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

11 Guru yoga and morning meditation on releasing the sense of self.

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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, 06 Aug 2015

Prior to meditation Alan continued on the topic of Guru Yoga and addressed the question ‘Why regard the person who is the Guru as a Buddha?’ The purpose of this is to help us realise that we are also Buddhas.

Our view of ourselves is based on our personal history which we reify. This is a deluded view of who/what we are, hiding our true nature. This reification of our ordinary selves makes it also difficult to view ourselves as a Buddha; the same perspective applied to a Guru will also make it difficult to see them as Buddha. However, the common denominator between ourselves and a Buddha is rigpa. We have a choice, to view our own minds as ordinary or to view it as rigpa which is indivisible from the Gurus mind.

So, importantly, 2 perspectives: 1. Are you a sentient being (yes) 2. Are you a Buddha? (yes, but from a different perspective - not an ordinary or reifying perspective.)In Guru Yoga we therefore dissolve this ordinary perspective of the Guru and also ourselves into emptiness and relate to Rigpa which is indivisible between the two.

Meditation focused on releasing all that you think you are into space.

The meditation starts at 27:45

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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