E-MAHO Dzogchen Center Newsletter Updated 09 Apr 2002

CONTENTS

Welcome to Emaho
Dedication
Dzogchen Center
Would you like to help? Please do!
From Lama Surya
Lama John's Investiture
Retreat Beat
Hey! It's Happening!
What in Creation
A Word on Submissions

RETREAT BEAT

GUIDED MEDITATION

Are you curious about what it would be like to attend a Dzogchen Center retreat?   How it would be to try this kind of meditation?   Let's drop into the meditation hall and catch a glimpse of what's going on.

Before us is a spacious room filled with comfortable cushions, all in bright colors.  Windows look out onto forest canopy and sky.  Where there are no windows, the walls are hung with tankas, all in rainbow colors, images of buddhas and bodhisattvas, of mandalas, and dakinis.

Lean back a little, and relax.   Drop the shoulders, raise the gaze.   Elevate the scope of 360-degree luminous panoramic awareness—inclusive, sensitive, receptive to whatever momentarily presents itself.  Outside or inside.  Phenomena or noumena.  Whatever momentarily presents itself in the bodymind continuum.  In the present moment.  There's room for everything—sounds, sights, feelings, emotions, physical sensations, thoughts—room for everything in the skylike nature of big mind, buddha heart. . . 

. . .Eyes open, ears open, nose open, mouth open, throat open, chest open, diaphragm open, navel open, anus open, posture open.  Natural.  At ease.  Natural body—buddha body. Natural mind—buddha mind; let it be. . .  Natural breath, buddha's breath and energy; let it be.  Find refuge in these three natural Jewels:  natural body, natural breath and energy, natural mind.  Let it be. . . natural flow.

Silence. . . and then Surya continues:  Sky-gazing, space-mingling, the six senses in the natural state. . .  the practice of the great completeness. . .  Dzogchen.

Eyes gently focused. . . soft focus, not staring.  Soft focus.  Ears, soft focus.  All the senses just natural and relaxed, attentive, present, wakeful.   Rely on natural mindfulness rather than on concentration and effort. . .

You hear the truck?   That's it, that's Rigpa's function and display. . . 

And let everything go as it goes, be as it is, in the great natural state of things left just as they are. . . naturally, at peace.  Let them fall into place.   Wherever they fall-- that could be the right place.   Let that settle by itself.   By itself, arising; by itself, settling or dissolving again, releasing.   Like waves in the sea of mind. Like clouds or weather in the skylike infinite nature of awareness.  Awareness aware of awareness. . . natural samadhi, natural coherence.

And just relax. . . into. . . the view, the meditation of non-meditation.   Let go of the struggle and the striving.   And be simply present as whatever arises. . . and enjoy the simplicity and the natural peace. Enjoy. . . meditation.

There is silence again, and the truck can be heard in the background, beeping as dump trucks or garbage trucks do.

Surya continues:   If you need an anchor to present awareness, more structure in your meditation, follow the outbreath.   Focus lightly on the exhalation, breathing out, letting go with each outbreath, relinquishing a little more of whatever arises, letting go a little more with each outbreath.   A little death, a little release, with each outbreath.   Ah-h-h. . .  And just dissolve, as the breath dissolves into space.   Let the thoughts or perceptions or feelings dissolve themselves into space—the space of awareness.   Ah-h-h. . .

Just rest.   Awareness aware of itself.  Self-recognition. Pure presence.  Rigpa.  Breath by breath, moment after perfect moment.   The great completeness.

There is silence, then "Ah-h-h. . .", very softly.   In the silence, we hear gears shifting, that same truck beeping.   "Ah-h-h. . . "   And then again, silence.

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Dzogchen Center is happy to announce there will be a first-time-ever Spring Intensive with Lama Surya Das, from Friday 30 March through Sunday 8 April 2001, at the Institute of Mentalphysics (otherwise known as Joshua Tree Spiritual Retreat Center) in Joshua Tree, California. 

If you would like to join us for this auspicious event, please see details on the Dzogchen Center Retreats page.

The following description is taken from the Institute’s brochure:

"Clear, clean air combines with sweeping vistas of mountains and desert to offer a peaceful atmosphere for work, study, or relaxation at the Retreat Center.  Masterful architecture placed in a garden setting provides ideal facilities.  The location at Joshua Tree is 30 miles north and 3,000 feet higher than Palm Springs, and less than a three-hour drive from Los Angeles, Orange County, or San Diego."

Many of the buildings were designed by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright).  Nature’s own spacious expanse offers boundless opportunity for skygazing.  If you have never seen a desert spring or meditated in its silent loveliness, consider being a part of this retreat.  If you have not yet started a meditation practice, this is an ideal time and place in which to do so.  Welcome, all!

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