The everyday practice of dzogchen is simply to develop a complete carefree acceptance, an openness to all situations without limit.

We should realize openness as the playground of our emotions and relate to people without artificiality, manipulation or strategy.

We should experience everything totally, never withdrawing into ourselves as a marmot hides in its hole.

This practice releases tremendous energy which is usually constricted by the process of maintaining fixed reference points. Referentiality is the process by which we retreat from the direct experience of everyday life.

Being present in the moment may initially trigger fear. But by welcoming the sensation of fear with complete openness, we cut through the barriers created by habitual emotional patterns.

When we engage in the practice of discovering space, we should develop the feeling of opening ourselves out completely to the entire universe. We should open ourselves with absolute simplicity and nakedness of mind. This is the powerful and ordinary practice of dropping the mask of self-protection.

~HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Read the whole teaching here

Discarding Guru and Buddha together,
I can’t find such a thing as faith or devotion!
Destroying both divine Dharma and worldly opinion,
I have no effort or practice!
Mixing Buddhas together with sentient beings,
I can’t find anything to accept or reject!
I don’t know how to speak of realization!
Ask those of Central Tibet to explain!
~from Lion of the Siddhas: The Life and Teachings of Padampa Sangye (trans. David Molk)

Lama Mipham (1846-1912), a great teacher in the lineage to which I belong, spelled out 4 stages of realization that apply to both Mahamudra and Dzogchen:

1. All appearance resolves into consciousness.
2.  Consciousness resolves into emptiness.
3. Emptiness resolves into awareness.
4. The union of bliss and emptiness, or bliss and awareness.

In the  talk reproduced below, inspired by the  above quote from Lama Charchung, and working with Lama Mipham’s 4 stages, I attempt to speak experientially about consciousness resolving into emptiness and realization in Mahamudra. This talk and discussion occurred at Real Dharma Sangha on December 6, 2012.

or download or listen by clicking here.

Tuesday, January 24, 7:30 p.m.

Real Dharma is honored to present an evening with Kenny Johnson, author of The Last Hustle.

THE LAST HUSTLE

AN EVENING WITH KENNY JOHNSON

Tuesday, January 24, 7:30 p.m.

The Common Well

85 Bolinas Rd., Suite 8

Fairfax, CA 94930

 Hustler, pimp, thief. Kenny Johnson was a career criminal who spent 20 years in prison, when he was transformed by a profound spiritual experience. Now he proclaims the availability of grace, redemption and liberation for all. Kenny is the author of The Last Hustle, his story of crime and spiritual liberation, and is the founder of This Sacred Space, a program for currently and previously incarcerated individuals.

Hal Blacker gave the following talk on Mahamudra, the Mahasiddhas and their inspiring example and potential significance for the modern West at Real Dharma on November 29, 2011. To listen, use the flash driver:

or download or listen by clicking here.

Real Dharma sangha will be on vacation and won’t meet Tuesday December 27. Our next meeting will be Tuesday January 3.

Please have a safe, healthy and happy holiday season and new year, filled with love, liberation and joy.

“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!”

“I really don’t need anything!”

~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)

Lama Lakshey Zangpo Rinpoche was born in Golok, Tibet and was recognized as a tulku at a young age. He trained under his root lama His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche at Larung Monastery and with other notable teachers. Rinpoche came to the United States in 2007 and is fluent in English. He is the founder of Tsinta Mani Choling Buddhist center in Spokane, Washington, and is vice principal of Senge Takste School, a school and home for 400 orphans in Golok, Tibet.

Like a fatally ill ascetic,
Seek to remember your own death!
Like a lone man struck with leprosy,
Seek realization of disillusionment!
Like a stone thrown into the sea,
Seek realization of irreversibility!
Like a bird seeking worms,
Seek realization of undistractedness!
Like meeting your only child,
Seek realization of recognition!
Like a lion coursing through the snow,
Seek realization beyond fear!

Don’t take appearance inside!
Don’t project inner conceptions outside!
Don’t enslave body to mind!
Don’t occupy mind with body!
Don’t attend to view or meditation!
Leave mind unfabricated, just where it is!
~from Lion of Siddhas: The Life and Teachings of Padampa Sangye, trans. David Molk

    Lately I’ve been reading Padampa Sangye, the great Indian siddha of the 11-12th century, who visited Tibet, Bhutan and China. Some say in China he was known as Bodhidharma, the legendary founder of Zen. (!) Some say he was also known as the famous sage Kamalashila in India. Some say he lived hundreds of years. In any event, it seems certain that he taught in a style that was unique and unclassifiable (in Tibet, the people were unsure at first whether he was a Hindu or Buddhist siddha), yet powerful and direct. I hope to share some more of his teachings here in the future.

In general, there can be said to be two approaches. One is to just rest, not altering anything. The other is to use inquiry, first to distinguish consciousness from its contents, and then, through further inquiry, to see that consciousness and its contents are not ultimately separate–consciousness’ contents are the appearance of consciousness, like waves are the appearance of water.

In this talk, our weekly Real Dharma group experimented with bringing nondual awareness to consciousness through group dialogue and inquiry. This was an experiment in open-eyed dialogic meditation. I think that most of us felt the experiment worked.

To listen to our session, conducted at the Real Dharma group on November 1, 2011, use the flash driver below.

If you are unable to use the flash player, listen or download here.