There are no prerequisites for this retreat.
"A common misunderstanding is that the meditative state of mind has to be captured and then nursed and cherished. That is definitely the wrong approach. If you try to domesticate your mind through meditation--try to possess it by holding on to the meditative state-- the clear result will be regression on the path, with a loss of freshness and spontaneity. If you try to hold on without lapse all the time, then maintaining your awareness will begin to become a domestic hassle It will become like painfully going through housework. There will be an underlying sense of resentment, and the practice of meditation will become confusing. You will begin to develop a love-hate relationship toward your practice, in which your concept of it seems good but, at the same time, the demand this rigid concept makes on you is too painful.
So the technique is based on touch and go You focus your attention on the object of awareness then, in the same moment, you disown that awareness and go on. What is needed here is some sense of confidence--confidence that you do not have to securely own your mind, but that you can tune into its process spontaneously."
The Quintessential Teachings of Trungpa Rinpoche series are a set of weekend retreats suitable for beginners and advanced students which engage the pith oral instructions of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In this retreat we will engage the fundamental instructions on Dzogchen and Mahamudra practice given by Trungpa Rinpoche to his direct students.
As beginners one often comes at practice with a mind conditioned by certain assumptions. Generally we attempt to sustain a fabricated concentratiion by focusing on a technique. But in this case one needs to develop a fundamental awareness which knows when you are present directly and then we let go of any attempt to hold on to a fabricated concentration. This is both the development and realization of "knowing the one" or "resolving the nature of mind." It is not about feeling "good" particularly or pushing away thoughts so that we can achieve a "thought-free state." It is realizing that this moment of knowing when we are present in a way which is not conditioned by our habitual reactions is the ultimate reference point -- the ultimate nature of our awareness.
The weekend will consist of talks by the resident teacher and the Practice of "mixing mind with space" the essential training of Dzogchen practice. There will be group discussion and individual meditation interviews.
Cost $195.00
Includes room and Board
Event Date | 08-15-2025 |
Event End Date | 08-17-2025 |
Individual Price | $195.00 |