B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 15 Nov 2010
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
In this session Alan gives a short explanation on the modern neurocentric view which sustains that mental events are either equal to the brain, emergent properties of the brain or mere functions of it. He encourages us to observe mental events with an empiric–centric view, a spirit of inquiry and first person experience. We then meditated on settling the mind in its natural state with a special emphasis on observing carefully the space from which mental events arise, take place and dissolve bac…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This evening Alan leads us into the practice of compassion by attending to the 3rd and deepest dimension of suffering and its causes, completing the process of merging wisdom and compassion. After the meditation session, Alan answers 3 very important and very practical questions: one dealing with the ‘vase breathing,’ which can be applied in the practice of “settling the mind in its natural state” and in “awareness of awareness;” the second dealing with how to distinguish between observing the…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Hello All you Lovelies out in Computerland or iPodland, This morning’s meditation technique is Awareness of Awareness. Padmasambhava, in his book Natural Liberation, calls this meditation technique the cultivation of ‘Shamatha without a sign’. Then, Alan went into some of the history of how different scientific disciplines have thought about the mind according to how their discipline measures things. Each one has a specialized language. He gave instructions on how to do the meditation of Aware…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This afternoon Alan started giving a brilliant lecture about the third of the Four Immeasurables, empathetic joy, which means taking delight from other’s joys, fortunes and virtues. He addressed that nowadays more than ever we should practice on this immeasurable, knowing that around 90% of the news we read on the web are bad news and recalling one of his favorite phrases from William James: “At the moment what we are attending to is reality”, then we should focus and take delight from all the…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan’s introduction to today’s practice aimed to differentiate Awareness of Awareness from Settling the Mind in its Natural State. The culmination of any Shamatha method is the dissolution of the mind in substrate consciousness. In Settling the Mind, the object of meditation is the space of the mind and whatever mental events arise within it, and the practice consists in letting these events be. In Awareness of Awareness, the interest is the nature of awareness itself. The practice consists in…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan leads a guided meditation on Empathetic Joy, the third of the Four Immeasurables. This is the practice of rejoicing in our and others’ happiness, kindness, and virtuous actions. This practice counteracts the self-centered attitude of “I win!” Instead, we feel joy due to the existence of all the good in the world. A question and answer session follows the meditation. Alan gives practical advice on meditation practice. A technical discussion is given on the integration of Shamatha and Bodhic…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
By clearly stating “Nobody has direct access to the mind as you do” Alan speaks briefly about science and Buddhism, especially in terms of defining who we really are, where the scientific conclusions lead generally to disempower the individual experience. He invites us, then, to watch the nature of our own awareness. He affirms that the reason why the mind has the appearance of movement is because of grasping. If you relinquish all grasping, awareness is by nature still and luminous. Even when…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
At first glance, Equanimity seems anticlimactic after Loving Kindness, Compassion and Empathetic Joy. In fact, Equanimity is the culmination of the Four Immeasurables. It is an emotional state of balance…deep composure. When the Dalai Lama was asked, “What is our most primary impulse?” He answered CARING. Caring is the root of Loving Kindness & Compassion. The meditation guides us to shift places with others to realize that we all equally want to be well and happy, free from suffering and t…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
We enter the final day of the first 10-day cycle of meditations in this retreat and the last phase of Awareness of Awareness in which we “expand our sense of our space of the mind.” The practice comes from Natural Liberation, by Padmasambhava. We are then graced with a wide ranging discussion including: the philosophies of mind - materialism and Cartesian dualism, a modern version of relative and ultimate truth, a description of who (from each person’s own philosophic or religious perspective…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Breaking down the barriers to others and our preferences for some over others is the basis of the practice of equanimity. We find ourselves in the grip of our own mental afflictions unless we are able to unlock our limited views of the people we meet in our daily encounters. Seeing without attachment and aversion creates a view where it is possible to value all sentient beings with equanimity.
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Here we go again! Alan turns the wheel of dharma from the beginning of the cycle emphasizing the great benefits of the infirmary practice and the supine position, which we can use to make a habit out of relaxing around everything and anything that comes up (yes, even bliss). With the understanding that all mental afflictions are carried over by the conceptual mind, we take every exhalation as an opportunity to silence the inner chatter. Quiet conceptual mind equals dormant mental afflictions, e…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Loving-kindness should be saturated with wisdom, that is, knowing what’s conducive to well being. So we need to envision a conducive place to live, including partners for who you feel genuine affection, respect and trust. Instead of asking what I love to receive from the world, we need to ask what I truly need. So be content with merely the adequate. Loving-Kindness involves an internal transformation, to end with craving and hostility. After the meditation, Dr. Wallace answered questions that…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This morning we were honored with the visit of Klaus Hebben, founder and director of PIA. After expressing his gratitude to him, Alan gave an explanation of bala, which literally means power. Referring to the five powers (panchabalani), which are developed by strengthening the five roots or controlling faculties (indriya): faith or devotion (shraddha) which overcomes doubt and false beliefs; enthusiasm or zeal (vidya) which overcomes laziness; mindfulness (sati) which overcomes forgetfulness; p…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This afternoon we revisit some of the main points of Immeasurable Loving-Kindness, and also the issue of how to develop one’s practice of all Four Immeasurables in a natural way, both in and out of formal meditation sessions. Then Alan answers some very practical questions relating to transitory meditation experiences, loving-kindness, mindfulness of breathing and settling the mind in its natural state.
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Hello to All You Worldwide Sweeties, This morning, Alan returned to instructions on Mindfulness of Breathing at the nostrils. He had one word of caution. This is very important. If any pressure starts to build up in the head, immediately bring your attention to the rise and fall of the abdomen or go to the infirmary - full body. He emphasized the importance of observing the breath if it is long or short. Don’t manipulate or try to control the breath in any manner. Solely be an observer. Mindful…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Once again, Alan shared with us some very inspiring reflections about our own capacity and potential. Remembering a question from H.H. Dalai Lama: What is our deepest impulse? He answers that our deepest impulse is caring. Caring emerges from within, so the potential of wanting to have happiness and be free from suffering is already there, but it’s blocked, it has barriers. The cause of these barriers is grasping on “I”, “Me” and “Mine”. So besides the well known practices like Tonglen, the pra…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Before the meditation, Alan explained to us the importance of this practice –Settling the Mind is a crucial Shamatha practice and also has qualities of Vipassana. The practice was introduced by the Buddha. Alan explained also that there are 2 types of ignorance: Cognitive Deficit Disorder, when the mind is distracted and we don’t perceive the reality of the moment. The other is Cognitive Hyperactivity, when we perceive something that is not there, but rather is a projection of our thoughts, ima…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
When we experience suffering there is a risk that we will respond with grief or anger. Instead Alan guides us to meditate on compassion, which is the heartfelt yearning: “May we all be free of suffering and the sources of suffering.” Compassion is the response that guides our spiritual practice swiftly upward like a rocket. Today’s meditation focuses our compassion on the first of three levels of suffering, the “suffering of suffering” commonly known as everyday physical and emotional pain. Ala…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan begins the first session of this week by a useful explanation on the sources of suffering in Modernity and the impediments that arise in our path to bliss, luminosity and non-conceptuality. Modernity seems to be perfect to increase Obsessional-Compulsive-Delusional-Disorder (OCDD), through work, stress, entertainment… In this pathological context, OCDD is taken to be normal. Contemplative traditions (Buddhism has not the monopoly here) come to the scene by claiming: “this might be normal…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
What are the real causes of suffering and what are the catalysts? Dukkha, the suffering of change, affects everyone. Even if samsara is turning out well for you now it’s inevitable that tragedy will happen. If your happiness is based on the notion that what you have won’t be lost, suffering will ensue. The introductory talk and meditation leads us to seek freedom from the five mental tendencies that obscure our birthright of luminous clarity: craving, malice, laxity, excitation/anxiety and unce…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
With this morning’s practice of Settling the Mind in its Natural State, we shift attention to the background of the events of the mind – the space of the mind. This space is none other than the substrate seen, as one views the moon on a cloudy night, through veils of afflictions. Using a metaphor for this practice Alan asks why anyone would want to look at a blank screen on the TV when the third obscuration, laxity and dullness, is the habitual response. As Shamatha “always entails a flow of…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
The core sense of grasping derives from a delusion that all sentient beings share. In this session Alan explains the causes of suffering, how it arises and how it may dissolve. In his guided meditation he shows us how bringing compassion to others and ourselves will break the cycle of suffering as we attend to reality and bring equilibrium and balance into the basis of our practice.v
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
WoW! Alan was on a roll this morning. He went from discussing Shamatha and how to gain confidence in it (using awareness of awareness as an example), through the different ways of viewing the Universe according to Buddhist cosmology, only to end on demonstrating when practicing Shamatha may not be Dharma. So in brief: How do we gain confidence in our practice? - By cultivating it. Doing it and knowing when we are doing it correctly. How did the Universe originate? – Well, there’s the long-time…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
The third Immeasurable attends to actuality; it is not an aspiration like the first two: Loving-Kindness and Compassion. Empathetic Joy is rejoicing in the well-being of others. Isn’t that extraordinary…? Choosing to feel right! First, you sweep through your life and reflect on the kindness you received. You rejoice in their virtue. You delight in what brings meaning to life. Then you can raise the question how can I repay the kindness that I have received from the world? Then you can think of…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
In this session we practiced awareness of awareness. According to Padmasambhava, by doing this practice you may realize Rigpa or Pristine awareness. Alan talked about the differences between coarse impermanence and subtle impermanence. He referred to the individual stream of consciousness as one which is impermanent yet never terminates. Rigpa, however, is beyond change, it does not arise upon causes and conditions and it’s a dimension of awareness that transcends the concepts of permanence and…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This afternoon we look at Empathetic Joy – the aspiration for all beings to never be parted from happiness and its causes – and explore what this means from a wisdom perspective. Ultimately we look at it from the perspective of ‘Path,’ and what it means for one’s life to become Dharma. Following the meditation, Alan answers questions related to the practices of settling the mind in its natural state and awareness of awareness, as well as some very practical guidance related to the practice of l…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Good Morning to All Human Beings, This is the third morning for Awareness of Awareness Shamatha Meditation. Alan was speaking like a wrathful deity this morning. He is wrathful about the way some scientists (as well as the journalists who report on scientific studies) use words to describe the functions of computers and the brain. They use language that would suggest that neurons and computers are “smart” and can “communicate” and “detect” things, but at the same time disempower human beings by…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This afternoon Alan delighted us with his lecture. He gave us advice in how to continue practicing after one has finished a retreat and has to go back to the usual activities of daily life. He questioned, how does special bonds of special relationships fit with the ideal of equanimity? And the answer to that is to take out the threads of attachment attending to the needs of the other person, deepening the sense of loving-kindness. Furthermore turning the hedonic concerns into eudemonic (genuine…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan’s introduction was very interesting. He explained to us that, according to the teachings of Padmasambhava, this practice is designed to go straight to the nature of the phenomena of consciousness, “the space of awareness,” the relative space of the mind. He shared with us that years ago some scientists were trying to investigate and research yogis, and how these people practice Shamatha and Compassion. The scientists wanted to study only the brain, but the yogis refused to take part, becau…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan makes two important points about equanimity and balance. Alan’s first point is that equanimity is the balanced foundation needed to achieve Bodhicitta. Just as Shamatha provides the cognitive balance needed for Vipassana, equanimity provides the affective balance needed for Bodhicitta. Alan’s second point is that a balance between faith and intelligence is extremely critical. This sacred tension between faith and skepticism is part of our practice of equanimity. Alan leads us in a meditat…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
We are starting for the 3rd time the cycle of meditations starting with the Infirmary, this wonderful practice to get grounded and enhance relaxation. In his opening 20-minute lecture, Alan talked this time about the parallelism between Shamatha and the 4 Immeasurables on how the former leads to realizing emptiness and the latter bodhichita. Both are the 2 “supernovas” on our way to enlightenment. He also shared in detail his point of view, according to the Geluk tradition, on Ngöndro Practic…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
In the prelude to this afternoon’s meditation, Alan reminds us that mainstream society is in a frenzy to consume the earth. We are categorized as consumers and told to get spending to stimulate the economy. In the thrust of modernity, one may consider himself special if he meditates 20 minutes a day. Are we devoting our time to what we value? In the meditation we expand on the resources that are not earth depleting or competitive. We tap into the internal, boundless resources of our Buddha natu…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan discusses synergy this morning. In the “infirmary” this is experienced while one balances maintaining the initial state of clarity with deepening relaxation. With this practice alone one can dispel 95% of the troubles with meditation. In mindfulness of breathing with stability (focus on the sensations of the breath in the abdomen) discipline is introduced to strengthen stability and balanced with deepening relaxation and vividness. For those interested, today’s practice leads the way int…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan reminds us that the practice of loving-kindness first begins with loving ourselves. As so often is the case in meditation practice, we often discover our own shortcomings rather than our assets. Being judgmental, feeling self-contempt and lack of worth leads us to further mental afflictions. He recommends that we attend to these faults (cravings, hatred, jealousy, pettiness, to name a few) and identify them as delusional obstructions to our own healing. The solution is to view these as mer…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This morning Alan raised the emotional issue of the warrior returning home from the front. Going down memory lane he recalled the various ways heroes have been greeted upon their return. Some were welcomed and accommodated with gratitude; others were left to paddle for themselves. And then he got to the point: how about those of us taking time from their lives to face the most noblest (and bloodless) of all battles – the one with our own afflictive emotions. How would we be received when the re…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This afternoon Alan deepens into the subject of Loving-Kindness. He cites sources from the Mettā Sutta found in the Pali Canon; the Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification) written by Buddhaghosa , and, of course from the Buddha itself when he says we shouldn’t doubt the Four Immeasurables as explained in the Kalama Sutra. Explains that what we are cultivating an aspiration, that the object of this discursive meditation are all sentient beings. He then guides the meditation saying that we coul…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This can be a challenging practice. In today’s approach, drawing from the teachings of the Buddha to Bahia “In the seen let it just be the seen”, we applied it to the visual field, then the auditory, the tactile and finally to the mental. The main instruction for this practice is “without distraction and without grasping”. Distraction refers to the tendency to follow a chain of associations. For example, when we see an attribute of an object, like a color, we start superimposing concepts based…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This evening, as we return to the theme of Immeasurable Compassion, Alan offers an expansive and truly remarkable presentation of how the Buddhist approach to suffering runs directly against the grain of modernity’s approach to suffering, and finally how the bodhisattva’s response to suffering departs radically from that of a hinayana practitioner aspiring to the state of an arhat. Challenging, mind-expanding and deeply inspiring; one hour of Alan at his finest.
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Good Morning, This Mediation is settling the Mind in Its Natural State. Alan said that because he didn’t answer two questions last night he would answer them this morning. The first question was about the elements. The second question was about grasping. After the meditation, Alan said a couple of more sentences about the prerequisites before starting the practice of settling the Mind in Its Natural State. Darlene
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This evening Alan taught us more about the cultivation of compassion, but now going deeper, from the compassion for the blatant suffering of sentient beings to the compassion of the suffering of change which emerge from the 5 obscurations (attachment, malice, dullness, excitation and uncertainty) and he pointed out the unsatisfying nature of hedonism. Then he raised the questions: what is it dukha good for?; Can I make it meaningful? And the response is that dukha can be our best allied making…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan starts the session with an explanation of mindfulness of breathing, saying that, with time and practice, there may be a moment where you do not detect the breath anymore, and you can no longer find any sensation. He recommended doing 2 things: relax more deeply as you are breathing out, and as you are doing so, attend sharply to pick up the sensation. Then, in the explanation of settling the mind, he said that the substrate is not a mere absence of thoughts. It is something that can be p…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Grasping the “real I” and “really mine” is at the root of suffering. How do we get rid of grasping? All of Dharma. After 8 weeks we may find that although our thoughts are still like a cascading waterfall of garbage, we don’t have to eat it any more. Even if we can’t stop it, we can cut our suffering by developing discerning mindfulness, by not reifying ourselves and our ruminations, and by not acting while afflicted by grasping. One sign of meditation progress is that our obsessive thoug…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Awareness of awareness is “the most profound practice” according to the Buddha, and he gave us this morning very meaningful advice on how to know we’re doing it correctly.You may wonder that if you’re doing such a profound practice, you should be getting profound results…But, nothing! This doubt comes from an expectation for deep results. How do you know if you are doing this practice of awareness of awareness correctly? You could ask the following questions:1. Are you aware that you are…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Strong mental afflictions catch our attention. We do not notice good deeds as much as bad. This is especially true of the media. We need to make a conscious effort to have an antenna up for joy. In a single meditation session we can take delight in doing the practice well. Even if our mind wanders, we can bring it back joyfully.The meditation includes the Mahayana prayer: May we all never be parted from genuine happiness and the causes of happiness. Why couldn’t we? May we never be part…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
If you want firewood, you can trim off all the leaves and branches and wait for the tree to die and fall over. OR you can cut the tree down at its base - at the root, and you have firewood now. Likewise for investigating the mind: you can go at it intellectually – using logic, forming hypotheses, picking off one idea after another or you can go for the root by way of direct observation, though direct experience of the mind at close range in the practice of awareness of awareness. Urging us o…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan reviews for us the process of cultivating empathetic joy. It is possible to find many rewards in this practice as he explores the unfolding of empathetic joy in its three flavors: Attending to the kindness shown to us by others, taking delight in one’s own virtue, and creating an aspiration for happiness for all sentient beings. You will especially enjoying listening to Alan’s own personal story of the way he discovered dharma near the end of the question and answer session.
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
The point of awareness of awareness is NOT to prove that there’s no one who is aware because there is. Not finding any-specific-one who controls the attention and concluding that we don’t exist (and therefore no one else exists) is a nihilistic, not the Buddhist view. Unfortunately, it is exactly that close facsimile of the Madhyamika view that is most often picked up and allied with by the archetypical scientist materialist Alan likes to debate with. “We are just our brains. We are just th…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan explains that Equanimity is similar to the Serenity prayer:God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.It’s not being indifferent. You remain calm. It’s a state cooled from the flames of Samsara, imperturbable. In Theravada Buddhism is a cultivated emotion. In the Mahayana tradition is an aspiration. Don’t judge people according to their appearances, because that’s where attachment and aversion com…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
In this session Alan made an analogy between the practice of visualizing a Buddha image in the first stages of shamatha and the clarity we can expect to have in the first stages of the practice of awareness of awareness. According to Tsongkhapa we should be satisfied with maintaining just enough contact of the image in the first stages. As we progress on the path of shamatha we develop greater clarity and in the final stages we can see the image as being tridimensional and as vivid as in a drea…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This evening we return to the practice of Immeasurable Equanimity, with some profound instructions drawn from Karma Chagme Rinpoche, a great Tibetan master and patriarch of the Mahamudra and Dzogchen lineages. Alan discusses the ways in which the Dharma we practice can be conditioned by our sense of personal identity, history and cultural context, and how achieving Shamatha and the Four Immeasurables allows us to free our Dharma practice from this limited context. He also explains the Four Grea…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
We started with a silent meditation with free choice on practicing one or more of the Four Immeasurables. Then Alan gave a little bit of advice and encouragement to all the meditators about dealing in a healthy way with all kinds of obstacles that arises on continuous practice. After that there were 5 Q&A. The first one about the practice of the Four Immeasurables, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th about the three methods of shamatha that Alan has been guiding and the last one about controversial teache…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
We started with a silent meditation with free choice on practicing one of the Shamatha practices. Then Alan gave some examples of the path of Shamatha. He joked that commenting on your daily meditation practice as being “bad” or “good” or having “highs and lows” is like the habit of coming home to a spouse and reporting on your day. Alan encouraged us not to measure and evaluate our practice in a hedonic way, but rather to think about what we can bring to our practice in terms of motivation,…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Following a silent meditation session, Alan addressed a wide range of questions from students:Post-retreat advice regarding refuge, ethics, and the importance of spiritual friends • Can I drink one or two beers without affecting my meditation? • How to adapt yourself to wake naturally at 3AM • How to use meditation on a physical, visual object as a calming technique • Can bodhisattvas or arhats suffer? • Discussion of alternate pronunciations of Padmasambhava’s mantra and the Vajrasattva mantra…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Pressure in the head and headaches are not habits we should build while meditating. Therefore, this morning, Alan gave a detailed reminder of how this should be approached: back to Infirmary. This is by giving special attention to release all thoughts and tension during the out-breath and by focusing on the earth element (sensations of firmness and solidity).The tension might come from the feeling of anxiety that there are only 2 ½ weeks left for the retreat to be over. So, Alan used an a…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Discursive meditation, because it is repetitive, can become stale. Between sessions, look for sentient beings with whom to interact, each time is a fresh interaction. Add fresh yeast to the practice. Invite more and more beings into the practice. The object is sentient beings. We are generating an aspiration which gives rise to a feeling, not simply a feeling. Alan suggests we envision the aspiration to achieve Shamatha with all the inner and outer requests fulfilled.Question topics includ…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
“So with the man who has daily inured himself to habits of concentrated attention, energetic volition, and self-denial in unnecessary things. He will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him, and his softer fellow-mortals are winnowed like chaff in the blast.”1In this short talk Alan gives these succinct instructions; “Have your concentration tight enough that there is not space for thoughts to take hold…Don’t give involuntary thoughts an inch.” He also discusses how to count the…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Once again cultivating loving kindness through the practice of Tonglen, Alan advises to start with ourselves as we concentrate on our own merit and then move outwards to others. As we continue through the practice focusing on loved ones, then neutral persons and finally those with whom we have difficulty, we are really starting the practice where we will end. The ultimate goal is to breakdown all barriers. This meditation is a flow of benevolence for others and ourselves. Listen further for…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This morning Alan used the Russian-dolls imagery (the dolls that stuck within each other) as his mold. First, he applied it to our mindfulness of breathing practice. Settling the body, speech, and mind are all contained within one another. The mind is at rest when the inner voice is quiet. The inner voice is quiet when the respiration is flowing unobstructed, not forced and unconstricted within a properly aligned body, which is relaxed, still, and yet in a posture of vigilance. We then us…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
Alan starts by mentioning that within all physical and mental impermanence, what remains always constant is a person that wants to be happy, loved and smiled back to. The Bodhisattva is a friend of the world! You can practice without having to believe anything; from the Theravada tradition softly sending Loving-Kindness to all; from the Mahayana view expanding the Loving-Kindness until you feel responsible for alleviating the suffering of all beings or, from the Vajrayana tradition, generating…
B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010
This morning we began the cycle of Settling the Mind in its Natural state following the instructions that the Buddha gave to Bahia “In the seen let just the seen be…” “In the heard let just the heard be”,” In the mentally perceived let just be the mentally perceived…” So we don’t elaborate or label. We suspend judgment as if you are listening to a fascinating person or are seeing other people’s mind. Reality is speaking to you. Bare, naked. Alan mentioned that the quintessential instruction…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
This evening we return to compassion, with a focus on how Buddhism runs against the grain of modernity in terms of its approach to suffering. We can achieve lasting and total freedom from suffering while still alive; we don’t have to wait for death to bring salvation (as in modern mainstream Christianity), or total annihilation (as in the materialistic, neurocentric view of mind). Then, following the meditation session, Alan answers questions concerning ‘settling the mind in its natural state,’…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
Good Morning to All Shamatha Minded Sentient Beings,This morning Alan went into more detail on settling the mind in its natural state. He opened with a quote from Dujom Rinpoche. “Whatever comes up in the mind don’t apply any antidote.” ( while doing Settling the Mind in its Natural State). He also talked about having confidence in oneself and having a balanced mind. We reviewed the 5 Obscurations and the antidotes for them. And then, how being present, relaxation, and looseness are essential f…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
Once more Alan gave us magnificent reflections about the 5 obscurations, which are responsible for the suffering of change. On this occasion he referred to these obscurations from a universal perspective imagining how it would be like to have an educational system where students could receive specific teachings supporting them in overcoming those obstacles. He pointed out that when we throw away the 5 obscurations then our inner resources can manifest. Alan continued with a meditation session a…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
In the intro, Alan explained the difference between the space of the mind with its 6 fields of experience (dharmadatu) and ultimate reality, nirvana, emptiness, absolute space of phenomena (dharmata). Like Dudjom Rimpoche said: dharmakaya it’s the nature of your own mind. He goes from that and when he talks about open presence, “if excitation arises, then loosen up, if laxity arises, then focus more clearly”. So, within Dzogchen is it possible to take emptiness (sunyata, dharmata), as the obje…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
The deepest level of suffering is caused by the three poisons, particularly the grasping to “I am.” While the “message of modernity” is that suffering is inescapable during life, Buddha’s message is that suffering will in fact cease if we attend to its source. To do this we must face our self-grasping. Lucid dreaming is the closest analogy to abandoning the ignorance of self-grasping. You may feel a recurrent pressure during this retreat, as if something is holding you back. This is a go…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
There are some terms we shouldn’t misunderstand, because if we do, we can waste a lot of time of practice. Alan gave an explanation of such terms: mindfulness, open presence, Rigpa, according to the Buddhist and non-Buddhist perspective in order for us to see the difference. After his brief lecture, this morning we came back into the first method of Awareness of Awareness (4th cycle), where we simply rest in the experience of being aware; a second part of the session followed by oscillating th…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
In the Theravada context, cultivating Empathetic Joy (Mudita) is cultivating an emotion. There is so much to take delight in! This will add yeast to life regardless of one’s world view. When we get away from the retreat center we can really practice!In the Mahayana context, the practice is cultivating an aspiration, not an emotion. “Why couldn’t we all be free from suffering, why not?” If we don’t terminate after death, the Mahayana prayer takes on greater relevance. Only from the perspec…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
Today we take an excursion into our experienced sense of being the observer and probe inward to investigate. The practice - awareness of awareness – deactivates the coarse mind, the mind with which we identify. We do our best to do the practice from the vantage point of the substrate. Practiced correctly, shamatha will rise up to meet us. “Our practice here is softening [us] up for vipashyana.” Likewise with all the practices along the path, each prepares us for the next.“Let Buddha-hood r…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
Alan begins this session with an inspirational story about one of his foremost teachers, Geshe Rabten. This humble lama, who had completed years of scholarly work and consultation studies with the Dalai Lama, found true contentment in life as he meditated under a simple rock shelf. His dedication to this single pointed purpose demonstrates a shining example of loving-kindness as a practice. “Dharma”, Alan says, ”is Bodhicitta. We must meditate on it, cultivate it, and then allow it to flow th…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
This morning Alan took another stab at modern scientific reductionism – the tendency to reduce everything to an objective, solid reality, independent of an observer. He cited William James’ experience at Harvard Medical School in the 1860s to show that the idea of the brain being the agent – the source of consciousness- actually pre-dated any significant discoveries about the brain and its functions. All along, however, there have been people like William James himself and the entire Buddhist…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
Equanimity is understood as a sense of composure in engaging with life situations and persons as well as even heartedness. Is an attitude transformation that gives you freedom. Since you conceptually designate, you can change the designation and there lies the power to be totally present, engaged, without grasping. Fully alive, revolutionary! It’s possible since we never leap outside the space of our minds. We then meditated on Equanimity.Suggested that we read the Patience or Fortitude chapte…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
This morning we had the last guided Shamatha meditation. Alan explained how in this transient world in which all things that are born have to die, we can tap into the substrate consciousness and even though it is also impermanent in the sense that it changes moment by moment, it is a continuum that carries from one life to the next. It is present even during deep dreamless sleep, comatose and general anesthesia and that’s the reason that we can wake up again. When dying, if you have achieved Sh…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
On this, the last night of led practice for this retreat, Alan first teaches on how the cultivation of shamatha and the four immeasurables are profoundly inter-related. With shamatha, we withdraw inwards, away from our ordinary identification with the limitations of our physical embodiment and our coarse psyche. Then with the four immeasurables, we expand outwards to identify with all beings. While leading the meditation on equanimity, we are guided briefly through all modes of shamatha and the…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
Alan offers some brief remarks on choosing which practice we’d like to engage in during these silent meditations. This is followed by an unguided 24 minute Gatika.
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
This time Alan gave us advice on how to maintain protection from imbalances once we engage in daily life activities and that is becoming more and more familiar with the practices of the Four Immeasurables regarding them as our 4 best friends. We should know that whatever situation comes up there is a chance to practice. He shared a marvelous metaphor of 4 mighty horses (Four Immeasurables) pulling the chariot leading to awakening and when one of the horses falls stray there is always another o…
B. Alan Wallace, 19 Nov 2010
Alan offers some brief remarks on the 5 Dhana factors, as well some of the possible implications of Buddhist mindfulness on memory loss associated with aging. This is followed by a silent meditation.
B. Alan Wallace, 07 Dec 2010
In this talk, Alan encourages us to continue our practice in a spirit of loving-kindness for ourselves. He then answers questions about Arhats, colors of traditional monastic robes, and oracle to the Dalai Lama, Khandro La.
B. Alan Wallace, 07 Dec 2010
As we anticipate the end of retreat, Alan mentions that the effects of retreat will not be lost as we go out and engage with the world. Genuine happiness can certainly arise outside of a retreat, as we go out into the world and lead an ethical way of life.
B. Alan Wallace, 07 Dec 2010
Alan talks about envisioning something new for ourselves as we go back into situations that feel old and familiar.
B. Alan Wallace, 30 Dec 2010
Alan discusses bringing wholesome intentions into our daily lives as a way of letting our minds become dharma. Though we will continue to be mentally afflicted, if we can see our mental afflictions for what they are, we will be able to act on them less and less.
B. Alan Wallace, 30 Dec 2010
Alan encourages us not to be discouraged when life dishes up difficult situations, and instead to bring our best motivation to daily life.
B. Alan Wallace, 30 Dec 2010
Alan offers final words and we tearfully say goodbye. The session ends with a big group hug.
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