Fall 2012 Shamatha and the Four Applications of Mindfulness, 10 Sep 2012, Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand
This week, Alan embarks on the 3rd application of mindfulness to the mind. As a prerequisite for this practice, you must be able to distinguish between stillness and motion and maintain single-pointed mindfulness as cultivated in the shamatha practice of settling the mind. As a vipasyana practice, we observe from luminosity and cognizance origination and dissolution of a whole range of emotions and states of consciousness. An emotion like anger exists at the conscious, unconscious, and seed state.
Meditation: mindfulness of the mind. Let you eyes be at least partially open, gaze vacant. Direct your attention to the domain not covered by the 5 senses. Ensure core sense of relaxation in both body and awareness. Distinguish stillness in awareness. Ask and observe closely 1) is there anything static or unchanging?, 2) how do mental events arise, how are they present, and how do they vanish? Apply introspection to the quality of mindfulness and apply remedies as needed.
Q1. In my practice, I’ve experienced sense of oneness of everything, greatest joy not dependent on stimuli, etc... This carries over into post-meditation. Is there a name for this space?
Q2. In settling the mind, I get stuck in a spiral of thoughts and wind up with a headache. I’m also confused about which is the mind. Is it the mental event, that which recognized the mental event, or that which recognized the recognition, etc...?
Q3. Does the mind always need an object, or can it be completely blank?
Q4. You mentioned that upon achieving shamatha, the pranas converge at the heart chakra. In Hindu yoga, the 3rd eye chakra is correlated with states of absorption. What does Buddhism have to say about the 3rd eye chakra?
Q5. In settling the mind, is the awareness you’re using also part of the mind? If substrate consciousness dissolves into the substrate, does the substrate also have nature of consciousness?
Q6. In settling the mind, I’m observing events but not knowing them. The knowing comes eventually. Is it possible to be aware of implicit knowing?
Meditation starts at 24:30
Fall 2012 Shamatha and the Four Applications of Mindfulness, 01 Oct 2012, Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand
Teaching pt1. Alan revisits the 3rd of the 4 immeasurables, empathetic joy. One of the early lamrim meditations is recognizing precious human rebirth (or literally, body) imbued with leisure and opportunity. This body—especially the subtle body of prana, chakra, and bindu—is likened to a wish-fulfilling gem.
Meditation: empathetic joy preceded by settling body, speech, and mind.
1) settling body, speech, and mind. Let awareness descend into the space of the body and rest in the empty appearances of the 5 elements. Release grasping onto the body, sensations, and feelings. Release the breath, also empty appearances without owner or inherent nature. Release the mind. Release fully with each out breath, and relax more and more deeply without losing clarity.
2) empathetic joy. Consider what value you place on this lifetime/opportunity with leisure to progress along the path to liberation and awakening. Rejoice in this immense opportunity, and resolve to take its essence for your own and others’ benefit. Turn your attention outwards to others who have found such an opportunity and are taking full advantage. With every out breath, shine light of appreciation, and rejoice in their virtue.
Teaching pt2. Times were already degenerate at the time of the Buddha who taught mindfulness of breathing more than any other shamatha practice for those prone to rumination. Breathing out long may be associated with the peaceful. Breathing out short may be associated with the sublime as the pranic system settles. The whole body (of the breath) may be the flow characteristic of the ambrosial dwelling. Once shamatha is achieved, any unwholesome thought is dispelled. In the 19th century, Dudjom Lingpa taught taking appearances and awareness as the path for those whose mind is coarse and nervous system shot. Don’t look for clarity in the mind. Discover clarity by releasing everything that isn’t. Awareness is by nature clear. Just stay at home, and relax in the present moment where it’s real, without losing the flow of knowing. Don’t strive or hope for anything. The present moment and luminosity will rise up to meet you, until awareness is all that remains. There is nothing to achieve, nothing to meditate on. For the substrate consciousness and rigpa, simply release all that obscures that which is already there.
Meditation starts at 13:15
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 17 Apr 2020, Online-only
Lama Alan begins by turning to the Buddha's discourse to Bahiya and relating it to the Dzogchen teachings presented in Phase 1 by the Lake-Born Vajra. Lama Alan says that while there is not explicitly any Dzogchen teachings in the Pali Canon, there are - as in this teaching to Bahiya - "hints" of the Dzogchen flavor. In this teaching, the Buddha guides Bahiya to allow himself to simply experience the senses without any additions: "In the seen let there be only the seen," etc.
The meditation begins at 6:00 and is on the teachings of the Buddha to Bahiya.
After the meditation Lama Alan returns to the text and explores the question of how things exist according to the Prasangika Madhyamaka view. He emphasis that it's not just that things don't exist at all, but rather that they exist only in dependent origination. He then relates the Madhyamaka and Dzogchen view to John Wheeler's ideas on the primacy of "meaningful information," which he summarizes as saying: "its" come from "bits." That is, from "bits" of meaningful information, we then create "its," or the various objects of our world. According to Wheeler, we actually choose our past based on the measurements and questions we ask in the present. Therefore, when we think of the generally accepted "story" of the universe, we realize it is only one possible story, which arose in dependence upon specific questions and measurements that we have taken. Similarly, Lama Alan comments on how scientists try to measure the one "objective" universe "out there" by removing the conscious human observer, us. This of course leads to an incomplete picture of reality. As Lama Alan then explains, because of the way our reality arises to us in dependence upon on our own way of observation, there is one world for every sentient being, and we are not merely subjected to reality, but are co-creators of our reality. And while there is inter-subjective overlap between beings, no two worlds are the same.
2022 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 3, 14 Apr 2022, Online from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, USA
Lama Alan begins with brief comments on dwelling in sukhavati here and now, followed by the reading transmission of the section beginning [283] “Then, inside the central channel at the level of your heart, visualize a smooth…” up to [284] “Its tip is the manifest nature of wisdom: sharp and darting.” The transmission begins at 07:50. After the reading, a preamble to settling body, speech, and mind as preparation and foundation for the three separations (separation of body, speech, and mind) of Stage of Generation practice, followed by the actual meditation based on that, which he calls the 'Synthetic' Method. It begins at 59:30 Important terminology: - Quintessences and residues: དྭངས་མ | dvangs ma | dang ma | quintessence, ལྷག་མ | lhag ma | lhag ma | residue. - The three separations (often translated by others as 'three isolations'): ལུས་དབེན | lus dben | lü ben | separation of bod, y ངག་དབེན | ngag dben | ngak ben | separation of speech, ཡིད་དབེན | yid dben | yid ben | separation of mind
2022 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 3, 04 May 2022, Online from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, USA
Lama Alan returns to the text with the third paragraph on page 175. Although it may seem unusual to turn to the four revolutions so deep into the text, he notes there is a logical reason for it. While the first revolution — precious human birth — is uplifting, the reminder that it is finite is "a bit of a downer."" But, it is also a reminder that we can do something about it while we are still alive. While death is certain, the way we approach death varies widely, Lama Alan says, and the beliefs and attitudes we hold about death will have a big impact on how we choose to live. He offers several examples of how ordinary beings (i.e. non-practitioners) react to to death. Then he addresses how a Buddhist practitioner might respond: meditators of lesser capacity, who diligently practices virtue, die without regret; meditators of middling capacity, who "practice with their hair on fire," die without fear; and meditators of greater capacity, who devote their lives to the Bodhisattva path of liberation, die joyfully. Even beyond the types of death explained in this classical lam rim teaching, great yogis and yogini can rest in tukdam (Wyl. thugs dam) or attain rainbow body at the time the physical body runs aground. Lama Alan reiterates that, while death is certain, how we die is our choice. The aural transmission resumes at 45:45. Lama Alan calls particular attention to the text in the first full paragraph on page 176: "... if there is no way of determining when I will die, then without procrastination I must quickly come to understand why I should practice the profound pith instructions on the sublime, supreme yāna for gaining liberation in one lifetime. And I must apply myself to them assiduously." He notes that the "final exam" in this lifetime is not how well you live, but how well you die. The meditation on contemplating death and cultivating compassion begins at 1:21:35.
2021 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 2, 16 Apr 2021, Online-only
Lama Alan begins by saying that the upcoming vipasyana meditation will be foundational, practical, tangibly helpful, guided by the Buddha’s own pith instructions on the close application of mindfulness to the mind: sustaining mindfulness in a spirit of inquiry. While resting in awareness, we’re directing our attention, sustaining it with mindfulness, on the mind – not as one monolithic entity but the whole array of mental processes – and with discerning intelligence (not just bare attention). We don’t have the word klesha in European languages. It’s crucial to remember that afflictions don’t always feel bad, some feel good. The distinction between mental afflictions and states that are not afflictive is not a matter of magnitude but of quality. A mental affliction disrupts the equilibrium of the mind and warps the perception of reality; it’s contagious and gives rise to behaviour that’s harmful to our own and others’ wellbeing. Afflictions will harm us whether or not we recognise them as such. In this meditation we’ll be focusing on the delusion of “I am” (reifying oneself) especially when it manifests as pride, a sense of superiority, craving, hostility, in order to know these afflictions by their characteristics. Mental afflictions can catalyse other people’s mental afflictions. We need to explore their factors of origination and of dissolution. When we recognise that our mind is caught in the grip of some emotion, desire, other afflictive states, the key advice is not to act. This could be more damaging to human society, the ecosphere, other species, than Covid. We need to recognise which mental processes are wholesome as they give rise to benevolent results by way of our behaviour, and which are toxic, detrimental. Which are worth expressing and which are not. Meditation begins at 00:10:00. While resting in awareness, notice which mental processes have a calming and balancing effect on your mind, and examine how they arise, how they are present, and how they vanish. Observe the mind and note the factors of origination and of dissolution of the five poisons: delusion, attachment, hostility, pride and envy. After the meditation we return to the text (“In this way…” p. 85) and to ‘when emanating these sensory objects as a treasure of space”. Lama Alan explains that three ingredients are needed when making offerings in this contect: 1. samadhi: a laser of attention. 2. mantra: a technology that modifies and configures, conditions the power of samadhi so something specific happens (this is not magic). 3. a physical substance. Samadhi is the crucial element. Just reciting mantra (possibly with the mind wandering) will not have an effect. If you have the laser of samadhi, remarkable things can happen. Samadhi is the key for understanding the mind. Lama Alan stresses that the insight into emptiness is indispensable for any Vajrayana practice, otherwise we’re just pretending. The “samadhi of ultimate reality manifesting as illusions” is not just a product of samadhi, a substance and a mantra but rooted in knowing the actual nature of reality. This is immeasurably more powerful, transformative, liberative. “The causal collection of merit is accumulated by the mind” – Lama-la stresses that whether a physical act or speech are virtuous always depends on the mind, our intentions, motivation. The accumulation of merit then facilitates the accumulation of knowledge. If one is only performing rituals this will not eradicate suffering from its source. If you have realisation of emptiness and samadhi, what will flow out of that will be virtuous. Lama then turns to the next section in the text, “The Profound Practice of the Severance of Maras”. The severance of maras is the real chö. It has to be practised in the context of emptiness to be effective. Lama comments on our deluded appropriation of and identification with the body as our own identity. Beings such as maras, vighnas, demons and grahas are invoked and actualised on the basis of our own mental afflictions. Our mindset manifests and is thus actualised in our physical environment. This is essential to note if we want to practise chö effectively. We can’t be materialists, identifying with the body, reifying the body as this is a practice for cutting through maras. The two classes of maras mentioned in the text are the “higher maras of hope for the positive” and the “lower maras of fear of the negative”. Cutting through hope and fear is a central theme in taking the mind as the path. Lama mentions that Santideva deals with this theme of shifting our view of our own body at length in the 8th Chapter on samadhi, leading up to cultivation of bodhicitta – if you want to cultivate bodhicitta in a sustained, radically transformative way, you have to give up the attachment to the body, the clinging to your own and others’ bodies. This attachment is the basis of self-centredness and completely antithetical to bodhicitta.
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 06 Apr 2020, Online-only
After reciting refuge, bodhicitta, and the seven-line prayer, Lama Alan introduces a new guidance to the practice of settling body, speech and mind in their natural state, based on the teachings of Tertön Lerab Lingpa. The first part of meditation is a pranayama technique developed to cleanse the nadis of stale prana.
Meditation starts at 6:00.
Following meditation Lama Alan talks about the base for the common preliminaries that Lerab Lingpa is setting through this practice. First the base for the spirit of emergence, which realizes the causes of suffering, but also the possibility of liberation, not only for oneself, but for all others as our own mothers. This is the base also for great compassion, which stirs the resolve of our own pristine awareness to bring every sentient being to enlightenment. In order to do so, we call for the blessings of all the awakened beings, to be guided through a path of swift liberation: The Great Perfection.
Lama Alan then discusses the causes and conditions for liberation: we are buddha nature, that is the core cause. But as sentient beings we need all the conditions that enable this nature to emerge, such as an authentic Guru, an authentic path, the cultivation of this path and its culmination. Blessings play the role of causes, which progressively propel us on this path, and this is the causal efficacy of the dharmakaya. Of course, from the perspective of pristine awareness dharmakaya is unchanging, unconditioned, does not move, moreover it transcends these categories; so blessings arising are merely the experience of sentient beings, the causal play of blessings is a play in the mind of sentient beings. Yet, these two perspectives do not negate each other, they are complementary.
[Keywords: pranayama, Lerab Lingpa, blessings, great compassion]
Shamatha, Vipashyana, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen, 17 Apr 2016, Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Italy
Alan opens the afternoon session quoting professor Paul Davies and the emphasis that is commonly given in science to search for meaning outside ourselves:
"Whatever strategy is used, searching for ET is still a huge shot in the dark. There may be no intelligent life out there, or even life of any sort. But to not even try would be hugely disappointing. Part of what makes us human is our sense of curiosity and adventure, and even the act of looking is a valuable exercise. As Frank Drake, the astronomer who began SETI on a shoestring budget in 1960, expresses it, SETI is really a search for ourselves, who we are and how we fit into the great cosmic scheme of things.” – Time Magazine, July 23, 2015Inspired by our retreat environment, he reminds us that we should do more like Galileo: if we want to understand a phenomena, then we should look the phenomena itself, and not outside it. That was the approach taken by William James and his emphasis on introspection. Unfortunately, as he points out, the introspection movement died and one of the reasons for it is that people had no means of training attention or introspection. Besides that, even the scientists themselves did not practice. After a short commentary about dealing with impediments in the Shamatha practice, he returns to the topic of objectivity – as of being free of subjective bias – in science. He recalls that this is as important in Buddhism as in science. As in the example above from the SETI project, the point here is that we would need to know (phenomena) objectively, independent of the system of measurement. As far as the study of the mind is concerned from the Buddhist perspective, there is no way to do this objectively, because there is no mind there objectively. Alan explores this topic further in the book The Taboo of Subjectivity. To overcome the problems related to understanding the nature mind, Alan starts drawing on a vision and common practices used for example in the Shamatha Project, like developing a common vocabulary, common observations to then arrive at a "consensual body of Insight", a similar approach to that used by mathematicians. This would be a way to overcome the problem of the subjectivity. Meditation is on Settling the Mind in the Natural State. After meditation, Alan returns to the text by Karma Chagme on shamatha (page 3) and moves back on to explore again the section on the development of paranormal abilities or siddhis by way of shamatha – presented yesterday. Many of these abilities, he states, can be similarly explored in the dream state, the perfect lab for the mind he says. He finishes further exploring the topic of making objective observations about the mind and recalling that all these siddhis described in the text are a form of "technology" (of the dhyānas), and not to be seen as something "supernatural". He adds that this is greatly described in the works of Buddhaghosa. The Podcast ends with a brief celebration for Alan's birthday. Meditation starts at 27:50 ___ Please contribute to make these, and future podcasts freely available.
Alan gave a talk about the result of the US election , 09 Nov 2016, Sakya Foundation, Spain
This is the talk that Alan gave on 9th November 2016 after the results of the US election
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 21 Apr 2020, Online-only
Mindfulness of Breathing: Enhancing Vividness
Fall 2013 Shamatha and the Seven-Point Mind Training, 03 Sep 2013, Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand
Alan welcomes the participants at the Thanyapura MindCenter and explains some of the groundrules for the 8-week Fall 2013 retreat. Alan begins by presenting some logistics followed by the content - the framework for his cycle of teachings. Alan elaborates on general recommendations: How to get most out of the retreat.
22:45 minutes into the recording Alan speaks about the content for this retreat. Unlike during previous retreats when 3 methods of Shamatha were thought, there will be 4 methods of Shamatha this year:
Week 1 Mindfulness of breathing
Week 2 Settling the Mind in its natural State
Week 3 Awareness of Awareness (Shamatha without a Sign)
Week 4 Merging the Mind with Space (NEW)
Week 5-8 will repeat the same sequence but more in depth.
For the half an hour teaching in the afternoon which is followed by discussions the topic for the 1st month will be
the "Seven-Point Mind Training" and for the 2nd month "A Guide to the Bodhiattva Way of Life".
Alan also welcomes everybody who is following this retreat by listening to the podcast.
Note: Several sections containing personal introduction of the retreatants have been removed.
2021 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 2, 02 May 2021, Online-only
Lama welcomes us back to our excursion into the four applications of mindfulness, focusing again on the mindfulness of breathing as the foundation for all the vipashyana modes of inquiry pertaining to the body, feelings, mind and phenomena, that follow. Lama reminds us that if our motivation for practicing vipashyana is to reach the path to liberation, and become an arya, then this is the direct path. At the same time, he stresses that it also results in having a more a serviceable mind – a mind that is well-tuned and purified, in which the five obscurations have been subdued. However, in order to subdue these obscurations, we must achieve Shamatha. As the Buddha has pointed out, the burden of these obscurations of (i) hedonism, (ii) ill-will, (iii) laxity & dullness, (iv) excitation & anxiety, and (v) afflictive uncertainty, on our minds is like being (i) indebted for life, (ii) sick, (iii) in bonds, (iv) enslaved, and (v) lost on a desert track, respectively. They destabilise our minds to such an extent that we are out of balance and mentally unhealthy. Therefore, to achieve shamatha, is not only a key to freeing ourselves of the mental afflictions of these obscurations, and but also a key to exceptional mental health. Through the parable of the king’s unruly son, Lama illustrates that if we bypass Shamatha, we will always meet the ‘unruly prince’ of our minds in whatever other practices that we engage in, be it Vipashyana, Mahamudra or Dzogchen. So, without the protection of having achieved Shamatha, our mental afflictions will overwhelm us. Through achieving Shamatha and gaining access to the first dhyana, for as long as we are in meditation, all of the five obscurations will remain subdued; and out of mediation the symptoms of them will be significantly reduced. Then once we have fully achieved the first dhyana, none of these obscurations will manifest in either mediation or in daily life. Lama reminds us that at this point we are very well prepared to go into the next phases of the four applications of mindfulness. However, he emphasizes that this is not to say that we shouldn’t practice vipashyana until we have fully achieved shamatha, but if we neglect shamatha, none of these other practices will yield the benefits for which they were designed. Lama goes on to highlight that with the dedicated practice of shamatha, through mindfulness of breathing or any other effective method, as you remedy, any obscurations that might arise, eventually your awareness is clarified, and a peaceful sense of joy and well-being arises. Then, as the veils of the five obscurations are lifted, the five dhyana factors of mental stabilization naturally emerge, which make for a very serviceable mind that is (i) unified, (ii) infused with a sense of well-being, which (iii) enables you to engage in coarse examination, that is (iv) joyful; and that (v) gives you greater ability to investigate more precisely. Furthermore, Lama emphasizes something quite extraordinary here, that these five dhyana factors, correlate with each of the five obscurations, acting as direct antibodies for them. So as your mind becomes more single pointed and unified, this acts as a natural cure for hedonism; well-being, for ill-will; coarse examination, for laxity & dullness; joy, for excitation & anxiety; and precise investigation, for afflictive uncertainty. We explore this through the mediation that begins at 00:34:59.
Shamatha, Vipashyana, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen, 18 May 2016, Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Italy
Alan first reads and discusses two of the parables and commentary in Karma Chagme’s text “Naked Awareness” on page 88 of the orphan son, and page 89 of an old man losing his cord. He comments on realising the nature of one’s own mind right down to the ground – the in-dwelling mind of clear light, Dharmakaya, Buddha-nature. Then Alan comments on the different approaches found in the Gelug and Dzogchen traditions. The meditation is a guided Avalokiteshvara practice based on Karma Chagme’s “Naked Awareness”. Following meditation practice, Alan resumes the oral transmission of Karma Chagme’s text from page 264. Meditation starts at 24:08 Note: tomorrow 19th May there will be only one lecture, in the morning, because Alan will give a public talk at the University of Pisa. ___ Please contribute to make these, and future podcasts freely available.
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 21 Apr 2020, Online-only
Meditation begins at minute 7: "Shamatha: Placed on a Physical Object"
2023 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 4, 11 Apr 2023, Crestone, Colorado and Online
Lama Alan presents a brilliant, incisive overview of the strategy presented by the Lake Born Vajra to reach and proceed along the path, which is characteristic of all of the writings and visionary teachings of Dudjom Lingpa. First, there is the initial preparation of settling the body, speech, and mind in their natural state. Next, there is the establishment of the primacy of the mind (Phase 1). This is followed by establishing the mind as baseless and rootless (Phase 1). Once this is established, the Lake Born Vajra teaches the shamatha method of taking the mind as the path. Lama Alan explains in detail the rationale for this approach, and provides detailed commentary on why this approach is so beneficial. He contrasts the scholarly approach to ascertaining the nature of the mind (which takes years) with the approach presented in the Vajra Essence, which is a more streamlined analysis of the origin, location, and destination of the mind. The essay by Tsultrim Zangpo, “An Ornament of the Enlightened View of Samantabhadra,” explains why this streamlined approach, in which partial reasons for establishing the absence of true existence of the mind, can be sufficient to establish the emptiness of the mind, and thereby, of all phenomena. Lama Alan explains that this approach is a more direct root to analyzing the inherent nature of the mind and phenomena. Instead of looking at all of the categories of existence from the outside, one looks inside at the mind that apprehends all categories of existence. By seeing this one thing, you see them all. Instead of conceptually analyzing the mind, you seek out the mind experientially. Tsultim Zangpo cautions us that while this approach can be sufficient for those of superior faculties, the rest of us need to “hear and reflect upon the Madhyamaka treatises...to establish the nature of emptiness.” Before practicing the shamatha method of taking the mind as the path, you need to know what you are looking at, and to have some understanding, and insight into, the lack of inherent nature of the mind. This is crucial, Lama Alan explains, so that when unruly thoughts arise during your shamatha practice, you have the necessary tools to overcome them. Your insight into the empty nature of all thoughts, and your knowledge that these thoughts are mere empty appearances, can stop you from getting derailed by doubts or grandiose thinking. You realize that there is no real mind that is generating these thoughts, and hence, you do not need to take them seriously. Lama Alan then provides a concise and incisive roadmap to the remainder of the path: achieving shamatha, vipashyana, the union of shamatha and vipashyana, and cutting through to rigpa. The meditation practice, which starts at 01:12:50, puts these teachings into practice.
Shamatha, Vipashyana, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen, 17 May 2016, Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Italy
Alan begins by saying that Panchen Rinpoche has made a magnificent job in bringing together these two great traditions of Gelug and Kagyu. Alan then comments that if we are operating from the perspective of a sentient being, it is going to take at least 3 countless eons to achieve awakening. But, if we realise emptiness with the very subtle mind (rigpa), not with the substrate consciousness, then we will be slipping into the 4th time - this is the warp drive. In this way we will proceed very rapidly along the stages and paths culminating in Buddhahood, even just in one single lifetime. The meditation is on the closest approximation of resting in rigpa - “non-meditation” After the meditation, Alan concludes the oral transmission of Panchen Rinpoche’s text with the final section on dedication. Then Alan goes back to the book “Naked Awareness” and he begins giving the oral transmission of Chapter 12, which synthesizes both “A Spacious Path to Freedom” and “Naked Awareness”. Meditation starts at 19:30 ___ Please contribute to make these, and future podcasts freely available.
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 28 Apr 2020, Online-only
Sending Loving-kindness to the 10 Directions
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 13 May 2020, Online-only
Lama Alan begins by addressing the issue of how we can say in the morning session, "I will liberate all sentient beings," and then in the evening session say that the "I" and "other" is empty of inherent existence. That is, if the "I" and "other" are empty, then when we say "I" will liberate all sentient beings, and when we generate compassion for sentient beings, who is generating the compassionate resolve and for who is it being generated? Based on this Lama Alan turns to an explanation of the Middle Way view between saying that phenomena really exist and that they don't exist at all. He cites some Theravada scholars who hold the view that the self does not exist at all, and comments that this view is disastrous if we actually live by it, because it cuts us off from any real compassion or love for ourself or others. At the same time, if we get stuck in inherent existence then we also run into problems. So, Lama Alan asks, how do we weave together the relative view of conceptual designations with the ultimate view of emptiness and Dzogchen? How can we say that we are generating compassion for a mere conceptual designation? How can we say all appearances are our "own" appearances, while also saying that we don't "own" any sentient being? Ultimately, Lama Alan comments that while the "self" might not exist inherently, suffering does happen, and the causes of suffering are perpetuated. Finally, Lama Alan also cautions against leaping into the view of the Great Perfection without doing this groundwork of understanding relative and ultimate truth, as it could lead us to saying "I am Samantabhadra" in a way that is inauthentic and which does not actually uproot our reification of ourself. As he says, we could then think "I'm Alan Wallace, and I'm Samantabadra, and that's really cool." Meditation on "Revisiting Our Friend Bahiya" begins at 20:05. After the meditation, Lama Alan returns to the text, beginning Phase 3: Revealing the Ground Dharmakaya. In this section of the text, the Lake-Born Vajra turns to the investigation of the emptiness of the "I." As Lama Alan goes through this section of the text, he emphasizes that we should always make this type of investigation into the "I" very personal, and not leave it as an intellectual inquiry. Lama Alan also reiterates that this "not knowing" and "getting it wrong" in relationship to the "I" is the taproot mental affliction from which all others arise. He likens it to continuing to drive even when lost. In terms of the nature of emptiness, Lama Alan explains that while things do appear they are not really there in much the same way that the moon appears in water but is not really there. He also comments on the process of delusion that takes place as it is described in the text, and relates it to the common presentation of the twelve links of dependent origination. Next, the text goes over the origin, location, and destination of the "I," followed by an investigation of whether the "I" exists in any part of the body. This is followed by looking for the "I" among external phenomena. Towards the end, Lama Alan mentions that this analysis can cut very deep, but that we should not be satisfied too soon, as we may only come to a very superficial understanding and fool ourselves into thinking we have realized something profound. Moreover, he comments that this investigation is not just of interest to those concerned with Buddhist philosophy, but concerns all of us and our experience of being in the world and our experience of suffering. Shouldn't we all want to know where we come from? Where we really are? And where we are going? Many people, he says, simply leave this inquiry with the notion that "nobody knows." But of course this actually implies that one has an understanding of all the knowledge held by all beings throughout history. Therefore, it is up to each one of us to engage in this inquiry and come to certainty ourselves. Because if we investigate and then come to certainty, then we really know, and the mystery is solved. Getting this right could be the biggest revolution in all our countless lifetimes.
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 08 May 2020, Online-only
Lama Alan reminds us that he has already spoken of the 5 obstacles standing between each of us and the substrate. This will result in a lot of things churning up. He poses the question, after we reach pliancy and rest in the substrate conscious what will be between us and pristine awareness? He answers that it will be the connate grasping to a self. This is the root of samsara that needs to be cut through and there are many methods to do so. Lama Alan referred again to Je Tsongkhapa mentioned this morning how it was a reading of a classic text that was the cause for him to cut through to his Buddha nature. Lama Alan then refers to how in the Prasangika Madhyamika method the practitioner identifies the sense of ‘I am’ as inherently existent and it is this reified sense of self that we must identify. Lama Alan outlines three modes used to do this within this school: course investigation, subtle analysis and very subtle. You identify the self that you think you are, it is the self that is grasped that is the object for repudiation. This is very subtle. He outlines that with your intelligence you apply your analytical skills to see if this self that you think exists exists at all. You find the sheer absence of that self. You generate the wisdom that realizes personal identitylessness. If you’ve not yet achieved Shamata, then the realization is with the coarse mind and if you have achieved Shamata then it is the subtle mind that realizes personal identitylessness. If you wish do this with the very subtle mind then through the stages of generation and completion you make the coarse and subtle mind go dormant dissolve into the central channel and then with the very subtle mind you realize personal identitylessness. In this approach you start with the emptiness of self and then you apply this to the emptiness of all other phenomenon. Lama Alan points out that in Dzogchen and Mahamudra it is a different approach. Here, first use vipashnya to gain insight into the emptiness of your own mind. This path does not focus on the ‘object to be negated’ as above, but rather, the practice is to search for your mind. He says look for that which is searching, the agent, search for the mind that is doing the searching. Can you find it? Can you determine that it exists? He outlines how to do this by way of identifying its characteristics. Lama Alan asks, if you can’t determine that it is existent can you determine that it is not existent? If you conclude that the mind does not exist, what drew that conclusion? You will see that the mind is empty of being existent and is also empty of being non-existent. Then you cut through the conceptual categorization to the subtle conditioned mind of the substrate consciousness to cut through that to the pristine awareness. Look to the referent of the pith instructions that point out to you your own awareness as pristine awareness. Meditation starts at: 21:38 minutes The meditation is Guru Padmasabhava’s pointing out instructions of vipashnya focused on the nature of mind. After the meditation Lama Alan discusses different pandit (scholarly) and mahasiddha (yogi/ni) approaches, including Karma Chagme, and then completes the text of Phase 1. On the basis of settling your mind in its natural state (meditation as Shamata) seek the view through vipashnya. Lama Alan gives a detailed outline of the 4 Yoga’s of Mahamudra that are at times mistaken for lower shamatha meditative states. [Keywords: Praangika Madhyamika; personal identylessness; emptiness; Dzogchen; Mahamudra; Four Yoga’s of Mahamudra; shamatha]
2021 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 2, 21 May 2021, Online-only
We begin with the meditation. Lama Alan explains that the Lake-born Vajra keeps going back and forth between the ultimate meaning (realisation of emptiness and identifying primordial consciousness) and stage of generation, showing that all the aspects of the mandala of stage of generation are perfectly present in primordial consciousness. The method by way of stage of generation and completion practice is approaching the ultimate ground effortfully from the outside but for those sufficiently gifted, all the benefits from the practice of stage of generation and completion will all emerge spontaneously out of resting in pristine awareness. This (Dzogchen) method works from the inside to the outside. Lama reminds us that if the practice of stage of generation is to be authentic and yield the benefits for which it is designed, including the shifting of the subtle body (the pranas, nadis, bindus), there has to be a realisation of emptiness and one has to have identified pristine awareness. He proposes that in order to be true to the text, from now on we will begin each session with meditation, focusing on straight Dzogchen practice and then complementing it with stage of generation from this as our fertile ground whenever this is suggested in the text. Meditation begins at 00:05:25. Having taken refuge and aroused bodhicitta, the view of emptiness, and the view of the Great Perfection, rest in awareness while remaining entirely inactive. Lama Alan suggests that if we feel that we’re not fully qualified to engage in the stage of generation practice or in non-meditation, this is just a case of afflictive uncertainty, and we will become masters only by practising them. He mentions that in Tibetan, the word for “cultivating” can mean both “to practise” and “to accomplish”. He advises us that if we have confidence and are intuitively drawn to these teachings, then we should practise as well as we can and think of ourselves as “accomplishing” the stage of generation to which we now turn. Back to the generation of the peaceful mandala, having completed the preliminary practices which are a template for any sadhana. After having generated the Buddha-field, the inanimate environment, now we turn to the generation of the celestial palace in meditation. Lama comments on the phrase “free of elaboration”. We’re doing our best not to do anything at all, resting in non-activity of body, speech and mind, drawing the pranas into the central channel, into the indestructible bindu in the heart chakra, and realising primordial consciousness, dharmakaya. But It’s easier to be doing something rather than nothing because it’s habitual. We’re now turning to the beings who inhabit the palace in meditation as Lama-la reads from the text. We practise as we listen to the words of Samantabadra. (“In the center of the palace is a jeweled throne…”, p.122) Lama-la explains that this description is purely archetypal, each of these an expression of the primordial consciousness of the absolute space of phenomena which is personified as Maha-Vairocana. This is the generation of the deity in the centre of the mandala, radiant white Vairocana, and we’ll continue to the buddhas of the four directions, Aksobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi. Each of these five buddhas here appear in their sambhogakaya forms whereas in our earlier presentation they appeared in their nirmanakaya forms. Their mudras are slightly different but the sambhogakaya forms can be perceived only by arya bodhisattvas, vidyadharas, and by buddhas but not by beings who have not realised the actual nature of reality. Although these forms can be depicted in thangkas they can only point to how they appear. Lama-la suggests that for our meditation, if we don’t have images for each of the five buddhas in their sambhogakaya forms he refers us to the beautiful image shared previously of Vajrasattva with the naked Samantabadhra above him. This should give us a general idea of the ornaments and the clothing of a sambhogakaya. It is the sambhogakaya forms that arise spontaneously in the passive practice of the direct crossing over to spontaneous actualisation. This completes the generation of ourselves as the central deity of Vairocana. All the qualities of enlightenment are perfectly complete within him and in each of the five buddhas. Now from the centre we visualise not someone else but assume the identity as an expression of our own pristine awareness of the buddha-field, the palace and the buddha to the East. Samantabadhra continues to guide us in meditation. This concludes the Lake-Born Vajra’s explanation and guided meditation, in the buddha-fields, the celestial palaces and the generation of ourselves as each of these five buddhas, starting from the centre. In the full practice of this we would arouse our own appearance as each of the five buddhas, individually and then collectively, we arouse our own sense of identity, divine pride, as each of these buddhas (Vairocana gazing to the east and the other four gazing inwards). Lama-la comments that on the one hand, this was quite a specific guidance in generating the peaceful mandala but on the other, it’s quite encompassing in the sense that by generating ourselves as each of the five buddhas, we also implicitly generate ourselves as all the other yidams. These are all subsumed within the five buddhas and their families. This was like a template that subsumes all the other buddha-fields. As we engage in such visualisation, Lama advises us to think of it more as an unveiling of the appearance of the mandala and the deity, rather than effortfully creating them. Lama reminds us to bear in mind that since the generation is a spontaneous manifestation of primordial consciousness these are all self-appearances and therefore there’s no duality between the supporting environment and ourselves as the supported deity, it transcends all dualistic grasping. It’s our own pristine awareness manifesting as the mandala and the deity and likewise, the environments and deities are in turn our own appearances - as we’re looking outwards, they’re looking in upon us. There are five perspectives and they’re all our own. Our awareness of the five-fold mandala permeates all of these appearances as self-illuminating, each one arising from the seed syllable of the respective Buddha family. If our stage of generation practice is confined only to the time on the cushion, it will never take deep root. It will erode as soon as we return to our ordinary identity and we’re reinforcing your habitual propensities. To enter fully into this practice, it’s all-consuming and entirely consumes our ordinary sense of identity, appearances and way of conceiving the world around us. Out of emptiness we generate the pure environment and identity. For this to radically shift our whole perspective from the impure to the sublime, the practice has to be as continuous as possible. This is the complement to the straight, unelaborated practice of Dzogchen. If Dzogchen practice is to bear fruit and be radically transformative, in between sessions, as continuously as possible, whatever we’re doing, we need to be aware of whatever mental activities arise at all times, while resting in stillness, in awareness. We set the gold standard on the cushion, and off the cushion we need to perceive all thoughts and movements of the mind without appropriating them. Every time we fall back into thoughts, we’re parting company from our Dzogchen practice and involuntarily reaffirming our identity as sentient beings. When we practice Dzogchen meditation, having first established the view (without which there is no Dzogchen meditation), we sustain the view by first acquiring the view and familiarising ourselves with it in meditation, supported with samatha and vipashyana. Resting in the awareness to which we’ve cut through. Having cut through to pristine awareness, the (non-)meditation is to rest in complete inactivity but not withdrawing from appearances but viewing them from the perspective of pristine awareness and seeing them as equally pure, essentially empty, creative expressions of one’s own primordial consciousness. If this is going to lead us to the path, and ultimately full awakening, it has to be a full-time practice. Every time we disengage from the practice, we’re not standing still but falling backwards and reinforcing the habits that have kept us in samsara for countless past lifetimes. This is why we need to do our best, on and off the cushion, on the basis of taking the mind as the path, not to let a single thought pass by unnoticed. Otherwise, we will appropriate it and forget who we are. There’s no-one there who is a sentient being. Cut through the illusion of who you are and rest there. And by resting in this complete non-activity, the qualities of pristine awareness will become more and more evident, its essential empty nature, it’s luminous manifest nature. When you come off the cushion and attend to other sentient beings, without necessarily cultivating loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, impartiality, without striving to arouse bodhicitta, you may find that the more deeply you’ve familiarised yourself with resting in unborn, unceasing awareness while in meditative equipoise, spontaneous compassion arises for each sentient being you attend to. The nirmanakayas of your speech, the physical and mental activities, as expressions of compassion may manifest spontaneously as you engage with others. You’ll know that this is compassion that was always there and is now unveiled through your practice of Dzogchen. As we return to the complementary practice of the stage of generation, there’s the formal practice for each of the five buddhas, each sense of identity is pure, sacred, divine. Having dissolved all impure appearances into emptiness, out of that emptiness, indivisible from dharmakaya, we generate the environment, the self, the others in the mandala, seeing each one as primordially pure, as buddhas. When the session comes to an end, in between sessions, as ordinary thoughts arise, if we view them as expressions of dharmakaya, view speech as sambhogakaya, view the body and the surrounding environment as nirmanakaya, then we’re supporting that radical shift of perspective. We let this be enriched and stabilised in between sessions. The continuity of pure vision and divine identity in turn supports the meditative equipoise during the practice. But if in between sessions we simply think our thoughts as an ordinary sentient being, we’re not standing still, we’re moving backwards and we’re undermining whatever shift took place in meditation. So, for both practices it’s imperative to maintain the constant state of vigilance between sessions, resting in awareness. In stage of generation practice we’re overriding impure appearances and our ordinary sense of identity of ourselves and others with pure identity. This is how we maintain continuity and the practice bears the fruit for which it was intended. For both types of practice of Dzogchen and stage of generation, when going into full-time retreat, we’re practising to become a buddha in this lifetime. Lama warns us that if we embark on such a retreat at home and are interacting with people who are not engaging in such practice but view us as an ordinary person, it will be very difficult to maintain pure vision when everyone around us is not. It’s therefore important to set strict (physical) boundaries when embarking on such a retreat. This concludes the generation of the peaceful mandala.
2022 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 3, 27 Apr 2022, Online from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, USA
Lama Alan starts the session by providing a bit of context for the meditation from Dudjom Rinpoche on determining the nature of the internal apprehending mind, which begins at 17:50. Following the meditation Lama Alan explains that, in reaching the middle way view of Madhyamaka, the meditator sometimes ends up ""bouncing off the extremes"" of eternalism and nihilism. At 56:30, he returns to the text on page 166 with the request we "delete" his earlier transmission and commentary of the first sentence of the last paragraph. The revised translation, which can be found in the class notes, is: “Since ultimate reality does not fall into the extreme of nihilism, the extremists’ way of seeking the path with a view of eternalism is brought to perfection here; and since it is not apprehended within the extreme of the eternalist view, the mindsets of those who seek the path with a view of nihilism are also brought to perfection here.” After promising to return the text soon, Lama Alan takes us on a brief side tour of eternalism and nihilism. He characterizes eternalism as a cognitive hyperactivity disorder in which we superimpose something on reality, and then freeze it into place. Conversely, he says, nihilism is a cognitive deficit disorder of not being able to see that which is in plain sight. Many people habitually flip-flop between the two. Lama Alan offers several historical examples to illustrate this point. The Lake-Born Vajra offers an alternative approach: wherever you start follow it to the ground and it is perfected. Returning to the text on the bottom of page 166, Lama Alan continues the aural transmission at 1:35:05.
Fall 2014 Shamatha, Vipashyana, Dream Yoga, 28 Aug 2014, Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand
After The Seven Line Prayer of Padmasambhava we jump right into meditation. We continue practicing awareness of awareness. Due to technical problems, however, Alan couldn’t give his talk after the meditation but promised to comment on the practice in the afternoon session. Meditation starts at 06:15
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 14 Apr 2020, Online-only
Lama Alan comments that the reason on covering the four revolutions in outlook is to strengthen our motivation to take this precious human life and make it as meaningful as possible. Once we have established authentic aspirations, the next step is achieving Shamata, then Vipassana.
Focusing on the cultivation on Shamata he comes back to its ground: relaxation.
Meditation starts at 26:03. Lama Alan suggests doing this practice lying down in Shavasana posture.
Returning to the basics: The Infirmary. Settling body, speech and mind in its natural state, with an emphasis on settling the respiration in its natural rhythm; releasing all control.
Lama Alan answers the question: Is it necessary to have an empowerment in order to practice Ngondro? And presents his two copilots on this journey, Glen and Eva.
2023 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 4, 28 Apr 2023, Crestone, Colorado and Online
There is only one question asked in this session today, albeit a long one, with 2 or 3 parts, pertaining to nyam. Do nyam ever stop arising once one achieves shamatha? The answer is no. Those arising dependent on dredging of the psyche will stop after achieving shamatha, but others may continue to occur, and Lama-la gives as an example the maras encountered by the Buddha on the night of his enlightenment. But nyam are not objectively obstacles, and many are in fact very useful on the path. Indeed, as Lerab Lingpa advised, in meditative equipoise one realises non-conceptionally that nothing can harm one anymore. But between sessions, karma-ripening events may still arise, albeit harming one much less, especially with an understanding of emptiness, as one has achieved an exceptional baseline mental balance. Upheavals are not produced by, but only catalyzed by external events, due to appropriation, the entanglement between subject and object. Lama-la continues the session with a thorough exposition on the distinction between eudaimonia and hedonia. The pursuit of hedonia has to be in the service of cultivating eudaimonia, as the eight mundane concerns never lead to authentic happiness. On the path of shamatha we cultivate eudaimonia, the sublime compassionate mental well-being which is not stimulus-driven. The definition of Dharma itself is a way of engaging with reality that gives rise to a sustainable, unwavering sense of well-being, sukha, the very meaning of life.
2022 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 3, 02 May 2022, Online from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, USA
The meditation today is putting the third wheel on the tricycle where the object is awareness itself, shamatha without a sign which Lama Alan says is a prime instance of taking the fruition as the path, where we are emulating the end game. It is very important that the awareness of which we are aware is not a created concept as that would be slipping back into dualistic grasping with a referent. Rather, that awareness is effortless. He explains the crucial nature of the mostly overlooked first foundational phase of settling body, speech and mind and the need to be comfortable in meditation. He encourages us to learn to meditate vigilantly in the savasana posture with whatever props are needed and to take ample time in the process of relaxation, remembering that only a Buddha has perfected relaxation. Leading into meditation, Lama Alan goes through detailed explanation of settling the respiration in its natural rhythm and then awareness of awareness. The meditation is on shamatha without a sign with special emphasis on the foundational phases for sustainability. It begins at 50:40 After the meditation at 1:14:43 Lama Alan returns to the text of phase 5 on page 173 and 174 and describes this way of viewing reality, that all appearances are simultaneously emerging and vanishing in an instant brings on this spirit of emergence from insight because it is seen that nothing can be grasped. We are reminded that everything we experience is arising in our own substrate, all appearances are arising from the germination of our individual karma and great suffering arises when that is not known. Lama Alan concludes by discussing all that we are seeing now in the world with so many things that are beyond our control and the news spreading so much fear. How could we not be oscillating between hope and fear of what will happen to us and we wonder how do we escape? He says that there is a very practical way that you can actually master and thereby acquire confidence – cultivate genuine wellbeing. What enormous hope and potential fearlessness Dharma gives us that nothing else gives. Dharma gives everything and all it asks from us is everything.
Shamatha, Vipashyana, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen, 12 Apr 2016, Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Italy
The Dharma talks have been so good so far that a bird found us in the field as we were walking over to the meditation hall. He followed us over and hung around outside the hall before the session thinking about coming in to join us. This morning's session was no less inspiring. Alan continues his strategy of addressing Ultimate Bodhicitta in the morning and Relative Bodhicitta in the afternoons. He discusses the hypothesis from all of Buddha Dharma that the nature of reality has been discovered, that this discovery has been replicated many times, and that this discovery can bring freedom and the fulfillment of our innermost desires. He contrasts this with the most prevalent system of scientific discovery which proves a wealth of knowledge to promote hedonic well-being, yet embraces scientific materialism which leads some of the great minds of our time to draw the conclusions that the mind, consciousness, appearances, and introspection don't exist. He then gives us the fastest refutations of scientific materialism. (If you don't get the first two, you are a gradualist and should practice shamatha and vipashyana.) We are invited to investigate both cognitive deficits (which deny the existence of the mind, appearances, and the like) and cognitive hyperactivity (where we mentally impute onto appearances) and start investigating the indubitable - taking appearances and awareness as the path. Both during sessions and especially between sessions, we are invited to notice the tendency towards cognitive hyperactivity and imputation. He then talks a bit about the connate cognitive hyperactivity that causes us to deny the three marks of existence, where, among other things, he talks about LaSalle and tells us how samsara ends (Spoiler alert: It sucks. It turns out badly.) The meditation is silent (not recorded) and is at the end of the session. ___ Please contribute to make these, and future podcasts freely available.
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 20 Apr 2020, Online-only
Lama Alan said this morning we're returning to the meditation theme of enhancing stability -our ability to sustain voluntary attention without losing our original clarity. He then spoke of the benefits of sustaining voluntary, focused attention outside of meditation, speaking of the correlation between geniuses and the ability to maintain sustained voluntary focused attention. We may not become geniuses, yet the ability to bring total unification of attention, imbued with ease will help each of us to offer our unique gift to the world.
Meditation starts at 6.31
After the meditation, Lama Alan returned to the theme of integrating our meditation into daily life. He reminds us of how Yangthang Rinpoche counseled on conduct between sessions: once one cuts through pristine awareness while in meditative equipoise, then one smoothly transitions to post-meditative states, whatever thought comes up then one simply lets it be. Then thoughts simply release themselves.
How do we do this when we've a 9-5 job or our with our kids or driving busy in other ways? Is it really practical? Well if one has reached shamatha, realized emptiness, broken through to pristine awareness, and are resting in pristine awareness, then yes. Because, as a Vidhyadhara, one is resting in one's best approximation of non-conceptual pristine awareness while being vividly aware of appearances that arise in the environment, along with activities of the mind. This is the supreme form of Lojong, where we can transforms all afflictions into the path.
Lama Alan then says, what about for us, where we are in our practice? We need to make sure where we're getting practical benefits. Our minds need to become dharma. He says that there are other Lojong texts that are very practical. These excellent for purification of our minds, for suffusing our mind with dharma, etc. And they are doable. Lama Alan then quotes again from Master Shantideva and elucidates practical practice for integration of our meditative/dharma practice with daily life.
2023 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 4, 07 Apr 2023, Crestone, Colorado and Online
We are now slowly approaching the end of the preliminaries teachings. The last few days were spent on the two complementary teachings on settling body, speech and mind, preparing us to become suitable vessels for what is yet to come. The bridge between the two is Guru Yoga. Continuing to expand on the practice, Lama-la completes the discussion on the ‘top-down’ approach with the ‘down’; our lamas. The root guru, who is a human being, is someone from whom we have received empowerment, transmission and guidance. We connect earth and sky by means of a citation from Sera Khandro who quotes 4 types of Nirmanakaya. One refers to emanations of Buddha-mind, created nirmanakayas, including statues, paintings, stupas and texts. Another kind is teacher nirmanakayas, the guru who reveals our own primordial consciousness. So our guru is for us a nirmanakaya. Realisations that occur while reading sacred texts are also nirmanakayas. Where the guru speech is, there is the Buddha. The choice of a guru is the most important decision that we make in our life, so we have to do it with prajna. It is essential that the teachings are authentic, that his/her behaviour is impeccable, and that we feel a connection with the lama through blessings, a transformative power. Any virtue of body, speech and mind is the enlightened activity of a Buddha, who is everywhere present. And therefore, and considering the emptiness of existence of a sentient being, in Dzogchen guru yoga, where you see your guru there is Buddha. You don’t approach him/her as a sentient being, but as Samantabhadra, and this is solely for the student’s benefit. And blessings are flowing. Lama-la quotes from Dudjom Rinpoche’s “Extracting the Vital Essence’ writings, highlighting and explaining the vital importance of guru yoga in Dzogchen in detail. Our relationship with our guru is Holy, and not a personal one between human beings, which inevitably is based on mental afflictions. The need to keep samayas is for the disciple’s sake, not the guru’s. Further on, Lama-la discusses the ‘bottom-up’ approach to the Dharma, and specifically to guru yoga, progressing the explanation from secular to Sravakayana on to Mahayana, ultimately Vajrayana and Dzogchen. He makes a reference to ‘crazy yogis’ who show their siddhis in a specific context of skillful means, and recounts a story about Tilopa. The meditation starts at 1:06:54 and is on awareness of awareness.
Shamatha, Vipashyana, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen, 04 May 2016, Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Italy
Alan reminds us of Padmasambhava’s pith instruction that makes the path to enlightenment so easy - to observe one’s mind. However, for most people this is not sufficient to progress as we have obscurations, particularly conative obscurations that are difficult to be rid of as we are all so busy, despite that for many of us our survival isn’t dependent on such busyness. Alan reviews the operation of some of the types of obscurations including the conative; attentional including the categories of laxity and dullness and of excitation and anxiety; cognitive such as the acquired delusion of scientific materialism that prevents taking introspection seriously, and the conate delusions. In responding to the bias of modern science regarding these cognitive obscurations, Alan mentions some recent research that concludes insects are conscious and Alan congratulates New Zealand has passed a law or declaration that animals are sentient beings. These developments are welcome in that they represent an overturning of the hundreds of year’s old mesmerising idea of Descartes that animals don’t possess consciousness. The last type of obscuration – a big one – that prevents our practice development is the emotional. If the emotional obscurations and imbalances can dominate during our wonderful retreat environment, then what will it be like when we return to our regular post-retreat lives? Alan illustrates the range of methods to address an obscuration involving depression. Good mindfulness-based researchers and therapists have discovered that for severe depression, meditation instruction is useless and only skilful psychiatry and use of antidepressant drugs can ameliorate the symptoms. Then once the symptoms are being well managed, the use of talk therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy are effective. However subsequent to depressive symptoms being reduced there can be a remaining prevalence of general unhappiness and anxiety. So then for someone exposed to Dharma the teachings of Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara (Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life) and Buddhaghosa’s Four Immeasurables provide a profound set of skilful means for addressing emotional obscurations. However it must be recognised that other than for the initial stage of treatment for severe depression, the responsibility for overcoming the emotional obscurations increasingly depends on the individual’s own development of skilful means. For the Dharma practitioner, the same approach to taking individual responsibility applies in taking adversity onto the path. Then with the practice of settling the mind in its natural state, one can simply rest in the stillness of one’s own awareness and watch the mind heal itself. Alan says that vipashyana meditation can be exhausting and stressful with its demanding questions. In going deeper into the practice there is an increasing need to broaden our base of relaxation. The meditation practice is initially guided on returning to the still point via the foundations of shamatha by directing the light of awareness on the body and mind, attending to the breath continuously, and mostly grounding the awareness in the tactile sensations. As the conceptual turbulence of the mind gently subsides, then gradually slide the emphasis into primarily being aware of awareness and peripherally noting awareness of the breath. After meditation, Alan says that we each uniquely bring our body and mind to the retreat, which means that we each have our own strengths and limitations. Our new base camp or default mode post-retreat should be one of more detail of attentiveness and quality of awareness of people and situations as presented without getting caught up in the mental afflictions. Meditation starts at 26:00 ___ Please contribute to make these, and future podcasts freely available.
2023 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 4, 13 Apr 2023, Crestone, Colorado and Online
Lama la starts out by revisiting the teaching regarding this “gnarly sentence” on page 18 “If the one that arises were determined to exist, then what is called the mind at all moments following this arising would be indeterminate and nonexistent. …” While it was discussed previously from a psychological perspective, that all that our concepts of ourselves, others, politicians, mountains, etc. become static. One may think that someone is selfish and that thought remains static until, for example, they do something generous and then that new concept becomes static, at least until the next event where another static concept of that person develops. We need to keep this in mind when interacting with others, either personally or in media, etc. that our concepts about them do not remain static. We must be willing, importantly, to re-envision ourselves, others, of who we think we are, our motives, etc. and break through our static concepts of who we think we are and closely attend to the changes and not keep our own self-concept static. But everything is fluid and changing. And we must be aware that we may be holding static ideas about ourselves, and we need to constantly revisit those. Attending closely we cut through these static concepts that we superimpose on others, ourselves, phenomena. The Sautrāntika view asserts that only real, inherently existent entities that can be directly perceived (with mental or sensory perception), have causal efficacy, whereas those that are merely conceptually designated (e.g. the borders between countries) do not. The Prāsaṅgika Madhayamaka view asserts, on the contrary, that if phenomena were inherently existent, they would be static and could not be causally related with anything else. But now he explains it from an ontological perspective. If phenomena did exist by their own inherent nature they would be static, unchanging and impossible to interact with. The King of All Reasons: Because phenomena are interrelated, dependently related, they arise upon causes and conditions, they change. For that reason they must be empty. Empty of inherit existence. Things that exist by mere conceptual designation, like a border between the USA and Canada has no causal efficacy, its not really there. What does have casual efficacy is the concept that it is there, and who pays taxes where, etc. The Higgs-Boson is discussed, specifically the Higgs field that imbues all other particles with mass. The God Particle. It has casual efficacy because it gives mass to other particles. There is an explanation of this discovery and its history, and how it is used. So did the Higgs Boson particle exist before it was measured? No. Before it was measured it was only in the field of possibilities. But once it had been observed, and there was consensus, relative to the community that understands it, on July 4, 2012, Higgs Boson has existed since big bang, according to these scientists. But that is wrong. If it were already there, self-existent, it would be static and unable to be interacted with, and would not be “seen” even, with a supercollider. So it’s not real from its own side. Even space-time do not inherently exist independent of measurement and conceptual designation. There is a discussion of world view and how it has affected humanity. Humans need a world view to make sense of things. A religious world view, for example or a political world view. World views are very powerful. Continuing on with the next sentence: “…If it (the mind) arose, then up until that arising, since the so-called thing that exists would have to be apprehendable as something bearing attributes, I am unarisen emptiness and thus empty of any originating source.” If the mind came into existence at a specific point, then where did it come from? If something were inherently existent, including the mind, then it would be static. If phenomena were inherently existent, it would be static and not causally relatable or interactive with anything else because the borders between this particle and that particle, this person and that person would be impossible to happen. Since we are all interrelated to look for enlightenment for just oneself makes no sense. We are all interrelated. It is a basis for bodhicitta when you understand this. Physicist Andrei Linde: “Without introducing an observer, we have a dead universe, which does not evolve in time, and this re-emphasizes the role of the participant in the self-observing universe of quantum cosmology. The universe becomes alive (time-dependent) only when one divides it into two parts: a subjective observer and the rest of the objective universe, and the wave function of the rest of the objective universe depends on the time measured by the observer. In other words, the evolution of the universe and everything in it, including life itself, is possible only with respect to the observer.” (“Inflation, Quantum Cosmology and the Anthropic Principle,” in Barrow, Davies, and Harper, Science and Ultimate Reality) Dualistic grasping begins with the thought, “I AM” and therefore you are, and it is, etc. Cut into two pieces. The only space that anyone ever sees is the space of awareness. This is a cosmology of consciousness itself. So now to the text, Lake Born Vajra now shares how to build your telescope. On page 19 Title „How Individuals with Specific Faculties May Enter the Path“ First Lama la reminds us of the prophecy for this lineage, that this will flourish in the west. Starting on page 20, he reminds us that we need this spaceship to break out of the gravitational pull of samsara. The transmission starts at 51:19. “Some cannot subdue their minds because their thoughts are so extremely agitated, and they experience uncomfortable maladies and sharp pains in the heart, the life-force channel, and so on. The with unstable minds, with a wind constitution, or with coarse minds may fall unconscious or slip into a trance. Such people should relax and let thoughts be as they are, continually observing them with unforgetful mindfulness and introspection from which nothing is hidden.” Whatever is coming up in the mind, with introspection, notice without getting carried away, stay in awareness. And try not to miss a single movement or it will possibly catch you. “Remaining still without thinking anything is called stillness in the domain of the essential nature. The various thoughts that move and arise are called movement. Not letting any thoughts go by unnoticed, but recognizing them with mindfulness and introspection, is identified as awareness.” About stillness, movement, and awareness. “Say to yourself: Now, to remain for a long time in the domain of the essential nature of the mind, I shall be watchful, observing movement, keeping my body straight, and maintaining vigilant mindfulness. When you practice in this way, riving concepts do not cease, nor do they arise in their ordinary way, for mindful awareness reveals them.” The meditation „Resting in the Stillness of Awareness, Observing the Movements of the Mind“ starts at 01:05:30 After the meditation, Lama la reminds us that this is for us here and now. We will bring Phase one and leap over the subsequent Phases to Phase Six. Laying out the foundation so it's not all up in our heads. With this foundation we can more and more imbue our practice with insight into emptiness and with Dzogchen. The Pages/sections covered from texts are p18, 20. The time at which the aural transmission starts is 51:19.
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 17 May 2020, Online-only
Lama Alan begins by reminding us that even empathetic joy is not just an emotion, but also an aspiration as it is presented in the Indo-Tibetan tradition. This differs from the Theravada tradition. Lama Alan then turns to the liturgy for the practice of Great Empathetic Joy, or Maha Mudita. To begin his commentary, he draws our attention to the referent of the term "all sentient beings." In terms of modern cosmology and Buddhist cosmology, the number of beings this actually refers to is staggering, and beyond the scope of the relative mind to comprehend. Therefore, when we bring to mind "all sentient beings," we may come up with a blank or something very general. For this reason, he imparts the advice he was given many years ago on this issue, saying that when we consider "all sentient beings," we bring to mind the specific sampling of sentient beings to which we have been exposed, either directly or indirectly. We then attempt to apply our practice of any of the immeasurables or "greats" evenly to all those beings, and as such they serve as a suitable sampling, or representation of "all sentient beings." He then suggests that in this particular meditation session, rather than effortfully bringing forth specific sentient beings, we should just arouse the aspiration and see what appearances arise, what sentient beings come to mind, and draw our attention to them. He then draws the important distinction that the mental images that come to mind are not sentient beings, as sentient beings do not live in our substrate (they live where they live and they are as real as anything else). Therefore, when these appearances come to mind, we are instructed to look through the appearances and attend to the sentient being. Lama Alan then begins an explanation of the specific nature of the "joy" that we are wishing for others. He makes it clear that this is not merely "pleasure," and that he would never wish merely pleasure on anyone, as this is not a true source of wellbeing. Rather, the joy being referred to comes from the cultivation of ethics, samadhi, and wisdom. Further, we wish for all beings to be free of the three specific types of sufferings presented by the Buddha (blatant suffering, suffering of change, and pervasive suffering). Lama Alan then presents the various antidotes to these three types of suffering as a way to illustrate the possibility of beings actually becoming free of suffering. Then in terms of our personal commitment to bring beings to sublime wellbeing and freedom from suffering, he suggests that we can think of ourselves as being the "contributing condition" (as someone who can impart dharma to beings), the spiritual friend, who can help beings find the way to this supreme wellbeing and freedom from suffering. Specifically, Lama Alan connects this aspiration to the specific aspiration of helping beings to actually reach the path, since once this happens they are going to be alright, and are on an irreversible track toward enlightenment. He then talks about how Maha Maitri seems to relate to the mounting sense of wellbeing as we continue on the path, and Maha Mudita seems to relate to the unborn wellbeing that a vidyadhara experiences resting in realization of ultimate reality. Finally, he talks about the difference between the sutrayana and Dzogchen perspectives on relative and ultimate bodhicitta, explaining that while on the sutrayana path there is a balancing of relative and ultimate bodhicitta (relative bodhicitta off the cushion, and ultimate bodhicitta on the cushion), in Dzogchen, since relative bodhicitta arises spontaneously from resting in pristine awareness, which is ultimate bodhicitta, there is not this same balancing. He then turns to the meditation. Meditation on "The 3rd Great: Empathetic Joy" begins at 44:55.
2021 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 2, 27 Apr 2021, Online-only
Lama Alan comments on the Satipatthana Sutta as the secular and empirical śrāvakayāna approach to the Great Perfection. He explains that the first turning of the wheel of Dharma is totally scientific, the second turning of the wheel of Dharma is philosophical; focusing on the actual nature of reality, and the third turning of wheel is intuitive. He talks about the structure that can be found in Buddhism as a contemplative science, as well as in the Satipatthana Sutta: ethics, samadhi and wisdom. He then comments on phenomena and causality in accordance with Sautrāntika philosophy and it´s relation to the empirical methods presented in the Satipatthana Sutta. The meditation starts at 00:40:40 with mindfulness of breathing simply noting the rhythm of the respiration.
Fall 2014 Shamatha, Vipashyana, Dream Yoga, 23 Aug 2014, Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand
This morning Alan: - asked for volunteers in an experiment over the retreat period - gave the oral transmission of the 7 line prayer of Padmasambhava (that will become part of the practice from tomorrow) - gave a guided meditation on settling the body speech and mind in its natural state, with an emphasis on being aware of the rhythm of the breath Following the meditation, the discussion was on maintaining practice between sessions (listen out for the impressions of a young girl riding her plastic tricycle on the asphalt while screaming - and as soon as you are confronted with such distractions while meditating, simply follow Gyatrul Rinpoche’s advice: “View it!”). Meditation starts at 12:09
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 03 Apr 2020, Online-only
Guided Meditation on settling the body, speech, and mind in the natural state, and resting in the spacious awareness...
2021 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 2, 23 May 2021, Online-only
Continuing with our focus on the Application of Mindfulness of Phenomena, this morning Lama Alan begins with a brief review of the mindfulness of the five skandhas. Having looked at the first three - form, feeling and recognition in the previous session, today we explore the fourth one, compositional factors, in more detail. Lama shares that Tibetans often say that if you want to know about your past karma, look at your body and your situation in life, because this body was composed by the power of mental formations, compositional factors, and the karma coming from them. Then, if you want to know about your future incarnations, look at your mind, and specifically look to these compositional factors, because they are composed of the kind of karma that we are accruing all the time, which will result in the form and life circumstances that will manifest in future lifetimes. Therefore, referring to a specific quote from the Buddha, Lama highlights that indeed, if we truly fathom the body, feelings, the nature of perceptions, and the nature of the mind with all its mental factors, then we would have thoroughly comprehended ourselves, which would also give us profound insight into understanding reality as a whole. Therefore, our primary task here is as insiders, seeking to understand reality from the inside out. Turning to the 51 mental factors, Lama clarifies the etymology of ‘mind’ here, that it refers to the continuum of mental consciousness, and at the deeper level, to the subtle continuum of mental consciousness – the bhavanga, or substrate consciousness. Lama points out that all of these 51 mental factors or processes emerge from the continuum of mental consciousness. Arising from the potential energy of the habitual imprints stored in the mind-stream, they arise as the javana, the activities of these mental processes. Then, when a mental process subsides it reverts to potentiality that is stored in the bhavanga. Lama Alan then gives a brief overview of all the mental factors, advising us to deepen our understanding of them, by identifying the referent for each of them in terms of our own experiences. Focusing on the six primary and twenty-one subsidiary mental factors, Lama emphasises that he disagrees with viewing klesha as destructive emotions. Instead, he presents a theoretical framework that he has found to be very helpful when combined with the close application of mindfulness to the mind, in the context of the compositional factors. He highlights that this grid of four-fold aspects of mental balance - conative, attentional, cognitive, emotional, can encompass and support our deeper understanding of all the mental afflictions, as well as virtues. Reflecting that this framework springs from a 2,000-year-old tradition of mind-science, Lama underscores that it has been designed by people whose minds have been completely healed of all mental afflictions – namely, Buddhas, Arhats, Vidyādharas. As such, Lama concludes that this theoretical framework is a treasure trove for learning how to clearly identify mental afflictions and how to remedy them; what one can do to ensure that they don’t arise in the future; as well as how to cultivate the virtues of the mind. In our practice, Lama invites us to continue cultivating the fields of our minds - cultivating the seeds of genuine well-being, while healing our minds of all afflictions. The meditation begins at 00:35:56.
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 20 May 2020, Online-only
Lama Alan begins with a recap of the progression we have followed in exploring the theory and practice of the Four Immeasurables and the Four Greats leading up to Bodhicitta. He then emphasizes in his commentary on Shantideva's approach of exchanging self and other that we still view ourselves as worthy, and with loving-kindness, but we equalize this feeling for all beings. That is, it is not that we are not worthy and all other beings are, but that each being (including ourselves) is equally worthy. Using that logic, we then come to see that while one-to-one we are equal to each and every other being, when stacking up our own self with that of all other beings, the balance of importance then shifts to all other beings, like a fraction with one over infinity. From this view, we then act in a way that is always in service of others, even when that means attending to our own needs. Lama Alan then describes two ways of cutting through the relative mind to ultimate bodhicitta. In the first way, he describes the process of receiving pointing out instructions from a highly realized Lama, during which the disciple may, by the force of the Lama's realization meeting their own receptive mind, shift into a new view of reality within which all the same appearances remain, yet are seen as totally pure and insubstantial. He describes this as realizing pristine awareness by way of appearances, wherein appearances do not vanish but are seen as expressions of pristine awareness. In the second type of realization, one might realize pristine awareness from the vantage point of resting in the substrate consciousness (by way of shamatha or dream yoga), and then cut through the conditioned mind to a realization of pristine awareness without appearances. Another example of this version that Lama Alan gives is Dudjom Lingpa's own experience of cutting through after having practiced stage of generation in a Dzogchen context for a while. In Dudjom Lingpa's case, he says explicitly that all appearances vanished. Lama Alan tells us that when one realizes in this way, and the actual dharmadhatu is realized from the perspective of pristine awareness, then this is when one becomes a matured vidyadhara and an arya bodhisattva. Lama Alan then draws some comparisons between the path of the arya bodhisattva on the sutrayana path and the path of the vidyadhara on the Dzogchen path of tekchod and todgal. He emphasizes that when one is a vidyadhara who is genuinely seeing all phenomena as pure displays of pristine awareness (not simply imagining it), then one is ripe for todgal practice. Then, according to Yangthang Rinpoche, by practicing todgal from this base, one could achieve complete enlightenment in 20 years. Finally, before turning to the meditation, Lama Alan reminds us that taking the mind as the path is part of the process of tekchod, and that it leads to its own specific insights, which the Lake-Born Vajra refers to as a type of vipashyana. We then turn to two meditation sessions, the first on ultimate bodhicitta, and the second on Shantiveda's teachings on exchanging self for other. Meditation 1 "Bodhicitta and Taking the Mind as the Path" begins at 32:43. Meditation 2: "A Spontaneous Sadhana" begins at 57:22.
2021 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 2, 19 Apr 2021, Online-only
Lama Alan indicates the oral transmission and commentary of Phase three is complete and, as promised, it is important to make sure the foundation of the coming practices is well grounded in the foundation of the sutrayana. This foundation is ultimate and relative bodhicitta along with the four immeasurables. He recaps some of the initial observations we have been making during Phase three: Initially, we got to know our mind from the 1st person perspective and have seen how thoughts arise and pass. We recognize that mental afflictions are not intrinsically so, but only by our solidifying them through reification. We were asked to extend this internal probe of the mind outwards and can begin to see that all manner of sentient beings don’t exist from their own side. Subject and object manifest dependent on each other. Finally, having glimpsed the cutting through of dualistic grasping, it becomes more plausible to create mystical beings that are projected outwards as that is what we already do with familiar appearances. Lama Alan reminds us that Dzogchen’s teachings on wisdom tell us that if you cut through ultimate bodhicitta to identify pristine awareness, then relative bodhicitta springs forth spontaneously from this non-duality. This could lead us to wonder, why bother developing relative bodhicitta and focus only on the cutting through practices. That is a big mistake. If you are taking the mind as the path with only lip-service to bodhicitta but not taking it seriously, you will remain self-centered which is incompatible with both the Mahayana and Vajrayana paths. This would be putting a lot of interest in wisdom and little in skillful means. Similarly, if all you practice is compassion and the 6 paramitas, you may become a saint but not enlightened. Wisdom without skillful means is bondage, and skillful means without wisdom is bondage. Neither will lead you to liberation. So, this interlude in the retreat will focus on the cultivation of bodicitta and its underlying root system-the four immeasurables. Whether you have heard these teachings in previous retreats or this is new, Lama Alan invites us to fuse the wisdom we gain from hearing and reflection with the wisdom arising from experience. Listen in a meditative way. Lama Alan addressed the doubts we may have about achieving samatha given that, as the Dali Lama says, so few achieve samatha these days. He points out this may be that there have been few conducive environments, few supportive sanghas, few who teach it experientially, and few practitioners who want to make the necessary sacrifices. Nevertheless, although there will be many upheavals, the more your mind is suffused with loving-kindness, the smoother the journey will be. The late Kalu Rinpoche affirmed this same point, but also offered this contrasting point as well that samatha achieved first would make the practice of the uncommon preliminaries of Vajrasattva and Guru Rinpoche, for example, much more powerful. And, while cutting through to pristine awareness in 20 days may be possible for those of exceptional faculties, for most of us, the path to samatha and, ultimately, to cutting through to pristine awareness will be smoother if our practice is infused with our development of relative bodhicitta. Lama Alan likens it to us trying to drill through an aquifer to get to ground water. If the ground is dry and dense, we are likely to damage our equipment (drill bits and so on) repeatedly, unless we moisten the ground prior to each effort to break through to the next layer. Similarly, our bodhicitta practices moisten our cutting through efforts in reaching samatha and beyond. The indispensibility of bodhicitta for the practice of Dzogchen was emphasized in Je Tsultrim Zangop’s An Ornament of the Enlightened View of Samantabhadra. He states that whether your path is Hinayana, Mahayana, or Vajrayana, without bodhicitta no amount of practice, however sophisticated it may be, will lead to liberation. The practices involved to develop relative bodhicitta should not be marginalized. They are indispensable to the path. Lama Alan reminds us that the crucial practices of bodhicitta and the four immeasurables cultivate wisdom horizontally by opening up our heart to ourself and our fellow sentient beings. At the same time for Dzogchen, this horizontal development needs to be complimented with the vertical development of admiration and reverence to the guru. Guru yoga is necessary for Dzogchen. We give admiration and reverence to the guru who holds the enlightened view. Since we can’t know for sure what’s in the guru’s mind, we must examine his or her behavior. Does the teacher understand the view and are the teachings authentic using the gold standards of such masters as Longchenpa, the Dali Lama, Dudjom Lingpa, and Gyatrul Rinpoche. In Dzogchen, a relationship with a mentor is very important. Remember, in the sravakayana, Buddha is an historical being who is gone. So, the closest you will get to the Buddha is through an unbroken lineage. We should ask, is this person’s knowledge sound and in harmony with the message. We give them great admiration and reverence as emissaries for the Buddha. If the teacher is not a realized Dzogchen master him or herself, has he been authorized to teach the view and can we feel the blessings from, for example, the text, the teachings, a podcast, or a person? They may start off as a spiritual friend and then with your gaining further confidence they become your teacher. Again, the reverence you give them is not for their individual personality, but for who and what they represent-the authentic dharma teachings of the Buddha. In this way, you have an entry into Guru Yoga. Meditation begins at 01:08:30 and is about observing the array of people who appear as personifications of your own mental processes.
Fall 2014 Shamatha, Vipashyana, Dream Yoga, 25 Aug 2014, Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand
Alan starts off talking about shamatha as a contemplative technology. It is about making the mind serviceable and refining our mental awareness. Shamatha is healing and it becomes a path to exceptional health and mental balance. For the first time, Alan gives instructions of a different technique to use before the shamatha meditation. It has been used by many yogis in the past and also has spread widely nowadays. It is called the nine fold expulsion of the residual prana. After the meditation, Alan emphasizes the importance of ‘mindfulness of breathing’ by quoting the Perfection of Wisdom sutras in 10.000 stanzas. Alan elaborates on the meaning of the last sentence “…by dwelling with introspection and with mindfulness, eliminates avarice and disappointment towards the world by means of non-objectification...”. Alan reflects on sukkha and the genuine sources of happiness versus hedonic pleasure. It follows by two questions from the participants: - Clarification of the answer Gyatrul Rinpoche gave once to Alan regarding the practice of Dzogchen: “view it”. - A retreatant comments on her preference to short breathing. Meditation starts at 23:35
2022 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 3, 11 Apr 2022, Online from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, USA
Eva starts out saying that someone shared a link to Himalayan Art of the Heruka with the same accoutrements as in this text. She also found a sadhana in Dudjom Lingpa's collection of works that corresponds to this practice commentary in the Vajra Essence. Eva gives a brief introduction to the completion stage practice she will discuss further later in the week. Possible to begin practice of the stage of completion while practicing stage of generation. Try to embody the identity of the Yidam while allowing the pranic shape of this body that I'm experiencing now. In Vajrayana there has to be a key that makes it so much faster. Uniquely in Vajrayana you can meditate on wisdom and method in a single state of consciousness. You are collecting the collections of merit and wisdom simultaneously. Discussion of Lama Tsong Khappa's view regarding this. That which the wisdom realizing emptiness beholds, appears as the mandala of Deities. Within a Dzogchen context, pristine awareness is nondual with great emptiness. In terms of the three natures of pristine awareness, essential nature is emptiness, the manifest nature is luminosity and its all-pervasive compassion. Every moment meditating in the mandala would combine those three. The meditation is on generating oneself as Vairocana and starts at 42:41. After the meditation Eva returns to the text with a focus on the fire puja, pages 149 to 151. This is describing an actual fire puja ritual. Fire puja is significant especially as preparation for completion stage as an inner fire puja. Fire pujas are a purification of any mistakes within a retreat as well as the enormous merit of making offerings in this context. Eva then describes the visualizations that correlate with each of the four enlightened modes of activities of pacification, enrichment, power, and ferocity. She also discusses how to transform taking food and drink into the spiritual path.
2023 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 4, 01 Apr 2023, Crestone, Colorado and Online
Lama Alan first teaches about our precious lineage, starting with Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, Ngedon Chokyi Nyima. Lama Alan referred to the biography of his primary Dzogchen lama which was published as "Stories from the Early Life of Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche" as compiled by his close students. The biography tells of Rinpoche's many amazing visions and siddhis as a child, of an astonishing tale of going to a pure land while ill and seeing the seat of Padmasambhava being empty and having that seat offered to him. How his main lama - one of five emanations of Dudjom Lingpa - told him it was time for him to leave Tibet when the invasion began and the miracles that happened during that trek of a year. Lama Alan shares Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche's history of how Rinpoche came to North America at the request of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, an astonishing story also, showing the siddhis of His Holiness, and more shares from this "must read" book. There are other recommended books and stories about Dudjom Lingpa, Dudjom Rinpoche, etc. Lama Alan suggest books to read (Read after this retreat if in retreat now.) Then Lama Alan explained the first step of the step ladder to Enlightenment. This seemed to be a core point to absorb as an absolute prerequisite to Shamatha, and it is mastering Settling the Body, Speech and Mind in their Natural States prior to Shamatha practice. It is the first rung and must be mastered before one can successfully climb the ladder. Referring to the book, "Natural Liberation" by Padmasambhava (with commentary by Ven. Gyatrul Rinpoche and translated by B. Alan Wallace) as a text on the Six Bardos, we are currently in the Bardo of Living. In the third chapter of this book there are instructions on settling the body in its natural state and explanations of how critical posture is for allowing the winds and vital energies to flow correctly in the channels, ultimately to the heart chakra (achieving Shamatha). There is an explanation of the translation of the Tibetan word Shinay (shamatha) as serene stillness, as another, possibly more refined translation for calm abiding. Then a detailed instruction of the meditation itself, with an explanation about placing one's gaze in the space in front, which is a critical instruction to understand, and the explanation and instruction for doing this technique correctly. The guided meditation which starts at 1:03:00 is on settling the body, speech and mind in their natural states. Lama Alan then gave recommendations for this retreat regarding meditation time based on differing circumstances.
Fall 2012 Shamatha and the Four Applications of Mindfulness, 03 Oct 2012, Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand
Teaching pt1: With respect to the Madhyamaka, 1) hearing means that you understand the View as presented, 2) reflection means that you relate the teachings to your own experience, and 3) meditation means investigation based on shamatha to penetrate to direct realization. Alan elaborates on verses 90-92 of Ch. 9 of the Bodhicaryavatara. Suffering arises in dependence on causes and conditions; however, neither suffering nor joy is inherently existent. They are conventionally there without investigation, without analysis. However, upon analysis, neither is there from its own side. Just as causes and conditions can shift to produce either suffering or joy, conceptual designation can also be shifted by the observer participant. Reification is the problem, and this is the antidote to reification.
Meditation: mindfulness of feelings preceded by mindfulness of the body.
1) mindfulness of the body. Let awareness illuminate the space of the body and tactile sensations therein. With discerning mindfulness note each of the 5 elements. When the mind is quiet, perceive tactile sensations as tactile sensations. Do sensations bear an intrinsic identity?
2) mindfulness of feelings. Closely apply mindfulness to feelings that arise with tactile sensations. Are they static or in flux? Are they pleasurable or unpleasurable? Do they have an owner? Choose a spot on the body where you experience a feeling, and observe with samadhi the appearance, and see what you see. Now experiment on that same spot by deliberately labelling the sensation as pleasant or unpleasant. Reify it as being absolutely there. Now withdraw the designation and reification, and observe the impact with a quiet mind. Once some clarity arises, stop investigating, and simply maintain that knowing.
Teaching pt2: By withdrawing conceptual designation, reification is also withdrawn, yet it is possible to conceptually designate without reification. No reification means no klesas, and no klesas mean no suffering.
Q1. Please explain how to generate a proper vacant gaze.
Q2. What criteria can I use to determine whether I should receive a Vajrayana empowerment and do the practice?
Meditation starts at 43:44
Shamatha, Vipashyana, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen, 14 Apr 2016, Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Italy
We begin the session with a review of a central practice in shamatha, mindfulness of breathing. Despite being so simple, mindfulness of breathing has its profundity validated, for instance, by being the practice the Buddha did both on the night of his awakening, and also at the time he entered his parinirvana. Alan went on to emphasize the importance of relaxation, namely in the body, with some comments about the key role that exploring, and developing the capacity to practice in shavasana, can have on the shamatha path. He then proceeded to explore the relationship, and feedback loop, existing between the key qualities developed in shamatha: relaxation, stability and vividness. The meditation, on mindfulness of breathing, was not guided. After the meditation, we began analyzing a new text: chapter fifteen of Karma Chagmé’s “Great Commentary to Buddhahood in the Palm of Your Hand”, which is on shamatha. This was the first text that Gyatrul Rinpoche taught back in the beginning of the 90’s, for which Alan served as his interpreter. We explored the initial section of the text, that sums up authoritative views (Shantideva, Atisha, Nagarjuna, the Buddha) on the importance of shamatha on the Buddhist path. (A note for those listening by podcast: this text has not yet been published, so if you’re interested in getting a copy to follow the discussions on the retreat, please contact the Santa Barbara Institute). The session ends with a passionate critique by Alan on the relatively low importance given to shamatha by some modern “teachers” in the vipassana movement, and the critical consequences that such misleading approach can have for those seeking a genuine path to liberation. The meditation is silent (not recorded). ___ Please contribute to make these, and future podcasts freely available.
2022 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 3, 24 May 2022, Online from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, USA
Yangchen begins by going back to the "Quintessential Yoga of Recitation" to recite two verses in their entirety, adding some commentary and then reciting the instructions from the Sadhana which she says comes from multiple sources. She then clarified instructions about distraction during mantra recitations in regards to motivation and virtue. The practice of shamatha is ultimately to overcome distraction, but in terms of bringing our state of mind to the best state of virtue, if we fall under the influence of distraction doesn’t make the recitation “not count”. We strive to keep the mind as concentrated as possible while doing any recitation, keeping our mind on the visualization so that we don’t get distracted. Yangchen then reminds us just to do our best. Yangchen then spoke a little bit about silent retreats, discovering what is our optimal balance between silence and conversations about clarification that’s needed, possibly from our Guru. Returning to the Sadhana verses in the section "Receiving Siddhis Upon Seeing Signs," she recites the three verses with some commentary and then finishes this section with the 100 syllable Vajrasattva mantra which is at this point in the Sadhana to purify any mistakes we may have made. Yangchen then begins "The Concluding Stage" with a detailed discussion about the essentials for the alter, including the inner and outer offerings. When to set up the substances and what to include. Yangchen then answered a question about what to do with the Tsok after the Sadhana is finished, by suggesting that it can be suitable to offer the same Torma more than once (keeping in refrigerator). Leftovers can be taken outside that won’t be walked over, like a pathway. You can place it in a tree or stream. Yangchen continues by reciting the first few verses with commentary and suggestions for contemplation, then at 1:20:00 concludes with a short mediation on the first verse of the "Concluding Stage. After the mediation she points out that the last part of the meditation was about the actual last offering, then offers the suggestion that we spend time in this meditation, expanding upon the Oṃ āḥ hūṃ, she suggests we spend time with this until it becomes familiar.
2021 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 2, 02 Apr 2021, Online-only
There’s a wide variety of lojongs (mind trainings) for transforming felicity and adversity into the spiritual path. This applies to all aspects of the dharma, from the most foundational teachings in the first turning of the wheel of dharma on ethics, including avoiding the ten non-virtues, cultivating the ten virtues, abiding by the five precepts. As we move to Vajrayana, especially stage of generation, learning to transform everything that comes up goes into warp drive, now taking the fruition as the path and transforming everything into the path. All of these mind trainings (including stage of generation and completion) entail applying practices to the mind from outside. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche recommended that for practical purposes the Seven-Point-Mind-Training may be best. All of these entail effort and a desire to transform the mind. Then we come to Dzogchen, this is the pinnacle. Samatha and vipasyana as presented in the Vajra Essence are already included in the phase of practice of trekchö (cutting through to pristine awareness), not simply as preliminaries but in the first step of taking the mind as the path. In phase 1, we’re investigating the origin, location and destination of the mind. Taking place within trekchö, this is a Dzogchen practice. As we return to Phase 3, all teachings on vipasyana are couched within the context of Dzogchen. You’re really engaging in Dzogchen meditation only when you’ve cut through to pristine awareness and you’re resting there. We’re resting in the stillness of awareness while noting the movements of the mind. This is lojong. And yet, we’re not doing anything to train the mind, we’re simply resting effortlessly in awareness and observing the mind from that perspective. We see that all mental afflictions release themselves. Whatever comes up, you do nothings to modify, correct, dispel them, you’re allowing them to release themselves (rang grol) You’re allowing the mind to heal itself. How can something afflicted heal itself? It can’t. You’re not doing it. It’s awareness, the one you experience right now, which is a ray of pristine awareness (the ultimate ground). This is the effortless lojong. The first step is to distinguish the stillness of awareness from the movements of the mind. You see that you have a choice, whether to identify with and reify what comes up in the mind. Before long you’ll be able to be simultaneously aware of stillness and movement. When your mind dissolves into its relative ground, as a human being you’re healthy now, you’ve detoxified. When you’ve achieved samatha you have a mind fit for action that you can apply to everything, to Dzogchen. This is the ultimate lojong. Having achieved samatha and vipasyana and having cut through to pristine awareness, resting there in complete non-activity, you turn off the engine of your sentient being’s body, speech and mind and simply rest in non-meditation. All qualities of Buddhahood will spontaneously actualise, all imbalances will be healed by the ultimate ground. Resting in pristine awareness needs to be protected so we don’t slip back into dualistic grasping, by Samatha and Vipasyana. Is it premature to practice Phase 3 if we haven’t achieved samatha? No. Don’t take everything linearly, that’s not practical for everyone. Focus primarily on practices you can get benefit from right now but already sow the seeds through more advanced practices. Within the Dzogchen context, the most direct route to realising our wish for transcendence is resting in awareness. Not hoping one day to rest in pristine awareness. When taking the mind as the path we’re already resting in awareness, and by so doing we’re transcending the confines of our bodies and the limitations of the human mind. When we’re resting in luminosity and cognisance, we’re resting in the common ground between our existence and the existence of the Buddhas of the three times, whose minds are also luminous and cognisant. This is the direct route to the perfection of transcendence, perfect enlightenment, the awakening of the Buddha. Meditation starts at 54:17. Settling Body, Speech and Mind in their Natural States, highlighting a further nuance. After the meditation we return to the text: “Combatting the faults of benefit and harm”. Having achieved samatha, realised emptiness of the nature of mind and cut through to pristine awareness in phases 1 and 2, we’re deepening our realisation of emptiness in phase 3, taking Dharmata, emptiness, as our path. We can regard this phase as putting on the armour of wisdom, of cognitive balance, of seeing what is there and not seeing what’s not there, to protect our practice of resting in awareness, imbued with the realisation of emptiness of the mind and of awareness, sustained with the stability and clarity of samatha. In the text, the “Faculty of Appearances” asks whether there is any benefit from virtue or harm from negative actions. Examine where these virtues are stored and how they were gathered. “All accumulated virtuous karma is not existent at all”, intangible. Is he negating Buddhist ethics? No. In the (realisation of) emptiness there is no reality of suffering, no source of suffering, no nirvana, no path. This is the actual nature of reality as seen from pristine awareness. From that perspective there is no accumulated karma.
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 01 Apr 2020, Online-only
After welcoming everyone, Lama Alan referred to the text that we will begin to study over the next 8 weeks, “The Vajra Essence” a mind terma revealed by Dudjom Lingpa taught by Samantabhadra.
The Coronavirus pandemic while a time of turbulence and immense suffering is also a time of extraordinary opportunity - to find stillness in the midst of the storm. To shamelessly withdraw for a while (to a place of fearlessness, not escapism) to transform and re-envision, so that when we emerge (from this time of powerful inner service) we can offer our best to others.
Adversity isn’t dished up to us. It is experienced because we have conceptually designated it as such. Ill-health, death and financial difficulties are in and of themselves (intrinsically) empty of adversity. Today, we address our motivation for embarking on this retreat. A clear choice is Bodhicitta.
This is a Dzogchen retreat - a practice where the stillness of awareness (a place of deep refuge) is fathomed. Take the retreat at your own pace.
Pith instructions are not to cringe from adversity as if it is abhorrent, but to take hold of it, to embrace it. You don’t have to love it. Deal with it by asking, “How do I need to transform to meet it?” In this context Lama Alan refers to the importance of firstly, renunciation (the Spirit of Definite Emergence), when one turns away from the superficial (that which will never provide satisfaction) to something (primordial consciousness) which is stable and enduring. And secondly, to cutting through the notion that there is really anything that is ours.
Lama Alan said that none of us is alone - we are all loved (watched over and cared for …) and that we didn’t need to do something to earn that and we don’t need to do something to keep it. We (as powerful agents in this world) can embrace it, rejoice in it and refract it to others (say, by the practice of Tonglen, sending loving kindness to others and maintaining the aspiration of compassion).
There is nothing more fundamental in this world than consciousness and the mind plays an enormously powerful role in the way things actually are. Meditation starts at 47.50.
Lama Alan then refers to the preface of the text by referring to the qualities of the treasure revealer and teacher. Ultimately self teaching self. And the oral lineage of the teachings from Padmasambhava to Lama Alan and his authority to give the oral transmission from the teacher from whom he received it, Gyatrul Rinpoche. Further, that for the part of the text to be taught in this retreat, there was no need for an empowerment.
An overview of the anticipated teachings from Glen Svennson and Yangchen was also given. [Keywords: Motivation, Inner Service, Dudjom Lingpa, Samantabhadra, Coronavirus, Adversity, Dzogchen, Awareness, Cutting Through, Tonglen]
2020 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 1, 06 Apr 2020, Online-only
Lama Alan starts sharing the prophecy of the great perfection; when times are most degenerate that´s when Dzogchen will be the most powerful and transformative, and the most needed. These are trouble times that call for powerful remedies, Dzogchen is exactly the remedy.
Lama Alan comments that the practice of settling the mind in its natural state, is only Dharma, if it is imbedded with the motivation of great compassion. Only then we can we be confident that what we bring to the world is the best of our minds.
Then he invites us to review our values and ideas, why are we here? Why are we listening to these teachings?
Meditation starts at 25:15. In terms of motivation, Lama Alan invites us to touch on our deepest concern, then question why couldn´t all sentient beings be free of suffering and arise the aspiration of great compassion.
If great compassion is our motivation, all will be well. All the teachings of the Buddha were guided by great compassion. Lama Alan returns to the text, comenting on who is ripe to encounter, follow and experience the benefits of the Great
Perfection, explains the characteristics one must have to procede along the path and what can be achieved: perfect awakening in this lifetime
2022 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 3, 13 May 2022, Online from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado, USA
Before returning to the topic of conduct, Lama Alan offers a brief preface reminding us of the primacy of mind and that conduct is the “delivery system” of what we have in our minds. In the familiar triad (view, meditation and conduct), view and meditation correspond to wisdom whereas conduct is skilful means. For better or worse, conduct is tremendously important. That’s why the pratimoksha vows of the shravakayana focus on restraint from verbal and physical conduct alone. This ensures that the first dimension of ethics, non-violence, is upheld. Lama-la makes the point that the restraint of not expressing a mental affliction is worth it for the sake of others as well as for oneself as it prevents one from making it a habit. Resuming the aural transmission at 00:22:08 on pages p. 179-180 „In particular, as a sign of your own great defects... This is the root of the Dharma, so bear it in mind as something of the greatest importance.“, Lama Alan points out that the “you” in the phrase “your own great defects” needs to be understood as the you of our prior lives. As even the mind of a vidhyadhara is not completely purified of all mental afflictions one will still see others as flawed in between sessions as all appearances are our own appearances (generated by our own karma and klesha) within the Dzogchen context. Regarding the statement that we see “no faults in those who are close” to us, Lama Alan suggests that there are cultural differences between traditional close-knit Tibetan families and our modern Western way of thinking. He then points out that the expectation to “view everyone as being flawless, [324] and recognize all defects as your own.” is realistic only from the perspective of Buddha nature. With regard to the next paragraph “when you possess status and prestige”, Lama-la reminds us of one of the four inconvenient truths that everything we have will be lost. Therefore we are admonished to “bear malice toward no one”. Lama Alan then comments on the advice to “release your consciousness without an object” when encountering misfortune which suggests that we’re going into the ultimate retreat of pristine awareness and running away from reification and delusion rather than running away from the situation. In terms of devoting oneself to “impartiality” Lama-la explains that this is to see the reality of dependent origination and that things and people do not exist from their own side. Lama-la then comments on lying and how exhausting it is to remember all the lies one has told while it can be relaxing to tell the truth, even if one were wrong. The meditation which begins at 01:09:02 is on mindfulness of the mind, with a focus on the differentiation between desire and intention. After the meditation Lama Alan comments, with reference to Paul Ekman, that this meditation is extremely important in terms of recognising the spark of an emotion before the flame of the behaviour but that he was still waiting for conative psychology to emerge as a field and explore conation which includes both desire and intention. This would be even more important: to recognise the desire before an emotion arises.
2023 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 4, 20 Apr 2023, Crestone, Colorado and Online
This talk starts off with a discussion of the very recent parinirvana of Dhomang Gyatrul Rinpoche and the way his holy body is being cared for, and it is contrasted with the parinirvana of Lama Zopa Rinpoche who also very recently passed into his parinirvana. Each are being treated with reverence and with different outcomes. Lama Zopa Rinpoche is being embalmed for the benefit of all of his worldwide sangha and will be displayed. Dhomang Gyatrul Rinpoche had a different vision for his body. He wanted it fed to the fishes. As to his body it became apparent to his attendants and to high lamas that he was shrinking and cancelled the sea burial for now. Lama la explains the different decisions and passings of Dudjom Lingpa and his mind emanation, Khyabje Dudjom Rinpoche. This led to a discussion about the teachings on seeing Dharmakaya in everything. Lama la then compares the ordinary mind to a morning talk show. Just talking for talking/entertainments’ sake. A very amusing comparison to that of our relentless minds babbling. Then he compares the proximity of the ordinary mind and pristine awareness with a Japanese house where the walls are made of paper. The discussion is very pointed to the concept of the whole theme of the three pure appearances, all appearances being manifestations of nirmanakaya, all sounds being mantra, the speech of the Buddha, and then all thoughts, all activities of the mind as dharmakaya. Then the teaching turns to upheavals and how we deal with them. We think of upheavals as inherently real. So settling the mind in its natural state is an absolute prerequisite for taking the mind as the path. Lama la then turns to the Seven Point Mind Training which is a preliminary to Settling the Mind in its Natural State, in order to advance on the path, to turn all adversity and felicity into the path and emphasizes its importance Returning to the text, first are some clarifications and translation changes shared for pages 199 and 200 at 52:00, and are included in the notes for this day. Then the text transmission starts at 54:30 on page 211. There is a deep discussion regarding this section with regard to why things disappear in Dzogchen samadhi. In resting in awareness of awareness there is no reference in the teachings to monitoring with introspection, so even less to do. The meditation which starts at 1:05:50 is on settling and letting go. Then there is a very inspiring story about Drupon Lama Karma who achieved shamatha and the task that is lama gave him was not going into vipassana but to be a scribe for another great terton who was giving mind termas (not from a text)
Outer preliminaries for Dzogchen from Lama Alan, 09 Apr 2020, Online - Originally part of 2020 8-week retreat
09 Apr 2020 Make the Best of This Human Birth Lama Alan begins by reading the next lines of the text, which refer to the initial instructions for mind training of the disciples –who maintain the samayas–, when encountering the entrance to the path. This pertains training in the four outer and seven inner preliminaries. Lama Alan talks about the four outer, four revolutions in outlook, these are questioning our preconceptions, habitual way of seeing the world we inhabit. He compares this to the Galilean revolution, Darwinian, modern cosmology, and other such shifts in human history. The first of the four revolutions directly shifts the way we regard this human life, from regarding us as a unitary individual, which in the materialistic view comes from nothing and turns into nothing at birth and death, to realizing that each of us is endowed with this inconceivably precious opportunity, as rare as a star in the daytime, to achieve awakening. So our way of engaging with the world radically changes. Wether this is true or not, can be put to the test. Do we have the potential to be forever freed from Samsara? If it turns out to be true, then what do we do with this wish-fulfilling jewel? Then the lake born Vajra lays the first step for seeking the path: merge your mind with your Guru’s mind, rest there for a little while. Our Lama clears out that in the sessions it is assumed that we have already done our dharma practices by ourselves in the morning, so recitations will be done just once (sometimes English sometimes Tibetan), and we will go straight into the main practice. Today’s practice is about precious human rebirth, in the particular context we face today. Meditation starts at 19:10 We close the session with dedication prayer.
2021 8-Week Retreat: The Vajra Essence – Part 2, 23 Apr 2021, Online-only
Today will be the last day of our interlude before returning to the Vajra Essence Phase 4. The Four Immeasurables are “common Dharma”, says Lama Alan, it’s positive psychology as their cultivation doesn’t require any religious belief or allegiance to authority. It’s radically empirical and utterly pragmatic. These are universal virtues. Today we’ll make a transition to Great Compassion which transcends immeasurable compassion. The fundamental difference between these two is that immeasurables are aspirations but the Greats are resolves, intentions, commitments, rooted in the Four Immeasurables. The four Greats don’t make any sense without the teachings of the second and third turning of the wheel of Dharma. They’re founded on the equality of self and other as well as the exchange of self and other – also cherished in the Christian tradition. It’s an indispensable prerequisite for Great Compassion to cherish others more than oneself. Lama tells a true anecdote of the attendant of Geshe Rabten who saved a calf from a sewage pit to illustrate that we sentient beings are floundering in the ocean of samsara with no ability to free ourselves. An arhat who has achieved their own liberation may wish with immeasurable compassion that we may be free, but he can’t help us, other than sharing the Dharma with us while they’re still here. A bodhisattva who is motivated by Great Compassion is willing to come back into the sewage pit of samsara until everyone is free. Buddhas don’t get immersed in samsara, they appear in samsara to help us and show us the path. Their emanations (nirmanakaya) remain. Great Compassion is why the Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma. What is Great Compassion? It’s a resolve. Going beyond the first turning of the wheel of Dharma, the Four Greats have to be rooted in an understanding of emptiness and within the third turning, in teachings on Buddha-nature. Great compassion stirs our Buddha-nature. The intention of Great Compassion is to liberate all sentient beings from suffering and the causes of suffering. What’s the basis of designation of the I who’s making this pledge? The only viable basis on which to arouse this pledge is from our pristine awareness, our Buddha-nature, which is a-temporal, non-local and pervades all of space. Because of emptiness, our own stream of consciousness as a sentient being (substrate consciousness) is not inherently different from our own pristine awareness, Buddha-nature, they’re of the same nature. And our own pristine awareness is not other than the dharmakaya, the mind of all the Buddhas, we’re that intimate with the Buddha. Because they’re not inherently separate, we can make this pledge authentically because the basis of designation is none other than dharmakaya. From a sentient being’s perspective, Buddha-nature is a potential, it’s the primary cause of achieving enlightenment. The Buddha-nature will then transform into dharmakaya, which will then be the appropriative cause, with the help of contributing conditions. Great Compassion, rooted in the three turnings of the wheel of Dharma is unique to Mahayana Buddhism and runs through Vajrayana and Dzogchen. There’s another perspective, from a Buddha’s own perspective. Buddha-nature is not a potential, it’s an actuality, it’s the actual nature of our minds right now. It’s timeless, it doesn’t need to be generated (cf the teachings of the Heart Sutra). With respect to emptiness (indivisible from primordial consciousness), there’s no samsara (this is already so in sutrayana, but not in the first turning of the wheel of Dharma). This is the context for the Four Greats, which all imply a prioritization of others over oneself. The liturgy for Great Compassion is as follows: • Why couldn’t all beings be free of suffering and its causes? May we be free! I shall make it so. May my guru and personal deity bless me that I may be able to do so. This resolve arouses our Buddha-nature because we’ve just made a promise on the basis on our affirmation of our Buddha-nature which means that it’s our Buddha-nature making that pledge. Having made the pledge on the basis of our Buddha-nature, the liturgy ends with a supplication from the perspective of deceptive reality “may my guru and personal deity bless me that I may be able to do so.” The liturgy for Great Loving-Kindness: • Why couldn’t all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness? May we have them! I shall make it so. May my guru and personal deity bless me that I may be able to do so. The liturgy for Great empathetic joy, which once again is a resolve, not simply an aspiration: • Why couldn’t all beings never be parted from sublime happiness? May we never be parted! I shall make it so. May my guru and personal deity bless me that I may be able to do so. The liturgy for Great Impartiality: • Why couldn’t all beings dwell in impartiality, free of attachment to those who are near and aversion to those who are far? May we so dwell! I shall make it so. May my guru and personal deity bless me that I may be able to do so. Between these Four Greats and the explicit arousal of aspiring Bodhicitta there’s an intermediate – a pristine extraordinary resolve, summing up the preceding Four Greats: “I shall free all sentient beings from all suffering and its causes and I shall bring each one to the perfection of their own enlightenment. This is my pledge to all sentient beings.” The basis of designation for “I” is our Buddha-nature. This is the missing link between the Four Greats and the arousal of Bodhicitta. Meditation starts at 00:56:54 and is on the Four Greats and Bodhicitta After the meditation Lama Alan returns to the writings of Longchenpa on the four Immeasurables into which he filters the Four Greats. According to Longchenpa there are 4 conditions (one primary and 3 contributing conditions) for their arousal. 1. The primary cause is the “naturally present Buddha-nature”, which from the perspective of a sentient being is the capacity to achieve perfect enlightenment. This potential is inextricably tied into the reality that our mind is not inherently that of a sentient being and we’re not inherently sentient beings. Without this we could practise Dharma for an eternity and never achieve perfect awakening. 2. The dominant condition (among the contributing conditions) is a spiritual friend (a guide, a lama); someone needs to point the Four Greats out; 3. the objective condition is the experience of each of the objects (sentient beings for whom to cultivate the Four Immeasurables and the Four Greats). We need to be in interrelationship with other sentient beings for this. 4. The immediate condition: Familiarity with the benefits of cultivating the Four Immeasurables and the faults of not doing so.
