Seminars and retreats

Rinpoche, could you give a short statement about the purpose and content of your seminars and retreats?

During the first part we will be introduced to the reality of the preciousness of our human body, of the impermanence of all things and our mortality, of the consequences of our actions, and of the negative quality of samsaric existence. Reflecting on these sincerely, we inquire if it is possible to have any secure and lasting happiness in any samsaric situation-from the lowest pit of hell to the highest point known as 'the summit of existence.' This reflection will ensure that we direct our hearts towards a spiritual path, the Dharma.

Next, someone who is sincerely interested in Dharma practice must make sure that such practice follows an authentic direction. There is such a practice that is known as ngondro-widely renowned as the four or five times hundred thousand preliminary practices. During this seminar retreat we will cover the reasons for, the need to, and the beneficial outcome of involving ourselves in ngondro practice.

Following this, in order to clear away the basic mistakenness of experience, we will look into the Vajrayana practice of development stage, which means facing the fact that all things from the very outset are a unity of experience and emptiness. Development stage is generally described as the training in regarding our physical presence and environment as the pure and divine unity of sight and emptiness, in regarding sound as the nature of mantra which is audible emptiness, and in allowing thoughts and movements of attention to be the unfolding of original wakefulness which is the samadhi of aware emptiness. This, in short, is the most profound heart of Vajrayana practice, and whoever practices in such away clears away the delusion on the path.

Finally, as the main body of practice, we are introduced to the natural state of mind and the way to be stable in that. This is what in the general teachings of Buddhism is known as buddha-nature, and in Vajrayana as the thatness of mind, as the primordially pure view of Trekcho in the Dzogchen teachings, and as innate wakefulness or ordinary mind in Mahamudra. Simply put, we will focus on discovering exactly how the nature of our minds is. Awakening to our basic state is the realization of the buddhas of the three times in the sense that all buddhas of the past became enlightened through realizing this. The buddhas of the present and who are to appear in the future do so through this realization of the thatness of mind.

Someone may question us, "What is the final purpose of and training after having taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha?" The answer is exactly this training in realizing the nature of mind. This is what we personally must gain understanding of, but not only intellectually. We must gain direct experience. Moreover, a short moment of experiencing the natural face of wakefulness, once in a while, is not enough to bring disturbing emotions and karma to a permanent end, to fully exhaust them. Facing our innate nature in a glimpse leaves of couse a nice impression, but we don't have to be dazzled by such a brief moment of recognizing the natural state. We must develop its strength, we must reach full stability; that is what is called reaching accomplishment. There is no way around going through the training!

This training is known as 'traversing the path,' and on this path there could be many types of sidetracks, pitfalls, or hindrances. Often these are called the outer obstacles of the four elements, the inner obstacles of imbalances in the channels and energies of the body, and the innermost obstacles of dualistic perception. In order to avoid falling prey to these obstacles we have the practices known as gathering accumulations and purifying obscurations, the general and specific preliminary practice. Especially, we must train ourselves in loving kindness and compassion, in trust and devotion, all of which are indispensable.

To summarize: weariness and renunciation, loving kindness and compassion, trust and devotion, and the true view-these four are essential factors for awakening to buddhahood. During the seminar retreat we will give special attention to these four qualities, and try to train ourselves thoroughly in them. We will develop a sense of weariness for the entirety of samsara, not just practicing to gain fleeting moments of pleasure. We will develop loving kindness and compassion, not only for a few friends or those on our side, but for all sentient beings, free from prejudice and partiality. We will develop trust and devotion, not just in what is true, genuine and meaningful, but especially through a real appreciation of the natural state of original wakefulness; a sincere interest in the awakened state of buddha-mind; and through that in the ones who taught it, our spiritual teachers; in the words and statements that truly reveal this innate nature, the Buddha's words, the Dharma; in the one who fully realized and taught this natural state, the truly and completely awakened one, Buddha Shakyamuni, the Fourth Guide of this world aeon; but especially in the Buddha's mind, the omniscient state of original wakefulness, that knows the nature as it is and perceives all possibly existent things; in the enlightened qualities of omniscient wakefulness, compassionate love, activities of awakened deeds, abilities of helping and protecting, and so forth-the qualities of freedom, of maturation, of all the inconceivable, inexpressible virtues of buddhahood.

Being interested in these enlightened qualities, appreciating, longing for, trusting in, and taking delight in them, we develop the 'armor-like diligence', engendering the deep-felt wish: "I will exert myself, I will persevere, for as long as I have not reached complete enlightenment!" That is followed by untiring and enthusiastic perseverance in the sense of appreciating and taking delight in every opportunity to compose our mind in the equanimity; of appreciating and taking delight in providing any circumstance that is conducive to realizing this natural state; and of neither appreciating nor taking delight in any little factor that obscures, prevents or goes against the realization of the natural state. For someone who practices in this way, I don't expect that true and complete enlightenment lies far away.

On the other hand, without these conducive factors, it may take a great number of life-times, or attaining enlightenment may remain in the realm of wishful thinking, because the genuine training in the awakened state is missing. Please, everyone, keep this in mind.

During the second level, the Vajrayana Retreat, understand that everything I just mentioned is to be kept as the basis. This level is meant for people who already have read a lot about Buddhist practice, who already have received much personal instruction from qualified masters, and already have gone through an appropriate amount of training. For such people, the heart of the matter is to refine and settle upon an understanding of the view, the substance of the main part of practice. This process of refining and settling the view involves the three great views: Middle Way as the ground, Mahamudra as the path, and Dzogchen as the fruition. These three views can be explained as a single Buddhist approach to enlightenment, and from that perspective there is no view more profound, vast, or great that could be explained. These three can be used in a way in which they are mutually supportive.

The Middle Way allows you to prove to and convince yourself of the fact that the nature of things is not your 'doing,' and is free of your mental constructs. Using your own intelligent reasoning, you resolve that the way of facing the ultimately real is through a 'non-doing' of mind. This understanding is established intellectually, but at the present point there is no way around using artifice to reach the natural state, using thought constructions to convince yourself that the real is the absence of all conceptual constructs. This approach is specially pragmatic for people with many thoughts, who has a great deal of skepticism. For such people I will briefly expound the Middle Way view.

Following that comes Mahamudra, the Great Seal. Fore some people Mahamudra is honestly more 'profound' and more beneficial than Dzogchen. By undergoing the training in one-pointedness, simplicity, one taste, and nonmeditation, in a progressive way, each point is resolved, and each level of deepening view is refined, so that every step of the way you are able to avoid pitfalls and being overcome by subtle obstacles. For this reason I will briefly explain the view and methods of Mahamudra training.

Finally, when presenting the Dzogchen approach, the view of the 'thorough cut to primordial purity,' there may from time to time be certain gifted people of the highest capacity who when introduced to their natural face are, as the famous statement goes, "sentient beings before sitting down, but buddhas when standing up again." Another important point is that we may use Mahamudra and Dzogchen as different words, but the reality of these views is that their realization is ultimately identical, totally indivisible. Within Dzogchen as well there are different levels such as the outer Mind Section, the inner Space Section and the innermost Instruction Section; there are the teachings focused on view, meditation and conduct; and there is the Dzogchen view as it applies to the context of other practices such as Kriya, Upa, and Yoga, as well as Maha, Anu, and Ati. In the essential view, and in the final fruition, there could not possibly be any real difference, but the various levels of tantra do employ a variety of technical terms. During this retreat we will therefore spend a little time sorting them out and gaining some understanding of their basic meaning.

For instance, we must understand the words used in the Mind Section within that particular context, as we must with perspective of the Space Section, distinctively and without mixing their principles together. Each level of teaching has its particular purpose, outline and key point.

For some of our students quite a number of years has passed since they began their studies and training. It is therefore my deep-felt wish that they not only possess some clarity as to understanding these points, but also acquire a more personalized familiarity through experience and through that some realization.

In this way I will emphasize the view of the Middle Way, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen.