Course One (January 2015 November 2015) First Retreat January 3-16th (14 days) A Three-Year Studies Program On the Omniscient Shardzawa s text Sngon gro rgyal baí bka lung rgya mtsho, The Ocean of The Victorious One s Words On Ngondro Preliminary Practices, studying the following Practices: 1. Root of Liberation a method to take support in the spiritual master. 2. Common outer preliminary practices: 1. Difficulty to attain [ten] wealths-connections and [eight] liberties [of the human birth]; 2. Impermanence of life; 3. Studying [the law] of karma or the cause and consequence; 4. Suffering and the disadvantages of samsara; 3. Special inner preliminary practices of the Greater Vehicle of Mahayana (Bon Dharmic behavior), consisting of the nine steps: 1. Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels; 2. Cultivating supreme Bodhicitta or the Enlightened Intent; 3. Purifying the defilements and affliction of oneself and all sentient beings through the practice of the Penance; 4. Mandala Offering to perfect the accumulation of merits and wisdom; 5. Guru Yoga practice to obtain the blessing of the Three Gates (Body, Speech, Mind); 6. Prostrations to purify defilements and afflictions of the Three Gates (Body, Speech, Mind); 7. Selwa Guzab mantra to attain the Unborn Body of Bon (Dharmakaya); 8. Dzogku Khorwa Tontrug mantras to attain the Uninterrupted Perfection Body (Sambhogakaya); 9. Trulku Ngensong Tontrukgyi Nyingpo mantra to attain the Non-dual Nirmanakaya. Common outer preliminary practices and special inner preliminary practices lead to the maturing of the mindflow. The teaching is given in the following way: Receiving the Transmission (lungs) Teacher s comments Memorizing the Practices Performing the Practices together with the Teacher By persevering in listening, thinking and meditation, students will have the possibility to subdue their own mind at least a little. 1
Second retreat, March 8-21st 2015 (14 days) First week teachings on the Omniscient Shardzawa s text The Ocean of The Victorious One s Words On Ngondro Preliminary Practices, receiving instructions, studying and performing the Phowa consciousness transmission. Practice should be done until the central channel opening sign of the proper size would be achieved. Second week teachings on the text of the precious secret instructions by the Omniscient Shardzawa Akhrid thun mtshams bco lnga ( Atri Of Fifteen Sessions ) from the main part of the Self Origination of the Three Bodies of the Most Essential Great Perfection (Yang tig rdzogs pa chen po sku gsum rang shar). Doing Shamatha practice using the comments on the substances for meditation stages with characteristics or visualizations, with the support of the mind grasping method. One needs to master this with a proper confirmation sign. Third retreat, 1-14 th of June 2015 (14 days) First week teachings on the text of the precious secret instructions, compiled by the Omniscient Shardzawa Akhrid thun mtshams bco lnga Atri of the Fifteen Sessions, from the main part Self Origination of the Three Bodies of the Most Essential Great Perfection (Yang tig rdzogs pa chen po sku gsum rang shar). The Practice of Absence of Attachments to the Six Types of Sentient Beings Appearances, Khorde Rushen. Persevering in listening, thinking and meditation, students will have the opportunity to achieve the absence of fear (even when facing death) and get in touch with the basis and the root of samsara and nirvana, i.e. mind, and to make sure that even the mind is empty. Second week teachings on the Highest Peak of the Great Perfection s Vast Space (Rdzogs chen yang rtse klong chen). Sessions of the Practice of self-purification of the sentient beings of the six worlds. Separation of inner samsara and nirvana. Meditation on chakras and seed syllables of the worlds in six places (of the body), mantra recitation and (visualization) of spreading and collecting, purifying the seeds of six worlds, including pure realms, meditation on filling with the six bodies of Buddhas, Dulwa Shendruk ( dul ba gshen drug) of Teacher Shenrab s manifestations. 2
Fourth retreat, October 26 th November 8th 2015 (14 days) First week teachings on the text of the precious secret instructions, written by the Omniscient Shardzawa, Akhrid thun mtshams bco lnga Atri of Fifteen Sessions from the main part of the Self Origination of the Three Bodies of the Most Essential Great Perfection. The Practice of Purifying the Body, Meditating On the Nine-Spoked Vajra Lus sbyong tra phud rtse dgu sgom paí nyams len. Practicing the Purification with the syllable HUM: 1) Purifying the impurities and defilements of the body; 2) Purifying the speech, here there are four [stages]: sealing, mastering, danger seeking, entering the path. One needs to master it and to learn to guide one s mind in motion and keep it in abiding. Second week. The beginning of learning the direct Tregcho. Finding confidence in the root, then clearer manifestation, ways to manifest [mind and visions] etc. Persevering in listening, thinking and meditation, students should recognize the nature of the original state of mind and develop the wish to do Practice. Course Two (January 2016 November 2016) Fifth retreat, January 3-16th 2016 (14 days) First week teachings on the text of the precious secret instructions, written by the Omniscient Shardzadewa, Akhrid thun mtshams bco lnga Atri of Fifteen Sessions from the main part of the Self Origination of the Three Bodies of the Most Essential Great Perfection. Practice of contemplation on the non-characteristical. Doing the practice of natural condition of the three bodies (body, speech and mind), balancing the three doshas, accomplishing all channels, winds and tigle (i.e. mastering the control of those), bringing consciousness to the natural condition, one needs the non-conceptual concentration to arise in the mindflow. 3
Second week studying the practice of the mind s entrance to the primordial state Sor zhugs. One needs to practice in attaining bravery, when consciousness is like a vulture, hovering high in the sky, without going beyond the limits of the natural condition, non-defiled and free from effort. All thoughts and concepts manifest only as a natural state, and will liberate simultaneously with manifestation, [thus] liberating one from another. One needs, without grasping it, to define finality and to bring one s mind to joyful state. Sixth retreat 9-22 nd of March 2016 (14 days) First week teachings on the text of the precious secret instructions, written by the Omniscient Shardzadewa, Akhrid thun mtshams bco lnga Atri of Fifteen Sessions from the main part of the Self Origination of the Three Bodies of the Most Essential Great Perfection. Practicing the instructions on separating the consciousness and the [natural state] of the self-aware primordial wisdom of Rigpa. One needs to separate the defiled part (i.e. the consciousness, mixed with the manifestations of objects, like I and others ) and the pure part (i.e. not mixed with outer objects). Having dissolved the harsh (defiled) consciousness and all the aggregations of mind concepts in the space of Alaya-vijnana (The Basis of everything consciousness), one should meditate on the clear manifestation of the transparent clear self-emerging non-defiled primordial wisdom. Second week learning the Practice of the introduction to the natural state (from two parts). First part is the riddance of faults and misperception dangers. One must define, what are the thirty seven meditation faults (like misunderstanding, violations, misconceptions, mistakes, faults, obstacles, lack of attention etc.) and stay away from these dangers. Seventh retreat, 1-14 th of June 2016 (14 days). On the text of the precious secret instructions by the Omniscient Shardzadewa, Akhrid thun mtshams bco lnga Atri of Fifteen Sessions from the main part of the Self Origination of the Three Bodies of the Most Essential Great Perfection. Studying the Practice of the introduction to the natural state (second part) introduction of the three bodies. The component of clarity, the component of emptiness and their union, which are the nature of the self-aware primordial wisdom of Rigpa, their abiding as naked spontaneity of the three bodies, should be recognized as these three bodies. 4
Introduction to the self-originating primordial wisdom. One must recognize the natural state of mind, nonsupporting on whatever causes and conditions, self-originating and primordially abiding as the self-clarifying natural condition of the mind. Then, practicing in the methods, liberating from the defilements, created by mind, one needs to leave it without the artificial [mind constructs], to learn to destroy the one, that is leaving it and to support in practice [this state] of destruction during prolonged time. By practicing in this way, having mixed inseparably the experience and realization, in order not to lose the individuality of the naked self-aware primordial wisdom of Rigpa and emptiness, one must practice without interrupting the flow of awareness on the non-need of [other types of] meditation. After becoming aware of this great primordial purity, practicing in the methods which cause the habituation with this, one should gradually bring in the mindflow the meditation of the three stages of Tregcho, meditation in thun sessions, in the state of ngang and in the space of glong. When this practice is cultivated in the mindflow, whatever difficulties and sufferings happened with the body or mind, one has the power to combine them with the practice and bring onto the path. For example, when you get sick, you bring the disease to the path, if there is suffering, you take suffering to the path. If defilements emerge, it s possible to bring defilements to the path. With this power there are less complications, emerging in daily mundane things in the mind or the body. Mind becomes broad-thinking, and wishes also weaken and lessen. One achieves a stronger wish to do the practice. Eighth Retreat, October 26 th November 12 th 2016 (18 days). The beginning of studying Tummo by the Omniscient Shardzawa s text General Practice of Tummo, the Heat of Primordial Wisdom (Thun mong gtum mo i nyams len ye shes me pung), from the meditation on the three repeating aspects of general preliminary practices and channels and paths practices. The first part: 1. Meditation on the deity as Sambhogakaya. This three-day practice is performed so that the attachment to mundane appearances of the body would naturally disappear. 2. Meditation on the channels as Nirmanakaya. This three-day practice is done in order to clearly visualize the chakras and bring winds and channels to work, without falling to the mistake of visualization. 5
3. Meditation on tigle as Bon body. This three day practice is done in order to recognize the indestructible tigle in one s heart or the undefiled tigle, and to master the highest view. Second part learning channels and paths: 1. Support of harsh syllables, 2. Support of medium tigles, 3. Support of sublime wind. During nine days (three days per each section) this practice is done so that having stopped all harsh and sublime concepts, mind won t get distracted from visualizations. Course three (January 2017 January 2018) Ninth retreat, January 3 rd February 1st 2017 (28 days). The classes on the Omniscient Shardzawa s General Practice of Tummo, The Flame of Primordial Wisdom (Thun mong gtum mo i nyams len ye shes me pung). Learning Tummo Practice in three parts: First part: The soft wind of Za ma rtog, sections: important point on the body, important point on the wind, important aspect of visualization and increase of clarity, important points of trulkhor yantra yoga. These four components are required to master the soft wind. Tenth retreat, March 9th April 14th 2017 (35 days). The classes on the Omniscient Shardzawa s General Practice of Tummo, The Flame of Primordial Wisdom (Thun mong gtum mo i nyams len ye shes me pung). Learning Tummo Practice in three parts: Second part: By practicing the medium wind of meditation with four abovementioned important points, and the combination (meditation) of the winds using four components, when the five winds are entering the central channel, the sansaric wind is purified by itself. This practice should be performed, so tat the bliss heat fire would blaze and the energy (mastery) of realization would be perfected. 6
Eleventh retreat, June 1-14 th 2017 (14 days). A break in studying Tummo due to summer warmth. Studying Thodgal practice by the Omniscient Shardzawa s text Self Origination of the Three Bodies of the Great Perfection, the practice of the four appearances of Todgal Amazing Appearance of Manifestation (Ngo mtshar snang ba i ltas mo). The three-fold secret instructions on final liberation: 1. Instructions on the union of clear light the practice of the Path, 2. Instructions on lifting [and bringing] the conditions to the path studying mastery, 3. Instructions on grasping the result in its place the definition of the three kayas. This practice is performed in order to tame the three important points, body, speech and mind, to manifest visibly the essence of the self-aware primordial wisdom of Rigpa of the spontaneous four manifestations and achieve the Buddahood in this life. Twelfth Retreat, October 26th December 2nd 2017 (36 days). The third part of studying Tummo (the first and the second parts in retreats 9 and 10) on the text of the Omniscient Shardzadewa General Practice of Tummo, the Flame of Primordial Vision (Thun mong gtum mo i nyams len ye shes me pung) the main part of the three-fold Tummo. Third part: In the Strong Wind s Flame practice (Drag rlung me dpung ma) with four abovementioned important points, practicing the wind with four components, one mast practice mind and the wind as a union. This practice is done so that one would learn to lower and turn the tigle of four joys, and so that, having born the immeasurable warmth of bliss, to give freedom to the wind and mind. Thirteenth retreat, January 3rd 24th 2018 (21 days). On the Omniscient Shardzawa s Self-Manifestation of the Three Bodies of Great Perfection, practicing Darkness instructions (Mun khrid) on night appearances and Ar gtad) [Focusing on the syllable A], through the important aspects of the body, method of watching and visualization, the signs of introducing the five winds to the central channel appear, and pavilions from different tigles appear in the dark room. The practice is done in order to 7
clearly manifest the habituation with the appearances of magnification, increase, spreading, perfection and finality, practicing without accepting and rejecting, without uncertainty, attachment and grasping. Third week: classes on the Omniscient Shardzawa s Self-Manifestation of the Three Bodies of Great Perfection, according to the Extraction of Essence of the Three Bodies, Food for the Path of Liberation (Sku gsum bcud len thar pa i rgyags phye) the practice of extracting the chulen essence of any of the three bodies is performed. Chulen practice is performed in order to get rid of the attachment to the concept of hunger, to cause all virtues, to increase the strength and skillfulness of the body, to clear the consciousness, to reduce old age, to extend life and to increase the virtues. Knowledge, obtained in the School of Tantra and Dzogchen in all the three years could be divided into several consecutive stages: Preliminary practices, that cause the mindflow to mature; Main practices, taking the matured mindflow to liberation, i.e. introduction to the natural state of mind; Tregcho practice in order to stay in the natural state of mind as long as possible; Tummo, Todgal, Dark instructions of the night appearances (Arte) and the Extraction of Essence of the Three Bodies (Chulen) in order to get to final liberation; Also the graduates of the school will receive the four special initiations according to the text of the Omniscient Shardzawa Self-Manifestation of the Three Bodies of Great Perfection Rdzogs pa chen po sku gsum rang shar. 8