person participating as their per- ticipate in the evening sessions. sonal schedule permitted. This meant that Nina would of- Dondrubling ten repeat what she had already Berkeley We dedicated our practice for explained as “new” people ar- the Health and Long Life of Our rived and this was very benefi cial Carisa O’Kelly Master who is currently at Nam- for all of us as we were in this way gyalgar in Australia. For this we able to get clearer on the details e were very fortunate used the particular word that we of the practice. this February to partic- learned that is used when dedi- Wipate in a ten day Man- cating for someone else. We also The Course ended with a Manda- darava Retreat led by Nina Robin- learned the latest move- rava Ganapuja with Marme Mon- son at Dondrubling in Berkeley, ments, and all adjustments to the lam practice and we are all sad to California. It was a delightful ex- text that arose out of Rinpoche’s see her leave but happy for the perience from beginning to end recent dreams during his month Mexico Community where she is and a wonderful way to end the old long Mandarava retreat. heading next. (Tibetan) year and start the new Nina Robinson and group at Dondrubling, Berkeley California February 20–March 1, 2009. one. The Course was very well at- Nina also patiently and clearly led We hope to see here back in the tended with people traveling from us through the Chudlen breath- Tsalung practices. The course noon and one evening session Bay Area as soon as her schedule places both within California and ing and some of the Mandarava was structured with one after- each weekday so people who had permits. Safe travels.

San Diego Schedule Yantra Yoga in Upcoming Friday, March 20 An Introduction to Yantra Yoga: 2:30 pm–4:00 pm: Free public lecture Portland Oregon The Tibetan Yoga of Movement and presentation Darren Littlejohn with Oni McKinstry 6:00pm–8:00pm: Session 1 March 20–22, 2009 Saturday, March 21 he Portland Dzogchen 1:00 pm–3:00 pm: Session 2 Called The Union of the Sun and the Community hosted Paula 5:00 pm–7:00 pm: Session 3 Moon, Yantra Yoga is an ancient Ti- Barry for the introduc- Sunday, March 15 T betan system of trulkhor (movements) tory Yantra Yoga course from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm: Session 4 and tsalung (pranayamas). Through Jan 30th- Feb 1st, 2009. We used 5:00 pm–7:00 pm: Session 5 positions and movements combined the facilities of the Center of with breathing, this practice helps one Location: Embody Yoga Therapy Portland, which is located in the to relax and achieve a state of well- 5632 La Jolla Blvd, San Diego, CA 92037 beautiful Northwest Portland being and harmony, at the same time 858-454-93 55 neighborhood. There were over enhancing physical health, energy, and [email protected] 20 registrants for the weekend. mental balance. Several participants came from Registration: $ 200 (or $150 if paid in Seattle (3 hours to the North) and setts. Everyone loved her teaching In the future for the Portland In this introductory course we will focus full by Friday, February 27 ) Salem (an hour South) and most and unanimously agrees to invite Sangha, we foresee Vajra Dance, on Complete Breathing and the Prelimi- Space is limited, preregistration is were already students of Chögyal her back for more Yantra Yoga. Santi Maha Sangha and, of nary Practices of Lung Ro Salwa (Exhal- advised. Namkhai Norbu. course, more Yantra Yoga cours- ing the Stale Air), Tsigjong (Loosening What to Bring We made it through the warm ups es. We’re making plans to buy a the Joints) and Lungsang (Purifying the Please wear comfortable clothing. Paula was wonderful and very and the Eight Movements, with Dance Mandala and fi nd a room Prana). Emphasis will be on cultivating Bring a blanket or mat to lie on. well received by the Commu- plenty of time to run through a to host practices. Our Dzogchen presence and awareness while develop- Come with not too full of a stomach! nity. She has a direct, personal complete practice session at the Community is growing. We’re ing and deepening our understanding and accessible style. Her warmth end. Paula quickly learned every- doing regular practices, getting and experience of the breath, both Please feel free to contact with any spread quickly through the group one’s name and the group felt together for web casts and com- within the yantras and the pranayamas. questions. and grew with us from the time very comfortable asking ques- municating over email, Facebook This course is the foundation for further Miles Thomas, 619.379.6359 we all greeted her at the airport, tions and Paula walked around and so on. So we’re happy and study and practice of Yantra Yoga. miles@southparkcommunity through many hot tub sessions at the room from time to time, doing well here in Portland. acupuncture.com Visit www.yantrayoga.org for more the house, until we put her on the making personal suggestions to information plane bound for frosty Massachu- practitioners.

Norte Tashigar North /Finca Tashigar Prolongación de la Calle Bolivar Tel: 0058 0295 2580332 Tashigar Valle de Pedro González [email protected] Isla de Margarita www.tashigarnorte.org

been a morning practice of Go- carefully so that all the partici- Winter in Tashigar madevi almost every day since, pants could eat together and the the exceptions being when there energy of the dance practice be North has been another practice in- as continuous as possible. This stead, such as Mandarava or the retreat is well-attended; there are Lauri Denyer recent practice Rinpoche taught at least twenty students, some of in the webcast from Australia, whom have never taken any Vajra ainy season has been con- the Jnanadakini thug thig. Dance course before. tinuous since last sum- R mer, people say, which ac- There was a Losar celebration, Adriano Clemente and Dina have counts for all the beautiful fl owers which included the traditional also been here for a month. Dina and the greenness of the foliage. Tibetan soup with dough balls leads two sessions a day of Yantra Now the rain is falling less, and the containing indications for the yoga, and Adriano accepted the wind is coming. For the next few next year, a morning swim at invitation of the Gakyil to lead months it is the wind that will be Zaragosa at 5 am, practices, eat- Chöd practices, Mandarava prac- continuous, they say. But the rain ing together and playing games. tices, Jnanadakini practices, giv- has not abandoned the island yet. ing explanations when needed The Gakyil invited Prima Mai to as well as demonstrating how to Painters and dancers. Photo: J. Bass Last November Yeshi Namkhai come to supervise three Vajra play the damaru and bell. He also visited and reminded us that this Dance teachers- Carmen, Bo- gave four intensive sessions on This coincides with the second mar. They have been here for a is a special place for the dance dhi, and Rosa- so she has come how to lead the Ganapuja prac- year of the Gonpa painting, with month and the painting is al- and Gomadevi, which people re- for a month. The courses they tice, meticulously going over the the crew of painters from Meri- most fi nished. They came to a ally took to heart, and there has are teaching were organized very tunes of each section. gar under the direction of Mig- >> continued on the following page THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

23 Tashigar Norte

>> continued from previous page And then there is Luciano from The upkeep of the gar and the upcoming We also want to encourage people living beach paradise for a month and Italy who is here to work on the housing area rests largely on the Tashigar Norte is pleased to announce in mainland Venezuela to communicate a half to work, but the crew has complex and dismaying electri- shoulders of a few very diligent Vajra Dance Course of your intention to travel by air and by car been so continuously busy that it cal system in the Gonpa. Since all people for whom the endless the Six Spaces of Samantabhadra and we will do our best to coordinate can in no way be seen as a holi- these activities are taking place arising of one problem with the With Rosa Altamirano, supervised by cheap airline tickets and car sharing day. They work eight hours a day, in the Gonpa, sharing the same subsiding of another does not the Main Instructor Prima Mai opportunities. and in that way, it will be mostly space at the same time clearly seem to be such an enormous March 27th, 28th & 29th Food Service complete when they leave. Sev- represents the non-division be- stress, probably due to the fact For Beginners, open to Members and Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner: eral other painters have worked tween formal practice and the that they have been involved in All interested People Bs.F. 70 per day with them, including one from practices of daily life. The paint- this for a long time in these very Cost Please be free to communicate your Russia who came solely for this ers and the electricians are clear- fortunate surroundings, and have Non-Members Bs.F. 500 personal dietary requirements to our purpose, several Venezuelans, ly far too busy to attend all the a good perspective on it and a real Meritorious Members Bs.F 200 experienced chefs Italians, and occasionally others. formal practices but it is equally understanding of the lack of sub- Sustainer Members Bs.F 200 The Gonpa is now decorated in clear that what they are doing stantiality of things. The support Limited places are available Ordinary Members Bs.F 400 its entirety and two mantras are is also a practice, since it is be- that the Gar gets from the way Reduced Members Bs.F 250 Please register in advance with painted on the major lengthwise ing done with so much apparent people are involved in the teach- Our intention for this retreat is to pro- [email protected] beams, and around the periphery care, attention and respect for ings Rinpoche has given both vide a comfortable environment for Tel: +58-295-258 0332 of the Gonpa, A A Ha Sha Sa Ma, others. here and elsewhere is impossible practice, very good food so participants Monday to Friday 8:oo am–12:00 pm and Ah Hum Vajra Guru Pad- to overstate. And it feels as if this can enjoy eating together and accom- ma Hum. is only a beginning. For Accommodation, Food and Travel modation inside Tashigar so everyone Assistance: can walk to the Mandala in a relaxed [email protected] retreat environment where we are not stressed by driving to and from the Gar.

Sur Tashigar South Tanti 5155 Phone & Fax: 0054 - 3541 - 498 356 Tashigar Comunidad Dzogchen Tashigar Pcia. de Córdoba [email protected] Calle pública S/N Argentina

Yantra Yoga 1st Level Supervision of Haimavati Nakai and Jimena Piedra with Fabio Andrico from Jan. 2–8, 2009. Seventh Lojong Retreat with Yantra Yoga led by Ricky Sued and Marisa Alonso, January 22–27, 2009.

Ongoing Beginner’s Yantra Yoga Course with Carolina Mingolla in Tanti, Cordoba, Argentina.

Costa Rica Dekyitling, The Costa Rican Ling has a new Gakyil Blue Gakyil is Oscar Jimenez [email protected] Norbunet Red Galyil is Federico Herrero There are some changes to Norbunet, [email protected] International mailing list of the Dzogchen Community Yellow Gakyil is Gloriana Brenes To subscribe: send a message to [email protected] [email protected] with in the subject-line: subscribe To post messages: [email protected] To contact the administrator: [email protected] THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009

24

Namgyalgar PO Box 214 Central Tilba [email protected] Namgyalgar Dzogchen Community in NSW 2546 www.dzogchen.org.au and Pacifi c Rim Australia Phone/Fax: 61 02 4473 7668

in a fun and playful way explor- Children’s program ing themes of interdependence, awareness, and compassion for at Namgyalgar all beings, energy and calm state. Retreat They met in a circle each morn- February 9th–15th 2009, ing starting with meditation and Australia later in the day was able to join a yoga session and meditation led by one the Yantra teachers. Maree Ploetz Well that was the theory. How did it really work? Some moth- amgyalgar has always ers said that selecting the right been very child friendly childcare leader is important Nplace promoting the atti- in implementing the program. tude that the Community should In the morning it was more like support parents and families. good child care. The children Childcare at retreats has always had a great time but sadly the been provided free and by volun- ideas of dharma related activi- teers and was quite variable in its ties that were put forward to the quality. This year it was decided non-practitioner childcare lead- to employ professional child care ers were not taken up as much as Chögyal Namkhai Norbu with Santi Maha Sangha level 1 group, Namgyalgar. workers. Parents appreciated be- it was hoped. The afternoon pro- ing undisturbed and being able gram was based on the Kumar a deeper understanding of the emotional. Doing the exam at the to concentrate for a precious few Kumari written by Rinpoche led ‘Base Jumping’ Dzogchen teachings. The result same time as being the Gekö was hours on Rinpoche’s teachings. by Kate and Emily a Yantra Yoga has been to enormously develop really intense and rich too.” At lunchtime younger children teacher with worked really well Dzogchen style my understanding of the Dharma Giovanni an Italian student of were unrecognizable with faces with meditation and yoga. The Maree Ploetz and progress my practice more Rinpoche for 26 years said, “For painted as tigers and cats but children who attended really ben- than ever before. Having my fi rst me it was a long journey to study where happily reunited with their efi ted by the meditation and they ase-jumping is an extreme Dharma education in Sutra and the SMS. I started to study 4 years parents with stories of adventure become very calm, open and par- sport, one that many then in Zen (Mahayana Sutra) ago as I thought it was time to fol- and friendships. Reports fi ltered ticipated well. The cost was $ 50 BDzogchen practitioners and later some Vajrayana teach- low the advice of Rinpoche, that back of how the children’s medi- a child but this cost did not cover eventually decide to take up. ers, studying the Precious Vase it is important to know the Base tation session which was sup- the full actual costs but contrib- So what thrills and experiences was enormously integrating and even if you don’t do the other lev- posed to be for 10 minutes lasted uted to covering it. All the par- were had by the 33 Dzogchen validating experience. I feel more els. But when I read it the fi rst 45 minutes. So what was hap- ents really appreciated that they ‘Base Jumpers’, those who took connected to the Community and time I thought it was too much pening in the children’s program could attend Rinpoche’s teach- the leap to study the Santi Maha involved. So I wondered about for me because all these different and what was their parents’ expe- ing and not to be worried about Sangha Base, The Precious Vase the other SMS Candidates, how words and schools were diffi cult rience of it? the safety of their children. and take the jump of completing had their lives had been effected for me. Then after one year I tried The children’s program was It is hoped that next retreat the SMS examinations in Namg- by studying The Precious Vase? to read it again and I found it a devised by the parent practitio- at Easter Retreat Children’s yalgar, Australia from the Febru- Ringo, 57 years old from Sin- little easier to understand than ners with the idea of linking the Program be more fully imple- ary 17–19, 2009? gapore, has been a student of the fi rst time. I worked in Tibet spirit of the land and the spiritu- mented especially the morning Santi Maha Sangha Base Ex- Rinpoche for 18 years and trav- in an aide foundation for the Ti- ality of the teaching. It was divid- session. The organizers hope the ams. Question one.” So how has eled to Australia especially to betan population so I had time ed into 3 age defi ned streams 2–6 teenagers will be as excited as studying the Santi Maha Sangha take the SMS exam, said, “Study- to study in the spring 2008. The year olds, 7–12 year olds and 13– them about the ‘Teen Program’ impacted on your life?” ‘Base ing the SMS I have a better under- sensation arising in me during 16 year olds, the children most of that will be activity based and Jumping’ as I call it, the leap of standing of the various Buddhist the spring of 2008, during ‘The whom already know each other. lead by a professional Youth Out- making the commitment to study views, especially the inner Tantric Tibetan Event’ in Lhasa and else- It ran during the morning teach- door Educator. One mother said the SMS Base, for me started 6 view. But I am too old to study.” where was so strong it was al- ing session form 10–12 am. The “Having child care at retreats is a years after fi rst meeting Namkhai Quinn, 34 years old from Aus- most unbearable. So sometimes program for the youngest chil- really valuable resource for Par- Norbu Rinpoche when I attended tralia, has been a practitioner the practice of the SMS, like ex- dren 2–6 year olds engaged in ent Practitioners. We really rec- a Santi Maha Sangha Retreat in for 2 years and only attended his changing yourself with others, the basic concepts of Buddhism ommend it.” Margarita March 2007. Rinpoche fi rst ‘face to face’ retreat with was useful but sometimes un- stressed the importance of at least Rinpoche immediately before he bearable. The real understand- studying the SMS Base to develop sat the exams said, “for myself it ing of how to integrate the con- A practitioner of 6 years from has been a wonderful experience. cept of refuge and Bodhicitta in New Zealand said, “It has made me Upcoming I found it helped to strike a bal- my life especially the concept of feel more connected to the inter- Fabio Andrico in Australia 2009 ance between the cerebral/study compassion has effected my life national Community as a whole. I Breathing Course aspects and practice/experience greatly and this experience seems feel it has brought me closer to the March 27–29 aspect to really deepen my under- present in a stable way now.” principles that Rinpoche teaches. Melbourne standing of the teachings.” Dorje from Switzerland, 33 And I recommend it to everyone.” Nicki the Gekö of Namgyal- year old who has been a student So if you are a practitioner and 2nd Level Supervision for Aspiring gar who has been a student of of Rinpoche since summer 2005, want to take up an extreme sport, Instructor with Emily Coleing Rinpoche for 7 years said, “I was the current Namgyalgar Scholar- why not think of taking up the March 30–April 2 a bit surprised as I thought the ship holder said, “Studying the study of the Precious Vase and Passages Contact for all: study of the SMS text would be an Precious Vase changed my un- doing some ‘Base Jumping’? Catherine Simmonds at intellectual exercise but the study derstanding of the teachings, es- Born: Emakiri Helen Fielding was born [email protected] brought deeper experiences of pecially when Rinpoche gives re- at 11.40 pm on January 13, 2009 at * the teaching both energetic and treats. I understand more of what Japan a quick and peaceful birth in Sydney he is saying now. It also helped Australia to Christina Barber and Tom me to be more in contact with the Upcoming Fielding. The midwife urged Christina Dzogchen Community. This is Chögyal Namkhai Norbu to say AAAAA and push and out she also the reason I decided to do the in Japan came!! She is a very peaceful baby. Scholarship at Namgyalgar, to be with virtuous companions and be Chögyal Namkhai Norbu will give Dzog- in the environment of the teach- chen Teaching in Tokyo May 8, 9 & 10. ings and practice. The Scholar- Please visit our site for more informa- Upcoming ship helped me to deal with peo- tion and registration at Yantra Yoga Open Course ple. Karma yoga and practice all http://japan.dzogchen.it/TokyoRetreat Led by Yoko Morito under the at the same time...it is something Dzogchen Community Japan supervision of Laura Evangelisti very useful for me. The teaching May 9–12 of SMS helped me to integrate my Contact: Swiss side and my Tibetan side... [email protected] Breathing Course with Fabio Andrico at Sydney University February 2–5, 2009. they are not separate.” THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Special Practice Calendar

25

5th Month, 10th day Thu. 2nd July 2009 Special Practice Calendar Today is a special day of Guru Padma- sambhava. In general you can do the Guruyoga of Padmasambhava prac- for the Earth Ox Year tice on this day. If you can, try to do a Ganapuja collectively with your Vajra 2009–2010 brothers and sisters, otherwise you can do the longlife practice “Union of Primor- dial Essences”.

5th Month, 14th day Mon. 6th July 2009 1st Month, 10th day 2nd Month, 10th day if this is not possible you can always 4th Month, 6th & 8th days This is an important day for the practice Fri. 6th March 2009 Sat. 4th April 2009 do this practice alone when you have Sun. 31st May 2009 of Ekajati, so try to do a long or medium This is the day on which Padmasam- This is a special day of Guru Padma- time. The important thing is to try to This month there is no 6th day so today Tun collectively or alone, reciting the was ordained by Ananta, or, ac- sambhava, the day on which the king communicate with all practitioners is an important day for the practice of heart mantra of Ekajati as many times cording to Jigmed Lingpa (‘Jigs med gLing Sahora tried to burn him alive and when linked to the same transmission so that Ekajati so try to do a long or medium Tun as possible. pa), the day on which he left the king- he transformed the fi re into a lake, so you can develop the potentiality of the with your Vajra brothers and sisters. dom of Oddiyana to go to the cemetery try to perform a Ganapuja collectively, transmission that you have received If that is not possible you can do the 5th Month, 15th day at Maghadha called Citavana. but if that is not possible do the Longlife and through it your understanding and medium Tun alone, reciting the heart Tue. 7th July 2009 You can do a Ganapuja in the usual way practice Universal Wisdom Union. capacity to integrate your daily life in mantra of Ekajati as many times as Full Moon. This is a special day for the or if you do not have the possibility you the state of contemplation. possible. longlife practice of Amitayus, so you can try to do the longlife practice linked 2nd Month, 12th day Those who have not received the trans- can do the Longlife practice “Union of to the Guruyoga of Guru Rinpoche (Univer- Mon. 6th April 2009 mission of the Tun practice can learn 4th Month, 10th day Primordial Essences”. The best moment to sal Wisdom Union) either collectively or This is the anniversary of Jetsun Dragpa it from other practitioners and then Tue. 2nd June 2009 do it is between 7 and 8 in the morning, alone. Otherwise you can do a Medium Gyaltsen (1147–1216), one of the fi rst receive the transmission when there is Today is the day of Guru Padmasam- if possible, either collectively or alone. If Tun (tundrin) with an intense practice of great Masters of the Sakyapa tradition, the opportunity. Otherwise on this day bhava. In general you can do the prac- you can, try to a Ganapuja as well. the Guruyoga of Padmasambhava. so try to do the Akar Lamai Naljor, the those who have not received transmis- tice of the Guruyoga of Padmasambha- It is also the Dzam gling spyi bsang (Lit. Guruyoga of the White A. sion of the Tun practice can do a puri- va on this day. If you have the possibility ‘smoke puja of the world in general’) so 1st Month, 16th day fi cation practice with breathing and Yantra and enough time you can do a collective if you know how to do it, you can do the Wed. 11th March 2009 2nd Month, 15th day Yoga exercises and movements or practices Ganapuja with your Vajra brothers and Sanqod (Sangchod) in the morning. Full Moon. This month there is no 15th Thu.9th April 2009 linked to controlling the prana. sisters otherwise you can do the longlife day so today is full moon day. The an- Full Moon. This is one of the best days practice “Union of Primordial Essences”. 5th Month, 25th day niversary of the great Dzogchen Mas- for doing the longlife practice of Guru 3rd month, 15th day Fri. 17th July 2009 ter Garab Dorje as well as that of the Amitayus, with a Ganapuja if possible. Sat. 9th May 2009 4th Month, 15th day Today is Dakini day as well as an im- founder of Bön, the great Master Shen- Try to do it collectively or, if that is not Full Moon. This is one of the best days Sun. 7th June 2009 portant day for the practice of Ekajati, rab Miwoche, falls on the day of the fi rst possible, alone. for longlife practices and in particular Full Moon. This is the anniversary of the so try to do a Ganapuja or a long Tun col- full moon of the Tibetan year. It is also a for the practice of the “Union of Primor- Paranirvana of Buddha Sakyamuni as lectively with your Vajra brothers and special day of Buddha Sakyamuni when 2nd Month, 20th day dial Essences”. It is best to do it early in well as an important day for the longlife sisters, or a medium Tun alone. In either he manifested several miracles and the Tue.14th April 2009 the morning between 7 and 8am if you practice “Cycle of Life’s Vajra”. Therefore case recite the heart mantra of Ekajati anniversary of the Master Marpa. Thus This is the anniversary of the great can but if this isn’t possible you can do if you can, do the practice of the Dakini as many times as possible. it is an especially important day for Dzogchen Master Do Gyaltsen Yeshe it in the afternoon or even in the eve- Mandarava in the morning (the best both Buddhist and Bonpo practitioners, Dorje (born 1800), a disciple of the fi rst ning when you are not busy. time is between 7 and 8 am) and a 5th Month, 30th day in particular those who practice the Dodrubchen Rinpoche and a master of Today is also the anniversary of the collective Ganapuja in the afternoon or Wed. 22nd July 2009 Dzogchen teachings. Nyagla Padma Dundul. It is therefore Kalachakra, the day when Buddha evening according to your possibilities. New Moon. This is a day for purifi cation On this day, therefore, when it is 8 am a good day to do Akar Lamai Naljor, the Sakyamuni fi rst gave the teaching of practices. It is best to do the Purifi cation in Oddiyana, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu will Guruyoga with the White A. Kalachakra so it is good to do a Ga- 4th Month, 25th day of the Six Lokas either collectively or give the transmission of Guruyoga with the napuja or Long Tun in the evening either Thu. 18th June 2009 alone, preferably in the early morning. specifi c practice linked to the anniversary of 2nd Month, 25th day collectively or alone. Today is Dakini day. It is also the anni- Otherwise you can do a medium or short Garab Dorje. In this way the transmission Mon. 20th April 2009 versary of Ngor Chen (a great master of Tun or a Ganapuja. will be live because the transmission has This is a Dakini day so try to do a Gana- 3rd Month, 25th day the Shakyapa tradition and initiator of no distance. Rinpoche will transmit and puja with your Vajra brothers and sisters Tue. 19th May 2009 the Ngor lineage), therefore it is a good throughout the world people who do or if that is not possible, a Medium Tun, Today is a Dakini day. It is also the anni- day to do the Guruyoga of the White A, the practice at the same moment will be either collectively or alone. versary of the Fifth Dalai Lama, a great Akar Lamai Naljor, collectively or alone. in the transmission and will thus receive terton and practitioner of Dzogchen so Global Timetable the transmission. This practice should 2nd Month, 30th day it is a very benefi cial day to reinforce 4th Month, 30th day Anniversary of Garab Dorje be done at the appointed time together Sat. 25th April 2009 the function of our energy and create Mon. 22nd June 2009 1st Tibetan month – 16th day with your Vajra brothers and sisters or, Dark Moon. On this day, which is the a more vital contact with the energy of New Moon. Today is the anniversary Celebration at 8 a.m. Oddiyana time if that is not possible, alone. (In Italy, anniversary of the great Terton Loter the universe. If you have the possibility, of Nyagla Padma Dundul (1816–1872), this practice will be done at 4 am.) Wangpo, try to do the Akar Lamai Naljor, it is good to do a Guruyoga of the White one of the Masters of Chang-chub Dorje Tuesday 11th March 2009 See global timetable Guruyoga of the White A with the Master A in the morning and in the evening a and the main Master of Namkhai Norbu 17:00 Hawai Garab Dorje either collectively or alone, Ganapuja with an intensive practice of Rinpoche. He discovered the Terma 19:00 San Francisco, Los Angeles, 1st Month, 25th day with a Ganapuja if possible. Ekajati, repeating the heart mantra as “Tsedrub Gongdu” which two of his Vancouver (US Pacifi c Time) Sat. 21st March 2009 many times as possible. Otherwise you disciples, Ayu Khandro and Changchub 20:00 Denver (US Mountain Time) This is the day of the Dakini and in 3rd Month, 4th day can do the Medium Tun with the practice Dorje, transmitted to Namkhai Norbu 21:00 Chicago, Mexico City, Belize particular the anniversary of the lady Tue. 28th April 2009 of Ekajati, repeating the heart mantra Rinpoche. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche (US Central Time) Master Ayu Khandro, so it is good to This is an important day for the practice as much as possible. The best time for practised this method as much as pos- 22:00 New York, Montreal, Detroit, do the Akar Lamai Naljor or a Ganapuja of Ekajati, so try to do a Long or Medium this practice is around 8 in the evening. sible and started to transmit it to his Havana with transformation into the Dakini Tun in the usual way, reciting the heart students after visiting the sacred cave 23:00 Caracas Simhamukha. mantra of Ekajati as many times as pos- 3rd Month, 30th day at Maratika. Therefore try to do the sible. Sun. 24th May 2009 longlife practice “Union of Primordial Es- Wednesday 11th March 2009 1st Month, 30th day New Moon. Today is the anniversary sences” in the morning. In the afternoon 00:00 Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, Thu. 26th March 2009 3rd Month, 10th day of Sangyas Lingpa (1340–1396) a great or evening you can do the Guruyoga of Santiago Dark Moon. This day is suitable for Mon. 4th May 2009 terton and Dzogchen master. You can the White A, Akar Lamai Naljor, collectively 03:00 GMT, London, Dublin, Lisbon purifi cation practice so try to do purifi - This is a special day of Guru Padma- do a Guruyoga of the White A from the or alone, with a Ganapuja if possible. 04:00 Rome, Berlin, Oslo, Paris, cation with the Namcho Shitroi Naljor, the sambhava. Those who have received cycle of teachings Universal Clarity with Amsterdam, Stockholm practice of the peaceful and wrathful transmission should do a Guruyoga a Ganapuja. It is also a good day to do 5th Month, 1st day 05:00 Helsinki, Athens, Jerusalem manifestations, either collectively or with Padmasambhava with the longlife the Purifi cation of the Six Loka. Tue. 23rd June 2009 06:00 Moscow alone, as well as a collective Ganapuja. mantra and a Ganapuja as we usually This is the anniversary of Chogyur Ling- 08:00 Oddiyana (Karachi-Pakistan) do, otherwise you can do the longlife 4th month, 7th day pa (1829–1870) a Nyingmapa Master of 08:30 Dehli, Bombay 2nd Month, 6th day practice “Universal Wisdom Union”. If Sat. 30th May 2009 Dzogchen, one of the three most impor- 08:45 Kathmandu Wed. 1st April 2009 it is possible, the best time to do the This is the anniversary of the birth of tant Rimed masters of the 19th century. 09:00 Dacca This is an important day for the practice Guruyoga and longlife practice is in the Buddha Shakyamuni, an important day Try to do a practice of the Guruyoga of 10:00 Bangkok, Jakarta of Ekajati, so try to do a Long or Medium morning between 7 and 8. You can do for all Buddhists, so try to a Ganapuja the White A, Akar Lamai Naljor. 11:00 Singapore, Hong Kong Tun in the usual way, reciting the heart the Ganapuja later in the afternoon. with your Vajra brothers and sisters. 12:00 Tokyo mantra of Ekajati as many times as pos- Usually the best way to do the Ganapuja 14:00 Melbourne, Sydney sible. and the Guruyoga is collectively, with your Vajra brothers and sisters, but THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Santi Maha Sangha

26

Approaching study of the The main point is not intel- crete commitment practitioners Approaching the Santi Maha Sangha lectual study but to integrate the take in making their capacities Regarding the structure of the point of view, meditation and be- available for the common good, Santi Maha Sangha text and the object of study in the haviour in our three existences of no matter what the situation, in The aim of the Santi Maha Sangha volumes written by the Master, body, voice and mind. such a way as to contribute to the starting with the Base and then life of the Community and there- Fabio Risolo continuing through the follow- Chodpa: behaviour fore, indirectly, to the continua- ing levels, the Santi Maha Sangha Here we have touched on a fun- tion of the teaching. And so we consists of a systematic explana- damental point: what does in- offer our collaboration as Karma anti Maha Sangha means tion of the entire teaching of the tegrating the Santi Maha Sangha Yoga. Those who do not do Kar- the Dzogchen Community.1 Buddha keeping in mind specifi c into one’s behaviour, into one’s ma Yoga cannot do the Santi Maha S Those who are interested knowledge of Dzogchen. own condition, mean? Sangha exam because under these in the Dzogchen teaching and The Master has planned 9 circumstances their process of in the Community are automati- levels of progressive in-depth “According to the Santi Maha integration is not complete: they cally part of the Santi Maha Sangha examination of the Santi Maha Sangha Base examination, for don’t really give importance to project. as transmitted by the Master will Sangha. After taking an exam for people who are interested and the Community and thus not Master Chögyal Namkhai Nor- be guaranteed. each level, one can carry on to the participate in Santi Maha Sangha, even the Teaching. bu has explained several times, next level by following a Train- fi rst of all they must be interested starting from the beginning of “We must continue to transmit ing given by the Master. After the in the Dzogchen Community. The The Master has often empha- the project in 1993, that the aim the understanding and knowl- Base (which corresponds to the training of Santi Maha Sangha is sized the importance of having of Santi Maha Sangha is to guar- edge of this teaching. This is the book The Precious Vase) there are 3 not only something learned in an the right kind of behaviour to- antee the continuation of the responsibility of all of us. First of levels related to the Semde, 3 to intellectual way, but this knowl- wards our vajra brothers and sis- Dzogchen Teaching in a pure all I have this responsibility be- the Longde and the fi nal 3 to the edge should be totally integrated ters: always being ready to listen way, in the same way it has been cause I transmit this teaching to Upadesha. Up to now the Mas- into one’s condition. If someone to, to talk to, to collaborate with transmitted uninterruptedly from you. You also have a responsibili- ter has given teachings up to the is not interested in the Dzogchen each other. We have said that the Garab Dorje up to today within ty, and then we share this respon- Training of Level 4. Community, there is no way they Sangha is the body of the master, a very precise lineage and as he sibility. With this responsibility In 2002, the Master estab- can be totally integrated. The our own body. We cannot inte- himself has transmitted it to his we must keep the transmission lished the Teachers’ Training in or- Dzogchen Community is like a grate the body of the teaching students for more than 30 years. in the correct way; by keeping the der to select teachers for the Santi boat; we are travelling by boat in if we do not work for the Com- It is about a real mission that transmission in the correct way Maha Sangha who can collaborate order to arrive beyond a very big munity. The Community is us: is the Master’s main undertak- we are not mixing it with some- to help practitioners deepen their river and until we arrive beyond we are all connected and will be, ing, the fundamental aim of his thing else. We should not modify, study. the very big river we should be in- with the Master, until our com- life: change or create problems in the If the long-term goal of the terested in that boat. Therefore, plete realisation. “You remember how important transmission. If we learn in the project is to guarantee the con- we can understand how impor- Until realisation manifests, this is, particularly for me. In my correct way then we can continue tinuation of the Dzogchen teach- tant the Dzogchen Community is we should behave in a way that work, or even in my dreams, the the transmission. We all need to ing for the future, the short-term for the trainee. follows what in the teaching is Santi Maha Sangha is always very accept this responsibility.” (From objective is for as many practi- If people are interested in any called “awareness”, or being important. I told you when I had a talk given at Merigar, July 1996, tioners as possible to approach kind of Karma Yoga activity relat- present in our body, voice and leukemia and they informed me, published in The Mirror, issue 37, this knowledge. But how can this ed to the Dzogchen Community mind in every moment, observ- I thought that my life was fi n- September/October 1996.) come about concretely? it means those people are inter- ing ourselves and being able to ished. At that time the only thing On innumerable occasions ested in the Dzogchen Commu- keep our disturbing emotions un- I was a little worried about was As the Master has made clear on the Master has explained that in nity. For example, if someone is der control, especially when we the Santi Maha Sangha. I was not several occasions, the correct way Dzogchen the point of view can- a member of a family then that come into contact with our vajra worried for the Dzogchen Com- for each practitioner to approach not be established in an intellec- person is interested in every- brothers and sisters. Sometimes munity, my family or myself, I the Santi Maha Sangha is, fi rst of tual way or through philosophical thing related to that family. In the we behave in a rigid way, raising was only sorry that I could not all, to devote oneself to attaining debate but by integrating knowl- same way, if there is something our voice, tensing our muscles. If go on with Santi Maha Sangha be- one’s own personal realisation. edge into one’s existence. to do for the Dzogchen Commu- we realise that we are doing this cause I know that the Dzogchen This is the best way to make the nity, one who is interested in the it means that we are applying teaching is very, very important. Community grow. Helping oth- “There are some people who Dzogchen Community is always presence at the level of the body What I have understood I com- ers does not depend on our good think Santi Maha Sangha is like ready to participate.” (The Mirror, and then becoming aware of the municated to my students and intentions but on our awareness, studying at University in an aca- issue 56, March/April 2001.) level of our energy that may be I wish that this knowledge con- on our being good practitioners demic style. I am not interested disturbed. This attitude of ob- tinues in the future. If people who integrate the teaching into in this. (…) Remember that there It is not possible to be interested serving oneself, of being aware, continue this teaching, I am con- our daily life. The Santi Maha are the three principles of tawa, in the Teaching and the Master is still not instant presence, as vinced there will be some kind of Sangha exists for this very reason. gompa and chöpa in our teaching. but not the Sangha. The Master the Master explains, but it is the evolution. Teaching really helps It is not compulsory for a The Santi Maha Sangha does not is the Buddha, the Dharma and preparation for it.2 all beings, particularly human Dzogchen Community practitio- consist only in answering some the Sangha. Santi Maha Sangha beings.” (Teachings at the Teach- ner to take part in the Santi Maha questions like students at school. means Dzogchen Community Tawa: how to study the ers’ Trainings, Tashigar Norte, Sangha project, nor is it indispen- In particular in the Santi Maha and the Sangha is the body of the points of view 2004, p. 39–40) sible to receive special teachings, Sangha the most important point Master himself. The classifi cation into nine vehi- but it is true that it is very use- is the capacity to integrate knowl- If, as practitioners of the cles in the tradition (cf. To this it should be added that ful for one’s own inner develop- edge into one’s existence.” (From Dzogchen Community, we be- chap. V of The Precious Vase, p. 170) even though today in the West ment. a talk given at Merigar, July 1996, come aware that we are all on the includes: the three causal vehicles there is a rapidly increasing published in The Mirror, issue 37, path, we understand in a con- (the worldly vehicle of the Devas, number of masters who teach “Some people think I am giving September/October 1996.) crete way what all of us being in the vehicle of the Shravakas and Dzogchen (concerning this we essential teachings only to those the same boat means: collaborat- of the Pratyekabuddhas, the vehi- should recall that Chögyal Nam- doing Santi Maha Sanga. First of This has nothing to do with ing for a common goal in which cle of the ), the three khai Norbu was the fi rst to teach all, I want to make it clear that it knowing, judging or assessing individual realisation and the re- series of outer tantras (Kriya- Dzogchen in the West), it is a is not obligatory to do Santi Maha that which is outside ourselves, alisation of all our vajra brothers tantra, Ubhayatantra and Yoga- fact that in several cases they are Sangha. Also, I never said that I with considering different points and sisters is, in actual fact, the tantra) and the three series of in- teachers who do not belong to don’t give important teachings of view explained in The Precious same single objective. If we really ner tantras (Mahayoga, Anuyoga, the Dzogchen lineage, or who act outside of Santi Maha Sangha. Vase in a mental way in order to practise the Santi Maha Sangha, Atiyoga). In this classifi cation as if they do, often mixing differ- I have constructed this to help discover which is the best, using a profound change takes place Dzogchen-Ati is presented as ent traditions and teachings. The people have a very precise knowl- the internal logic of the different within us and we have a great the ninth vehicle, the point of ar- preciousness and the unique- edge of the Dzogchen teachings. views as a reference point and ap- awareness of this principle. This rival of the tantric path. From the ness of the transmission and the In the future there will be quali- plying the convincing precision means integrating the principles Dzogchen point of view, howev- teaching of Chögyal Namkhai fi ed people who can teach, help of dialectics. For a Dzogchen studied in The Precious Vase into er, it is also considered to be the Norbu are an element that is very and continue the transmission practitioner, studying the dif- our behaviour in a very concrete path of self-liberation, a path that important for us, his students, to which they have received in the ferent points of views serves to way. Without this, there can be is independent from the tantric understand. correct way. This is a way of pro- look within himself, observe and no realisation. one. Why do we study the nine The Santi Maha Sangha serves ducing qualifi ed people.” (From know himself. This is really the To feel real compassion for points of view? Not to show off to guarantee the continuity of the a talk given at Merigar, July 1996, fundamental point that our Mas- our vajra brothers and sisters can our intellectual knowledge but purity of the Teaching. Obviously published in The Mirror, issue 37, ter has taught us through the ex- only arise from a real inner expe- to integrate these points of view if a lot of practitioners deepen September/October 1996.) ample of the mirror. And this is rience of instant presence. Under into our condition. their study and practice of the the way we can discover how to those circumstances compassion Let’s take a concrete example. Santi Maha Sangha integrating it go back to our real nature, our arises spontaneously (“there is In the fi rst chapter of The Precious into their daily lives and dedicat- primordial nature, the pure po- no compassion without empti- Vase the mundane points of view ing themselves to it, the continu- tentiality of the mirror, from the ness”, we read in the Sutras). are explained. By studying them ity of the knowledge of Dzogchen refl ections. This can be expressed in the con- we can discover them in ourselves THE MIRROR · No. 96 · January, February 2009 Santi Maha Sangha

27 by asking ourselves, for example, He has only said that there is this Guruyoga. Under those circum- concrete experiences for each of direct and essential experience of if we have that point of view. The possibility because a Dzogchen stances our condition of anger the methods. the primordial state, linking us Chalpas act driven by the search practitioner is open to all pos- may be self-liberated. On this For a Dzogchen practitioner directly to the transmission and for pleasure for themselves and sibilities. Or if one is guided by path, a practitioner of Ati arrives the main practice consists in reducing as much as possible the do not have a vision beyond awareness (which arises from at the concrete understanding being in the state of the Master, importance of the method. If we this world. Are we or are we not observing oneself and knowing that there is no point of view to Guruyoga; all other practices become aware of the different like this? And then there are the one’s condition), one can choose adopt in an intellectual way, there “are like an umbrella” and we methods we can integrate them Gyanghenpas – is our point of any type of method, integrating it is nothing to judge outside of us, should use them according to and use them knowingly accord- view materialistic like theirs so into one’s existence. In this way but rather we can turn our atten- circumstances in order to deal ing to circumstances. that we “hurl afar any concern study of The Precious Vase is not in- tion to ourselves as if we were in with specifi c problems. Thus about future lives” and think tellectual but expressed in a con- front of a mirror in order to dis- we understand how to apply the Conclusion only about taking care of pres- crete, live understanding rather cover our self-perfected primor- methods of the Sutra, Tantra and Approaching the Santi Maha ent gains? Are we, at times, ni- than a theoretical one. dial nature. Dzogchen teaching traditions Sangha can become something hilistic like the Murthugpas who When we study chapter IV re- Integrating the understanding and become aware of the pro- very alive that can change our do not believe in karma and its garding Bodhicitta in action and of the viewpoints of the differ- found meaning of what we are lives. To do this we should in- maturation? This is a non-intel- we do the secondary practices of ent vehicles into daily life means doing. tegrate the points of view, the lectual way to study that is useful the 5th Paramita for developing knowing how to use any one of Regarding this we can take an meditation and behaviour into in helping us to know ourselves meditative stability, we can con- the methods that we study ac- example: when the Master ex- our condition starting with real and most of all in “bringing to cretely try to put ourselves in the cording to circumstances and ac- plains the way of practising the presence and observation of our- life” The Precious Vase within our- place of those who suffer and if cording to our capacity. tantras, he gives us the example selves. Without this, there is no selves, integrating it with knowl- this becomes a real experience we This is really a fundamental of the way we do the practice of Santi Maha Sangha. edge of our existence. We can try carry it with us into our everyday point that is linked to the very Tara in the Dzogchen Commu- We can contribute actively to to study all the explanations of lives. It is not that we have to act meaning of the Santi Maha Sangha nity. First of all in the fi rst part the Santi Maha Sangha project and the points of view of the different in this way but according to the project and its usefulness for us. of the practice we visualise Tara respond to the Master’s invita- vehicles in chapter V in this way, situation and, even though it is a In fact a lot of practitioners ask in front of us using the method tion to “do our best”, fi nally ac- by applying them to ourselves. So secondary practice for a Dzochen themselves – if we are Dzogchen of the lower tantras, invoking knowledging in the depths of our we can understand that when a practitioner, we apply it not to ac- practitioners and we are beyond her with devotion which is char- hearts the “good fortune” of hav- practitioner of the path of renun- cumulate merits but because we limits, why do we study the nine acteristic of the Mahayana Sutra. ing met Chögyal Namkhai Norbu ciation discovers that he/she has are in that state. Now we really vehicles and their relative meth- Then “reciting the root mantra in and received the Teaching of a this type of attachment, he is vig- feel compassion and this means ods? Let’s refl ect on the fact that order to activate her wisdom”, we “special” path from him. ilant, he becomes aware of it and integrating the Mahayana point Dzogchen is the supreme vehicle transform instantly into Tara, ac- sets himself the task of eliminat- of view into our condition. and this means that it is situated, cording to the method of Anuyo- “Even if we are getting older ing it by cutting its roots at the Then when we approach the symbolically, on the peak of a ga. Of course, the whole practice we are not too worried because base. If he has negative thoughts, path of transformation and un- mountain that overlooks every- has meaning only if we are in the we have the Dzogchen Teaching. he forces himself not to generate derstand its profound sense, fi rst thing in the valley. This means essential state of Guruyoga from But you see, in this world many them, if he sets upon his neigh- through study and then through that a Dzogchen practitioner the beginning. people when they get old only bour verbally or physically he practice, we will also be able to can make use of all methods on Through real understanding wait for their death. That is not stops himself from doing it and integrate it into our daily life. The the basis of circumstances and of the different phases of the nice. One of the most important so on. If we study in depth the Master has given us the example different situations, integrating practice of Tara we can therefore aspects for Dzogchen Communi- pages that the Master has dedi- of the possibility to “transform them into his own knowledge. understand the profound sense of ty people is understanding how cated to the path of renunciation ourselves instantly” into a wrath- But in order to understand all the methods that we apply in dif- much the Dzogchen Community in The Precious Vase, we will start to ful divinity – according to the the points of views and different ferent practices. We are also able is important: that is your fortune, ask ourselves about how we be- method of Anuyoga – in the mo- methods of practice and inte- to connect them with the study of my fortune, our fortune. So we have when we discover a defect ments in which we are particu- grate them concretely into one’s the different points of view and know that point, we take care of within ourselves. Do we make larly swept up by anger, in order practice and daily life one needs really integrate them into our un- it and we do our best.” (Teach- ourselves rules in order to correct to transform the passion of an- to study them. And to do this one derstanding of our condition as ings at the Teachers’ Training, 28 it? What kind of result do we ob- ger into its corresponding wis- needs to study The Precious Vase in Dzogchen practitioners, in such November, 2005) tain? Then we can try to apply the dom, the wisdom of equanim- a correct, intelligent and active a way that all of this is expressed understanding we have received ity. A practitioner who integrates way. This “non-intellectual” key in concrete experience. 1. Santi Maha means total perfection and Sangha by observing ourselves without study of the tantric point of view that the Master has indicated to The uniqueness of the prac- means community. judging, but becoming aware of into their practice and behaviour us offers enormous possibilities tices of the Dzogchen tradition 2. See the Master’s text Practice in Daily Life. our condition. At this point we should also be able to apply this for integration and for realisa- (such as Rushen and the Semdzin), go on to integrate the different method according to circum- tion. It is as if we were to become however, lies in making us have a Translated by L. Granger points of view on the basis of our stances because he is aware that the owners of a treasure - the awareness, according to circum- his own indestructible condition treasure of real knowledge and stances. of the vajra is no different from integration. For example, we could decide that of the realised divinity. to take a vow in order to elimi- As practitioners of the path Gompa: integrating the different nate our attachment, like Hinay- of self-liberation, when a pas- practice methods ana practitioners do. The Master sion arises we observe ourselves In chapter VI of The Precious Vase, has given us the example of the without judging, without follow- the different practice methods possibility of taking a vow not ing thoughts and without block- related to the nine vehicles are to smoke for those who do not ing them, trying to keep sense explained and in the Appendix manage to stop. This absolutely contact with the objects of the there is a list of the practices that does not mean that the Master senses open and remaining in should be done in order to have has “advised” us to take this vow. instant presence, in the state of

Dzogchen Atiyoga Book Available Ornament of the State of Samantabhadra Volume One: Commentary on Chapters 1–10 of the Kunjed Gyalpo

Written in Tibetan by Zhenphen Öser Translated into English by Jim Valby

[email protected] http://sites.google.com/site/jimvalbythings/ 28

The Birth of the English Dzogchen Community Jill Purce

t was a strange moment – I did I know, how true this would woke up one Saturday morn- become for so many people. I ing in July 1978 and had the I wandered round the market oddest feeling that someone had waiting for the next instruction, slotted a tape into my head in which fi nally came in the form of such a way that the normal radio an old friend shouting above the of my thoughts were interrupted crowd – “Jill come for tea, there’s and the message on the tape said someone I want you to meet”. “go to the market”. When I got there, my host, Mary, To set the scene – having writ- introduced me to Robert Beer an ten The Mystic Spiral, Journey of the Englishman who had spent years Soul in 1973, I had for fi ve years in the Himalayas becoming an been General Editor of a series of excellent thanka painter. Mary books published by Thames and was suggesting I might want to

Rinpoche with Community in Campo Molino August 1978. Photo: Mario Maglietti, © Jill Purce Left to right: Jill Purce, Nancy Simmons, Eva, Fabio Andrico, Rinpoche, Barry Simmons, Maria Simmons, Patrice, Laura Albini, Constantino Albini, Laura, Marcello, Rosa Namkhai.

malayan views over distant val- was only the second Buddhist tended solo retreat in the moun- leys, the evening was drawing in. retreat he had given there. So I tains. Then in October, Novem- We found the village hall in time asked him, if I could organize it, ber and December, 1979 I went to see a few young people spill- would he give another retreat in with Rinpoche on his fi rst visit ing out of the door. I sought out Italy just after Christmas and into to the States and later to Paris in the only two people who seemed to speak English, Nancy and Barry Simmons, and told them I had come to see Namkhai Nor- bu Rinpoche. They pointed ver- tically up a cliff and said he had gone up there for the night and that I should fi nd somewhere to stay and come back in the morn- ing. In the morning we piled into the jeep and drove up the cliff to a deserted and ruined village with no sign of life except a few chickens. I had expected some- one in robes and brocade and the chickens were not promising. We entered a dark room and there, Rinpoche in Monte Faito April 1980. Photo: © Jill Purce dimly visible, was a young man Rinpoche with Jill Purce Monte Faito April 1980. Photo: © Jill Purce in jeans sitting at the table writ- Hudson called Art and Imagination incorporate some of his painting ing in a notebook. We were intro- the New Year, he kindly agreed. January 1980, during which time – highly illustrated, cross cul- into books in the series. We chat- duced, had a coffee and chatted. I immediately called Joyce at her we collected, as we had in Lon- tural and thematic books on the ted over tea about life and mutual Rinpoche seemed much younger house near Pomaia, and asked if don, material for the book from psychological and philosophical friends. Quite out of the blue – or than I expected and at that time she would offer her house for two the major museums. I then orga- meaning of the art of different so it seemed at the time, since I wasn’t speaking much English, weeks at Christmas. I then called nized the second London Retreat cultures. hadn’t yet mentioned my inten- yet I knew immediately he was my publishers in London to see at the Guild, as the Embassy was By this time, I had produced tion to do a book on Tibetan Bud- the right person and asked him if I could invite Rinpoche to Lon- called, this time, a twelve-day re- thirty books and was looking for dhism, and apropos of nothing if he would write the book in my don at Easter to discuss the book. treat at Christmas and New Year the right person to write one on we had been discussing, Robert series. Without any hesitation, he They agreed, so I booked a large 1979–1980. By now I was helped Tibetan Buddhism. Over the pre- said “I hear there’s a Tibetan Lama in said yes. Mission achieved, and house for ten days, the old Cam- by what was to become the core of vious ten years, I had received Italy”. This was all that was said with much urgent work to do back bodian Embassy, normally lived the new English community. After teachings from many Tibetan La- – and yet it was enough for me to in England, I got up to go, only to in by friends of mine. I bought this, while working more on the mas who passed through or lived know I had immediately to go to be told by Nancy that on no ac- Rinpoche an air ticket and asked book for my series in Formia in in the West, and felt strongly that Italy and fi nd this Lama and ask count could I leave and that I had Barry to translate. I designed and the Spring of 1980 and attending none of them was to be the au- him to write the Tibetan Bud- to stay there for the summer to printed a leafl et and sent it to ev- many retreats with Rinpoche else- thor of this book. dhism book for my series. Rob- receive the teachings and that her eryone I knew, I spread the word where over many years, the last At the particular moment the ert wrote the name “Gufo” and husband Barry would translate. and crossed my fi ngers. I had done retreat I organized for him was a cassette tape slotted into my Rome telephone number on a My friend Joyce who had come many things up to this point but two-week retreat on the wilds of head, I was packing to go to the piece of paper, and off I went. with me, left to return south to I had never organized an event of Dartmoor in Devon in April 1981. South of France to work with an- On Monday I had lunch with my her house near Pisa and I stayed. this kind in London before. So an By this time the English Commu- other author on a book in prog- publishers, told them I had to go What Barry translated hour after old friend of mine who had never nity was fi rmly established. ress for my series. to Italy to visit a Tibetan lama for hour, day after day was so extraor- met Rinpoche, kindly offered to Up to now my life had moved the book and telephoned Gufo. I dinary, and made sense of all the guarantee the price of the ticket if gently from one activity to an- was given the name of a village in philosophy, practice and medita- no one turned up. Soon it became Jill Purce pioneered the international other with a natural and easy the Italian Alps. I called a friend tion I had been immersed in for clear it was working, something sound healing movement through the fl ow and I was not used to being who was holidaying in Nice and the previous ten years. I realized of the magic of this astonishing rediscovery of ancient vocal techniques, bossed around by voices in my proposed we drive up together that here indeed was a very great Lama who no one had yet met, the power of group chant, and the spir- head. This voice nevertheless after I had fi nished working in teacher. I remained there, en- was travelling around the ethers itual potential of the voice as an in- left me no choice but to do what Grasse on the Egyptian book. tranced for the whole month. At a of London. Finally, many of the strument for healing and meditation. it said. I stopped packing and On Tuesday I caught the plane to certain point, towards the end of Italians who had been at the pre- Through her workshops, The Healing drove to the to the market. This Nice. After a few days we set off the retreat I had a dream in which vious retreats in Campo Molino Voice, and Healing the Family and was a new market in North Lon- in the most frightful storm and someone appeared and told me I and Pomaia joined us in London Ancestors she has taught internation- don called Camden Lock. I had climbed blindly up and up into had to travel with Rinpoche and for the retreat. The event was a ally for almost forty years. She worked always loved markets because the Alps clutching a damp scrap take him to England and Greece. great success and the seeds of the in Germany from 1971 with Karlheinz they have a fascinating quality of of paper. When we fi nally reached At this point Rinpoche had been London Community were sown. Stockhausen exploring the spiritual as- randomness which I had always Campo Molino, a remote and tiny living in Italy for some years, In the summer of 1979 I worked pects of sound and the voice. She lives felt could be easily infl uenced village in the middle of nowhere, teaching Tibetan language at with Rinpoche on the book at his in London with her husband Rupert by fate or spiritual destiny. Little with breathtaking and almost Hi- the University in Naples and this home in Italy and then did an ex- Sheldrake and their two sons.