No. 107 November, December 2010 Upcoming Retreats with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Photo: M. Almici 2011 Due to recent health issues Rinpoche’s program may be subject to change. New Zealand February 11–13 Auckland Public talk & teaching The Master with members of the Peru Community discovers Mandarava inside the “retablo”, their gift to him. Photo: M. Carranza Australia February 23–27 Caloundra retreat March 11–13 Meeting the Master for Melbourne retreat March 18–23 Namgyalgar retreat the First Time Singapore March 31–April 4 Claudia Velasco Mosto Mandarava teaching, Initiation and There are many new members in the Dzogchen “At that time, it seemed strange to me sisters as Rinpoche headed to the confer- tsalung instructions Taiwan Community of Peru. Some of them met the Mas- to watch the Master through the web, but ence room every day. ter for the fi rst time during the retreat held on No- when I saw him standing there for the fi rst “One of those days, while we were ac- Taipei vember 19th–23rd at Club de la Marina located time during the retreat, I felt him very close companying Rinpoche, he was told it was April 7–11 in Ancon, a seaside resort in Lima. They share to me”, says Armando. He asked Rinpoche my birthday. Contrary to what we were Teaching on the Song of Vajra their fi rst impressions with us. to write the Tibetan “A” on the back of an expecting, he didn’t say a word about it. I Japan illustration of Garab Dorje. “When I made took it as a teaching from the Master to not April 15–19 t is said that those who follow the this request, he laughed”, adds Armando. pay so much attention to our ego,” states Dzogchen teachings do so due to a con- Luis Medina explains that he learned Luis in a pensive manner. Tokyo teaching Russia Inection, consciously or not, with this about the teachings and the Master For others, such as Jose Eduardo Pad- knowledge. Some events happen in our through the Internet. Although at fi rst the ron, the experience of meeting the Master April 25–May 1 life and suddenly, by “chance” or causal- Tibetan culture was not something that included approaching him to ask a person- Moscow retreat ity, we have the fortune to come across this drew his attention, once he started read- al question. “While this was happening, May 2–6 ancient and invaluable self-liberation path. ing books on Buddhism and listening to my brother commented that we looked like Kunsangar North At least that is what happened to Ar- several retreats through the webcast, the friends and that is exactly the way I felt the Teaching of Medicine Srothig, mando Marquina, an artist to whom the teachings resonated with him. Master’s presence”, he states. the root Terma text of Rigdzin teachings really clicked while watching a “While listening to the Master explain- And what can Susana Rodriguez, the Dzogchen practitioner talk about the Mas- ing the teachings, it seemed he was an- Gekö, tell us about her experience of meet- Changchub Dorje Ukraine ter and the upcoming retreat on a TV in- swering my questions; he even appeared ing Rinpoche for the fi rst time and being terview. He would later go to Norbuling to in my dreams”, he adds. He fi nally met around him during those days? “It was a May 14–20 participate in a worldwide transmission. Rinpoche at the retreat and even walked unique and special experience that still Crimea retreat along side him with his Vajra brothers and >> continued on page 4 May 21–25 SMS Base Level exam May 26–June 6 Teaching Teaching Focus SMS First Level Training Romania June 10–16 Chögyal Namkhai Khyentse Our Master’s Merigar East retreat Norbu Yeshe Masters Italy Integrating the Sense Longde Teaching June 24–30 of the Teaching Merigar West retreat July 15–18 Thirtieth Anniversary of Merigar West » Page 2 » Page 3 » Pages 8–12 THE MIRROR · No. 107 · November, December 2010 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu 2 Integrating the Sense of the Teaching Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain Day 1, October 11, 2010 or this retreat we have three days of teaching and in these three days I mainly want to communicate about Fhow we should understand the sense of the teaching and how we can integrate. In this case, the fi rst thing we need to understand is our condition, because there is a rea- son why people are interested in the teaching. When they do not have any problems and they are enjoying themselves then they have no need for teaching or practice. But life is not like that, especially in the human condition. The human condition Buddha said that we continually have four types of suffer- ing in the human condition. That is the natural condition of any type of human being. First of all there is birth. But Photo: L. Gajdos it is not that birth takes place just in a morning or an af- ternoon. We know very well that we are in our mother’s learn and discover what the cause is. Once we have dis- Our energy level womb for nine months and fi nally we come out. This is covered the cause, what can we do? We can stop, we can But our existence, our real condition, is not only our ma- called “birth,” and it is related to suffering. We do not change, we can modify [our behavior]. In this case we do terial body. We also have our energy level; we live our life remember how it was in our mother’s womb or how our not produce the effect, the fruit of that cause. Buddha said continually inhaling and exhaling. If you have exhaled and birth took place. this was the only solution and he taught that way. you have no capacity to inhale you have no life. Life is fi n- Then, when we are living in society, the opposite of that Firstly, he explained the kinds of suffering that we have. ished. So life is breathing. Breathing is connected to our is becoming old. When people are young they don’t have When we know that we don’t like suffering, we don’t vital energy. The fi ve elements and the material world also much idea about this but some people who work with the struggle against it because it is the effect and we can never maintain our material body and allow it to continue. For public gradually notice that they are getting old. Then they win. But the effect is valuable in helping us discover the example if we have some problem with the physical lev- are not happy because they want to be young forever. This cause. Just like when we go to a doctor. If we have some el, we can see, touch, check and somehow discover that. is not possible. Everybody exists in time, time is passing medical problem, some illness, and we ourselves are not When we have some problems with our energy level, even and people are getting old. This is another type of suffer- very expert in this sense, we decide to go to a doctor to many doctors do not understand. ing. This is not the type of suffering that is produced in a discover which kind of illness we have. The doctor checks Some people may say, “I always feel ill and have had this particular way but is more general and true for everybody. and asks all kinds of information to discover what the problem for a long time.” And they go to a doctor and say, Then the third suffering is different kinds of illness be- cause of the illness is. Once the doctor has discovered the “Please check me well.” The doctor checks and says, “You cause we have a physical body. When there is a physical cause then he can give advice to the patient. Then the doc- have no problem, you are perfect.” That means you are body these kinds of problems are inevitable. Sometimes tor can give medicine and therapy to cure the illness. perfect in your more material aspect because they check people are unable to overcome their illnesses and they die. In the same way Buddha gave his teachings for us to our material aspect in a limited way. It is not easy for them Other times it takes a long time to overcome an illness and overcome that problem. This is the main point, so we to go beyond that material level. So the doctors consider it takes time and sacrifi ce and suffering. This is the third must really discover what the source of the problem is. that that person is healthy but that person continues to feel suffering. that illness or problem. So you see the energy level is more The fourth is dying. When there is birth, there is death. Understanding our condition complicated than the physical level. [Birth, aging, sickness, and death] are called skye, ga, na, But that is something we can only realize if we are con- For example on the physical level when you are seeing chi , the four conditions of human beings from the begin- crete [and realistic].Most people are not very realistic. someone you immediately recognize who that person is be- ning. This is our dimension. So we should know how our Most people live too much in fantasy. They have a very nice cause you see and have direct contact. But if that person has real condition is.