No. 94 September, October 2008 Upcoming Retreats with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Photo: A. Wai 2008 Spain , Barcelona November 14–20 Dzogchen Upadesha transmission and instruction “Kunsang Jaku”, a Terma teaching by the great terton Duddul Dorje Chögyal Namkhai Norbu giving Teaching in the main temple of Kalmykia. Photo: Ivan Shakhov Closed webcast www.dzogchen.es Brazil , São Paulo November 26–30 Brother country Transmission and instructions of Longsal Guru Yoga of White A Chögyal Namkhai Norbu visits Kalmykia www.dzogchen.com.br Darya Mikhaylova Chile, Santiago December 5–7 fter the extreme cold of August and Kamykia is located in the far southeast dress surrounded by monks and giving Weekend Retreat the crowds of Moscow, Elista, the of Russia, on the shores of Caspian Sea. It Teaching in the temple – the Gold Cell of www.dzogchen.cl A capital of Kalmykia, greeted our is a federal subject of Russia but in gener- Buddha Shakyamuni, the main temple of Argentina, Tashigar Sur Teacher with summer sun and heat. Not al it has a separate government (republic) Kalmykia. December 26–January 1 only the weather but also the friendly, tra- with its own sovereignty and constitution. In his interview for television, Rinpoche The Dzogchen tredchod teaching of Jigmed ditional Buddhist environment and people Worldwide, Kalmykia is known mostly as said that even though he had been living Lingpa from the Instruction “Yeshe Lama” around helped our Teacher to feel as if he a world chess center because its president, in Europe for so many years, he always felt Closed Webcast was in a ‘brother land’. the great player, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has like a Tibetan and Tibetans and Mongo- www.tashigar-sur.com.ar For these few days in the middle of Sep- been president of FIDE (the World Chess lians always consider themselves to be one tember, the City in the city, a small nice Federation) since 1995. But most impor- family, so in Kalmykia he feels very much village called City Chess became home for tant for us is that Kalmykia is the only state like in his own country, because the cul- 2009 Rinpoche, Yeshi Namkhai, Fabio Andri- in Europe where the dominant religion is ture, environment, people and attitude are co and all the students who had followed Buddhism. You feel it as soon as the plane absolutely familiar to him. New Zealand, Auckland them from Moscow to Kalmykia. lands in Elista. On the walls in the airport In Elista, Rinpoche didn’t have a free Jan. 23–25 As many Dzogchen Community mem- you can notice not only the usual advertise- moment – empowering statues, bless- Weekend seminar bers may know, our fi rst idea was to hold ments but also Green Tara thangkas and ing the newly built stupa, visiting sacred Australia, Sydney the retreat in Kalmykia instead of doing protection mantras. Wherever you go, you places in Elista, giving press conferences, Jan. 30 –Feb. 1 it in Moscow or another Russian city. In see the images of His Holiness and bright audiences and meetings with Telo Tulku Weekend seminar the end, according to our circumstances, yellow Kalmykian fl ags with a white lotus (the head of Kalmyk Buddhists) and the www.dzogchen.org.au Rinpoche chose Moscow for the main in the center. For most of the Western stu- President of State. All the life of small El- Teaching, but also gave his kind agree- dents of Rinpoche who came to Elista it ista was concentrated around our precious Australia ment to spend a few days in Kalmykia and was really a shock to discover a tradition- Teacher. Namgyalgar, Tilba Tilba give Teaching and Initiation of Immortal al Buddhist environment not so far from The fi rst day, September 12th was dedi- Feb. 9–15 Dakini Mandarava there. their homes. Many of us saw Rinpoche cated to a Lecture about Dzogchen Teach- Retreat for the fi rst time in a traditional Tibetan ing: Rinpoche gave general information Feb. 17–19 >> continued on page 5 Santi Maha Sangha Base Exam Feb. 20–26 Santi Maha Sangha I Level Training Teaching Teaching Retreats Caloundra March 16–21 Chögyal Namkhai Yeshi Silvano Retreats in Teaching retreat Norbu Namkhai Moscow and Melbourne Being present and introduces the Merigar West April 3–5 working with 2nd European Weekend retreat circumstances Gakyils and Lings Meeting >> continued on page 5 » Page 2 » Page 4 » Pages 12, 13 THE MIRROR · No. 94 · September, October 2008 2 e are doing the principle practice of Dzogchen when we do Guruyoga and sing the Song of Wthe Vajra. When we learn and know something about Dzogchen, we should integrate. Integration is prac- tice, and this practice is very important once we have this knowledge. We always say we should discover our real nature; it is not suffi cient to learn pujas, visualizations of deities, or how to chant mantras, etc. These activities have benefi t, but they do not take us directly on the path. Life is very short, so we must do concrete practice in daily life. Otherwise we can have some nice fantasies, and if we al- ways go after and develop fantasy, we do not realize in the end. It’s a pity because we know the principle of the teach- ings and we should learn something concrete. We have dualistic vision and we are like people who have a kind of illness; we have the illness of samsara and the problems of samsara. We can discover what kind of ill- ness we have and learn the teaching. We receive the princi- ple of how to cure that illness with the teaching. The best way to cure it is Guruyoga – the essence of all practices. There are many other practices, but we say that all oth- ers are secondary practices. If we apply Guruyoga we can have total realization and we can free ourselves from all our dualistic vision and problems. So we should do Gu- ruyoga practice. We should try to go to the essence of Guruyoga, not after its form, title or words. The essence of Guruyoga is like a symbol of our primordial potentiality. We use that symbol and are in that clarity. We use that method to continually Photo: G. Baggi be in instant presence. We should always try to remem- ber that even if we only remain in instant presence for a short time, it is still the main practice. Then with any other Being present and working practices you are not limited; if it’s necessary you can ap- ply them and if it is not necessary then you don’t do them. You can do something more essential. Time is precious, with circumstances so we must not lose the occasion or waste our time. For that reason we should go ahead mainly with the practice of Guruyoga. From the Dra Thalgyur Retreat, Merigar West, October 1st, 2008 There are many practices and methods in Dzogchen. For example, there are many kinds of semdzins that are very important to apply when you have the time, because they in our presence? In the immense emptiness inside, our years, and you never understood that you should discover function in a very specifi c way. Semdzins and rushens are being is very tiny represented by that white A and thigle. your real nature, it means the teaching is only a name and fi rst of all for distinguishing between the mental condi- When we dissolve that white A and thigle into emptiness, not really a teaching, and you are wasting your precious tion and our real nature, and through that you can under- what remains at this moment? Nothing. Everything that time. You should remember the aim of the teaching, the stand in which direction you should go. When we have manifests is emptiness, and at that moment we are in a main point, and in that way you should follow teaching. certain kinds of experiences, like the experiences of clar- totally empty dimension, but this is not the state of con- It doesn’t mean you should be like a bee your whole life. ity, emptiness, and sensation – any kind of experience that templation; it is an experience. You notice immediately Some people say, “Oh, this is wonderful, fantastic, I can we use – we know that with that experience we develop who is in this emptiness, even if the white A and thigle learn everything!” You can learn everything, but you don’t or increase our clarity or capacity of being in the state of and everything have disappeared. Your presence has not need to. You should learn what you need to for total re- contemplation. In this case, the semdzins are very impor- disappeared; your presence is there; so when you are in alization, to discover your real nature, and then you inte- tant. Many practitioners say, “We should practice shine,” this presence it is called instant presence. So now you see grate and do practice. but what is shine in a real sense? The real sense of shine is that emptiness becomes the state of contemplation; shine the calm state, and in a calm state, you are in the experi- and lhagtong are in many of the semdzin practices. There are many other attitudes you should follow, and if ence of emptiness. Samadhi or meditation with emptiness you like you can learn them one by one, but it’s not really is not the state of contemplation, not complete contem- We do not apply these one by one with ordinary methods. so very necessary. More important is your presence, not be- plation.