Courses / Fall 2015 Stage of Generation, Shamatha, Vipashyana and Mahamudra /

61 Bodhicitta Day

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Fall 2015 Stage of Generation

B. Alan Wallace
30 Jul 2015 – 24 Sep 2015
Araluen Retreat Center, Queensland, Australia

This eight-week retreat will focus on stage of generation, shamatha, vipashyana and mahamudra.

Participants in this retreat should have a sound understanding of the Sutrayana teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, and have experience in the practices of shamatha, the four applications of mindfulness, and the four immeasurables.

Please read the text, A Spacious Path to Freedom: Practical Instructions on the Union of Mahamudra and Atiyoga, by the great 17th-century master Karma Chagmé (from the chapter “The Stage of Generation” up through “Mahamudra”). The book can be purchased from SBI here.

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B. Alan Wallace, 04 Sep 2015

Now that we have made a pledge, a promise to sentient beings to lead them to enlightenment, we need to come up with a plan for how to do so. It really is not practical until you are a Buddha. You must achieve enlightenment to carry through with this promise. If you wake up every morning with that resolve to achieve Buddhahood for the sake of all beings, that intention sets you on a trajectory so that each lifetime moves closer to fulfilling that intention. The most important thing is continuity and Bodhicitta and dedication of merit are the tie that binds.

The meditation is a recitation of verses from Shantideva leading to the taking of the Bodhicitta vow.

After the meditation is a brief discussion of the Dzogchen view. Release into the perspective that you already are a Buddha as quickly as possible. If you are grasping to yourself as a sentient being, even nominally, than you don’t have the Dzogchen view.

The meditation starts at 31:39

Course notes, other episodes and resources for this retreat are available here The text for this retreat can be purchased via the SBI Store. Finally, Please contribute to help us afford the audio equipment we rent to make these, and future podcasts freely available.

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