September 31- October 1, 2023
Dzogchen
Discovering Buddhahood Within Oneself
Weekend Zoom Seminar 3-8 pm, with breaks
How does one attain Buddhahood, which is the ultimate goal of the spiritual path of the Dharma and which means liberation from further suffering in Samsara? According to the Sutra system of Mahayana Buddhism, one initially generates th Bodhichitta, the intention to attain enlightenment, then intensely practices the six paramitas for three immeasurable kalpas, consisting of countless lifetimes, and finally attains |Buddha enlightenment. The Tantra system of Vajrayana Buddhism, however, greatly accelerates this evolutionary process by way of taking the goal and making that into the practice of the path, that is to say, by meditating upon oneself as a Yidam meditation deity representing the visible manifestation of enlightened awareness. But Dzogchen sees the whole matter quite differently. Buddhahood has been primordially present within us from the very beginning, not just potentially but actually, as our own Nature of Mind. However, in order to discover this Nature of Mind at the core of our being, we must first discover in our immediate experience what is meant by “mind.” Only then can a direct introduction to the intrinsic awareness that characterizes the Nature of Mind becomes truly possible once we have acquired certain experiences in meditation practice, This seminar will place the emphasis on actual meditation practices for encountering our intrinsic awareness and how these methods may be employed in everyday life dealing with negative emotions and present day difficulties.
For further information and registration, please consult our page on Facebook.
June 17-18, 2023
Magical Practices of the Heruka and the Dakini
Seminar via Zoom
(Saturday and Sunday, times 16-20, with breaks)
Both the Padma Heruka, Hayagriva, the red wrathful form of Avalokiteshvara, and his Consort, the love goddess and Wisdom Dakini, Kurukulla, the red form of Tara, are closely associated with the practices of witchcraft and magic, especially the red magic of magnetic attraction, subjugation, and influencing others, both individuals and events. This seminar will look into some of these practices of the Heruka and the Dakini.
For the access code, please consult our fan page on Facebook.
Donation 50 euro.
May 27-28, 2023
The Queen of Great Bliss according to the Khandro Thugthik
Seminar via Zoom
Saturday and Sunday, times 16-20, with breaks)
As with other major Terma cycles, the Dudjom Tersar has both male and female aspects of the Guru, in terms of manifestations that are outer, inner, secret, and exceedingly secret. The male aspects are known as Yab-ka and female as Yum-ka. Here, in the case of this Yum-ka, the outer aspect is the Yoginî form of the Tibetan princess Yeshe Tsogyal, known as Dechen Gyalmo, “the Queen of Great Bliss.” Her inner aspect is the enchanting witch goddess Kurukulla, her secret aspect is the fierce wisdom Dakini Simhamukha with her lion’s head, and her exceeding secret aspect is Krodhi Kali, goddess of the cremation ground. In general, she functions as the Vajrayogini, the initiatrix of all Yogis into the esoteric practices of the Higher Tantras. The practitioner is introduced to the Dakini as the living embodiment of primordial wisdom during the course of the third initiation, the Wisdom Empowerment. This seminar will rely upon the practices and commentaries found in the Terma cycle of the Khandro Thugthik.
For the access code, please consult our fan page on Facebook.
Donation 50 euro.
April 22-23, 2023
The Padma Heruka Hayagriva, his Exceedingly Wrathful Aspect
Seminar via Zoom
(Saturday and Sunday, times 16-20, with breaks)
In this seminar, we continue to explain the practices of Hayagriva, the wrathful aspect of Avalokiteshvara. However, it is not necessary to have attended the previous seminar. This seminar will focus on the exceeding wrathful aspect of this meditation deity, black in colour and riding upon a nine-headed pig of the cremation grounds. He is in union with the dark goddess Krodhi Kali, or Troma, the patroness of the Chöd Rite. This Mahakala form of Hayagriva especially functions to protect against the plagues, epidemics, floods, wild fires, wars, and other disasters afflicting this degenerate age of the Kali Yuga.
For the access code, please consult our fan page on Facebook.
Donation 50 euro.
March 25-26, 2023
The Padma Heruka Hayagriva, both Passionate and Wrathful
Seminar via Zoom
(Saturday and Sunday, times 16-20, with breaks)
The peaceful form of Avalokiteshvara, white in colour and with four arms, and closely associated with his six-syllable mantra, which purifies the six destinies of rebirth, is quite familiar to us in the West. Although Avalokiteshvara, who may assume countless forms and guises, may appear as a Bodhisattva active in the world, he is actually an enlightened being beyond Samsara, belonging to the Padma Kula, “Lotus Family,” headed by the Buddha Amitabha, and associated with the western direction. However, his wrathful aspect is Hayagriva, the Padma Heruka, who is associated with the magical functions of attraction and enchantment, and is considered the male partner of the goddess Kurukulla, the red form of the female Buddha Tara. Both of taem are patrons of witchcraft and sexual magic. Taking the form of a Yaksha nature spirit, red in colour and terrifying in manifestation, with his “wild horse dance,” he subdues and tramples upon demons and evil spirits. As a Vajrakrodha, or wrathful deity, he functions to remove obstacles and obstructions on the spiritual path and in ordinary life. He counteracts natural disasters and plagues, as well as working to transform the negative energies of hatred and anger that afflict our world. This seminar will focus on the practice of Hayagriva accompanied by Vajrapani and Garuda from the Dudjom Tersar cycle.
For the access code, please consult our fan page on Facebook.
Donation 50 euro.
February 18-19, 2023
Jnâna Yoga
Dzogchen Practice according to the Khandro Thugthik
Seminar via Zoom
(Saturday and Sunday, times 16-20, with breaks)
The introduction of the practitioner to the practices of the Higher Tantras, namely, Kyerim, Tsalung, Dzogrim, and Dzogchen, is presented by way of four empowerments or initiations. The fourth empowerment introduces the practitioner by words and display of symbols to the practice of Dzogchen, “the Great Perfection,” also known as Jnana Yoga, the Yoga of the Primordial Wisdom. This entails a direct introduction to intrinsic awareness and the Nature of Mind. For this, the seminar will follow the commentary by Dudjom Rinpoche on the Terma cycle of the Khandro Thugthik, “the Essence of the Mind of the Dâkinî.” Here are found key instructions from this master on the practices of Tregchod and Thodgal, for the self-discovery and realization of one’s own original being in terms of Buddha enlightenment.
For the access code, please consult our fan page on Facebook.
Donation 50 euro.
January 7-8, 2023
Tantra, Magic, and Sex: Dzogrim Practice
Seminar via Zoom
(Saturday and Sunday, times 16-20, with breaks)
Sadhana, or Tantric transformation meditation practice, has two principal phases in terms of Higher Tantra in the Buddhist tradition. First, there is Kyerim, or the visualization process, where the practitioner focuses upon visualizing the Yidam meditation deity in its mandala palace in order to access and actualize its powers, capacities, and qualities within one’s stream of consciousness. This transformation is then stabilized by way of Mantrajapa, or mantra recitation. When siddhis, psychic and spiritual attainments, become realized, as indicated by certain signs, the practitioner is then able to proceed to engage in magical action practices. However, there is also the question of how the meditation deity not only looks and sounds, but also how it feels in itself in terms of all its senses. In the Higher Tantra, this second phase is the function of Dzogrim meditation (nishpanna-krama), the stage of perfection. Here the principal practice is that of Chandalî-yoga, the generating of psychic heat and sensual pleasure within the human body, by what is more generally known as Kundalini. This practice may further include Thablam or Karmamudra sexual practice with a partner of the opposite sex. This leads to the realization of the unification of bliss and emptiness, or Detong Yeshe, the culmination of Tantric practice. In this seminar, we shall draw upon Dudjom Rinpoche’s commentaries to the practice of the Khandro Thugthik Cycle, “The Essence of the Mind of the Dakini.
For the access code, please consult our fan page on Facebook.
Donation 50 euro.