• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

No. 148 THE MIRROR June 2020 Ati Yoga Teaching Retreat On Bodhicitta Community in the Time of Quarantine The Dzamling Gar Moon Garden Memories of the Subiaco Retreat Contents Serenity in the Storm Crossing the Portal The Dzamling Gar Editorial. 3 Moon Garden . 34 Elio Guarisco Ati Yoga Teaching Retreat . 4 The Meaning of Present world circumstances are Sangha for Me . 37 painful, a huge amount of suffering On Bodhicitta . 7 is being experienced by those who The Great 14th . 40 have lost their relatives, their International Gakyil . 10 friends, and by all of us who are About Padmasambhava . 41 witnessing this. Shang Shung Foundation . 11 Memories of the It is not what we expected from life. ASIA . 19 Subiaco Retreat . 42 The ground is shaking, creating a deep fear, uncertainty, as to Khaita . 20 Artists in the what the future will Dzogchen Community . 44 bring us. Community in the Time Now we have been exposed in daylight of Quarantine .. 21 How I Met . 46 to the inescapable reality of change; nothing can ever guarantee our psychological, our material security. It would be naïve to think that one can stop the epidemic with meditation or any other spiritual method; But we can learn how to deal with the circumstances. Of course we should follow the indication of not interacting socially on a concrete level to protect ourselves and be responsible also for the welfare of others. But many of us, out of paranoia, isolate ourselves psychologically, closing ourselves in a narrow personal space devoid of joy. This is a time in which we can encounter the ‘other’ in a way that has never happened before in a way that is more authentic, passionate, not absent-mindedly, not on autopilot as we usually do. It is a time to feel participation in the suffering of others Front cover: The Dzamling Gar gönpa seen through the beeblossoms at as well as to feel love for whatever the Moon Garden. Photo by Gisela Martinez. Inside front cover: A drawing by Nishi from Nepal, sponsored at surrounds us, distance by Kunsangar South through ASIA Onlus. Back cover: Hibiscus in bloom in the Moon Garden. 2 THE MIRROR · No. 148 · June 2020 and to reconnect with other beings In this difficult time it is helpful if and re-establish our sacred good things emanate from us and relationship with nature. the universe because when the storm passes we It is a time to make our being with will need, not just to go back to others more authentic. ‘normality’, Now we are vulnerable, we can feel but to reconstruct a new world. compassion and love. Let’s allow ourselves to take Of all things we can do at this time, We got used to being outside advantage of this time when adversity unrelentingly pounds our home, at coffee shops and to seek our vision. our lives, bars, socializing with friends It is happening, naturally we have compassion and love are by far the thinking it to be a meaningful and established a routine most meaningful. entertaining way of life, and practice the word of the Master, and while doing so we have forgotten meeting the sacred every day: it is Of course our self-cherishing attitude to take care of ourselves, wonderful. always tries to block our way, we have forgotten to listen to Serenity in the storm is what we can yet we don’t want to come out of ourselves in silence, do now. isolation with the same thoughts to listen to the melodious song of the with the same superficial level of blackcap, Learning, yoga, meditation, experiencing life to be enchanted by the wonderful knowledge are all wonderful, with the same identification with our colors that nature has graced yet ego-consciousness. flowers with; they are all in the realm of thought, in We want to come out of isolation as we have forgotten to read the the realm of the known, better human beings, messages written in the sky in the realm of what we can learn; human beings with heart. by the ever changing patterns of the but what about being in the space clouds, reality that pervades all, Maybe in the deepest recesses of the we have forgotten to let ourselves be which is pure love without minds of many of us absorbed in looking at the endless boundaries. there is no wish to go back to ocean, Has it occurred to you? normality. the peaks of mountains, without remembering time, Like an old Hopi Indian said, this we have forgotten to lose ourselves in moment we and all humanity either the horizon. enter a portal It is a time for cleansing our being and or plunge into a pit, it is really up to our planet, us. and it is happening, even dolphins swim happily in the canals of If we spend our time with the Venice, paranoia of contracting the virus, whose water is crystal clear now. listening to the news and reading reports about the virus twenty-four It is a time to clean our homes hours a day, nervous and with a carefully pessimistic attitude, feeling that we and to connect with our spiritual have lost our freedom, we have lost house. our flight, we have lost our chances we fall into a pit. Fear, difficulties, alienation But if we take this opportunity to are good things, don’t get rid of them; rediscover what we have forgotten, they are a passage for seeking our to look inside ourselves, authenticity. to see life and death in a different light, While being responsible, to take care of ourselves and others, we do not need to feel guilty we will cross the portal. if we feel happy in rediscovering the beauty in ourselves, in others and in the sacred ground of nature. THE MIRROR · No. 148 · June 2020 3 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Ati Yoga Teaching Retreat Day 3 morning December 30, 2017, Dzamling Gar, Tenerife Presence We can understand and get in the state [of Dzogchen] only with experience . The experience we need to have is an experience relat­ Rinpoche teaching at Kunsangar South. ed to the teaching . In an ordinary way, we can learn Ati Guruyoga and then more or less we can understand something about what In the famous relative condition we are accumulating good and it means to go beyond time and space . You remember that when I bad karmas . So, in this case in the Dzogchen Teaching it is most explained Ati Guruyoga, I told you that when we think, “I want to important that you are present . When I give Ati Guruyoga instruc­ do Ati Guruyoga”, that is our mind . We are still in time and space . tions, I explain how we should be present . I am explaining that We apply Ati Guruyoga that we learned from the teacher, then we now, so you listen well . What does distraction mean? Our consid­ do visualizations, etc . – this activity is also the mind . At this point, eration of distraction and the consideration of distraction in the we study everything in an intellectual way and we can get in that Dzog chen Teaching are a little different . For example, if I am writ­ knowledge . Doing the visualization is a secondary cause . When we ing a letter to convey some concepts, I concentrate . I concentrate on say, “now we relax”, what does it mean to relax? To relax doesn’t the letter and I am writing things down . In this case, in the relative mean you don’t think . We are not asking you to change your idea condition you say this is presence . When you are distracted and and do something; you don’t do anything . You relax into just how you are thinking of something else, then you make a mistake . You it is; the real nature . Even if you have no knowledge of concretely recognize that you are distracted and you made a mistake . In the being in the state of contemplation, but you have received a good Dzogchen Teaching distraction doesn’t mean the same thing . I am example of the being in state of contemplation . Then the teacher explaining that very often, and I have repeated that many times . says, “This is the state of Ati Guruyoga, and you try to be in that When you are learning to be present, what does presence mean state as much as possible ”. in the Dzogchen Teaching? Driving a car is a very good example . This is the main point of the practice . For that reason I say not When you are driving a car you are not thinking, “I am driving car to forget Ati Guruyoga; try to do Ati Guruyoga as much as possible . and I must not be distracted ”. When you are becoming a little fa­ You are in the state of the Ati Guruyoga for only a few seconds, and miliar with driving, you can talk with people . When you are driv­ then thoughts arise because that is our nature . Our nature is not ing and there are some people in the car, and people are asking, only emptiness, there is also movement . When movement arises “What did you do today?” and you need to reply . To reply you need what should we do? If you have a little more knowledge, you just to think and your mind is occupied with thinking for that moment . relax your thoughts, emotions, let everything arise, and then relax But your presence is not distracted . just like you did when you relaxed with the white A and thigle .

Load more

  48

Copy Link