No. 99 July, August 2009 Upcoming Retreats with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Photo: E. Del’Angelo 2009–2010 Italy Merigar West Oct. 2–10 Bepai Gumchung, The Hidden Collection of Buddhagupta Retreat Rinpoche teaching at Merigar West. Photo: R. Piro Oct. 23–30 Shitro Khorde Rangdrol Retreat Spain The Marvelous Retreat Nov. 14–18 Dzogchen Teaching Retreat The retreat at Merigar West with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Venezuela August 10–16, 2009 Dec. 4–11 Maurizio Piazza Dzogchen Longsal Longde Teaching Retreat Dec. 26–January 1 t is a summer day, the sun is hot and which is highly acclaimed by masters and of all we have the explanation of the Base – Santi Maha Sangha Base and practice there isn’t a cloud on the horizon, the frequently quoted and there is even a ver- the point of view (lta ba) with its six points; Retreat Ismell of burning cypress drifts over sion that has been translated into a West- then this is followed by the instructions on January 16–30 the entire hill. We are at Merigar West ern language that one can refer to. the Path – contemplation and its applica- The Drubchen of Mandarava and Vajapani and Rinpoche is seated in front of us – he tion (sgom pa, in this text ting nge ‘dzin) ex- looks like a strong powerful lion and from In the Tibetan language Madjyung means plained in ten points; fi nally the Fruit is ex- Argentina his eyes and his voice it seems that his “marvelous”: they actually say that if you plained in three points, even though at the Tashigar Sur health is quite good … marvelous! It is Au- manage to understand the meaning of this beginning of the text it talks about four. February 12 gust 10th 2009 and we are gathered here tantra when you read it, you naturally enter Inauguration of Tashi Sur’s Gompa together once again: today another retreat into knowledge of the state of Dzogchen By means of these instructions we realize February 14 has started … marvelous! This year here in … how marvelous is that! how important it is to let purely intellectu- Tibetan Losar festival with a Mandarava the Gonpa of Merigar West, where a short al knowledge become concrete. To begin practice time ago the fi nal work was completed During the retreat we tried to under- with concrete means remembering that to cover the surrounding external portico stand how the Madjyung is not only a text there is a samaya between us and our mas- February 16 not only to repair and preserve the build- to understand intellectually but as a very ter, the samaya of the vajra, the same sama- Sang and Serkyem Offerings ing but also to offer more internal seating precious teaching to put into practice. ya that unites us all. Without acknowledg- February 12–24 space – we received instructions (Nyams Through these instructions, we tried to ing this, there is no base, no path and not Dzogchen teaching and practice retreat Khrid) on a Tantra of the Dzogchen Semde, understand how the Madjyung has within even fruit. the Mad du jyung, also called Madjyung it a whole series of indications to put into Venezuela (rmad du byung). These instructions were practice in order to comprehend and re- These very valuable instructions were, March 8–12 most probably written by the famous mas- discover our real condition, that natural however, not the only exclusive moment Tashigar Norte retreat ter Nubchen Sangye Yeshe and today we state that makes us and our master a sin- during our Merigarian retreat …on Au- March 19–25 can fi nd it within the texts of the Nying- gle entity. According to the instructions of gust 14th the fi rst international auction of Teachers’ trainings: SMS base, 1st Levels; mapa tradition. The Madjyung is a tantra Nubchen Sangye Yeshe (we presume) fi rst the Dzogchen Community was held and Vajra Dance, Yantra Yoga 1st and 2nd levels >> continued on page 7 Trinidad April 23–25 Teaching Teaching News Weekend teaching Venezuela Chögyal Namkhai Yeshi Silvano Phendeling, Tashigar Norte Norbu Namkhai Wangdenling, April 30–May 2 Merigar West SMS Base Level Exam Teachings on the The fi rst state- May 3–9 Song of the Vajra ment of Garab SMS 1st Level training Dorje >> continued on page 29 » Page 2 » Page 3 » Pages 15–18 THE MIRROR · No. 99 · July, August 2009 2 So it is important to know that meaning of the Song of the Vajra because is it very important for developing integra- tion, all integration between subject and object and also integrating the way our energy level is connected with our physical level. Vision of dharmata In the Dzogchen teaching they say that realised beings can realise the Rainbow Body. The Rainbow Body means that at the material level we have the fi ve elements of our physi- cal body, which is produced by our karma. And all this ma- terial level dissolves into its real nature. This nature is the fi ve elements. And they not only dissolve but at the same moment manifest the Rainbow Body. If, for example, we have purifi ed all our negative karma, of course there is no reason for us to have a physical body. The physical body dissolves into its real nature, and there is no reason for a Rainbow Body to manifest, only to disappear. There is a very precise reason for the Rainbow Body be- cause in the Dzogchen Teaching there is a very precious method which is called the Vision of Dharmata. Dharmata means our real nature. And the potentiality of our real nature manifests something like an object in front of our eyes that we can really see. When we can really see that, then we say we have a Vision of Dharmata. But this is not so easy. For example in Sutra Teaching and also in ordi- nary Vajrayana teachings this knowledge does not exist. All teachings, even Sutra, can understand dharmata, or at least they consider it to mean the condition or nature of the individual. Dharmadhatu means the condition of all phenomena. So there is this difference in consideration [between Dharmata and Dharmadhatu]. In the Dzogchen Teachings, however, dharmata means our primordial potentiality manifests. Since the begin- ning all sentient beings have the potentiality of sound and Photo: E. Del’Angelo light and rays, but we are ignorant, we do not know and so it has no function. In the human dimension we have teaching: by means of teaching the teacher introduces and transmits that [knowledge] to the students. Then the stu- Teachings on the dents understand that they have primordial potentiality. Then the teacher gives more instructions on how they can have that vision of dharmata. Song of the Vajra In the Sutra and Vajrayana Teaching dharmata is not con- sidered vision but only intellectual knowledge, only a con- Merigar East June 16, 2009 sideration of our nature of mind. In the Dzogchen Teach- ing we give instruction [about it]. For example, we have o you see then, the Song of the Vajra is not only a them into that clarity. When you are doing this practice, the experience of looking into light. Sometimes when you prayer but is called natural sound. Natural sound you see, you hear, all your senses are in contact with ob- look into empty space you can see a kind of very tiny thigle. Smeans when Dharmakaya, which is beyond form jects and you integrate everything with the sounds of the It looks like a silver-coloured thigle, and when you observe and color, with its infi nite potentialities manifests Sambo- Song of the Vajra. The Song of the Vajra is very powerful it well, sometimes it becomes a little bigger. That is one gakaya manifestation. You remember how manifestations and really helps our potentiality of integration very much. experience. develop from emptiness, through sounds. For that reason It is also said that when you have not discovered your real that natural sound is also a natural mantra. Even though nature, singing the Song of Vajra and relaxing and inte- In order to have still more experience in a precise way, then we do not have the capacity to be in that natural sound, we grating in the sound will awaken you. you should do this at sunrise and sunset. At these times try to relax and we sound this natural sound to eliminate you do not look into the sun but into the rays. The rays are our potentiality of negative karma and particularly all ob- The Dance of the Vajra not in the sun but you look [at the rays] a little below [the stacles that we couldn’t understand for discovering how So the Song of Vajra is a very precious practice. All the sun] and you do not open your eyes completely, it seems our real nature is. So for that reason we sing the Song of sounds of the Song of Vajra govern our Vajra Body. For ex- as if your eyes are closed. When you look into those rays, the Vajra. ample, when we do the Vajra Dance, we have a Vajra Dance without moving and keeping your back straight, you can Mandala which is something related to our globe, to where see a kind of thigle. Maybe you will see some thigles mov- Some people say that when they do something, it is bet- we are in this dimension. There is also a medium Mandala ing but you can also see some that are not moving. If you ter to know what the meaning of it is.