B. Alan Wallace, 14 Jun 2019
Note: Apologies, most of this session comes out of our backup recorder since we had some issues with the main microphone. Lama Alan begins by welcoming everyone and explaining how he received the transmission for these teachings himself, primarily from Gyatrul Rinpoche but also most recently from Garchen Rinpoche. He also comments on how some teachers may set restrictions and prerequisites on these teachings, while others may teach them more openly. Lama then goes over some of the logisti…
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
This morning Lama Alan introduces the practice of settling body, speech, and mind in their natural state. After the meditation Lama Alan continues to comment on the practice and its benefits. This can be an excellent prelude to other practices and also help us with our everyday activities. Lama also introduces the concept of seasoning the day and the importance of learning how to practice in the supine position. He also explains the differences between Mahamudra from the perspective of Su…
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Settling body, speech, and mind in their natural state
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
We start with a preamble to the next meditation, with more comments from Lama Alan on the practice of mindfulness of breathing. We’ll be covering 3 different interpretations of the Buddha’s teachings on this practice. After the meditation we start going over the “The Four Yogas of Mahamudra” text, beginning with the first yoga: The Yoga of Single-pointedness (Rangjung Dorje’s Great Instructions). Lama comments on the union of shamatha and vipashyana, and how this is the essence of buddhist m…
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Mindfulness of breathing based on Asanga’s method
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
Note: Sorry, we got some noise and feedback while recording this session, we tried to improve it but the quality may not be as good as other sessions. Lama Alan starts by commenting on the importance of sleep, and how mindfulness of breathing can be very helpful to get a good night’s sleep. For this session we will be practicing the Burmese method, where we focus on enhancing stability without losing the underlying sense of relaxation. After the meditation we go back to "Core Meditations…
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Mindfulness of breathing based on the Burmese method
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
Lama Alan starts with an overview of the practice for this session: mindfulness of breathing following the Theravada method. This time the balance is to enhance clarity without losing the underlying stability. Just before the session Lama also introduces the concept of introspection and how it relates to mindfulness. After the session Lama further elaborates on the topic of relaxation, stability and vividness, as well as some comments on the substrate consciousness. Further on he offer…
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Mindfulness of breathing following the Theravada method
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Jun 2019
Note: We’re really sorry, we had issues with one of the microphones and the questions are not so easy to hear, so they have been transcribed below. Lama Alan begins by commenting on the topic of silence before we move on to questions. **Rob** I noticed during the last practice session of kind of touching into the clarity aspect, that it almost seemed like the clarity brought up more klesha activity with it. It’s almost like that’s a habit, that you’re not used to that clarity without s…
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
This morning Lama Alan starts by talking about the importance of motivation. He then shares the plan for this session’s meditation, as well as commenting on the apparent hierarchy of practices. Everyone has different dispositions and that that’s why the Buddha taught so many different practices and teachings. He quotes Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche on how for some people the Sravakayana is their Great Perfection, and so on for the rest of the 9 yanas. After the meditation we go back to "The Four Y…
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
Shamatha: A tour of mindfulness of breathing methods: Asanga, Burmese and Theravada
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
Lama Alan begins by mentioning the next method we’ll be practicing: a Dzogchen approach to mindfulness of breathing. He also comes back to the analogy of the lucid dream and how it relates to Mahamudra and Dzogchen. After the meditation we go back to “The Four Yogas of Mahamudra”: * Yoga of Single-pointedness * Karma Chagme * Point d) * Point e) Then we move on to “Core Meditations on the Path of Mahamudra” and cover: * The five dhyāna factors remove the five…
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Dzogchen approach to mindfulness of breathing
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
Lama Alan starts by answering the question “Why do we suffer?”, from the perspective of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. He then raises the question: “What’s preventing us from realizing Rigpa, which is the equivalent of knowing who we are?” and comments on our own everyday experience as sentient beings. Lama then presents the practice for this session, and comments on the 6 “theaters” of our own mind. After the meditation Lama Alan explores the concept of qualia and the different ways in which pe…
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
Shamatha: The Buddha’s pith instructions to Bahiya
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
In this session we’ll start exploring the practice of observing the mind. Lama comments on the way we usually relate to all the mental events arising within the space of our mind, and how we can gradually become less and less a “mind haver”. After the meditation we go back to “The Path of Shamatha” and cover: * 3 Resurgent attention * 4 Close attention * Coarse laxity * Medium excitation **Meditation** Shamatha: Settling the mind in its natural state, starting with the physical s…
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Settling the mind in its natural state, starting with the physical senses and culminating in the mind.
B. Alan Wallace, 16 Jun 2019
Note: Sorry we still had some issues with the microphones that day **Kriss** This is in regard to the stages and what came to my attention with that fourth stage, coming into the retreat I was having the impression in regard to samadhi that some fear was surrounding it for me and I thought about it but when you read about the complacency and then the next one is resistance, if there’s any relation there and how that might be able to work through or something I should know. **Henri**…
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
Note: We had to combine recordings since we lost the main microphone for brief periods, so you may hear some echo. Sorry about that. Lama Alan reminds us that today we’re commemorating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and parinirvana (i.e. Saga Dawa). He comments on the life of Gautama and everything he had to do to be forever free of suffering and achieve enlightenment. Besides everything he had to give up, the Buddha had to learn that it was pointless to try to get as far away as possible…
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Settling the mind in its natural state
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
Lama Alan begins by using the analogy of going to the movies and watching images on a screen as it compares to observing the mind and whatever arises within it. He quotes Yangthang Rinpoche: “Do not look out, look in, because when you look out you reify” We’re observing our own cinema about 16 hours a day. It’s 3D, it’s free, and it includes drama, farce, tragedy, and a lot of infomercials. Lama then explains that there are two ways of doing the practice of settling the mind in its natura…
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Settling the mind in its natural state following Yangthang Rinpoche’s approach
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
Lama Alan begins by explaining the concepts of the substrate (Skt. ālaya, Tib. kun gzhi) and substrate consciousness (Skt. ālayavijñāna, Tib. kun gzhi rnam par shes pa). He then relates them to the practice of observing the mind and lists all the kinds of phenomena that arise within the space of the mind, both objective and subjective. He also comments on emotions and their somatic correlates, and on the importance of being aware of emotions before expressing them (whether to express them, w…
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Settling the mind in its natural state, focusing on the subjective impulses.
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
For this session we jump right into the meditation. After the meditation we go back to “Core Meditations on the Path of Mahamudra”: * The Lake-Born Vajra, Padmasambhava (The Enlightened View of Samantabhadra) This presents the whole path of shamatha from the perspective of this practice, divided into 4 stages. **Meditation** Shamatha: Settling the mind in its natural state, focusing on the space of the mind and its characteristics Meditation starts at 1:02
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Settling the mind in its natural state, focusing on the space of the mind and its characteristics
B. Alan Wallace, 17 Jun 2019
**Anonymous** Regarding the 3 elements required to reach the small stage of the first yoga, what is the distinction between the 2 elements of some realization of emptiness and identifying rigpa? Regarding the uncommon preliminaries, what is meant by pure view? What are its effects on whom? Why pure view for sangha brothers and sisters, why not for other beings as well? Does having a pure view regarding sangha brothers mean we will automatically be friends and want to hang out together over…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
Today we will be focusing on the practice of shamatha without a sign, which takes the least effort, but also takes a lot of training to give so little effort. Lama Alan also comments further on the difference between realizing emptiness and identifying pristine awareness by way of the analogy of a lucid dream. Lama then comes back to the greater path of Mahamudra and Dzogchen and explains how this practice fits in, including some references to Yangthang Rinpoche’s teachings. After the…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Shamatha without a sign, resting in the sheer luminosity and cognizance of awareness
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
We begin by reading the first part of Core Meditations on the Path of Mahāmudrā * Padmasambhava [Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava’s Teachings on the Six Bardos, revealed by Karma Lingpa, 1326–1386)] After the meditation we cover the second part of the same text. Then we go to: The Path of Shamatha * 8 Single-pointed attention The Four Yogas of Mahamudra * Yoga of single-pointedness * Great stage * Karma Chagme * Rangjung Dorjé’s Great Instruction…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Shamatha without a sign, focusing on the experience of being the agent.
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
Lama Alan begins with further comments on the practice of shamatha without a sign, including the role of intention and agency and how we impute a sense of self onto that. He comes back to clarifying how this is not still not vipashyana because there’s no explicit inquiry, we’re just looking very closely, although it does start to soften up the reifying sense of “I am”. After the meditation Lama Alan comments on the importance of motivation (which in turn leads to intention) in order to ac…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Shamatha without a sign, focusing on observing the observer.
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
This will be our last practice on shamatha as we’ll be moving on to vipashyana tomorrow. We go straight into meditation. After the meditation we go to the text that describes this practice. “Core Meditations on the Path of Mahamudra” on top of page 4 (numbering is different because the document was later updated). Lama Alan also talks about proofs in science are equivalent to the discoveries made by contemplatives, and how the center in Tuscany will bring those to the general public by wa…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
Shamatha: Directing awareness in all directions, finishing with releasing the mind into space.
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Jun 2019
Note: Our sincere apologies, this session was particularly challenging because the equipment was especially sensitive that day, and we may have gotten some interference from cell phones. The good news is that we later got some help to further tweak the recording equipment, so the rest of the sessions should sound much better. **Brad** I’m not criticizing any teaching of the sutra or tantra teachings. It just occurs to me that we finished the first yoga and it’s all shamatha. Ok then we ha…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
Lama Alan begins the session by commenting again on Brad’s question and clarifying on the mapping between the text and the practices we’ve been doing. Now that we’ve finished exploring different shamatha practices, we will now be focusing on vipashyana. Lama Alan again explains how vipashyana requires an element of inquiry or investigation, and bare attention is neither mindfulness nor vipashyana. He quotes an explanation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the 3 turnings of the wheel of Dh…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
Vipashyana: phenomenological investigation based on the first turning of the wheel of Dharma.
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
For this session we will be moving on to vipashyana on the nature of the mind, following the second turning of the wheel of Dharma, and focusing on the nature of that which observes or knows. We will now be doing an ontological investigation, as opposed to the phenomenological investigation done earlier. After the meditation Lama Alan reminds us that phenomena are not out there, independently, from their own side. They arise relative to our conceptual designations of them. If you can observe…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
Vipashyana: ontological investigation on the nature of the mind
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
Lama Alan begins by again clarifying that we need all 3 practices of Shamatha, Vipashyana and Mahamudra to reach even the first stage of the first yoga, and he also comments on the differences between the 5 paths within the context of the Mahayana and Mahamudra. Lama then explains the practice of investigating the emptiness of the origin, location and destination of the mind. He also comes back to the importance of first achieving Shamatha. Once we do that then Vipashyana and even Mahamudra…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
Vipashyana: Origin, location and destination of mental events
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
Lama Alan starts by commenting on how in the small stage of the first yoga, mind wandering can still occur in between sessions. In the same way, in the second yoga the tendencies of reification can still occur in between sessions. He also comments on the sensitivity one develops as one progresses on the path. The same mental affliction that can seem harmless for an ordinary being would be unbearable for an arya bodhisattva. We don’t even have an English word for the term klesha, and most pop…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
Vipashyana: Origin, location and destination of the mind that is observing.
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Jun 2019
**Victoria** Today in the inquiry on the nature of mind, two things arose that seemed not consistent with emptiness. One was in relation to the translation that you just gave, it felt like the mind felt intentional, because there’s effort. And so that felt intentional, and therefore that feels like somewhat of an agent. And then the second and final one was that it felt like the mind, rather than the mind feeling like it didn’t exist, it felt like the mind would arise or come into being bas…
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
Lama Alan begins by again reminding us that the core reason for engaging in the practice of vipashyana is to cut the cord of dualistic grasping. He also comments on the view of Dzogchen, and how all appearances are our own appearances, or more explicitly, all appearances are appearances of us. Therefore samsara beings every instant that we see appearances as “other”. Lama also comments on how relaxation is key, and how there’s no harm in being relaxed. As we relax more and more through susta…
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
Vipashyana: inverting awareness in upon the mind that is observing
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
Before going into the next meditation Lama Alan adds an addendum to the previous instructions by Padmasambhava. Core Meditations on the Path of Mahamudra * Vipashyana * Padmasambhava (Natural Liberation) * Second and third bullet points After the meditation we go back to: The Four Yogas of Mahamudra * Yoga of One Taste * Rangjung Dorjé * Gyalwa Yang Gönpa * Small stage Twelve Stages of the Four Yogas of Mahamudra: * The yoga of one taste *…
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
Vipashyana: pith instructions by Padmasambhava (From A Spacious Path to Freedom)
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
Since this is our last afternoon we will now move on to what is commonly referred to as non-meditation, open presence, cutting through, etc. At a first glance it seems like just doing nothing at all and there aren’t many ways of doing nothing, but if you’re doing something then you’re not doing the practice. Everything hinges on what you bring onto that “nothing”, what the practice is imbued with. Motivation is of course very important, and bodhicitta is the only suitable motivation here. Th…
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
Non-meditation: pith instructions by Yangthang Rinpoche
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
For this session we go right into the texts: Core Meditations on the Path of Mahamudra * Identifying Primordial Consciousness Lama Alan covers the entire section and offers his commentary to the passages therein. He comments on the 3 types of wisdom (hearing, reflection and meditation) and again stresses the importance of shamatha in order to fully gain the wisdom of meditation. He also gives a quick overview of the 3 main points of the third turning of the wheel of Dharma: * Dha…
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
Non-meditation: Padmasambhava’s pith instructions from Natural Liberation
B. Alan Wallace, 20 Jun 2019
**Jan-Paul** How to distinguish between rigpa and the substrate consciousness? Is it possible to have a glimpse of the substrate consciousness before having achieved shamatha? **Anjana** My question is regarding His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I watch all of his webcasts and I try to watch them live as much as possible as opposed to recordings. Many of them are teachings, empowerments, transmissions, etc. So when I’m watching them, listening and repeating what needs to be repeated, and t…
B. Alan Wallace, 21 Jun 2019
Lama Alan begins by explaining the logistics for the last session. We first finish with the last yoga, followed by our last meditation session, and finally Lama Alan offers refuge vows for those drawn to it. But before that we first cover the synopsis we were missing from the previous sessions, along with Lama’s commentary: Twelve Stages of the Four Yogas of Mahamudra * The yoga of one taste * Great stage We then move on to cover the last of the 4 yogas: The Four Yogas of Ma…
B. Alan Wallace, 21 Jun 2019
Loving kindness: Fourfold vision quest
B. Alan Wallace, 21 Jun 2019
Lama Alan starts with a brief introduction to the refuge vows (in this case within the context of the Mahayana): what refuge is, the motivation for taking refuge and what it entails, followed by the refuge ceremony itself. This concludes the retreat sessions.
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