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Dzogchen or 'The Great Perfection', is considered the summit of
all Tibetan schools, the highest and most immediate path towards
spiritual progress.Rather than a religious doctrine it is better
defined as a system of inner knowledge, given the great
importance to the development of individual awareness.
This spiritual path, which is open to all, involves working
towards self-awareness; personal freedom is an essential aspect
so there is no obligation to follow rules or take monastic vows.
The fundamental practice consist of reaching a deep knowledge of
oneself and one's essential existence through the various
experiences of daily life.
For this reason, Dzogchen is particularly well suited to the
needs of modern society.
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is an influential figure of undisputed
prestige as one of the present day exponents of this ancient
tradition.
The Tibetan term Dzogchen, “Great Perfection” refers to the true
primordial state of every individual and not to any transcendent
reality.
The Dzogchen teachings are neither a philosophy, nor a religious
doctrine, nor a cultural tradition. Understanding the message of
the teachings means discovering one’s own true condition,
stripped of all self-deceptions and falsifications which the
mind creates.
What do we mean when we say, “becoming aware of our own true
condition”? It means observing ourselves, discovering who we
are, who we believe we are, and what our attitude is towards
others and to life. If we just observe the limits, the mental
judgments, the passions, the pride, the jealousy, and the
attachments with which we close ourselves up in the course of
one single day, where do they arise from, what are they rooted
in? Their source is our dualistic vision, and our conditioning.
To be able to help both ourselves and others we need to overcome
all the limits in which we are enclosed. This is the true
function of the teachings.
Santi
Maha Sangha
The Santi Maha Sangha Training was started in 1993 by Chögyal
Namkhai Norbu to help his students to develop a more structured,
deeper understanding and experience of Dzogchen Semde, Longde,
and Mennagde, and to ease their way towards total liberation.
The preliminary essential training text, which explains the
theory & practice of Sutra, Tantra & Dzogchen, is transmitted by
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in his book named "The Precious Vase,
Instructions on the Base of Santi Maha Sangha".
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu always puts much emphasis on the fact that
the study of the Base of Santi Maha Sangha is important for all
of his serious students. For those who decided not to proceed to
further levels with the SMS Studies (or teach others), it is
very valuable to have studied the Base.
SMS Calendar Coming Soon!
Yantra
Yoga
YANTRA YOGA, the yoga of movement, is an ancient system of
Tibetan yoga based on the text The Union of the Sun and the
Moon, written in the 8th century by the master and translator
Vairochana. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu wrote a detailed commentary on
the root text and started to transmit this teaching in the West
at the beginning of the seventies. Yantra Yoga is a fundamental
method to integrate the profound essence of the Dzogchen
Teaching in the three doors (body, voice, and mind) of the
practitioner. Through positions and movements combined with
breathing, one¹s energy is coordinated and harmonized, so as to
let the mind relax and find the authentic balance which is the
basis for getting into contemplation.
Vajra
Dance
In the Dzogchen Teaching, sound and movement are very important,
because they are the means to integrate oneself into the state
of contemplation. The Vajra Dance is principally a practice to
harmonize the energy of the individual. If one has a more
profound knowledge of the meaning of the dance, it becomes a
method for integrating the three existences of body, voice, and
mind into the knowledge of the state of contemplation. This
integration is one of the most important aims of a Dzogchen
practitioner. The Vajra Dance is practiced on a mandala which
represents the correspondence between the internal dimension of
the individual and the outer dimension of the world.
Dream Yoga
Achieving clarity and awareness in our daily lives is a core aspect of the
Dzogchen Teachings. The practice of Dream Yoga is a training in awareness.
Chogyal Namkhai Norbu talks of the importance of awareness in sleep. He said
we spend half our life sleeping and during sleep, if we can achieve clarity
of awareness, we have a greater capacity than during waking hours to learn
and practice the Dzogchen teachings.
read more about Dream Yoga
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| 2008
Events |
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World Wide Guruyoga Transmission
August 10, 11pm
The Dance of the Three Vajras with Bodhi Krause
September 4-7
Kundrolling Party
September 12
Dream Yoga Retreat with Michael Katz
September 20-21
SMS Base Retreat with Jim Valby
November 7-9
[CLICK
HERE FOR DETAILS]
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