Tag Archives: upadesha

Vajra Dance & Contemplation Weekend in Amsterdam February 2-4 2024

Dear Dancers,
With joy we invite you to a Vajra Dance & Contemplation Weekend in Amsterdam, February 2 till 4, organized by Rangdrolling, with Natalia Gershevskaya and Maarten Schoon.

In this weekend we will practice Vajra Dance thuns and sitting contemplation practices such as Guruyoga and Semdzins, focusing on integrating with sound. We will also refresh and then practice one thun of the Expanded or Irregular Vajra Dance of the Three Vajras.

If you would like to learn the Vajra Dance, but are not yet working with Transmission from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and Yeshi Silvano Namkhai, please contact us.

Song of the Vajra by Giorgio Dallorto

Dates and Times
Friday February 2: 14:00 – 17:30
Saturday February 3: 10:00 – 17:00 (2 sessions and lunch break)
Sunday February 4: 10:00 – 17:00 (2 sessions and lunch break)

Location
Broedplaats HW10  – Studio 14
Hendrik van Wijnstraat 10
Amsterdam
https://goo.gl/maps/ijsDX39neNL2kuym8

Costs
The weekend is donation based. All participants will be asked to donate. Please donate according to your possibilities. Your participation is more important to us than the amount that you donate.

Suggested donation:
80 Euro for the whole weekend
20 Euro per session

Please register to let us know how many dancers are joining!

Registration and questions to info@dzogchen.nl

Instructions on Dzogchen Practice: Working Through Obstacles, with Elías Capriles

We are happy to announce this course in Rangdrolling Amsterdam with instructions on the practice of Dzogchen, and overcoming obstacles and distracting states that arise during the practice of contemplation.

There are a few updates!

The course will start on Wednesday evening August 24th, 2022, 19:00, with an open lecture introducing Dzogchen and the course; and continue till Sunday August 28th. For the time schedule see below.

Suggested donations are listed below. If you only attend the Wednesday evening you can donate any amount you feel is appropriate. Thank you!

Click here to register for this course.

In the course Elías Capriles will present his book: The Source of Danger is Fear: Paradoxes from the realm of delusion and instructions on the practice of the Dzogchen Upadeshavarga.

The book was written after a retreat period of Dzogchen Practice based on the instructions given mainly by Dungse Thinle Norbu Rinpoche and later also by H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche.

In this book Elías gives advice on how, through the practice of Dzogchen contemplation, we can release the knots in which we tie ourselves, states in which relaxation and presence are hindered.

Update: We re-printed the book. Elías has updated it and it has been prepared for printing. The books have arrived and they are beautiful! You can buy it during the course and we will also send it to your address in Europe. Note that following at least one of the courses is required for buying the book.

We will practice Semdzins and Rushens together during the course.

At the bottom of this page, you can find much more information about the book, and an extended biography of Elías Capriles.

This course is meant for people who have received Dzogchen Transmission from a qualified Dzogchen teacher, or who have a serious intention to receive Dzogchen Transmission from one.

You can attend the course live or via zoom. 

This course is presented in collaboration with Dargyäling Cologne, who will host a companion course from August 18th till August 21th, 2022. Please send an e-mail to kurs@dzogchen.de to receive information on the course in Cologne.

Dates and Times (small changes in the time schedule are possible, they will be updated here)
Times are in Central European Summer Time, UTC+2:00 (Amsterdam, Paris, Rome).
Wednesday evening August 24 2022, 19:00 till 20:30 with space for questions afterwards,
Update: The Wednesday evening session will be an open lecture introducing Dzogchen and this course, for the general public.
Thursday August 25 till Sunday August 28 2022, 10:30-12:30 and 15:00 till 17:00.

Location
Rangdrolling, Amsterdam
Nemoland / De Groene Hemel
Address: Overbrakerpad 2, Amsterdam.

The course will also be broadcast via zoom. Please register to receive the link.

Contribution Fees (note: these are suggested donations, see below)

If you only attend the Wednesday evening, you can donate any amount you find appropriate. The below amounts are for the whole course.

Non-member of the International Dzogchen Community: 150€
Meritorious member of the International Dzogchen Community: 50€
Sustaining member of the International Dzogchen Community: 90€
Ordinary member of the International Dzogchen Community: 120€

Daily Contribution FeesNon-memberMeritoriousSustainingOrdinary
Price for 1 day45€20€30€40€
Price for 2 days80€35€50€70€

Note, the above contributions are recommended donations. If you can, you are encouraged to donate more. Donating for teaching is a very meritorious action. However if you cannot afford these amounts due to financial limitations or difficulties, a discount is always possible. Please contact us and we will look at this together with you.

Payment
Bank details:
IBAN: NL72 INGB 0006 0658 80
BIC: INGBNL2A
In name of: Int. Dzogchen Community of Rangdrolling
With mention: Elías Capriles Course 2022

PayPal: info@dzogchen.nl
With mention: Elías Capriles Course 2022

Click here to register for this course.

If you have any questions, e-mail Rangdrolling Amsterdam info@rangdrolling.nl .
May it benefit all!

Biography of Elías Capriles

Elías Capriles is a Santi Maha Sangha Teacher appointed by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu,
whom he met in 1978 in Boudhanath. He practiced Dzogchen in successive strict 3
months retreats on the Himalayas between 1977 and the end of 1982, after receiving
Trekchö (Khregs chod) instructions from H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and Dungse Thinle
Norbu Rinpoche. He also received teachings and transmissions from H.H. Dilgo
Khyentse, Dodrub Chen Rinpoche, Chatral Rinpoche and Pema Norbu Rinpoche.
As a whole, he has had twenty books published, as well as five Internet books, over
forty academic papers and twelve book chapters, dealing with Dzogchen and Tibetan
Buddhism; transpersonal psychology; ontology; philosophy of history; aesthetics;
political philosophy; epistemology; sociology; axiology, etc. Various of these are on
Buddhism and Dzogchen (including a poetry work) and Buddhist philosophy (it is
relevant to mention an as yet unachieved work called Buddhism and Dzogchen — Vol.
I: Buddhism that is freely available on the Web).
He is retired from the Chair of Eastern Studies and the Center for Studies on Africa and
Asia the University of The Andes, Mérida, Venezuela, where he taught Philosophy,
Buddhism, Asian Religions, Globalization and Asian Aesthetics and Arts.
He has offered conferences in many Universities across the Americas, Europe and Asia,
and has also led workshops and courses in many countries.
He managed “spiritual emergency refuges” where “psychotics” would go through the
natural self-healing process in which they unwillingly embarked, and has been an
ecological activist.
He is a member of the Board of the International Transpersonal Association; among his works on this subject, most recent and best known is the four-volume work The Beyond
Mind Papers: Transpersonal and Metatranspersonal Theory (Blue Dolphin, Nevada
City, CA, 2013). His most recent book is Chamanismo y Dzogchen (Barcelona, La
Llave, 2019).

Extensive Information About the Book

THE SOURCE OF DANGER IS FEAR
Paradoxes of the Realm of Delusion and
Instructions for the Practice of the Dzogchen Upadesha

The book starts with an extensive 40-page introduction, treating subjects central to the Dzogchen Teachings. Then it continues to describe knots and give instructions on Time, Pleasure and Pain, Boredom, Desire, ‘Fear, Insecurity, Suffering and Refuge’, Tension, Contemplation and Uptight Mindfulness, Meaning, Purification, etc.
(For a full list, see the table of contents below.)

Here are some comments by Elías on the origin and contents of the book and how it was approved by Rinpoche, a text from the cover of the book that gives more background, and the complete table of contents. 

Elías about the book:

This is a book that describes the knots in which we tie ourselves up, creating tensions, anguish and suffering—yet it also shows how the knot may untie itself if we perform a simple action, comparable to pulling the end thread of a lace. In fact, it describes the knots in which I tied myself and the instructions that came to my mind when I was practicing in intense retreats in the Yölmo area in Nepal and up the mountain from there.

When I lost that book, I asked a girl who is British and who had a copy to send it to me. I was surprised when I received it from the hands of ChNN. I used the auspicious coincidence to ask him whether he had found any errors in what he read, and he said “NO”. Then I asked him for permission to publish it through the publishers of the DzC in Spanish, which at the time was “Editorial Reflejos”, and he said “yes”. But then when I began to distribute it, ChNN wrote to me saying I could not distribute it that way, and that I could only give it to those who have previously received that teaching from me.

(If you have attended a course about the book, you can e-mail dargyaeling@dzogchen.de to order it. We currently only send the book to addresses in Europe, but write anyway so we can keep you informed about future possibilities.)

From the cover:

Elias Capriles studied Dzogchen with some of the greatest lamas of the twentieth century and, after receiving specific Trekchod instructions from Khyabjés Thinley Norbu and Dudjom Yeshe Dorje, did repeated three-months Nyingthik retreats in hermitages and caves in the higher Himalayan range. In 1978 he attended the teachings of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in Boudhanath and forged a relationship with the Master, who on Elias’ invitation visited Venezuela in 1986 and founded the Dzogchen Community there.

Elías received nearly all available Buddhist Dzogchen transmissions from some of the top Masters of the last century, including Kyabjés Dudjom Yeshe Dorje, Dilgo Khyentse, Dodrub Chen, Chatral Sangye Dorje and Padma Norbu, as well as Dzogchen teachings from the first three of the above Masters and personal help from Chatral Sangye Dorje.

During his intensive Trekchod practice in his repeated three-months retreats, in his practice Elías met different apparent knots whereby saṃsāra and the ensuing suffering maintain themselves. This book describes those knots—which it calls “laces˝ because they can be undone by means of a most simple action—followed by the instructions that came to Elías’ mind for resolving them, and with the help of which they spontaneously resolved themselves.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION 7
History of the Book 9
Structure of the Dzogchen Path 10
The Base, its Three Aspects and the Three Modes
of Manifestation of Energy 13
The Kāyas as Stages of the Path 24
The Energy Volume Determining the Scope of Awareness 29
Inner Ngöndro, Rushen and Chod 35
Three Types of Avidyā and Three Types of Thought 40
Structure of the Book as it Stands Now 48
The Title of This Book 51
Words in Parentheses 52
Acknowledgements 53

TIME 55
PLEASURE AND PAIN 59
BOREDOM 61
DESIRE 63
FEAR, INSECURITY, SUFFERING AND REFUGE 65
TENSION 75
SELF-IMPORTANCE 84
BLAMING OTHERS 86
HATRED 89
CONTEMPLATION AND UPTIGHT MINDFULNESS 92
SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS 97
DELUSION, DISTRESS AND HERE-NOWNESS 101
LACKING 104
OTHERS, PRIDE AND VALUE 106
FAVORABLE CONDITIONS 109
WORRYING FOR OTHERS 112
ILLNESS AND PAIN 114
Dealing with Pain 116
Contemplation and Illness 118
GOOD AND EVIL 120
MEANING 128
MORALIST TEACHINGS AND RELATIVE PRACTICES 130
ABHOR THE PASSIONS? 135
PURIFICATION 139
OPENING UP 141
UNEASINESS IN MEDITATION 144
BOREDOM IN MEDITATION 149
TOO MANY PASSIONS AND DELUSIONS
IN CONTEMPLATION 151
PROFOUND INSTRUCTIONS 153
PEACEFUL MANDALAS 155
WRATHFUL MANDALAS 157
CONCLUSION 161

APPENDIX 163
SOCIAL LACES 163
ECOLOGY AND SURVIVAL 165
SOCIAL CHANGE 167

NOTES 171

Mandarava Long-life Practice, Chüdlen and Tsalungs retreat | Nina Robinson |

We are happy to invite you to the retreat Mandarava Long-life Practice, Chüdlen and Tsalungs in 23rd – 27th October 2019 with Nina Robinson at Rangdrolling, Amsterdam.

During the retreat we’ll try to learn something about all the different aspects of this practice: its meaning and benefits, the symbolism of the mandala, the melodies, mudras and use of ritual instruments.
We’ll also practice the Sogtig breathing for the Chudlen practice and, if time, some Tsalungs as taught by Rinpoche in the 2018 Mandarava Drubchen retreat in Dzamling Gar, Tenerife.
*****
We’ll start the retreat at 6.30 in the evening of 23rd October 2019 with a Ganapuja of Mandarava.
On the following days there will be explanations and practice 10 – 12 am and 3.30 – 5.15 pm, leaving space in the evening for Yantra Yoga and/or Dance of Vajra, or Khaita. Sessions will be more or less 2 hours
**********

The Mandarava Long-life, chüdlen and tsalung practices come from the Longsal Teachings of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu.
They belong to the Upadesha series of Dzogchen.

The following are words of Rinpoche extracted from various teachings.

“The Tibetan word for Upadesha is Men-ngag. Ngag means voice; men is the negative. That means these teachings should be kept secret; when practitioners receive these teachings they shouldn’t talk about them everywhere and use them everywhere; they should keep them secret.”

“The practice of Mandarava is a path for having total realization and also, relatively, for having a longer life and prosperity. But the main point is to attain realization of the state of Mandarava.
“Another characteristic of Men-ngag methods is that they are more effective and lead to quicker realization. Of course you need a concrete base for that. If you have that base, when you receive the teaching and do the practice in the correct way you can have quicker realization.”

“The Tsalungs are specific methods ….. for applying how to integrate into a state of contemplation through channels and chakras.”

“In the Dzogchen teachings it is considered important to at least do the most simple form of Chüdlen because it is a great help in the development of clarity.”

NINA ROBINSON’s BIO:

Nina Robinson was born in England in February 1937. She has done many different kinds of work, including raising a family, making ceramics and teaching it. After briefly following various Buddhist teachers she met Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and attended the teachings he gave in June 1980 in a camping retreat he gave in northern Italy. She was very fortunately able to follow many of his teaching and practice retreats from that time until the present day. She moved to Italy in 1986 and has lived near Merigar since then. She was secretary of Merigar for 7 years. She has also helped in transcribing, translating and editing many books of Shang Shung Editions.
Since 2002 she has been invited to lead retreats in many parts of the world.

Diet Advice just in case you want it
The diet Rinpoche recommended for those wishing to do strict Chudlen practice:
well-cooked grains such as wholegrain rice, barley, oats (no wheat); raw butter; honey; a little ripe fruit and cooked vegetables – all in small quantities and nothing after 6 o’clock in the evening.

Second level: those who need it can also eat some beans; fish; yogurt (only in the first half of the day) and cornflakes and milk in the evening.

Third level can add some cheese, fish and chicken etc.
People who have a lung imbalance will need more substantial food.
Drinks: good boiled water, some fruit juice, roasted barley drink, some herbal teas. Those who cannot give up tea and coffee should drink it very weak and not often.

Rinpoche said you should not smoke anything while you are doing Chüdlen.  He says that if you normally smoke you should stop for the whole time you are doing Chüdlen retreat.
Of course you shouldn’t use any kinds of heavy drugs or alcohol.

Location: Rangdrolling (Overbrakerpad 2, 1014 AZ Amsterdam)
Registration via email: info@rangdrolling.nl
IBAN: NL72INGB0006065880 with mention Mandarava retreat
Price: Sustaining € 95 -; Ordinary € 130 – ; Non-Members € 145 –
Early Bird Price: Sustaining € 80 -; Ordinary € 110 – (before October, 1)
*in case of financial troubles please contact  info@rangdrolling.nl

July, 20-21| Purification of Six Loka | Weekend retreat with Jakob Winkler

We are delighted to invite you to a Practice Weekend Retreat “Purification of Six Loka – Working with our emotions from a Dzogchen perspective” with Jakob Winkler on the 20-21th of July!

One of the main preliminary practice for entering the path of Dzogchen Upadesha for dealing with our passions is the purification of the Six Loka, the inner separation (rushen) of Samsara & Nirvana.

Through the power of the three Vajras combined with visualization, mantra and contemplation we purify the karmic seeds which create the samsaric suffering and hinder our recognition of the primordial enlightened state.

This practice is easy to apply and very suitable for practicing it together. We going to study the background of it and learn different ways of applying it.

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu writes in „The Precious Vase“

“The separation of Samsara and Nirvana.

Being conditioned by the delusive appearances of the mind and by thoughts without having any control over them constitutes the karmic vision of samsara. Abiding in the state of pure instant presence or Rigpa constitutes nirvana. Consequently, the purpose of these two special methods of separation, in their turn subdivided in outer, inner and secret separation, is to enable the practitioner to distinguish or separate the state of the mind that is the source of samsara from the state of Rigpa that is the root of liberation of nirvana.”

Jakob Winkler’s BIO:

Jakob Winkler studies and practices Tibetan Buddhism since the mid-eighties. He met Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in 1989. In 2002 he was authorized by him to teach the study and practice program of the base of „Santi Maha Sangha“ and in 2008 the 1st level. Jakob holds an MA in Tibetology, Indian art history and social anthropology, which he studied in Munich – his hometown – and Vienna. He works mainly as an author, editor and proofreader for Buddhist publications, instructor for Santi Maha Sangha and acts as interpreter for Buddhist teachings. Today he lives in Bonn, Germany.

Saturday, 20 July

10.00 – 13.00
15.00 -18.00

Sunday, 21 July

10.00 – 13.00
15.00 -17.00

Location: Rangdrolling (Overbrakerpad 2, 1014 AZ Amsterdam)
Registration via email: info@rangdrolling.nl
IBAN: NL72INGB0006065880 with mention 6 loka Retreat
Price: sustaining € 50.-  ; ordinary € 80.-
*in case of financial toubles please contact  info@rangdrolling.nl

Dzogchen series

Aan het einde van zijn leven vatte Garab Dorje, de eerste menselijke Dzogchen leraar, de complete transmissie samen in drie eenvoudige uitspraken:

1. Directe introductie
2. Niet in twijfel blijven
3. Verblijven in de staat

Hieruit volgde later een classificatie van het Dzogchen onderricht in drie groepen of series:

  • Geest-serie (Semde)
  • Ruimte-serie (Longde)
  • Essentiële of Geheime Serie (Dzogchen Mennagde of Upadesha).

Iedere serie richt zich op een van Garab Dorje’s uitspraken. De Semde serie richt zich voornamelijk op een basis begrip van de staat van Dzogchen, de Longde serie richt zich op het overwinnen van twijfel over de staat, en de Upadesha serie biedt methoden om deze kennis te integreren met alle aspecten van het bestaan. Het is belangrijk op te merken dat iedere serie een volledig pad in zichzelf is. De ene serie is niet superieur aan de andere.

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu had de overdrachtslijn van alle series ontvangen en heeft zich tijdens zijn leven voortdurend ingezet om hun volledige transmissie en beoefening in stand te houden.

Dzogchen

white_aDzogchen is onze werkelijke natuur of gesteldheid, onze oorspronkelijke staat voorbij concepten. Het doel van het Dzogchen onderricht is ons tot deze staat te introduceren, zodat wij deze oorspronkelijke staat in onszelf kunnen ontdekken. Daarna helpt het Dzogchen onderricht onze twijfel te overwinnen en uiteindelijk de oorspronkelijke staat in al ons handelen, voelen en denken te integreren.
Onze oorspronkelijke staat is vrij van alle beperkingen en conditionering. Het woord Dzogchen betekent “totale volmaaktheid” en verwijst naar een volmaaktheid voorbij dualisme. Dzogchen is geen traditie of religie, maar gaat rechtstreeks naar de essentie.
Het Dzogchen onderricht zoals wij dat nu kennen is afkomstig uit het Tibetaans boeddhisme.

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was een traditioneel opgeleide Tibetaanse leraar die al in de jaren 70 van de vorige eeuw het Dzogchen onderricht in het Westen begon door te geven. De International Dzogchen Community is de gemeenschap van zijn studenten.

Dzogchen is bijzonder geschikt voor een westerse levensstijl, omdat het goed in onze drukke levens kan worden geïntegreerd. Al onze bezigheden worden Dzogchen beoefening door het onderricht toe te passen.

Lees verder: Transmissie