No. 90 January, February 2008 upcoming retreats with CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU Photo: Romain Piro 2008 Venezuela Margarita Island, Tashigar Norte March 21–26 Dzogchen Teaching retreat Photo: N. Zeitz Open Webcast Rinpoche receives gifts from the children at the end of the retreat. April 4–9 Santi Maha Sangha, Yantra Yoga & Vajra Dance Teachers Training the mirror of total clarity April 25–30 Dzogchen Teaching Retreat shine and lhagthong retreat with CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU Open Webcast feb 1–6, 2008, tashigar south, argentina May 9–14 naomi zeitz Dzogchen Teaching Retreat Open Webcast The Mirror Of Total Clarity – An Explanation of Argentina. The teachings were based on Dani Simonelli added a new member, Edu- the General Principles About How to Practice a 72-page text written by Chögyal Nam- ardo Gromaches from Spain and his Ma- USA the Yogas of Shine and Lhagtong in the khai Norbu on Shine and Lhagthong in cintosh, so the space fi lled by the tireless New York City Tradition of Dzogchen Atiyoga Dzogchen. This retreat was a closed web technicians expanded and the entire seat- May 23–25 cast, so along with the approximately 200 ing of the retreat participants shifted over The essential Dzogchen teaching of Sangyas ati dzogchen lugsu shi lhag gi naljor chitar participants hailing from around the world to accommodate the area and wires need- Lingpa according to the Longsal teaching nyamsu lenpai tsul ragtsam tenpa kunsal in the newly painted Tashigar Gonpa, were ed for this invaluable service to all the in- Tsegyalgar East melong shechawa zhugso some 2000 practitioners, old and new, re- ternational Dzogchen Community, refi ned May 30 –June 6 ceiving the teaching in all the corners of and perfected by Yeshi Namkhai and Luigi Jigmed Lingpa’s Dzogchen teaching Yeshes a ti rdzogs chen lugs su zhi lhag gi rnal ‘byor ji the globe. Ottaviani. Lama ltar nyams su len pa’i tshul rags tsam bstan pa As always at Tashigar, the days before On day one Rinpoche welcomed every- kun gsal me long zhes bya na bzhugs so the retreat were fi lled with a fl urry of activ- one and said they should feel at home, as June 13–15 ity and tents popped up like mushrooms in if in a family, and asked older practitioners Santi Maha Sangha III Level Exams the shady and tranquil camping area close to be aware of the new people and that ev- June 16–22 “If thought arises, you observe its face.” to the Gonpa. Previous to this for a cou- eryone should open to each other and not Santi Maha Sangha IV Level Training Garab Dorje ple of weeks, under the guidance of Rosa remain isolated. Then he introduced shine Namkhai, a dedicated and diligent crew and lhagthong as the practice for those of Canada of painters renovated both the inside and lower capacity and not something widely Toronto or six days surrounded by some- outside of the Quincho style Gonpa with diffused in the Dzogchen system. He said July 4–6 times torrential and relentless sum- fresh paint and embellished the columns that we use shine and lhagthong for develop- Dzogchen Teaching Retreat Fmer rains, from February 1 to 6, inside with lovely painted fl owers, based ing clarity. Romania a Shine and Lhagtong retreat taught by on the style of the Merigar Gonpa. On day two Rinpoche spoke about how Merigar East Chögyal Namkhai Norbu took place at Inside the Gonpa, the web cast team Dzogchen teaching is always connected July 14–20 beautiful Tashigar South, Cordoba State, normally comprised of Fabio Andrico and with transmission, but that shine is dif- Teaching Retreat >> continued on page 21 Open Webcast July 21–24 Teaching Interview Tashigar Sur Santi Maha Sangha Base Level Exam July 25–31 The origins Santi Maha Sangha Level I Training Chögyal Namkhai Yeshi Silvano of Tashigar Norbu Namkhai Italy South, Merigar West Longchenpa’s Chozhi “It’s perfect from Argentina August 11–18 Rinchen Phrengwa the beginning” Teaching Retreat – The Necklace of Open Webcast the Four Precious Dharmas >> continued on page 5 » Page 2 » Pages 4–5 » Pages 12, 13 THE MIRROR · No. 90 · January, February 2008 2 ood day everybody everywhere. Today we will start together with ordinary people and we follow them, and we with the practice of Guruyoga. I already told you don’t know who they are or their condition, we can create Gthat the practice of Guruyoga is very important, many problems. We can also increase many distractions and that Guruyoga is a way of integrating what we have and useless actions; anger, fi ghting, and discussions de- learned. velop. Then chag dang increases; chag means attachment, We began the explanation of the fi rst of the four dhar- and dang means anger, and this is the main manifestation mas of Gampopa yesterday. We explained how precious of our ego. When we have that ego, we are always saying our human life is and also about impermanence. We “I like, I don’t like, I accept, I don’t accept”. We are always learned and try to be present in that awareness. Today we going ahead in that way and suffering increases. We can- have another from the fi rst group: the condition of karma not fi nd any essence of something positive. and its cause and effect and how the consequence of kar- People are not so satisfi ed in general even when we do ma is related with transmigration. We will learn these two our best. We have a saying: “Even Buddha will not be suc- arguments today. ceed to make everybody happy”. This manifests very much Impermanence not only means that one day we will die, in daily life. If we do something good, for example, like we but after death we can also have another birth. So birth, think that we want to do something benefi cial for others death and birth are suffering; that is our condition. We and do service for a group of people or a community, some can have birth in any dimension of the six lokas; there is people are happy, but some are not happy and they criti- not one single place where we have only happiness. The cize. Even if they criticize, for example, if they criticize me, nature of samsara is like a dimension of fi re, if we make a I know how the teaching is and I don’t really care if some- big fi re and in that dimension it is always hot, then it is not one criticizes me. I don’t really care and I don’t feel bad, really comfortable to be there. So we try to be free in this but I feel a little badly for them, because that is the igno- moment and with this occasion free from suffering. rance of the ego. Still I try to explain, to make the teaching So this is an explanation of the various sufferings of and the manifestation of the ego understood. Day after samsara. The dimension of hell is hot and cold sufferings. day and year after year, if the ego still manifests, I feel sad The dimension of the preta is hunger; hunger where there for them. In general, people do not feel sad but angry, and is nothing to eat or drink. The dimension of animals is they want to discuss, fi ght and struggle. Practitioners see always very heavy as they have very heavy ignorance; they Photo: Fabio Andrico things a little differently. There is never a moment when eat each other and are always suffering in that kind of all people are satisfi ed. condition. The suffering of human beings is related with You teach and explain in a correct way for many peo- our three emotions and all those problems. Then there LONGCHENPA’S ple, and they have understood and have benefi t, maybe are the Asuras who are always jealous and fi ghting. The not total benefi t, but all people can have some benefi t. Devas have the suffering of death and falling down at the We explain and give the teaching in the best way we can, end into the lower states. Even though in the Deva realm chozhi rinchen but everyone does not consider this something fantastic. there is some slight happiness, it is not permanent and For example, you give a Dzogchen teaching, the essence is always changing, and very often there is suffering. For phrengwa – the teaching like Guruyoga, how you integrate, and how you example, if someone is in a dimension of Deva, they can must be in instant presence. If you have understood this, enjoy and be happy. Then at one moment their life is inter- it is the real essence of the teaching. Some people don’t rupted and they fall down. Then they have the suffering of necklace of the understand that, and maybe the teacher explains everyday, the fi re of hell, because as we already said yesterday, in the but they want something else. Maybe they know some Deva realm they consume all merits and there is no merit four precious book titles or a famous teaching and would like to learn left for happiness. So we know these things and try to lib- that instead. So that is an example of a person who is not erate from samsara. satisfi ed. Our vision of this life is just like when we wake up from dharmas You can become a good friend and keep your relation- sleeping, at that moment we discover what kind of dream ship with someone, and manifest in a very kind way, but we had and that it is all impermanent and unreal.