First of all, I want to say welcome everybody and we will begin our retreat for the next one week and we would like to go as much as we can in all aspect of our practice and understanding of the teaching. So let's make it a great retreat. And I also felt very important although this whole particular teaching is coming from the Mahayati lineage of the Dzogchen tradition, but at the same time it is important for us to review ourself and begin ourself with many

[01:08]

possibilities. So we would like to make it a great retreat as something to have a concrete understanding, you could say, something which we can know how to function in our everyday life, the practice and the teaching put together. So as I said, we would like to go through different possibilities. We could begin our meditation on levels of meditation techniques, not going

[02:14]

straight from the very beginning to the Dzogchen level, but we could begin by making the possibilities, experiencing the possibilities within ourselves, reaching towards the destination of the Dzogchen nature. That's really the right way, the genuine way of going towards the Dzogchen state, the Dzogchen understanding of the practice. So the whole point, the whole point of the practicing and hearing the teaching is basically to have a, we could say, a breakthrough and experience what we call the notion of wisdom and the

[03:20]

notion of sanity into our lives every day. How we can properly keep that notion of basic sanity. The notion of basic sanity simply doesn't mean that you have some good thoughts and you try to live in the domain in that personality. That doesn't mean basic sanity. Basic sanity has far more deeper understanding than simply trying to be in the domain of a nice personality. In that sense, we are probably interpreting the basic sanity from an emotional balance point of view, not from a basic sanity level. So there's a difference between emotional balance and basic sanity level. The basic sanity level, what we would call the

[04:27]

transcendence of our deception. While the emotional sanity is still, it is imprisoned within the domain of the ordinary image of personality. So there's a big difference of what we meant by total, complete, whole sanity and emotional balance. So that seems to be the main theme, seems to be the main extraordinary insight in the teaching of Buddhism. And also at the same time, how we can, how we

[05:34]

can develop that sense of basic sanity. The wisdom is, we need to bring about what we talked about the last two days, those who were here. The skilful means, the skilful method and wisdom, which is the two main techniques on the whole path, from the very kinyanic level to the highest Atiyoga Vajrayana level, to Vajrayana to Dzogchen Atiyoga level. That seems to be the main thing which is able to, we could say understand, or we could say able to see the mind purely, completely, without interception. By those two methods, bringing the

[06:40]

skilful means and wisdom together. So the wisdom basically refers to your meditation. You could say just sitting. Whether it's, you begin with a shamatha meditation, or you begin with a vipassana meditation, or you begin with a Dzogchen meditation, we could say the wisdom is that sitting meditation. And the skilfulness is how you relate in your everyday life. With the sense of meditation, how you bring about that action, how you relate to that particular action in your everyday life, is that skilfulness. So bringing that skilfulness and wisdom together is what we call the union. The world started to function, the wisdom started to function in union.

[07:56]

Somehow that these two levels are functioning on all levels, even on a very ordinary level, there is some kind of, some sense of neurosis, instead of some sense of clarity taking place in the notion of skilfulness in our ordinary life. Our neurosis becomes something very smart, and something very intelligent, and something very active role, which is engaging and working into our ordinary life, what we call ordinary life, which is actually the life, relating with the life. And the wisdom is somehow, somehow the wisdom seems to be a little dull, the space seems to be a little confused, a little dull, and there is no clarity into that space, the space seems to be that moment of what we try to digest.

[09:02]

So since the space is not clear, we have a lot of indigestion all the time. So somehow, somehow it is there all the time. It is there all the time, but it is not clear. So, some kind of reference to the skilfulness is very important into our practice, which we will say is discipline, discipline into our practice. It seems to be one of the most skillful methods, bringing about this discipline into practice. At the same time, you know, this discipline is a possibility, it gives an experience of possibilities to the student.

[10:17]

Discipline does not become some kind of trouble for you. Discipline does not become some kind of hassle for you. It gives the experience of opening, precision, and cutting through that particular deception. So we identify ourselves with the teaching practice. So the teaching no longer becomes something different in our lives. That seems to be one of the main problems for the students sometimes. I would say it is a problem at the beginning, and it also seems a problem as long as a person does not bring this wisdom, the discipline of wisdom of sitting and the discipline of working, the skillfulness of working with our daily life situation.

[11:21]

If you do not bring this together clearly, there seems to be a problem that you relate to the teaching as something absolutely different, coming from Tibet or whatsoever. Something absolutely foreign, something different has nothing to, you know, in that way there is a problem. It creates a problem. It creates a conflict. You do not identify yourself with that practice. You do not identify yourself with the teaching, so therefore there is no way of functioning that practice at that level. So I guess it is very important, you know, that our discipline, the skillfulness, the skillfulness, wisdom is able to open up that deception.

[12:27]

And when the deception becomes less, or when the deception begins to become free from your space, and that, at that moment, the images, the images of the deceptions, the images of which is holding it there very strongly, which is very concretely into ourself, seems to be some kind of, as I said, some kind of ripples, some kind of, nothing really that big, important, you know. Because actually, from the, at the level we find ourself, it is really our mind doing something to itself. It is no more than the mind itself. But, so there is some sense of, some sense of joy at that level when you see that,

[13:34]

and something loosening, loosening, something that tight, that tight bundle, that tight bundle seems to be opening up, and it seems to be falling down, the whole tight, abundance of tightness, abundance of seriousness, the abundance of that image which we try to make it so concrete, we try to make our image so concrete, so secure all the time, which is actually the expression of the deception, which is the fear. It is no more than the expression of the deception, which is the fear itself. So, when the deception is, we could say, we could say, recognize, that no longer the deception, no longer the deception seems to be overpowering into our lives. At the same time, your space becomes generous, the whole paramita naturally develops at the same time.

[14:42]

You become generous to open up, because you are open up, it is. So, so that's what this skilful method, method into different, method into sitting, method into relating with our lives, with different situations, and the wisdom able to have that connection, have that experience of the space, experience of the space, free from the frame of deception. I guess that's what really it is. So, at the same time, you know, you need some kind of opening all the time.

[15:52]

When you're hearing the teaching, and while you're giving a teaching, whether you're giving a teaching, whether you're hearing a teaching, whether you are relating with your life, you need some kind of openness, because fundamentally it is open. Well, we all know that we're working towards the direction, we're working towards that essence. But at the same time, we have that something, we want to do it, I want to know that thing. Some kind of seriousness comes over at the same time. Something uptightness comes about. Oh, I want to have that wisdom, I want to get open, I want to feel free. And right now, you know, and this time I even, you know, gave up my time, and I came all the way to do retreats, so I definitely, you know, had to be a person completely open.

[16:56]

So that's not, that's not, you're not, at that time, you're not being skillful, and your wisdom is not being precise at that time. You just come, and you just sit. And the more you expect, the less you get. The less you expect, the more possibilities of getting more, more things. Because there is some kind of fundamental openness, it's there. You relate to your basic space. You naturally, we could say spontaneously, or naturally, you are connecting to your basic space at that level. So that's some sense of, some sense of

[18:04]

opening up, some sense of letting go, seems to be very important in our lives. This seems to be one of the main skillfulness, how we can further become free from that whole deception of the image, image of the deception. And sometimes, to our most surprise, we could even find out when we are doing some particular sadhana, let's say, those who are doing Vajrayana sadhana, or someone doing prayers in a church, whether it's a Buddhist doing a sadhana, or whether it's a Catholic doing prayers in the church, whatever, we seem to be so holed up with that image, that I want to experience that great bliss, that I want to experience that great wonderful thing, and actually you are making it even tighter sometimes with your prayer too. That seems to be the funny thing. I'm not saying you should not do prayers,

[19:16]

but, you know, there has to be some kind of balance. We get so serious that if someone touches our text, we get completely outraged. This is so sacred, you can't touch it. And we are not exactly sure whether doing a favor to ourselves or not. It looks quite strange, you know, at a certain level. Who you are doing for whom?

[20:19]

I've heard that many times. But, I guess we have to do it. It is a skillful way. It is simply a skillful way. It's called the teaching is a skillful way. It has to be regarded just very skillfully. Lots of trips involved. But the thing is,

[21:35]

the main thing is, there is some kind of reference, which is very skillful to begin with. That seems to be the main wisdom there. Main wisdom. Something to begin with is an important thing. Because we find ourselves in the midst of tremendous, we could say a great deal of tremendous images in our space. Lots of different notions to different things. So somehow all these notions are like getting crazy. These notions have become wild and scattering, flying all over. So it's very hard for you to see that these notions are kind of open by themselves.

[22:47]

These very notions, these very images are free and open by themselves. That seems to be the difficult part of seeing, which is the lacking of the wisdom into oneself. We seem to be lacking in seeing that these very displays of these images, these very notions, display of these different notions, is humor by nature. It's fundamentally clear, precise. Fundamentally precise and clear in their own essence. So we get clicked by that.

[23:57]

The main problem is the click of that deception, which is the notion of survival. It is such a powerful vibration, that notion of survival through deception, that it can completely unbalance our life on all different levels. We can see that. And then the whole energy started to become confused, started to become chaos at that level. So, we automatically, many boundaries, many boundaries manifest. Many boundaries manifest. Boundaries in our practice, boundaries in our...

[24:59]

But a practice, at least there is a starting point, but yet there is boundaries into the practice. Boundaries in our relationship, boundaries in our different situations, boundaries in ourself, boundaries in ourself, boundaries in the world, boundaries with all kinds of situations, all kinds of situations, they started to appear with that notion of deception. With that notion, when the notion of that develops, that boundary begins to rise up. It begins to appear. So, so lots of different situations seems to be,

[26:01]

seems like there is some kind of concrete. Something is not simply just mild, just something lukewarm, or something just like a light and transparent, but it seems to be quite concrete in their own way, the way it appears. The appearance of our deception, the way the deception express that particular different neurosis to different situations seems to be quite concrete. You know. It's not merely just the way, just light, but not only light, it seems to be quite concrete, and there seems to be something hurting inside our mind, inside ourself. That particular has the feeling, that notions is now into that particular entity of hurt.

[27:03]

Something feels painful, and something which hurts into our life, relating with every different situations. And it is so active, so active in its own different way, with lots of sharpness into it too. It does have a particular kind of sharpness. Some kind of intensity, some kind of precision in that neurosis also. And the sharpness is simply that the whole activity simply seems to be supporting, simply seems to be, seems to be a support to that deception, to that fear. To that particular notion seems to be supporting more,

[28:05]

making it more concrete, making it more serious. The more serious it looks, the reflection of it becomes more serious, and you become more threatened by the situation. So the more threatened we become, the more concrete it appears, actually. That's called the illusion of the mind. So every little thing matters to you. Every little thing. Every little thing seems to be a big deal. Even a way of looking seems to be a big deal. And you could take it all the way relating from your postman to your spiritual teacher. All the way, from your... all kinds of working situations.

[29:07]

Oh, the postman didn't say hello to me, or my teacher didn't look at me while he was looking to somebody else. All kinds of games start to manifest. So... So that's something where... one could say that, where one is caught, and those are regarded as the illusion of the mind. The threatening situation creates that powerful illusion. And the more person... the more you try to close up, the more you try to defend yourself, the more threatening the situation will be all the time. The sense of openness is absolutely out of question. You may not even find

[30:10]

some sense of emotional balance at that level, if a person is too rigid, too selfish, I guess. Because that whole point of the selfish image creates you more and more concrete, more and more uptight, and makes your space more and more smaller. So actually, it's like... it's like, you know, putting a rope around yourself and tying yourself up more tight. And of course, that is the illusion. At the same time, the wonderful thing is that even in the midst of all this is, yet there is some kind of space. Yes, something is free. That's the wonderful thing which we need to understand. If we could see that illusion,

[31:11]

the illusion ceases to function. That's what I mean. So... And it's not just simply going to happen just by thinking about it. There has to be some kind of reference of practice, skillful means and wisdom put together. And we could say some kind of discipline put together for our practice, beginning with some kind of stabilizing the mind, beginning with some kind of, you know, working with that mind. Whether you work with the technique of external target, external way of practicing. You can put a flower and completely concentrate on that particular... particular flower,

[32:13]

or whatever the object is. Or you can begin with... with absolute, you know, absolutely... absolute and not completely letting the notion of that whole untightness, the whole security, let's say the whole security, let's just try, you know, you could at least, you never try, give up your security, let's say. Give up your security, that very untight, that illusion, security of the illusion, and just give it up. And when we say give up, you really give up absolutely. And when you really give up absolutely, then there will be an experience of the wisdom precision, the space of the wisdom which is precise and clear by itself. You don't have to kind of identify it.

[33:14]

You don't have to identify it. It itself is the identification, if you would say there is identification. You don't need to identify the space. It just shows itself. But our dualistic, the dualistic threat, the fear it produces, there is a sense of always wanting to know. Wanting to know that, and that wanting to know is related with some kind of insecurity, ground, which you don't trust yourself, so you wanted to know what happens. And the moment you kind of hold that, it is again the play of that deception, the notion of survival, so you again don't see yourself. So what I mean is, you just sit. The less you expect, the more answer you will get. The more you expect, the less you will get.

[34:15]

It is exactly how things begin. You begin to find different possibilities into your practice at that time. So at that level, the discipline doesn't seem to be some kind of hassle. The discipline seems to be an opening, and there is a celebration, and there is a joy, and there is a sense of feeling, fearlessness, at the same time happening, because that is what it is, happening at the same time. Particularly on the Vajrayana level and Mahayana level, Vajrayana level, Dzogchen level, discipline is not regarded as something that you are punished, or something you have been condemned to do it. It is not regarded that at all. You find that yourself.

[35:19]

You identify within yourself, and that identification seems to be, if there is such a particular word, we would say discipline. And this whole skill on the path, working with yourself, seems to be that main thing, is the discipline. And the discipline itself also dissolves. It's not that discipline is the ultimate image of your nature. No, discipline is not the ultimate wisdom image of yourself. Discipline is simply a technique. Discipline is simply a way of opening up. It's like you go to a bar, you go to the Macy's, or you go to Nordstrom, or you go to any one of these stores, and you buy this big stereo player, whatever you like, and you have this box. And you don't feel pressure to open the box. It's a way of, there's a way of celebrating

[36:23]

while opening that box. So discipline gives the possibility of unfolding and taking, and it relates skillfully, and take deeper and deeper, and then open itself, see what the essence is. So it's not a notion of blind faith, to put it, what I meant. It's not a notion of blind faith, what discipline means. That you are condemned to death, or you are condemned to hell if you don't do that. That seems to be a problem then. That's not the notion of discipline in the Vajrayana tradition. It also at the same time shows a responsibility, some sense of clarity, a willingness to work with that particular situation, which is the skillfulness and the discipline at the same time. And if there is the willingness

[37:31]

or working is not there, then perhaps that situation of the situation of sanity is not going to manifest. And when you simply work, it doesn't seem to be any hassle, it just seems to be opening up by itself. So the reference point is very important. Now going back to the beginning, the reference point seems to be very, very important. Because the whole notion is developed, and now how we can free that particular notion, that whole threatening situation, that whole deception, one has to begin with some reference point. Is it right or not? We do have to begin with some reference point. So that reference point is, in meditation, what we use, either breathing, either we use the breathing,

[38:31]

the reference point, or if you find difficult in breathing, you can use a particular notion of flower or whatsoever to begin with. But breathing has a little bit more deeper profundity into it, than simply meditating on a flower. The level goes deeper into the breathing. Of course, in breathing itself, there are many levels of breathing. You can just simply count the breathing, or you can really work with your states, you can work with your whole deception, and I guess that will also depend on each person's capacity, working basis, you know? When we say capacity, it's just the live working basis. Live working basis. Each person's experience. And that deepens. And when that deepens, actually, I would very much say, that through the clear understanding of breathing, you can really find the nature of absorption too.

[39:34]

If you do it skillfully and perfectly. And of course, the absorption, the state of absorption, the state of the Mahatir levels, comes with working from the reference point, because if there is no clear reference point, then we become vague. You know? There is no starting point. Where are you going to begin with? From which space? There are so many things. There are so many things arising. Where are you going to begin with? You're just going to pray and wish fully and something is going to happen? It's not going to happen. It's really not going to happen. Wish-fulfilling thought is the notion of escape. It may create some situation which could be beneficial on a long term. Yes, I would say, it could create a situation which could be beneficial on a long term sometimes. Because every thought has some aspiration,

[40:39]

has some energy. It does create some kind of situation. But there is a long way. Which way do you want to take? Particularly, we all want to take the shortcut. So, it's definitely not the terminology for those who want to take shortcut. The wish-fulfilling thought, you should completely abandon. But at the same time, we should not deprive of ourselves. And if you want to make a wish-fulfilling thought, you should make it, but it should be the secondary. It should not be the first. Particularly, the practitioner in Buddhist teaching, wish-fulfilling are always regarded as the second way. It is simply a way of creating situation. But most important is, is to really work directly with the situation. It's the most important way. It seems to be the main thing. The main thing. The whole essence of the Buddha lies in the present, not in the future,

[41:39]

but not in the past. We call the present, you know, now-ness. The whole essence seems to be lying in this now-ness, not in the future or not in the past. And if you can work with this particular notion of fear and our deception right now, then we could, as I said yesterday, you could do it right now. You could do that. You can do it just from today, and from right now you can do it. It's your free choice. Or you can put back into your deception. You could also say, in some sense, it's a free choice, but it ceases to be a free choice after some time because a tremendous chaos happens. The illusion seems to be so powerful, so it ceases to be a free choice. But if you can just see those chaos,

[42:42]

like on a panoramic view, then perhaps it ceases to be chaos at all. There is no more chaos. Maybe that's like seeing a movie at that time. But that doesn't happen. The thing is, it's such a powerful situation, once you are no more yourself, then it completely, that overwhelming chaos takes you over, and then it ceases. We completely lose our sanity, our ground of sanity. So, as I said, the main thing is to work with the situation, here and now, as we say. Right now, in this present moment, you know, a certain sense of openness is very important. Some sense of willingness, of that clarity, skillfulness, is to hear the teaching and to practice the teaching is very important. And some sense of liberating the situation is very important. So we do not become imprisoned at that time.

[43:45]

So then its own nature begins to shine. The space of sanity begins to shine. The ground of sanity begins to shine. You know, particularly, as I said, even in Hinayana practice, Mahayana practice, it's noticed things do not become perfectly precise and clear until you get to the Vajrayana and then to Dzogchen level. But those are very important reference points, as a very important skillful point to begin with. Sometimes we could say to some particular being, it's absolutely a must. Absolutely a must to have that, you know, training. To have that training. Some kind of ground needs to be structured. Some kind of foundation needs to be structured in order to build a good house. So,

[44:48]

and particularly in the Vajrayana, it's very important too that you are the center of that mandala. You are the basic point of working. The whole reference goes to you. The whole reference goes to you. And when we can see that the whole reference works within ourselves, then there is a delight. There is an openness. And if there is something problem, you know, you're delightfully, you can take the blames delightfully. And you can also work delightfully in whatever, in liberating that blame, you can work delightfully. Because you're clear, precise in your particular state. And when that precision develops more and more deeper and deeper, then after sometimes the whole deception, the whole notion of that protecting, preserving that image of deception

[45:53]

absolutely is, I would say, liberated. What we call liberation. The liberation of that deception, image of deception. And then, at that particular level, the mind expression becomes the bodhisattva mind. The activity of that mind becomes the practice of six paramita. The six paramita has limitless actions. The limitless actions of that sanity. Which is like the light. Which is like the sunshine. The sun will shine without any hesitation to all kinds of places in the world. And in the water, over the water, and on the mountains, inside the house, wherever. So, at that time, whatever comes into contact,

[46:54]

it liberates whatever comes into contact. Like in the wonderful practice we read, whatever comes into contact, everything liberates. Exactly, whatever the neurosis functions, or functioning in one cell, or functioning in others, whatever comes into contact, liberates that situation, that deception. So, how that happens, working from once, you are the reference point. You are the main reference point. And I guess, on some sense, to really deepen the understanding of the basic sanity, the wisdom clarity, it's very important to understand that, of course, it's very important, the whole thing we have been talking about. And if you can see yourself, I think there's a clear understanding,

[47:56]

a precision, there's a liberation. Not only understanding, there's a liberation at the same time.

[48:02]

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