2 MARGARITA WEB CAST,PART I, TEACHING BY CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU

3 NEW SCHEDULE OF CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU

4 KA-TER TRANSLATION PROJECT

5 TASHIGAR SOUTH XMAS RETREAT ANNOUNCEMENT

6 - BOOK REVIEWS FEATURING DES BARRY’S NEW NOVEL

7 TRIBUTE TO ALLEN GINSBERG BY JACQUELINE GENS

8 - 9 SHANG SHUNG INSTITUTE NEWS

10 TRAINING FOR TRANSLATORS

12 -18 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NEWS

18 INTERNATIONAL GAKYIL NEWS

19 REFLECTIONS

20 HOW I MET THE CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU BY ONI MCKINSTRY,

THE MIRRORNewspaper of the International Dzogchen Community Oct./Nov. 2004 • Issue No. 70

C O N T E N T S

Rinpoche teaching in the Comodore at Longsal Retreat in Margarita J BASSI

by Paula Barry

It has been less than a monthsince, at the end of the Man-darava retreat; I listened to

Rinpoche describing the paradisethat he wanted to create atTashigar del Norte. Rinpoche’svision is of a restful place withfragrant and beautiful trees andflowers to see and smell, softgrass on which to walk, a come-dor or kitchen/dining area that isclean and accommodating for stu-dents to meet and enjoy mealstogether, a place where studentsthe world over could come andexperience a sense of blissful clar-ity through the senses. So it was with a sense of com-plete amazement to open my eyesto a paradise well under way, withmany new trees offering their

shade, as well as entire new gar-dens already blooming around thecomedor and the emerging newGonpa.The September retreat was enti-tled on Rinpoche’s schedule,“Longsal Program”, with no otherspecific details as to the topic. Itwas with a giddy sense of open-ing a treasure chest, withoutknowing which sort of richesmight be inside, that I decided toattend the retreat. So, with theaccompanying distant back-ground music of saws, hammersand cement mixers (the sounds ofthe creation of paradise), ChögyalNamkhai Norbu Rinpoche led uson a beautiful retreat, whichincluded firstly the transmissionof Guruyoga, teachings on theBardo and teachings on theTwenty-five spaces of

Samantabhadra.The retreat began with a wonder-ful Wang to introduce to new stu-dents and reintroduce to older stu-dents the direct transmission ofDzogchen through the four initia-tions, in order for us all to experi-ence our real condition of thePrimordial State. For several days we entered theteachings on the Bardo. Rinpocheintroduced and showed us howdiscover the knowledge of ourreal nature of the non-dual stateof Kadag and Lhundrub.Rinpoche spoke about how,through the expansion of that realknowledge into all aspects of ourexistence in this precious life, wecan apply that knowledge in theBardo states that occur during theprocess of dying, as well as howto continue the state of Instant

Presence in the Bardo after death.In the days that followed,Rinpoche transmitted the Longsalteaching of the Twenty-fiveSpaces of Samantabhadra. Heexplained that although each ofthe 25 mantras has a specific pur-pose for dissolving one of themany gross or subtle aspects ofour illusory vision, the real expe-rience is the discovery of our stateof Instant Presence and the inte-gration of our body, speech andmind with the sounds and breath-ing related to the mantras.Relaxing in the presence of thesounds together we discoveredthis method of expanding ourexperience of Guruyoga and thestate of Instant Presence and thefurther purification of our illu-sions.Rinpoche patiently began to teach

us the words and melody to theSong of the Vajra for Ganachakra,a beautiful and complex melodythat hopefully we may honor byone day being able to sing well inthe state of integration.One thing that Rinpoche remind-ed us of over and over was torelax, be present and above allenjoy. There were many opportu-nities for enjoying as we swamand played at Zaragosa beach, orhunkered down with friends forhurricane Ivan, danced on theMandala, balanced our energieswith Yantra Yoga, enjoyed mealstogether, or evenings of Bagchen.We cannot thank enough ChögyalNamkhai Norbu for transmittingthese Longsal teachings to us sothat we may truly discoverParadise.

An Experience of Paradise , The Longsal RetreatBardoi Dampa Hum Gi Gyachen and Longchen Nyishu Tsa-Ngai Mennag

Instruct ions on Bardo with the seal of the HUM and Upadesha on the Twenty-f ive Spaces

September 3 – 12, 2004 Margarita Island, Venezuela

Here we are in Margaritaparticipating in ourretreat and communicat-

ing to all of you. First of all, wewould like to say hello to every-one and that we are happy tocommunicate with you. Youalready know that it is veryimportant that we have very fre-quent communication; for peo-ple interested in the Dharma it isnecessary to have communica-tion and collaboration. It is veryimportant that we enter theTeaching in a concrete way.First of all, we learn the Teach-ing and then we apply it.

The Four MindfulnessTrainings & Preciousness of Human Birth

Firstly, we will speak of theFour Mindfulness Trainings.Through the Four MindfulnessTrainings we know that at thismoment as human beings welive in human, karmic vision. Inhuman karmic vision we havemany possibilities. For exam-ple, we can have the Teaching,we can have a Teacher, we canhave the transmission and appli-cation, etc. All sentient beingsdo not have that possibility.Being human is something veryprecious. When you learn the“Bodhisattvacharyavattara”, forexample, then you understandwhy human life is so precious.It is very difficult to obtain thehuman condition. It is importantthat even if we don’t know verymuch about analysis and expla-nations, we know that we arehuman beings. We are in amuch better situation than ani-mals.

We should not lose thisgood occasion, because even ifwe have all these possibilitieswe are still living in time. Thatmeans we are mindful of imper-manence. Time is always pass-ing, going ahead, and it nevercomes back. That means we arepassing in time. It is not suffi-cient that we learn some impor-tant things of the Teaching, butwe must be present. Time ispassing. That means that whatwe have learned we must inte-grate into our life and apply. Forexample, all sentient beings,and particularly human beings,are in time. Everyone dies. If wethink that after one hundredyears, not one human being isstill alive, that is a hundred per-cent true. So we know that ourlife is not so long, in reality it isvery short. We have so manydistractions. We must try not tobe distracted and do our best forhaving some sense of our life.

Secondary Causes & Purifying the Six Lokas

We already know that in a life-time we are not just sittingdoing nothing, but we arealways going after our mind.The mind is judging, thinking,and creating so many problems.

Our mind is particularly associ-ated with our feeling or experi-ence of emotions. We accumu-late so much negative karma.We produce the potentiality ofnegative karma and then wemust pay. Maybe we don’t payimmediately, but somehow wepay when there are secondarycauses. So karma depends verymuch on secondary causes.Sometimes we accumulate a lotof negative karma in this life,but we are not paying.Particularly people who accu-mulate very heavy negativekarma, if they don’t pay in onelifetime, later they will paywhen there are the secondarycauses. What does “secondarycauses” mean in this case? Forexample, if you have some ill-ness, a very heavy karmic ill-ness, the karma matures whenthere are secondary causes.When there are negative causes,the kind of negative karma con-nected with those negativecauses manifests. Therefore it isvery important that we knowthat our life is not only passingtime, but also dealing with neg-ative karma. This is what iscalled the mindfulness ofkarma, the situation of karma.

If we have accumulated somuch negative karma, of coursethen its consequence is infinitesamsara. That is called themindfulness of transmigration.Transmigration, of all the mani-festations, is related with thecharacteristic of our emotions. For example, if we are very

attached to something, we canhave a consequence somethinglike the samsara of devas. Manypeople think that deva meanssomething very good because inrefuge we say, “Guru, deva,dakini”. When we say, “deva”in refuge, that means the mani-festation of Sambhogakaya.Enlightened beings manifestand through that manifestationtransmit the method or path ofthe transformation.

The real meaning of “deva”is “superior”. That is why wealso use that name forSambhogakaya manifestations.Also, deva of samsara is thesupreme loka of the Six Lokas,because in this deva conditionthere is no suffering. Deva is thefruit of all accumulated merits,etc., and the devas consumethat. Also the devas have infi-nite lives. For example, the lifeof the deva is something liketwenty thousand years. In thattwenty thousand years they donot have any suffering; theyonly enjoy. That means they aresuperior in samsara; no oneexists in samsara like the deva. Then why is the deva in sam-sara? At the end of all thoseyears, they have also consumedall their merits. They have accu-mulated many lives, but theirmerits are now all consumed.One week before they die, forexample, they receive thatinformation, and after one weekthey die. Not only do they die,but also they have consumed alltheir merits and go directly to

hell. This is called the

“unique suffering ofdeva”. For example,seven days after death,they suffer and think, “Iam falling into hell.”After seven days theyhave that death and arereally in hell. So you see,also hell vision takes along time. Then you canunderstand deva is notsomething superior in thereal sense. We say “Chipho tung” (‘chi ‘pholtung): “Chi” means“dying deva”, “pho”means transferring fromthat deva life to hell.

Then there are sentientbeings in the asuradimension. That means ifwe accumulate many,many kinds of jealousy,the fruit is the karmicvision of asura. The con-dition of asura is betweenhuman being and deva.They are always jealousof the situation of thedeva; they fight and strug-gle all their lives and donot have much peace. Theasura never succeeds tocan get something like thedeva, because this is aconsequence of jealousy. So you see, everyone hasemotions: attachment,jealousy, anger, etc. TheTeaching explains that the

cause of birth as a human beingis pride. Some Teachings orTantras explain that the cause ofthe human being is a mixture ofall emotions. In any case, theTeaching says that the cause ofthe human being is pride; that isthe real reason. We have thatvery strong tendency. We arealways speaking of ego, alwaysthinking, “I am better than oth-ers”. Maybe not in every area,but some things I know betterthan others do. We are alwaysprotecting that position of “I”.Then, when we want to openjust a little, we say “we”.Finally, we say “others”. Wehave that strong feeling. That isalso the characteristic of pride,the cause of the human birth.

So why do we call these thesuperior three states? We callthese the superior states becausethere is some possibility of hav-ing a Teacher, having theTeaching, having the possibilityof following the Teaching, etc.,particularly in the human condi-tion. We also have the lowerstates, the three lower states thatare called preta, animal realmand hell realm.

Ignorance is the cause of theanimal realm. Ignorance, in thiscase, means missing clarity. Forexample, if you are doing prac-tice and notice you do not havesufficient clarity, that is igno-rance and you should do prac-tice for eliminating or overcom-ing that problem. When we do apractice of Shine and we have a

kind of sleeping state and noclarity, that is a tendency ofignorance. By accumulatingthat kind of emotion, we havethe condition of the karmicvision of animals. And thenwhen we have very strongattachment, etc., that producesthe preta realm.

These lower three states arecaused by the three root emo-tions. When we accumulate alot of anger, then we have morekarmic vision of the hell realm.Sometimes when we speak ofthe Six Lokas people explainthat the Six Lokas geographi-cally exist somewhere. That isnot true, they do not exist any-where. We cannot say the SixLokas do not exist, because wehave that cause. Everybody hasthe cause of the Six Lokas. Ifyou have that cause, when thereare secondary causes they man-ifest. They are not always man-ifesting because there is no sec-ondary cause.

For example, now we are inthe human condition, we havehuman karmic vision. We verymuch believe this vision issomething real. But Buddhasaid that all karmic visions, allphenomena, dharmas, every-thing, is unreal. Unreal means itdoes not exist, just like a dream.We can remember hundreds ofdifferent kinds of dreams. Alsowe can dream and be in the stateof a dream. When we wake up,we discover that there is nothingreal. So Buddha said, every-thing is just like a dream andlife is a big dream. It is very,very important that everyoneknows that. If you have manytensions, many fears, etc, if youknow that everything is a dreamand you really try to be in thatknowledge, then you can over-come fears and tensions easily. So the Six Lokas do not geo-graphically exist somewhere.Even if we develop technologyand go everywhere to searchwhere the hell realm is, wherethe deva realm is, we can’t findit anywhere. For example, withthe animal condition, we cansee many animals because thereare some similarities of sec-ondary causes between the ani-mal and human condition.That’s why it is something wecan see, but it is not always thesame. What we see, our humanvision, is not the way an animalwould see. Also when we speakof animals, we cannot see allanimals; we don’t know all ani-mals. There exist animal beings,the condition of animals, butthere also exist human beingsthat cannot see that. In any case,these are called the Six Lokas.The Six Lokas are the produc-tion of the six emotions.Everyone is accumulating moreand more emotions and then wehave more and more causes ofthe Six Lokas.

What should we do then inthis life? We are mindful, andknowing that we purify. For

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Web Cast Teaching in Margarita April 18, 2004

The Four Mindfulnesses, Purifying the Six Lokas, Refuge and the

Three Sacred PlacesPart I

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

Rinpoche teaching at the Longsal Retreat Margarita J BASSI

example, if you are purifyingthe causes of the Six Lokas, ifyou purify totally then you haveno vision, no karmic vision ofSix Lokas. Even if you were notable to purify all, but you purifysome of these, then your feelingand aspect or manifestations ofemotions diminish. For exam-ple, if you feel very jeal-ous, and you cannotcontrol your jeal-ousy, whatshould youdo? It is bet-ter that youpurify thecause of thisjealousy a lit-tle. In the SixLokas we do thisone by one practices.That is an example. This isall related with our mindfulness.

Passing of Time &Mindfulness in Daily Life

You do not realize mindfulnessonly through study or retreat.Your mind continues in yourdaily life. You need mindfulnessand presence in daily life. Forexample, you need to be awarethat time is always passing. It isnot necessary that you concen-trate only on death. That is alsonot good. If you only think,“One day I will die”, then youbecome a pessimist. You don’tdwell on death in that way, butyou know that death exists afterbirth. Also that is related withtime. Time passes just like aclock going ahead. If you lookat a clock - tick-tock, tick-tock,tick-tock - it always goes ahead,it never goes back. Continually,tick-tock, we arrive at the end oflife. That is something real.Many people have problems,they do not accept death, andthey don’t want to know itexists. That means you are kid-ding yourself, but it doesn’thelp. You say, “I don’t want tothink of death, I will only thinkof something else.” Then oneday death comes. You are sur-prised and that is not good. Soyou must know and accept howthe situation really is. There isnothing to reject or strugglewith.

It is very important to bepresent with these FourMindfulness in daily life.Particularly, for example, themindfulness of the imperma-nence of time. If you are presentwith that, have learned some-thing and also do practice, youcan have realization. Even ifyou do not practice, you don’tlose precious time. For exam-ple, if you are a student then youknow you should finish yourstudies. If you do not finishyour studies, in any case youshould continue, or you losetime. Some young people say,“I want to go in India instead ofstudying.” Then after two orthree years of going to India,smoking and doing everythingelse, they come back to studyand it is not so easy.

It is very important to knowthat time is precious and it ispassing. This knowledge is also

very important between hus-band and wife, between friends,and in relationship to people.Sometimes when people have aslight problem in the familythey say, “How can we can goahead this way all our life?”They never think what “all ourlife” means. “All our life” can

be one night, one week,one month or one

year. There is noguarantee. If

you are pre-sent, thenyou payrespect toothers and

c o l l a b o r a t eeasily. In any

case, it is veryimportant to be

mindful in daily life.

Refuge & The Three Sacred Places

Some practitioners think, “Yes,but we are beginners at what weare learning”; but we are livingin time, not beginning. We arecontinually in time, so ourunderstanding must be some-thing concrete. The most impor-tant aspect when we follow theTeaching, particularly inMahayana, is the “three sacredthings”. In Tibetan that is called“Tampa sum” (dam pa gsum),which means “three sacredthings”. In many practices, forexample, we use the name “jorngö je” (sbyor dngos rjes).“Jor” it means “application”.For example, if we are follow-ing a teaching, we should applysomething. How do we apply?How do we start to practice orfollow the Teaching? The sec-ond is “ngö”. “Ngö” means themain point.

It also depends on what kindof teaching you follow. Eachteaching presents its main point.You learn and apply that pointin the correct way. At the end,“je”, means the merits accumu-lated and dedicated for all sen-tient beings. Why do you needto do that? You need to do thatbecause you accumulate meritsthrough dedicating merits. Inthe Mahayana teaching it isexplained that when you accu-mulate merits if you dedicatethat accumulation to others, younever consume them. If youdon’t dedicate the merits, some-times you can lose them.

For example, in the“Bodhisattvacharyavattara”, itis explained what the conse-quence of anger is. There is asaying in Tibetan which meansthat with one moment of angeryou can destroy the accumula-tion of merits of a thousandkalpas. For example, what youdid by giving to others, offeringto the Tathagathas, Buddhas,Bodhisattvas, and all the accu-mulation of merits of goodactions, with one moment ofanger it can be totallydestroyed. So that means if youare not dedicated, you are angrywith someone, and you are dis-tracted by anger, in that momentyou can destroy the accumula-

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T H E M I R R O R O C T / N O V 2 0 0 4 3

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Schedule Schedule

Chögyal Namkhai NorbuChögyal Namkhai Norbu

2004 - 20062004 - 2006

2004MARGARITA ISLAND, VENEZUELANov. 9 - 21Complete teachings & practices of Lhalung Sangdag, the Terma teaching of Heka LingpaDec. 5 - 8 Birthday teaching and practice of Tshedrub (Long life)

CHILEDec. 19 - 21 Chile Retreat

ARGENTINADec. 26 – Jan. 2Tashigar South Retreat of Gomadevi, Argentina

2005Feb.9Tibetan Losar, Mandarava Practice, Argentina

PERUFeb.18 - 20 Peru Retreat

MARGARITA ISLAND, VENEZUELAMarch 4 - 6 Retreat

MEXICO CITYMarch 25 - 28 Mexico City Easter Retreat

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICOApril 1 - 4 Baja California, Mexico Retreat

USAApril 13 -17 Los Angeles RetreatApril 27 - May 1 New York City RetreatMay 6 - 8 Tsegyalgar, Conway, Massachusetts RetreatMay 11 - 12 Santi Maha Sangha II Level Exam, TsegyalgarMay 13 - 17 Santi Maha Sangha III Level Training, Tsegyalgar

RUSSIAJune 3 - 5 Kunsangar, a course of Moxabustion (Limited to persons who know Medicine)June 8 -12 Moscow Retreat

ITALYJuly 1 - 5 Merigar, Italy Retreat 1July15 -Aug. 5 My personal retreat, MerigarJuly 22 -24 Moxabustion course for people who are familiar with medicine (Shang-Shung Institute)Aug. 10 -16 Merigar Retreat 2

SPAINOct. 5 - 9 Spain Retreat

BRAZILOct. 14 - 18 Brazilian Retreat

MARGARITA ISLAND, VENEZUELANov. 4 - 8 Longsal Teaching RetreatNov. 25 - 29 Santi Maha Sangha Base and 1st Level Teachers Trainings, Vajra Dance and Yantra Yoga 1st and 2nd Teachers’ TrainingsDec. 2 - 8 Tshedrup (Long life) teachingDec. 26 - Jan. 1 Tashigar Norte Retreat

4

tion of merit. If you have such arealization, at least just a littlerealization, when you dedicatemerit to all sentient beings, theycan also have such benefits.Even if one has no realization,but at the end of practice uses amantra like “OM DHARE …”etc., through this mantra there isreal benefit.

So you see, these “threesacred places” must not bemissing when we do any kind ofpractice. If you observe thepractice books, like thosebelonging to the Mahayana sys-tem, the lower Tantra system,the higher Tantra system, theDzogchen system, etc., theyalways have these three princi-ples. When we do a Short Thun,for example, at the beginningwe have Refuge andBodhichitta with “NAMOGURU BHYA”, etc., the mainpractice we do is Guruyoga andsome transformation, and at theend we empower the dedicationwith mantra. So these three arecalled “three sacred things”.

When we start, for example,with Refuge and Bodhichitta, itis very, very important that wereally have a sense of Refugeand Bodhichitta. It is goodwhen you receive a refuge vowand you say, “I took refuge froma teacher”, but when you takerefuge you must understand itsreal sense. If you don’t knowwhat the sense is, it cannot bevery important. Some peoplesay, “I took refuge because I ambecoming a Buddhist.” Butrefuge is not to become aBuddhist. “BecomingBuddhist” doesn’t mean any-thing. If you follow the teachingof Buddha, you must try tounderstand and integrate withthat; that really is refuge. Youmust understand what the realmeaning of refuge is.

There are different kinds ofrefuge; there is a “big refuge”,“medium refuge”, and “smallrefuge”. For example, when youare walking on a street, and sud-denly a very heavy, strong rainstarts falling and you have noraincoat or umbrella, you havenothing to protect yourself,what you do at that moment? Ifyou see a tree, you run under thetree and stay there. If there is ahouse, you go under the houseand remain there until the rainstops. That means you go forrefuge to the tree or the house toovercome the problem of rain-fall. But that is not a big refuge.After a few minutes the rainstops and your refuge is fin-ished; you don’t need thatrefuge any more.

Say you want to cross a bigriver, you go on a boat or over abridge. If there is a boat, then

you enter the boat, buy a ticketand get off on the other side;you don’t stay there. Thatmeans you are going to the boatfor refuge to get across the river.When you arrive on the otherside of the river, your refuge isfinished. It is not necessary tosay, “I am going to this boat forrefuge, I must stay here.” Thatis not the principle of receivinga vow of refuge; the principle isthe sense of refuge. Even if youdo not take a vow, being inter-ested in the Teaching itself is aform of refuge. For example,many people come to a retreat.They do not go to the teacherand say, “I need a refuge vow.”Also, the teacher is not giving arefuge vow. Then you think,“Yes, I am following teachingbut I have not taken refuge.” Itis not true, because you aregoing for refuge. You are inter-ested to follow the Teaching inorder to have realization andthat is real sense of refuge, youare going for refuge. You mustnot think refuge is only becom-ing a Buddhist or someone else.Some people say, “I tookrefuge, now I should chantrefuge verses or some words,etc.” That is relative. If you like,you can chant what you learned,but that is not main point ofrefuge. Refuge is the knowledgethat you are on the path, you areinterested in the path. In thatway you should go for refuge.

Bodhicitta of Intention & Application

At the same time, along withrefuge we have Bodhicitta. Wesay that we are cultivatingBodhichitta. Sometimes wereceive a kind of vow ofBodhicitta, but that is not theprinciple. The principle is thatwe know the sense ofBodhicitta. Within Bodhicittathere are two main points; one iscalled “Bodhicitta of intention”and the other “Bodhicitta ofapplication”. What is theBodhicitta of intention? “I wantto have total realization for thebenefit of all sentient beings.”Not “I want to cultivateBodhicitta to have realizationonly for myself.” Why then dowe practice for realizing first ofall for ourselves? If we do notrealize, if we have no realiza-tion, how we can help others?Sometimes I have given anexample that the person whocan really help with illness mustbe a doctor. If we have thatqualification, we can reallyhelp. If you only have compas-sion for sick people and yousay, “I am sorry you feel ill”, itdoesn’t help. That is an exam-ple. Therefore we should have

realization in order to benefit allsentient beings. So this is inten-tion, correct intention in aBodhisattvic way. All enlight-ened beings accumulated thecultivation of Bodhicitta on thepath and realized that way. Forthat reason, they also havemany commitments. So when Ithink, “I want to have realiza-tion for the benefit of all sen-tient beings”, that means I amalso creating my commitment tohelp all sentient beings and thatis related with intention.

It is not sufficient only tohave a very nice intention. Weshould do something. We say,“For that purpose, to have real-ization, now I make this goodaction.” For example, if I givesomething and help others, I amdoing such a practice. That isaction. So that is called “culti-vation of Bodhicitta of action”.These two cultivations ofBodhicitta are related with ourintention. For example, if weare going to do a sitting prac-tice, before we practice weremember, “This is the path, Iam applying the path, I am fol-lowing the path.” That is refuge.The path is important, and alsoimportant to keep in a goodway. When I am going to prac-tice, with what kind of intentionam I going to practice? If I amonly going to practice egoisti-cally for my benefit, then weunderstand, that is not the cor-rect intention. Immediately wecorrect that intention and culti-vate the correct intention for thebenefit of all sentient beings.

We are present in that inten-tion and then we do the mainpractice. That’s why Refuge andBodhicitta are very importantbefore going to practice. In thereal sense, cultivation ofBodhicitta is the perfect practiceof the Mahayana system. Somepeople say, “In Mahayana weare following the Mahayanapath. We have a Mahayana tem-ple. In the Mahayana temple wehave a Mahayana statue ofBuddha and Bodhisattvas.Everyday we are going in theMahayana temple and we aredoing a Mahayana offering. Weare doing prostrations, we arepraying, we are chanting Sutras,etc.” These are good actions,but they are not the principle ofMahayana. The principle ofMahayana is to work with yourintention.

Part II, Next Mirror Issue 71

Transcribed by Jakob WinklerEdited by Naomi Zeitz

The Ka-ter Translation ProjectShang-Shung Institute, Austria

A Letter from Rinpoche:Dear Dzogchen Community,I am happy to announce the initiation of a new project called the Ka-ter Translation Project under the auspices of the Shang-ShungInstitute, Austria. The name Ka-ter comes from Kama and Terma;Kama means all the original texts of teachings and Tibetan culturethat has existed for centuries and centuries until now, and Termameans hidden treasures of texts and objects rediscovered by Tertönsin the correct time or moment.There are many very ancient texts and objects related with Kama orTerma in Tibet. The Ka-ter Project includes several activities: theTraining for Translators from Tibetan, the translation and publica-tion of the Dzogchen Tantras, and the project for the preservation ofthe Terma teachings of the great Tertön Changchub Dorje and so on.Soon to begin is a collaboration of Shang-Shung Institute with sev-eral universities.I hope that this initiative will be very important for all the peopleinterested in the Teachings and Tibetan culture. In order to becomefamiliar with the unique knowledge of the ancient masters of Tibet,one must comprehend their scriptures and precious texts and makethem available in Western language for future generations in a pre-cise and correct translation.The Ka-ter Translation Project is an important step in that direction.I really hope that all of you who interested in this area will supportthis project, directly or indirectly, and collaborate with its variousaspects. You are really welcome to collaborate on this project!With many Tashi Delegs,Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

THE KA-TER TRANSLATION PROJECT.Information from Oliver Leick,

Director of Shang-Shung Institute, Austria

Deeply touched by the words of our Master Chögyal NamkhaiNorbu and after months of intensive preparations, I humbly want toinform you more about the new project of the Shang Shung Institute,the KA-TER TRANSLATION PROJECT.

HistoryThe work on translation of unique and sacred Tibetan texts hasalways been an important task of the Shang-Shung Institute. Thecrucial point of this work is to guarantee qualified translations of theancient wisdom, knowledge and experience of Tibetan culture intoWestern languages. Good and experienced translators are very rarebecause it is really difficult to become a qualified translator, as onehas to put so much diligence, devotion and dedication into one’sstudies and work hard for many years.In the last fifteen years several translation projects were begun in theDzogchen Community and many texts were translated, most ofthem by Adriano Clemente. Jim Valby has also spent many years onthe translation of Dzogchen Tantras.To train people to develop their skills to translate correctly fromTibetan has been a long-standing idea and hope of ChögyalNamkhai Norbu. Some years ago Rinpoche asked the Shang-ShungInstitute in Italy to start training for translators, but at that time theInstitute in Italy was busy with many projects and thereforeRinpoche’s proposal remained as an idea for a while.In 2002 Rinpoche suggested that the Shang-Shung Institute, Austria,could take over the task of raising the funds and organizing this pro-ject and the planning started immediately. Rinpoche appointed theTibetologist Elio Guarisco to be the instructor of this Training forTranslators and the first Training took place in Merigar in the sum-mer, 2003. The latest book of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu “On Birth,Living and Dying” was chosen as the text to be translated fromTibetan and fourteen translators from all over the world workedintensively on this text for six weeks. The result of this first Trainingwill be available for you very soon in English and Italian language.In summer, 2004, the second Training was held at Isla Margarita(Venezuela). Chögyal Namkhai Norbu as the textbook to be studiedindicated a Dzogchen Tantra of the Mind Series. This offered a fan-tastic opportunity for twelve translators from ten different nations tocome in contact with one of the most ancient Dzogchen Tantra, the“Mejung”, whose title can be translated as “Wonderful PrimordialState”. The Training lasted for 44 days and the participants haveshown considerable progress in their knowledge of Tibetan lan-guage and there are several promising potential translators mani-festing. The specific aim of Training for Translators is to form qual-ified translators so that they will be able to present the profound

Evolution Based in AwarenessWords by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

I have explained many times how Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths. 2500 years ago, Buddha explainedthat the solution is not to struggle with the problem, but to learn what is its cause. That is the reason that itis not necessary for a serious practitioner to fall into the limitation of politics, but to be aware of the natureof the limitation of politics and be true to that awareness. In that way, there is the possibility that an evolu-tion based mainly in AWARENESS arises in our future.

ChNN Teaching conitinued from page 3

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T H E M I R R O R O C T / N O V 2 0 0 4 5

Dzogchen Teaching found in the Tibetan scriptures in Western lan-guages.During the Training in 2004 the translators got a direct experienceof how difficult it is to translate an ancient Dzogchen Tantra, as thiswork is so complex, difficult and complicated. For that reason itbecame obvious that the work on the translation of the DzogchenTantras should become a distinct and separate project, because to beable to work effectively on the translation of the Dzogchen Tantrasit requires people who have already gained a certain degree of pro-ficiency and experience in the field of translation. Rinpoche sug-gested that it will be more fruitful if a small team of qualified trans-lators take over the responsibility for these special translations andasked Elio Guarisco, Jim Valby and Adriano Clemente to be incharge of that project. In the course of time, the Training forTranslators will supply new translators to join the Dzogchen Tantraproject.Further on, Rinpoche proposed other projects related to translationslike the preservation of the Tantras of Changchub Dorje, ChögyalNamkhai Norbu’s master, and the collaboration with universities inthe near future. For all these projects Rinpoche gave the name KA-TER and entrusted the Shang-Shung Institute, Austria, in the personof Oliver Leick, with the responsibility of raising the funds neces-sary for initiating the this new project.

NameKa stands for Kama (bka’ ma) and include all the original scripturestranslated from Sanskrit and from Oddiyana concerning Mahayoga,Anuyoga and Atiyoga, etc. Ter stands for Terma (gter ma), literally‘treasures’ or rediscovered hidden teachings derived from the closeand recent lineage of transmission coming from visionary masters.These teachings, about which it is said: “For those whose aspirationis perfect the teaching will emerge from the midst of the sky, fromwalls and trees, etc.” came in incredible and various ways revealingthe essence of the supreme realization.

Main areas of translation work1. The Training for Translators from Tibetan2. The Dzogchen Tantra Translation Project3. Tibetan Translation Program at Universities: The Shang-ShungInstitute will also extend a branch of the Training for Translatorsfrom Tibetan to become part of Universities programs that have anOriental studies department connected to them. This branch of theTraining extended to universities will be of a more general natureand more appropriate to academic studies, focusing less onDzogchen Teaching.4. The Tantra Digitalizing Project - About 260,000 pages of Tibetanwriting have to be digitalized, indexed and catalogued. Most of thework will take place in Tibet.

SupportIt is the explicit wish of Rinpoche that the Ka-ter Translation Projectis a continuous and on going activity of the Shang-Shung Institute,Austria. In order to put this into action we need all your collabora-tion and support. During the retreat in July 2004, Rinpoche himselfput a very beautifully carved stone into the auction and said: “I wantto give this for the translation project.” The money we receivedthrough this auction was the first offering for the Ka-ter TranslationProject. It really will be extremely helpful if you could send us somefunds and we thank you very much for your financial assistance.There are possibilities to transfer money:1. Bank-transferName of the bank: Raiffeisenbank IlzBank Code: 38151, Account number: 30387 in the name of Shang-ShungInstitute AustriaBIC: RZSTAT2G151IBAN: AT19 3815 1000 0003 03872. You also could send us a check to Shang-Shung Institute, AustriaGschmaier 139, A-8265 Gross-Steinbach, Austria3. Make your donation with your Visa or MasterCard. You can sendus your credit card information either by fax (+43 3386 83129) orby post, or you also can use our web-safe credit card payment siteon our web site.Website:www.ssi-austria.at, web-safe credit card payment site:https://ssl13.inode.at/ssi-austria.at/creditcardpayment.htm

Further informationOn our web site you can read more about all the activities of theShang- Shung Institute, Austria. Concerning the Training forTranslators you can find reports of the past Trainings, an interviewwith Elio Guarisco and nice photos.

Thank you very much for your attention and your support.Yours,Oliver F. Leick

Director of the Shang-Shung Institute, AustriaGschmaier 1398265 Gross-Steinbach, AustriaTel.: +43 3386 83218 or cell +43 676 3221365Fax: +43 3386 83219Email: office@ssi-austria.atWeb site: www.ssi-austria.at

Tashigar South - ArgentinaGomadevi Retreat

with Chögyal Namkhai NorbuDecember 26, 2004 - January 2, 2005

This retreat includes the Vajra Dance and Yantra Yoga courses for beginners with the local instruc-tors Nélida Saporiti and Marisa Alonso.

Fee U$S 100.00 - Ordinary members have 20% discount. Sustaining members 40% discount.

Dance of Song of the Vajra for beginnerswith Nélida Saporiti supervised by Adriana Dal Borgo

January 4 - 9 First Part

Fee U$S 70.00 -

January 12 - 18 Second Part

Fee U$S 70.00 -

Dance of Song of the Vajra for advanced students, with Adriana Dal Borgo

January 28 - February 2 Fee U$S 70.00 -

Yantra Yoga course for advanced with Fabio Andrico

January 20 - 24 Working with the breathing

Fee U$S 70.00 -

January 25 - 26 III & IV Yantra Groups

Fee U$S 30.00 -

If you want to attend two courses you will have a discount of 10%.The courses don’t have discounts for members and will be suspended if there aren’t enough people.

Accommodations at Tashigar: Rooms U$S 5.00 day / person.

Camping U$S 2.00 day / person. Children up to seven years old free, and from eight to thirteen50% discount.

Members 20% discount.

We’ll provide meals at affordable prices.

About the Place: Tashigar is located at El Durazno, Los Gigantes way, 6 Km. far from Tanti, 21Km. from Villa Carlos Paz, 58 Km. from Córdoba and 771 Km. from Buenos Aires. It is 1133 m

over sea level. Weather is variable so it is a good idea to bring rainproof and warm clothes.

From Córdoba Airport to TashigarIf you want we send a Taxi for you to the airport, please send us the following info:

- Complete name- Airline

- Flight number- Arrival time

There is no bus that goes directly from the airport to Tashigar.

In the airport you can change money at about 2.95 $ / U$S and 3.65 $ / Euro.

For more information, reservations and registrations, please contact to our secretary:tashigar@dcc.com.ar

Tel / Fax : 0054- 3541- 498 356.

Postal Address: Tashigar / Calle pública s/n El Durazno - Tanti (5155)

Pcia. de Córdoba - Argentina.

Welcome to the South!!!

Tashigar South Community.

Ka-ter Translation Project continued from previous page

6

b o o k r e v i e w sCressida’s Bedby Desmond BarryHardcover 292 pages (June 3,2004) Publisher: Jonathan Cape

Des Barry’s reputation asone of the UK’s mostexciting new writers is

well deserved. The last book Iread by him was A Bloody GoodFriday, a Friday night punchup based in Merthyr Tydfil,Wales. It was impossible toput down once I had started.Cressida’s Bed, the author’slatest novel, is a powerfuland fast-moving book whichheld me enthralled with thesame sense of intense antici-pation and excitement Set inthe last days of the Raj inIndia and Bhutan in the1930’s, each chapter left mecliff hanging, eagerly await-ing the next twist and turn inthis fascinating story.

The title of this bookderives from Shakespeare’sTroilus and Cressida inwhich Cressida’s bed refersto India and the heroine is ‘apearl’. It is set against the back-ground of the Great Game, inwhich the British Empireengaged in political intrigue anddeceit with the Chinese andRussians over Himalayan bufferkingdoms. This is a sorry tale inwhich the British emerge with asomewhat tarnished reputation.Based on documents unearthedfrom the India Office library after50 years of secrecy, the author’sresearch is meticulous and castslight on the kingdom of Bhutan,around which rumors and tales ofskullduggery concerning theirreligious king have been circulat-ing for a number of decades.

There are a number of themeswoven throughout the book,which the author links togetherwith consummate skill. The cen-tral figure is a Suffragette andTheosophist, an emancipatedwoman doctor, ChristinaDevenish. Based on the historicalcharacter of Annie Besant, thebook opens with her running abirth control clinic in Bombay.She has studied esoteric teachingsin London, even some of a darkerorder suggestive of AlastairCrowley. In advance of her time,as a liberal, privileged upper-mid-dle class woman, she has alsoexperimented with drugs toaccess the further reaches of con-sciousness.

For many years, she has hadvery little contact with her father,Colonel Devenish, a brilliant lin-guist and British Political Officerwho loves the Himalayas. He is athome in nefarious dealings of theGreat Game but there is an addedtwist. A liberal man with an inter-est in Himalayan religions, he hastaken spiritual teachings from the

religious king of Bhutan, theShabdrung and wants his daugh-ter to meet him.

After her birth control clinic isburnt down in anti-colonial riotsin Bombay, Christina receives aninvitation from her father to visitBhutan. Simultaneously theBritish are concerned withremoving her father from Bhutanas he is clearly not acting inBritish interests. There is politicaltension between the secularMaharaja and the religious king,the Shabdrung. The British arebacking the Maharaja makinghim a Knight Commander of theIndian Empire. Unfortunately forthe Shabdrung, his ally wasGandhi, a dangerous enemy ofthe British.

Christina’s personal trip toBhutan is subverted into an expe-dition to Bhutan led by MajorOwen Davies, a Welshman whohas been charged with bringingher father out of Bhutan. I foundDavies one of the most sympa-thetic characters in the book, fine-ly drawn and authentically por-trayed, probably owing to theauthor’s roots. Des is slightly lessassured with his depiction ofChristina as an upper middle classEnglishwoman, who is nonethe-less a compelling character.

Owen is a man recentlybereaved, longing for a woman asan antidote to the violence he has

seen and perpetrated in Calcutta.Christina has her own hunger, fol-lowing the shocking death of herIndian colleague, Lakshmi. Alove story between Christina andOwen Davies develops on thejourney and the attraction andtension between them provide thepivotal point of the novel. Thistension only increases as the story

unfolds, revealing both of themto be on different and opposingsides of the Great Game, withdisastrous consequences.

On their arrival in Bhutan,these oppositions are madepatently clear with the army ofthe Maharaja immediately tak-ing control of the Shabdrung’spalace, with the aid of Britisharmaments. Christina’s choiceof a gift for the Maharaja isapposite but deeply ominous - asilver plated, pearl-handled der-ringer. By contrast, her gift tothe Shabdrung, a silver-framedpicture of a golden Buddha,shows their spiritual connectionwhich is confirmed when shereceived three days of teachings

from him with her father acting astranslator. Through this she expe-riences a state of grace, a state ofconsciousness far more profoundthan anything she had ever expe-rienced either through drugs orTheosophy.

This book is dedicated toChögyal Namkhai Norbu and thechapters on the Shabdrung areparticularly poignant. For thoseof us who know the story of theShabdrung and his connectionwith Rinpoche - ChögyalNamkhai Norbu is recognized asthe reincarnation of theShabdrung - the background tohis nefarious and prematuredemise and the part played by theBritish is nothing short of scan-dalous.

This book is an illuminatingstudy of the Great Game and theDepartment in which thesePolitical Officers of the Raj func-tioned, portraying a world ofdeception and intrigue, diploma-cy and dirty dealings. Individualfeelings and sensibilities werelaid aside in the cause of thegreater game, keeping politicalfrontiers secure and the BritishEmpire intact.

Des is a great storyteller andthis book would translate into apowerful film. I cannot recom-mend it highly enough.

by Judith Allan

The Best Buddhist Writing 2004

Edited by Melvin McLeod andthe Editors of the Shambhala Sun. Boston: Shambhala Publications,2004.

This book is comprised ofthirty-nine pieces of dhar-ma related writing pub-

lished in magazines or books in2003. The authors includeordained and lay practitionersfrom Theravadin, Zen, andTibetan practice traditions, as wellas some contributors who areunclassifiable. Familiar namesinclude His Holiness the DalaiLama, His Holiness the 17th

Karmapa, Tsoknyi Rinpoche,Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron,Ajahn Amaro, Jack Kornfield,

Natalie Goldberg, as well as new-er voices such as Ezra Bayda,Noah Levine, and Diana Winston.

It is an eclectic mix, includingthose who speak with the author-ity of tradition, and those whospeak only from their own per-sonal experience. While there isno denying the meatiness, sub-stance, and value of the more seri-ous chapters - with titles like“Forgiveness Meditation,”“Radical Acceptance” - I foundmyself drawn to the more whim-sical, humorous, and eccentricones, such as Daniel Menaker’stongue-in-cheek guide toBuddhism: “The next thing youare going to have to do is decideon whether you are going to say“BOOdist,” “BUUHdist”(rhymes with WOODist) or“BUDDhist”. . . “or, “Karma isthe things you choose to do butdon’t have any choice about.”

I also liked Diana Winston’sguide to dharma written for

teenagers, as exemplified by thearticle, “Spacing Out,” and thepiece by Noah Levine. He is theson of well-known (in New Agecircles) healer Stephen Levine,who rebelled against his father’s“spiritual” ways by becoming ahard-drinking punk rocker andwho now, in middle age, hascome full circle and hasembraced dharma while continu-ing to be involved with the punkmusic scene.

Brad Warner, someone I hadnever heard of before, wrote aneccentric piece about Zen prac-tice: “The guy I’d seen drinkingall the beer turned out not to beone of the monks (though he didhave a shaved head and lived in atemple - sue me for getting thatone wrong) and managed to giveup the booze by the followingsummer - no small feat in Japanwhere you can get plasteredseven nights a week and still notbe considered an alcoholic.”

Okay. What you are getting, inthis review, is a pretty idiosyn-cratic, possibly even skewed viewof the book. But, if you have anyfamiliarity at all with Buddhistliterature, you can pretty muchguess the kinds of things thatwere contributed by the DalaiLama, Thich Nhat Hanh, etc. So,I’m giving you a view of the littleside streets that you might other-wise miss. Or, maybe I’m justgetting lazy and frivolous. So,okay, as a concession to that pos-sibility, let me quote from one ofthe chapters that was on a mainstreet, not a side street.

This, from Tsoknyi Rinpoche:“This softening of our heart isessential for all progress, and notjust in terms of spiritual practice.In all we do, we need to have anattitude that is open-minded andflexible. . .We always forget thesimplest things, partly becausewe don’t take them seriously.”

by Paul Bail

As EverThe Selected Poetry of Joanne KygerEdited by Michael Rothenberg,Penguin Books 2002

For many years I followed the poetic works of JoanneKyger ’Queen of West Coast’ poetics, and moreover,a practitioner of Zen Buddhism for many years, an

expert in Ikebana, Japanese flower arrangement, and aunique poet in an era which proliferates poetic response. Asa student in Berkeley, California, I read Joanne, innocentlywondering just what her use of terms like Bodhisattva andTara was all about.

Later, in Italy, I understood. Franco Beltrametti reintro-ducing me to her work, I’d find poems by Joanne inobscure magazines, in Italy, Mygur, c/o Montana Gothic,those less obscure in the USA, Coyote and on line at www.bigbridge.org and then, again, in seminal anthologies. Hers

was and is a rare female voice in the Oriental wave uponwhich she accompanied, in the late 60’s, Gary Snyder,Peter Orlovsky and Allen Ginsberg in their seminal travelsto India and Japan. Seekers of the great emptiness, in anera, in the USA, permeated by paranoia, materialism andthe post-war culture of suburbia.

Joanne’s work represents a unique ‘lay’ approach to theintroduction and practice of Zen in the West. At NaropaInstitute (precisely, the Jack Kerouac School ofDisembodied Poetics), she taught with the most famous ofAmerican writers and shone like a fairy queen, indepen-dently present, her classes, on woman writers of the 20thcentury, meticulous and erudite, her private space - herroom, a marvel of how to transform the impersonal into apersonal statement of intimacy and even transcendence.

We spoke of those years when, as a poet one makes nomore than $800. She gave me some small publications ofhers, wrapped in a leaf. In Bolinas her ‘home’ she receivedme with rare simplicity, considering her mastery and by

then, legendary stature.What a pleasure then to find this volume with a gener-

ous selection of the entire work. Having accompaniedGinsberg and Gary Snyder to Japan, she launched, on herown, a personal style, so unique and so present, a ‘word ’so natural one indeed might identify it as ‘gossip’ but thegossip one carries on, to keep simple the endless movementof mind. This is a poetry, which emanates from an unbro-ken transmission of ZEN, so the gossip is not idle and cer-tainly never malicious in intent. Joanne’s work indeed is amanifestation of her every day awareness and her commit-ment to the natural cycle in which we live and develop.

Michael Rothenberg has edited this book from a widevariety of material and in some cases worked with theauthor on the selection. Penguin books has also given usOVERTIME, The Selected Works of Philip Whalen, ZenRoshi and original ‘Beat’ as part of Rothenberg’s uniquevision for the preservation of these two unique bodies ofwork, American’s most poignant

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T H E M I R R O R O C T / N O V 2 0 0 4 7

Prayers for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s

Long Life

Here are the dates and suggested practices:November 4th, Dec. 1st -25thMani and Prayer of Tara, as many as possible.

Please inform Tashi Lama at tashilama10@hotmail.com the number of prayersaccumulated. Thank you.

& profound response – in poetry - to the arrival of ‘The Swans on theLake’.

March 2Green Tara you mysterious adventurer

reaching under my pillow case

Torn into the charming fertility of dreamsThe awful emptiness of you

who won’t let me come to your heart. DowntownI’ll go

andlet the cold

unfold.

April 15What

a weak. Compassionhate, hope, illness.

In the thick, on the edge, over theedge,

on the other side, back

on this side again, my friend,we meet again.

Review by Louise Landes-Levi

When I first began towork for the late poet,Allen Ginsberg in his

New York office in 1989, thiscoincided with some legal briefshe was preparing on behalf of theAmerican Civil Liberties Unionagainst the FCC (Federal Com-munication Commission) on cen-sorship issues at Pacifica publicradio. These were pre-internetdays when the only alternativemedia available in the USoccurred on public radio. . In1988, the FCC banned a numberof major literary works of art fromAmerican public radio. Gins-berg’s Howl was among theseworks. A year later, this ban wasoverturned—a temporaryreprieve from the forces of con-servative censorship.In all honesty, I think Allen, hadhe not gone into poetry, andwould have been a great lawyeror politician. He had an amazingintellectual capacity to digestinformation, integrate it quicklyand articulate a compelling argu-ment. On top of that, he had thekarmic merit to influence mil-lions of people. Luckily forhumanity, he became a poetinstead of a lawyer, as the worldneeds more poets. Allen engagedmany political issues during hislong public career as a poet—theantiwar movement, gay rights,civil liberties, the environment,disarmament of nuclear weapons,even anti-smoking. This heaccomplished not just in rantingor talking but with his wholebody, speech and mind.Feminists like to think of hiswork as misogynistic but, in real-ity, numerous women writersfound his poetry a liberating forcein expressions about the humanbody. His great masterpieces,Kaddish, as well as Howl werewritten as acts of filial loyalty inhonor of his mother who sufferedfrom mental illness, In each ofthese areas, Ginsberg made a sig-nificant contribution to humanity.His underlying motivation for

political activity was founded onempathy rather than ideology. Asone lama once said, politics in thedharma is a bad thing but thedharma in politics has positiveresults. Allen Ginsberg, for me,remains a model citizen of ‘dhar-ma politics.’ Who else in thewestern world can we claim inthis century to have chanted OMin the hopes of levitating thePentagon during the Vietnam era.Naïve perhaps, but was it? Poetry may pose subversive ele-ments for a conventional societyor mindset. Perhaps that is whyPlato thought better to ban allpoets from his utopian ‘republic’.In a sense, being a poet is a revo-lutionary act. Many poets havebeen murdered, incarcerated,exiled or censored for their words—Osip Mandlestam, Turkishpoet, Nazim Hikmet, PabloNeruda., Frederico Garcia Lorca,Czeslaw Milosz, to name a few inthis century. Even Tibet had itscontroversial Sixth Dalai Lamawho cast aside political and hier-archy in favor of simple yet pro-found folk lyrics of love. How isit that a mere lyric can bringdown or threaten the ruin of agovernment? This is interesting tome. Mikos Theodorakis, theGreek composer, once said that asong is more powerful than anymilitary tank. How is it some-thing so ephemeral as a songcould stand against an ironcladtank of the State? Consider thispoem by the 19th century femalepoet, Emily Dickinson, whorarely left her corner bedroom inrural New England.

Tell all the TruthBut tell it slant—Success in Circuit liesToo bright for our infirm delightThe Truth’s superb surpriseAs Lightening to the ChildreneasedWith explanation kindThe Truth must dazzle graduallyOr every man be blind. Far beyond any aesthetic philoso-

phy, the condensed quality of lan-guage in poetic form seems togarner an almost atomic power aspotent as a volcano, a “bolt ofmelody” Dickinson once referredto her poems, a mighty force ofnuclear energy. So powerful is thetruth that one must tell it ‘slant” inpoetic language lest it blind orperhaps get one murdered. Thepower of words —not just orato-ry or elegant speech, but wordsinfused with meaning can shine alight through the darkest tunnel ofdespair. People long for anauthentic expression of candor,which after all means, “to shine.”What shines is not THE truth butimpartial non-egoistic truths, afrank sincerity and opennesswithout certainty. That is the sim-ple definition of “candor.” One ofGinsberg’s favorite slogans was“candor ends paranoia.” Here, Ithink is the success of his poetryand its political implication.Someone, at last, has spoken withan authentic wisdom and clarityin a long lineage of fellow poetsabout matters that concern peopleat their deepest core. “Only emo-tion endures,” one poet said. The impulse toward the discoveryof luminous mind that fosters asacred outlook on the world andends in poetic expressions is nei-ther Eastern nor Western butrather a human one outside of cul-tural particulars. One thinks ofthe 19th century English poet,John Keats’, letter of March 19,1819, “ I am, however young,writing at random, straining atparticles of light in the midst of agreat darkness.” Such poetry risesto greatness because of its inten-tion toward clarity. The Russianpoet, Anna Akhamatova’s haunt-ing preface to her great poem,“Requiem” speaks volumes of theStalin era. Every Russian knowsthese solemn words:

Preparing these legal briefs forAllen that he endlessly revised,introduced me to another side ofhim I hadn’t experienced duringthe years when I worked with himat the Naropa Institute in aBuddhist/Shambhala context.Everyone who knew him recalls

his legendary kindness but here, Iobserved his shrewd intellect atwork analyzing every detail.While I was hired by him toarchive his vast collection of pho-tography, an area that held myattention, typing and retypingboring briefs with his constantrevisions proved an exercise inundue diligence. But for me, itoffered a good training for whichI will always be grateful.The years I worked for Allencoincided with the only time Ipracticed intensely—a few hoursin the morning then immediatelywhen I got home from work.About a year or two after workingfor Allen, I met ChoegyalNamkhai Norbu. But by then, Ihad already been doing Chodpractice introduced to me byTsultrim Allione. This was thefirst practice that really suited me,in fact, the only one that held myattention for any length of time. Idid it constantly and NY seemedthe perfect charnel environment.Fortunately, I lived in an apart-ment building in Brooklyn withmany Tibetan families. —upstairsand next door. Numerous times Iasked my neighbors if they mind-ed my ‘noise.’ They were alwaysvery deferential to me and insist-ed I continue and spoke veryrespectfully of Namkhai Norbuwhose voice on the tape recorderthey sometimes heard. Politics atthe time deeply bored me. I couldcare less what was happening inthe world. I was much more inter-ested in riding the subway to andfrom work caught up in the grittyenergy of being a New Yorker—the vividness of the city’s diversi-ty and human display of sufferingand endless craving. This waslike a fuel for my practice. Because part of Allen’s daily rou-tine every morning was to sortthrough his mail, my first dutywas to deliver several large shop-ping bags of mail from the postoffice around the corner from hisapartment and sit with him at hiskitchen table going through thepile. He would have already readthe entire New York Times by thetime I arrived. Often, he wouldhave picked this up the nightbefore around 10:00 PM whenthe late edition came out at thenews stand around the cornerform his apartment on East 12th

Street on his way home after anight out giving a reading, meet-ing with friends or attendingsome event. He led a very activesocial life in his later years. As Iwas the first person to see him inthe morning, he would quiz meenthusiastically about the day’snews from the paper alreadyclipped and with marginal nota-tions. So, out of embarrassment at

my own ignorance, I began toread the paper on my way to workjust to be able to make intelligentconversation with him. I oftenjoke, that what I learned mostfrom Allen Ginsberg was to readthe New York Times with a criti-cal eye to emerging stories in theback pages. One morning during this period Ihad a vivid experience that hasstayed with me for years. Duringa Chod practice, I began to focuson my 2-year-old nephew whosemother had just abandoned thefamily. This child was sufferingterribly—calling out for hismother all night and beating hisfather, my brother. On this morn-ing I began spontaneously feed-ing the demons of his abandon-ment. Suddenly, the room filledwith the energy of countlessabandoned children, cryingpiteously for their mothers press-ing me almost to the point of suf-focation. I really thought I coulddie from so much grief. Normally,one doesn’t talk about one’s innerpractice experiences but here I doso simply to illustrate that one canmake an offering in the unseenworld sometimes far more con-cretely than in the outer worldsuch as sending money to chil-dren’s agencies. The methods ofVajrayana and Dzogchen are trulymarvelous, in this respect.Developing and implementingone’s compassion too is a mightyforce, mentally sometimes greaterthan outward displays.So what are we to do with somuch grief and suffering bothwithin us and as perceived in theworld? Can we as practitionersmake a difference in the world?The older I get, for me; theanswer is quite simple. Pay atten-tion to the world around us, speakwith candor—even the dangerouskind, if one can, and never aban-don the fundamentals of compas-sionate empathy for others.Maybe a word here or there, agesture, or an offering can allevi-ate a fraction of the burden of suf-fering. There is no doubt in mymind, that armed with theweapons of compassion and can-dor borne out of awareness, wecan topple the enemy of our ownegos within and destructiveforces without. In a translationprepared by Ginsberg, the poet,Pablo Neruda once said, “I didn’tcome here to solve anything, /Icame here to sing/And for you tosing with me.” Remember, a songis more powerful than evenweapons of mass destruction.Imparted with the view, a songcreates a cause for true spiritualliberation. In 1968, Ginsberg, atthe height of his political activismwrote:

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continued on page 13

Remembering Allen Ginsberg (1926-1987) and the Poetics of Candor

In the terrible years of the Yeshovterror, I spent seventeen months inthe prison lines of Lenningrad.Once someone "recognized" me.Then a woman with bluish lipsstanding behind me, who ofcourse, had never heard mecalled by name before, woke upfrom the stupor to which everyonehad succumbed and whispered inmy ear (everyone spoke in whis-pers there):"Can you describe this?"And I answered: "yes, I can"

8

Anyone wishing to participateone should undergo a test consist-ing in the translation of a page ofa Tibetan book which Adrianoand I choose. On the basis of thattest we judge if one has or not therequired basic knowledge.Oliver: Can you explain some-thing about the difficulties oftranslating from Tibetan into aWestern language? A correcttranslation from Tibetan into awestern language seems to be soextremely difficult – what are thecriteria for a correct translation?Elio: Well, it would take time todescribe the criteria of a goodtranslation, but in general, onemust have an adequate under-standing of the Tibetan language.But sometimes this alone is notsufficient. If one is translating aTibetan text sometimes a certainidea is just given for granted andthat idea is maybe not explainedin the text but in another text. Soone must be familiar with thoseideas. So you see, sometimes justto have knowledge of the Tibetanlanguage is not enough, not evenfor comprehending what is writ-ten, because you must have awide range of knowledge. Forthat reason even for commonTibetan it is not possible to under-stand and to translate when theydon’t have a specific training inthe Teachings. So that is the firstthing: one must have a goodknowledge of the language andthe Teachings. To be able to trans-late into a western language isalso a matter of training andfamiliarity – good translationsdepend also on that familiarity.Oliver: Up to now there are noTibetans in this Training. Couldalso Tibetan participate?Elio: Yes, it would be good ifsome Tibetans would work withus. If they are good scholars andhave good knowledge of the lan-guage they could help us and wecould collaborate. But we areworking with Tibetans anyway,because we check all the booksand all that what we don’t under-stand with Rinpoche. So in thatway we are working withTibetans somehow. Oliver: What do you think aboutthe understanding of the commonpeople in Tibet? Are they stillable to understand texts like theMejung Tantras? Do they stillhave the possibility to get trainedin these texts?Elio: I think that nowadays theknowledge of the Tantras in gen-eral, and those of Dzogchen inparticular is quickly disappearing– but not only the knowledge, buteven to understand the wordsbecome rather complicated. Ithink that the young Tibetansnowadays in Tibet have the samedifficulties as we have, who knowsome Tibetan, in reading thosetexts.I believe that to make good trans-lations in English will be veryuseful for the future, because itwill be easier to read the transla-tions of these texts than to readthe originals.Oliver: So it is actually our taskhere, the task of the experts herein the West to keep this heritageof that aspect of Tibetan culturealive?Elio: In part yes. But I believe ourmain focus should be on theancient Dzogchen Tantras first.

We are fortunate to haveRinpoche with his vast andunique knowledge of Dzogchenand experience in communicatingsuch knowledge to the west, tohelp us. Oliver: When we have a text likethe Mejung Tantra translated intoa western language – is that a textthat should be available to every-body?Elio: That is something that youshould ask Rinpoche – I am notvery sure about that.Oliver: Was such a text availablefor everybody in Tibet?Elio: I think that one could cer-tainly read such a text if he reallywanted to do so. But in Tibet itwas not always easy to get booksas it now here in the West.Oliver: Can the result of the firstTraining, the book “On Birth,Life and Death”, be read byeverybody?Elio: Yes, I think Rinpoche wrotethis book for everybody. In fact,the first draft of this book was thetext for a conference thatRinpoche gave in Venice at thefirst International Conference onTibetan Medicine I think in 1982if I am not wrong. Now Rinpocheexpanded the first two sections onbirth and living and added thenew section on death. What isinteresting in this book is thatRinpoche relates the principle ofawareness – which is so impor-tant in the Dzogchen Teachings –to the various seasons the life,explaining how such principlesunable us to have a better andhealthier way of living. He con-tinues demonstrating that thatprinciple is also the underlyingbase for the understanding andapplication of Dzogchen. So inthat way it is a book that links ourordinary life with the Teachingsof Dzogchen. Oliver: So reading will be for thebenefit of many people.Elio: Yes, definitely, it will be forthe benefit for everyone, not onlyfor practitioners. For those whowant to approach their healthfrom a different perspective, forthose who want to approach theirlives from that perspective andfor those who are searching forthe meaning of their lives.Oliver: Which role-plays theShang-Shung Institute in thatTraining?Elio: The Shang-Shung Institute,Austria, is the patron of thisTraining. I personally I think thatthis Training is an importantactivity of our Community andshould become a permanent pro-gram of the Shang-ShungInstitute. For this reason we arealso thinking of having this train-ing on different levels. One,which we have been doing, withpeople within the Communitywho know Tibetan and who workon texts which are closely relatedto Rinpoche’s Teaching and to theDzogchen Teachings. Anotherconnected to the study programof different universities where weuse materials that are more gener-al and not as specific as we aredoing now. Oliver: Would this Training con-nected to universities also includeprograms to actual learn the basicTibetan or would you alreadyhave to know Tibetan for that?Elio: I think that it would beindispensable to have somehow a

basis of Tibetan language. Theactual learning of Tibetan lan-guage would be the step prior tothe training.Oliver: Some people who attend-ed the Translator Training lastyear are already offering suchbasic study courses.Elio: Yes, I think that this is verygood if they can offer this basictraining in Tibetan. Also manypeople still don’t know how topronounce the words of the prac-tices we do in the DzogchenCommunity. It is important thatthe Gars or the different Gakyilsin the different towns organizesuch program – that would bereally useful.Oliver: In regard to the futureyou mentioned already that therewould be a continuation of theTraining within the Community,the Training that will be connect-ed to universities and also thebasic languages courses. Whatwill be the next step? Now wehave 2004 – what is going to hap-pen next?Elio: Well, this year it becamevery obvious in which directionRinpoche wants to have thisTranslator Training. It seems thatwe have to focus on theDzogchen Tantras, maybe alsothe master Nyala ChangchubDorje’s termas. Some people haddoubts because these kinds ofworks are very difficult and thatfor the purpose of the trainingmaybe it would have been betterto use texts that are simpler, butduring the last training I realizedmyself that this is not so true.Also for the next time – we arestill in the process of deciding -but Rinpoche suggested anotherSemde Tantra. Rinpoche said thatthis Tantra is easier to translatethan the Mejung, and also pro-vides the opportunity the possibil-ity to train people well in Tibetanlanguage, in the grammar and soforth.Oliver: Where will the nextTraining take place?Elio: The next training will be inMerigar between July andAugust, the time in whichRinpoche be in Merigar.Oliver: People, who for somereasons could not take part in thatTraining up to now but arealready translating from Tibetan,could they come to Merigar andparticipate when their tests havebeen approved or is it a closedgroup? Elio: No, it is not a closed group.Anyone who has already partici-pated in one of the Trainingbefore, is free to come and to con-tinue in the Training. New peopleare also free to come as long asthey have the qualification oftheir knowledge of Tibetan. Andall those new people who want tocome can come, they have toundergo the test we mentionedabove.Oliver: Thank you very much forthis interview.

The Training for Translators from Tibetan An Initiative of the Shang-Shung Institute for Tibetan Studies under the guidance of Elio Guarisco

AimWith this long-term project we hope to guarantee precise translations ofthe sacred texts available in Western languages in the future. In order tobe able to translate in a qualified way one must have an adequate under-standing of the Tibetan language, of Tibetan grammar and also compre-hend the meaning of the text.

Short historyThe Training for Translators from Tibetan (TTT) started in 2003 at therequest and wish of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Elio Guarisco wasentrusted to be the instructor of the Training and the Shang-ShungInstitute, Austria, has been the organizer and sponsor of this importantinitiative. The first Training took place in Merigar, the main seat of theInternational Dzogchen Community in Italy. The book “On Birth,Living and Dying”, written by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was chosen asthe text for the training and as the result of this training; the book ispresently being published in English and Italian languages and furthertranslations are coming out soon.In the year 2004, the second Training was held in Margarita Island(Venezuela). A Dzogchen Tantra of the Mind Series, as indicated byChögyal Namkhai Norbu, was the textbook studied. This provided awonderful opportunity for participants to come in contact with one ofthe most ancient Dzogchen Tantra, the Mejung, whose title can be trans-lated as “Wonderful Primordial State”.About fourteen people from different countries of the world took part inthe first two Trainings refining their skill in understanding and translat-ing from Tibetan. Participants have shown considerable progress intheir knowledge of Tibetan language and there are several promisingpotential translators manifesting. Because of this, it has been decidedthat the training should become a permanent undertaking of the Shang-Shung institute to be held at least once a year.

Future aspectsThe Shang-Shung Institute will also extend a branch of the Training tobecome part of universities that have an Oriental Studies departmentattached to them. This branch of the Training extended to universitieswill be of a more general nature, focusing less on Dzogchen teachingbut more on Tibetan literature appropriate to academic studies.

The Training 2005The next meeting of the translators will take place again in Merigar inItaly from July 6th until August 9th, 2005. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu hassuggested another important Dzogchen Tantra, called “The PrimordialState Equal to Sky” (mtshams brag Edition VOLUME 3 (Ga): byangchub kyi sems rdzogs pa chen po mkha’ mnyam klong gi rgyud kyirgyal po (191.2-355.1; 26 chaps.) as the base of the studies. This willallow the participants to develop even more into the dimension of theoriginal Dzogchen works enhancing their knowledge of both Tibetanlanguage and the principles of the Dzogchen teaching. We hope that the next training will see the participation of many inter-ested and qualified translators to make Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’svision of having the Dzogchen Tantras in Western languages manifest.We hope that everybody will understand the crucial importance of thisTraining for the correct preservation of the precious Dzogchen teach-ings, and participate in order to make this initiative successful so tomake many flowers like translators blossom in the meadow of theDzogchen scriptures.

Short description of the text that will be translated:Chapter one presents the five perfections of the Teacher, Teaching, stu-dents, time and place. Chapter two explains the essence of the Tantra.Three explains self-originated wisdom. Four explains the primordialdimension of the nature of mind. Five explains that there is nothing totrain in the primordial state. Six explains that the state is beyond birthand death. Seven explains that the state is not something to search foror gradually approach. Eight explains the greatness of the state. Nineexplains the dimension of primordial enlightenment. Ten explains thatBuddha’s and sentient beings are perfected in unique instant presence.Eleven explains that the primordial state is infinite like space. Twelveexplains the example and how to enter. Thirteen explains how the stateis beyond concepts and obscuration. Fourteen explains how the state isall-pervasive. Fifteen explains the distinction between the existence andnon-existence of the fruit. Sixteen explains the characteristics of thetotal bliss of the fundamental condition. Seventeen explains the way theprimordial state manifests. Eighteen explains that compassion does notprotect beings. Nineteen explains that the fortunate are liberated with-out effort. Twenty explains the details of the path to enter supreme bliss.Twenty-one explains that there is nothing to deny or affirm inDzogchen. Twenty-two explains the details of behavior. Twenty-threeexplains the details of samayas beyond preservation. Twenty-fourexplains that there is nothing to cultivate with prajna. Twenty-fiveexplains the ultimate oral instruction. Twenty-six explains the transmis-sion of the Tantra.

Interview with Elio Guarisco continued from page 11

continued on next page

T H E M I R R O R O C T / J N O V 2 0 0 4 9

Cost of the TrainingLike in the last years, the Shang-Shung Institute, Austria, will againsponsor the entire project so that there will be no costs for the partici-pants in this Training. The cost for travel, accommodation and food hasto be covered by the translators. In extraordinary cases there is even thepossibility of receiving a small scholarship.

Who can participate?Any translator who has already participated once in one of the Trainingscan also take part in this Training. Everybody else who has a goodknowledge of Tibetan Language and Grammar can also participate. Inorder to do so one has to send a Curriculum Vitae to our Institute andhas to take a written test. After the application for the Training we willsend you a Tibetan text that has to be translated so that we can checkyour qualifications.

Please contact:Oliver F. Leick

Shang-Shung Institute, AustriaGschmaier 139

8265 Gross-Steinbach, AustriaTel.: +43 3386 83218 or cell +43 676 3221365

Fax: +43 3386 83219E-Mail: office@ssi-austria.at

Web: www.ssi-austria.at

continued from previous page

DREAM YOGAand the Practice of Natural Light

by ChögyalNamkhai Norbu

This new edition includesmaterial that expands anddeepens the first edition’semphasis on specific exer-cises to develop awarenesswithin the dream and sleepstates.

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10

continued on next page

SHANG-SHUNG INSTITUTE, ITALY NEWSSTAFF and MANAGEMENT

There have been recent changes in the staff and man-agement working for the Institute. Giorgio Fiori whohas been co-director for five years has decided toresign. Yuchen Namkhai, in spite of her busy familyduties, has accepted to take his place as co-director,to the great pleasure and privilege of the Institute andwith the full approval of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu.Rita Renzi has also given up her job as secretary andAna Lopez is already substituting her part-time and,in January 2005, will take over full-time.

At the moment, the personnel of the Institute are asfollows:

Management:Yuchen Namkhai, Elisa Copello and Mauro Nascari,who, at the present time, is exclusively involved incoordinating the work of the ArcheologyDepartment in drawing up an ambitious project ofcreating an archeological site in the ancient kingdomof Shang Shung. Alexandra Adamek, whose work, inits initial phase, has been generously sponsored bythe Austrian branch of the Institute, assists him.

Staff:

Archives Department: Maurizio Mingotti, DanZegunis, Topgyal and Jacobella Gaetani who takescare of the library.

Department of Medicine: Doctor Nida Chenagtsang

Secretary: Anna Lopez

Promoter: Rita Renzi who will be taking care of pro-moting new courses, collaborating with the manage-ment and secretary in the organization of confer-ences, exhibitions and other cultural events linked toTibetan culture.

Administrative Consultant and Collaborator onSpecific Projects: Giorgio Fiori

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

Archives Department

The activities of the department are proceeding intwo directions:

1. The saving in digital form, both audio and video,of the entire patrimony of the teachings of ChögyalNamkhai Norbu currently on 725 DVDs and about2000 audio CDs. All of this precious material hasbeen put in a database created by Grisha Mokhin,who has been working on it for many months underthe direction of Maurizio Mingotti. The database canbe consulted after registering online and any techni-cal problems that may arise can be addressed toMaurizio Mingotti (maurizio.mingotti@iol.it).Although the Institute has repeated announcementsabout the database on all the Community’s commu-nication links, only 500 practitioners worldwidehave registered. The Institute invites all practitionersto access the database in order to see how muchmaterial is available, a precious source of sacredteachings that can be easily enjoyed.

2. The editing and production of DVDs and CDs ofthe practices and teachings, an indispensable tool forthose who wish to have a deeper understanding ofwhat has been transmitted by our Master during theretreats.

Recent productions include:

Yantra Yoga with Laura Evangelisti in DVD format

Dance of the Vajra with Prima Mai in DVD format

Shitro in DVD format

The First Three Issues of the Video Journal:The Institute would like to thank Carla Caponi,Fabio Andrico, Angelo Fontana. LizGranger and Costantino Albini for theircollaboration with our staff in the real-ization of this project which has metgreat success around the world.

To be released shortly:A multimedia CDRom of theMandarava practice in collabora-tion with Massimo Catalfio. TheCD will let practitioners go over thedetails of the mudras, explanations,the practice and the melodies, similarto the Tara CD.

The Library: Jacobella Gaetani has fol-lowed several training courses and is currentlylearning to how to use a program to introduce allthe books, the patrimony of the library, into the data-base.

Department of Medicine

This year, the Ku Nye traditional Tibetan massagecourses that had begun last year continued atMerigar as well as in Australia and Russia. Newcourses began in France. In the autumn, other newcourses will start in Germany, England and Naples,Italy.

A new updated manual in Italian of the first level ofKu Nye has been prepared with a professional lay-out put together by Dan Zegunis whose importantwork as a graphic designer should be mentioned.Translations have also been done into French andGerman for foreign students.

This year two important courses started at Merigar:

- The first part of the training for future Ku Nye firstlevel teachers which will conclude next year. Theinstructors who are nominated will be able to imple-ment the activities of the Ku Nye School and assistDr. Nida in his work.

- The four year course of “Traditional TibetanMedicine” which was attended by about 15 studentswho followed Dr. Nida and Dr. Salvnini’s lessonswith great enthusiasm. Dr. Salvini, who is special-ized in teaching Western anatomy and physiologywithin courses of non-conventional medicine, col-laborated in the second part of the first year course.

The experimentation on Ku Nye, which had beenapproved by the Region of Tuscany, was completedand the data is now being prepared to be sent to theappropriate office. The data indicates the excellentresults obtained from the various operators who wereinvolved in the experimentation on the followingpathologies: different types of headaches, arthritis,tendinitis, joints problems, stress, dysmenorrhoeaand insomnia. The outcome of the research thatmade use of “Western” criteria of evaluation con-firms the great effectiveness of Kyu Nye at the ther-apeutic level. The Institute hopes that these resultsmay become a first step for the recognition of KuNye at least at the regional level in such a delicatemoment for all operators of non-conventional medi-cine in Italy.

Besides the three food supplements which have beenproduced for several years by a laboratory in Arezzo,Italy, on Dr. Nida’s instructions (ZA TI, SHE SHI,CHIUN TANG), the Institute is also able to offer tomembers of the Institute, on request, a range of med-icinal products from the catalogue of the Swiss phar-maceutical company, Padma. The Institute has anagreement with Padma and is authorized to furnishthese products with a 10 percent discount on theretail price.

The Institute would also like to remind people that in

s h a n g - s h u n

T H E M I R R O R O C T / N O V 2 0 0 4 11

g i n s t i t u t eJuly 2005, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu will be giving a

course on moxa especially for students of Tibetanmedicine and Ku Nye. We kindly ask you to

reserve a place on the course as soon aspossible in order to organize this very

important event.

OTHER TEACHING ACTIVI-TIES

Elio Guarisco led a course inTibetan language assisted byTopgyal. The course was subdivid-

ed into two weeks: one preliminaryfor beginners and one more

advanced and dedicated to reading andstudying simple texts. The course will

continue in 2005 at the end of August pre-ceded by a week dedicated to beginners, given

the increasing interest in courses of this type.

PROJECTS

Scanning Changchub Dorje’s Manuscripts

It is essential to finish scanning these manuscriptsthat are deteriorating from mould. The scanningstarted some time ago but had to be suspended forvarious reasons. There are 20 volumes for a total of13,000 pages that have been patiently cataloguedand prepared for scanning by Jacobella Gaetaniassisted by Soledad Suarez.

The work will be assigned to Topgyal after a brieftraining period under the guidance of Dan Zegunis.We have calculated that 400-500 hours of work willbe required besides the time needed to get all thematerial on CDs. Since Topgyal is Tibetan, he is def-initely the most appropriate person for this job. Hehas been part of the Institute’s team for about a yearand has mainly been busy saving audiotapes andputting their data on the database.

Virtual Museum

AmbientiWeb Consulting has been entrusted withthe construction of the web site for the virtual muse-um. The site will present some of the objects thatwill make up part of the collection of the Museum ofTibetan Culture planned at Merigar in the nearfuture. As many of you will know, the Museum is aninitiative suggested by Rinpoche. The project for theMuseum has already been presented on differentoccasions to the Community so we will not repeatthat information now.

The web site for the Virtual Museum has mainly adouble aim:

- as a promotional presentation in order to requestsponsorship from foundations, local bodies,European funding and any other available resourcesgiven the high cost of the project.

- as a useful instrument to spread knowledge ofTibetan culture, to plan possible collaboration withother museums, offer the possibility, even to thepublic, to access the database of the library and thearchives by means of a link which would make onlythe material not reserved exclusively to practitionersavailable.

The objects to be presented on the site come preva-lently from the exhibitions organized in the past byASIA (an exhibition on the medical thankas orga-nized in collaboration with the Institute and the mostrecent on the nomads), from Rinpoche’s private col-lection and from the material bought by theInstitute’s exhibition department.Conference on External Therapies in TibetanMedicine

The whole of 2005 will be dedicated to the organi-zation of an international conference on external

therapies that will probably take place at the begin-ning of 2006. The Conference will be held in a ther-mal area in Tuscany where various Tibetan doctorsinvited for the occasion will present external thera-pies in Tibetan medicine. Workshops will be orga-nized for future instructors of the Ku Nye School.The event will be open to the public with the aim ofattracting in particular doctors, physiotherapists andall operators who work in the field of non-conven-tional medicine.

Buying New Texts for the Library

For about two years the Institute has not set asideany sizeable sum of money for buying new texts forthe library. Now we are planning a substantial orderof new books on various topics to enrich our mater-ial of documentation and research.

CONCLUSION

Up to now, the Institute has been able to continueand develop its activities thanks to a great teamwhich has dedicated time, know-how and energy. Itsonly source of income is from the sale of materialand from income from courses. However, to face theconsiderable costs that the Institute has to bear inorder to guarantee its survival, the acquisition ofmaterial and equipment, paying those who collabo-rate, the production and spread of publicity material,this income is not yet sufficient to cover all the costs.So it is important that practitioners who have under-stood the important role that the Institute plays with-in the Dzogchen Community sustain its activities.

How can one concretely give one’s support?

- becoming a member of the Institute- giving donations- subscribing to the video journal- visiting the database of the Institute to order onlinecopies of various retreats that have been digitallysaved- buying material produced by the ArchivesDepartment- participating and spreading information on theteaching activities of the Institute

There are still a lot of things to do:

- The web site of the Institute (entrusted toAmbientiWeb Consulting) will soon be updated andimproved so that up-to-date news on all theInstitute’s activities will be constantly available;

- The photographic archive still has to be digitalizedand time, costs and means need to be urgently estab-lished in order to make this material availableonline;

- It is important that the Institute becomes more andmore visible and in order to do this we are consider-ing initiatives with the other branches of the Institutein order to make the Institute known in the moreopportune branches, most of all outside theCommunity with a view of obtaining externalfinancing for the various projects that will be set up.

Much has been done and much remains to be donebut a grateful thought always goes to Rinpochewhose wisdom and energy helps and guides us.

Data base web site: https://ssi.dzogchen.ru

Institute’s email : ssinst@tiscali.it

Tel: 0564966941

By Elisa Copello for Shang Shung Institute

Web site: www.istitutoshangshung.org

Training for Translators from TibetanAn important project of the Shang-Shung Institute

Interview with Elio Guarisco, the instructor of this Training 7/22/ 2004, Isla MargaritaInterviewer: Oliver Leick

Oliver: Elio, can you say something, how this Training for Translatorsstarted?Elio: Some years ago Rinpoche asked the Shang-Shung Institute inItaly to institute training for translators. At that time the Institute in Italywas busy with many projects and so Rinpoche’s proposal remained fora while at bay. The whole project took off a couple of years ago whenRinpoche suggested that you take over the task of raising the funds anorganizing this project. It seems that the translator’s training was an oldidea and a hope of Rinpoche in order to train people to develop the skillto translate correctly from Tibetan.Oliver: How and why did Rinpoche you to be the instructor for thisTraining?Elio: Well, in the Dzogchen Community there are several translators -like Adriano Clemente who is working full time on Rinpoche books,and Jim Valby who is working on other the Dzogchen Tantras and at thesame time he is quite busy with the Santi Maha Sangha program - so allof them have many commitments. I also have my commitments. I havebeen working on a project of translation Kongtrul’s Sheja Kunkhyab inIndia since a long time, it has been a very fruitful time for me there. Inany case, my name, as a co-coordinator of this project, was suggestedto Rinpoche by the directors of the Shang- Shung Institute in Italy andreceived Rinpoche’s approval.Oliver: When Rinpoche asked you to take over the responsibility forthat Training, what did he say about its purpose, about its aim?Elio: Well, at the beginning he never told much to me about that, butthe purpose of this training is quite clear and straightforward. It aims atproducing become qualified translators out of those who have already abasic knowledge of Tibetan language. The immediate purpose of thetraining is not that of translating but to learn how to do that. That wasand is the original idea. This idea is now evolving towards a specificdirection. Last year Rinpoche suggested that we use as the base for thetraining one of his books: “Birth, Living and Dying’. Fabian Sandersand I prepared a translation of that book into Italian. On the basis of thatAndy translated the book into English; both should be published soon.This year, as a text for the training that we just have completed here inMargarita, Rinpoche unexpectedly suggested the Mejung, which is oneof the Semde Tantras. According to Rinpoche, together with the KunjeGyalpo, the Mejung stands as one of the most important Semde Tantras:it is somehow the origin of the other Semde Tantras and it is often quot-ed in Dzogchen works. This suggestion was really unexpected becauseI don’t have any knowledge of these Tantras nor I worked specificallyon Dzogchen texts. But Rinpoche suggestion of this text was no doubtintentional. It indicated the specific direction in which he wants us tomove with the translator’s training: focusing on the Dzogchen Tantras.Oliver: How did the translator training go this summer in Margarita?Elio: In my assessment, this year the training went exceptionally well.Adriano also attended the sessions of discussion of the first two or threedays helping in the interpretation of the text with his experience. JimValby attended the whole of the first part of the training one of the co-coordinators offering his translation of the various sections. After amoment of discouragement at the complexity of the text, all participantsplunged into the words of Mejung and its amazing view. At the end ofthe first part of the training, we had just reached about half of the text.When I asked Rinpoche what we should do for the second part: contin-ue with the Mejung or move to the other texts that were planned, hesaid: “It is obvious what you should do.” This meant that we had to con-tinue on the same text to the end. So we did that, and I believe that foreveryone as for myself, was an amazing experience, a mind opening onone of the most important Semde Tantras.Also I was fortunate to be able to consult Rinpoche all through the train-ing to clarify difficult points. In these occasions he showed me anunbearable kindness, and explained me the content in the most humbleway one can imagine as to touch me deeply. Oliver: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?Elio: About myself – well. My first contact with Tibetan Buddhism wasin India in the early seventies. After that I studied in Switzerland withthe philosophical advisor to the Dalai Lama who introduced me toMahayana Buddhism. I studied with him for about ten years. At thesame time I had contact with other Tibetan masters, sometimes trans-lating for them. Often I was asked to translate for them, for the DalaiLama too. In 1986 I became part of the Dzogchen Community and start-ed to follow actively Rinpoche’s Teachings. At the same time for the last20 years I have been involved in the project (initiated by KaluRinpoche) of translating the Sheja Kunkhyab or Encyclopedia of Indo-Tibetan Knowledge, as someone call it. That work gave me the possi-bility of deepening my knowledge of the language and of the teachingand allowed me to build a certain experience in translating fromTibetan.Oliver: Where do you live?Elio: I usually live in India, in Darjeeling.Oliver: Before you told us about the Training and the future translators.Can you explain to us who can take part in this Training?Elio: To attend the training one needs a basic knowledge of Tibetan lan-guage that allows him or her to receive some benefit from attending thetraining.

continued on page 8

12

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

C O M M U N I T Y N E W S

mm ee rr ii gg aa rrMerigar

Dzogchen Community in ItalyArcidosso 58031

GR ItalyTel:39 0564 968 837

Email:merigaroffice@tiscalinet.itWeb site: web.tiscalinet.it/merigar

Merigar Autumn/Winter Program 2004-2005

Sat. Oct. 30th – Mon. November1stIntroduction to ContemplationPracticewith C. AlbiniThe course starts on Saturday at10.00AMCost: 75 euro with discounts formembers

Sat. November 6th – Sun.November 7th Guru Yoga of Padmasambhavapractice retreatThe retreat starts on Saturday at10.00AM

Sun. November 7th Anniversary of the MasterAdzom DrugpaWorldwide transmission day13.00 Padmasambhava GuruYoga

Fri. November 12th – Sun.November 14th Dance of the Song of the Vajrapractice retreatThe retreat starts on Friday at16.00

Sat. November 20th – Sun.November 21st Yantra Yoga practice retreatPreliminary and first group ofYantrasThe retreat starts on Saturday at10.00AM

Sat. November 27th – Sun.November 28th Introduction to HomeopathicMedicinewith Dr. Pia BarilliThe course starts on Saturday at16.00Cost: 50 euro with discounts formembers

Sun. December 5th – Wed.December 8th Mandarava Long-life and GreenTara practice retreatThe retreats starts on Sunday at10.00AM

Wed. December 8th Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s birth-day

Sat. December 11th – Sun.December 12th Purification of the 6 Lokas andDance of the Liberation of the 6Lokas practice retreatThe retreat starts on Saturday at10.00AM

Sun. December 27th – Sat.January 1st, 2005Explanation and practice retreatwith Adriano ClementeThe 25 Longchen of the Tagdrol,

based on the Terma of the MasterChangchub DorjeThe retreat starts on Sunday at10.00AMCost: 150 euro with discounts formembers

Mon. January 3rd – Thu. January6th Intensive course of Yantra YogaFirst Levelwith Laura EvangelistiThe course starts on Monday at10.00AMCost: 140 euro with discounts formembers

Mon. January 3rd – Thu. January6th In-depth course of Dance ofLiberation of the Six Lokas andthe Dance of the Three Vajraswith Prima MaiThe course starts on Monday at16.00Cost: 140 euro with discounts formembersParticipation in both courses 250euro with discounts for members.

Sat. January 22nd – Sun. January23rd Course with Barrie Simmons“Managing conflicts”The course starts on Saturday at10.00AMCost: 100 euro with discounts formembers

Sat. January 29th – Sun. January30th Shitro practice retreatThe retreat starts on Saturday at10.00AM

Tue. February 8th Last day of the Wood MonkeyYear16.00 Purification of the 6 Lokaspractice19.00 Ganapuja

Wed. February 9th LOSAR, the first day of the WoodBird year.9.00 Amitayus long-life practice19.00 Ganapuja and authentica-tion of the Lungta

February Fri. 11th 9.00 Sang ritual

Wed. February 23rd Anniversary of Garab DorjeWorldwide transmission day4.00 Garab Dorje Guru Yoga

Sat. February 26th – Sun.February 27th Chöd practice retreatThe retreat starts on Saturday at10.00AM

Fri. March 4th – Sun. March 6th Dance of the Song of the Vajracourse for the first two groups(up to Bhetasana…)with Prima MaiThe course starts on Friday at

16.00Cost: 105 euro with discounts formembers

Sat. March 12th – Sun. March13th Course on “Emotions and thecapacity to listen”with Sicilia d’AristaThe course starts on Saturday at9.30AMCost: 50 euro with discounts formembers

Fri. March 25th – Mon. March28th Explanation and practice retreatwith Costantino AlbiniThe retreat starts on Friday at10.00AMCost. 100 euro with discounts formembers

MERIGAR, 58031 ARCIDOSSO58031 GR, ITALYTel. ++39 0564 966837Fax: ++ 39 0564 968110Email: merigaroffice@tiscali.it Web site: www.dzogchen.itThe office is open from Mondayto Sunday from 9.30AM to 1PM.Saturday also open from 2.30PM– 5.30PM. Wednesday closed.

ENROLLMENT

If you wish to enroll for a course,seminar or retreat, please contactthe office to book a place. It isimportant to contact the officesufficiently ahead of time sincecourses that do not reach the min-imum number of participants willbe cancelled. To take part in theactivities of the AssociazioneCulturale Comunità Dzogchenyou need to be a member. A first installment of 15 euro forthe Ordinary Member’s card willbe required before taking part. Afirst installment alone does notentitle you to the discounts formembers.Discounts for paid up membersare: 20% for Ordinary Members,40% for Sustaining Members and 50% forstudents and retired people on alow income.A further discount of 10% will begiven to those who enroll forcourses at least 3 weeks inadvance with a deposit of 30% ofthe price of the course, sent bypostal order to the “AssociazioneCulturale Comunità Dzogchen”Merigar – 58031 Arcidosso GR,Italy, specifying the name of thecourse which is being paid for.

Interview from the Month Long Retreat ofSanta Maha Sangha, Yantra Yoga and theVajra dance at Merigar in the summer of2004.

In the last issue of The Mirror #69, we did not include the entireinterview from The Merigar Letter about the month long retreatat Merigar on the Base of Santi Maha Sangha,Yantra Yoga andVajra Dance. Following is the omitted part. Our apologies.

Alexandra: For me the Dance was very difficult. For Yantra,even in the beginners group, there were different levels so it was-n’t too much of a problem, because even if you didn’t do all theexercises, you could join in. But in the Vajra Dance if you reachyour limits and you don’t try your maximum, you lose track andsomehow the others lose track. After the end of the second weekI found it difficult.

Jim: I think it is better if the retreat is only three weeks long andeach day there are four Thuns, then four tuns, then two Thuns,then four Thuns, then no Thuns, for three weeks. Because maybefor instructors its not so bad to lead two practices, but four prac-tices for six days a week is too much for participants.

Prima Mai (Vajra Dance teacher): Also you come directlyfrom your daily life and you jump into intensive practice and youmove a lot with your physical body, your energy, everything. Youhave a different pattern of sleeping, everything is different andsuddenly you have to do this every day so it is tiring. You have alot to integrate. It can be too much. People need to have sometime for relaxation. Then for the Vajra Dance you don’t only needto learn new steps, you need time to practice it, do it for yourselfand integrate with that.

ML: Was it difficult teaching for such a long period of time?Usually you do shorter courses.

Laura Evangelisti (Yantra Yoga teacher): It was a good expe-rience to teach longer because there was time to do everything ina relaxed way. People could follow more easily and get to knoweach other. The only difficulty was that the participants were a bittired, especially in the evening.

Rita Renzi (Vajra Dance teacher): It was difficult trying toteach new steps of the Vajra Dance in the evening after such a tir-ing day. It was too much for them. It was tough. So we had to addnew steps but not too many so that there was always a balance.

Prima Mai: For us teachers it was a lot easier. The participantsneeded more time to relax and integrate with what they weredoing. I was thinking for the future that it would be good to havesome open time - like six weeks - and to have a more flexible pro-gram. You chose what you want to do. So in a set period of timeyou can choose what you want to do like Yantra, Dance, sittingpractice in the morning etc so you can combine. Of course therewould be some limits. So you combine what you want to do andmore people can come. It wouldn’t be just limited to a group.

Laura: I think it is very good to have something very intense andconcentrated like this but people should be prepared because itseems like the participants were mostly new people. Somethingvery intense might be more useful for practitioners who havemore experience and are used to doing intense retreat. To advisepeople that it is something very intense so they are prepared. Andpeople who have health problems should know about this.

ML: Do you feel that this intense practice retreat has brought theparticipants to some point of arrival?

Jim: I think they have a good idea of what Dance and YantraYoga and SMS are all about. Usually in a SMS practice retreat wedo four Thuns a day but they are shorter, just an hour and a half,3 Thuns of SMS and one of Yantra or Dance. But for a shorter

continued on next page

The Universal Mandala Manifestedat Khandroling

The idea of constructing the Universal Mandalacame two years ago when the old Mandalawas badly deteriorated needing to be replaced.

Our initial thought was to replace it with the SolarMandala (medium size) so that we could use thegravel platform the way it was. Yet we felt buildingthe Universal mandala was the right thing to do.The size of the mandala is 69 feet (170m) across,almost 3 times bigger than the Earth Mandala. Thefirst step was to build the platform. Ten or moretruckloads of gravel were delivered and flattened bymachine, then the platform sat for the whole winter.In the spring we leveled the platform by hand, inchby inch. The next step was to lay the specially treated wood-en panels, which are supposed to last for 30-50years. The last and easiest step was to paint theMandala, which took us two months to complete.One day while we were painting, a large circularrainbow appeared in the blue sky above as if it werereflecting the Mandala below. Painting the UniversalMandala was the experience of a lifetime. It is noteasy to describe. When the painting was finished, aGanapuja was performed on Dakini day, dancing theSong of Vajra under the thousands of stars. The nightwas perfect and magical.We all know that the first dream of the Vajra Dancecame to Rinpoche at Khandroling and it is a uniqueplace where he continues to receive specific dreams

of Vajra Dance. Rinpoche also mentioned thatKhandroling is a sacred land where one can realizein six days of practice what might take six months in other places. We have a plan to build five more cab-ins on the land: a Mandarava cabin, a Gomadevicabin, a Simhamukha cabin and two Thödgal cabins.The foundations for two cabins are completed.When Rinpoche will be with us next May, a celebra-tion for the Universal Mandala will take place. If youhave never visited this special place, or you havebeen here before, come and experience the energy ofthe land with the new Mandala. Many of us feel thatKhandroling is our Vajra home.Thank you, Rinpoche, for allowing us to create sucha beautiful space. Special thanks to Efrem and MaritMarder for a generous donation which paid most ofthe expenses, to Santo Santorelli and Walter Paulusfor supervising the project, current Gakyil members,and to everyone who came to help for the firstUniversal Mandala on Earth! We are still in need ofsome financial assistance for the UniversalMandala. Please contact: yellowgakyil@tsegyal-gar.org

KyuConway MA USA

T H E M I R R O R O C T / J N O V 2 0 0 4 13

time like 10 or 12 days. So thisextra time doesn’t change theSMS aspect much, it just encour-ages each practitioner to dance, tolearn Yantra Yoga. Many practi-tioners only like books and a fewpractices. They don’t want to doanything like learn khumbaka ordance. So this kind of doingeverything together has value -you learn what it is all about.

ML: Even though the partici-pants were very tired, they werealso very happy.

Jim: There is a nice flavor frombeing tired from practicing.

NEWS FROM THE MERIGAR LETTER

The Merigar letter will become aEuropean monthly informationnewsletter; for this reason weneed the collaboration from all ofyou. When you are have new ini-tiatives, organize courses, semi-nars and so on, please get thisinformation to our office asquickly as possible.Our address is:merigarletter@dzogchen.it

Thank you for your collaboration,Lucia Antonelli

ee uu rr oo pp eeNEW GAKYILCZECH REPUBLIC

Blue:Fijalka Turzikova Tel: 0042728 557 366 E m a i l :fijalka108@hotmail.com

Magdalena Hamsikova Tel: 0042737 963 960 E m a i l :hamsikovam@seznam.cz

Red:Otto Adamec Tel: 0042777 641 961 Email: oadamec@grall.cz

Jiri Bim Tel: 0042606 910 833

Yellow:Daniela Viragova Tel: 0042736 246 579 Email: danielita@centrum.cz

Klara Markuciova Tel: 0042777 277 980 E m a i l :asangaklara@yahoo.com

Jiri Rys Tel: 0042777 070 910 Email: jirirys@volny.cz

Address of New Center inPrague, Czech Republic:

Komunita DzogchenU Bozich bojovniku 3Praha 3, 130 00Czech Republic

Yantra YogaBeginners CourseGermany:

Yantra Yoga Beginners Coursewith Gerd Manusch

Dates: 12/10 (19.00) until12/12(12.45) Venue: Kamalashila Institut,Kirchstr. 22 a, 56729LangenfeldCost: For members 80 Euro (70Euro payment by 11/25)Please remit to the account ofthe DzogchengemeinschaftDeutschland “YY-Manusch”,Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf, Nr.:11047891, BLZ: 30050110

For more information andaccommodation for both cours-

es please contact: Kamalashila-Institut,

Tel.: 0049-(0) 2655-939040Email:

programm@kamalashila.deFax: 02655939041

tt ss ee gg yy aa ll gg aa rr ee aa ss tt && ww ee ss ttI N T E R N A T I O N A LC O M M U N I T Y N E W S

TsegyalgarPO Box 277

Conway, MA 01341USA

Tel: 413 369 4153Email:

secretary@tsegyalgar.org

Web site: www.tsegyalgar.org

continued from previous page

A Prophecy

O Future bardsChant from skull to heart to assAs long as language lastsVocalize all chordszap all consciousnessI sing out of mind jailin New York Statewithout electricityrain on the mountainthought fills citiesI’ll leave my body in a thin motelmy self escapesthrough unborn earsNot my language But a voicechanting in patternssurvives on earthnot history’s bonesbut vocal tonesDear breaths and eyesshine in the skieswhere rockets riseto take me home.

Jacqueline Gens, 10/8/04Brattleboro, Vermont, USA

Ginsberg, continued from page 7

Kyu painting the Mandala

Chöd Retreat, Tsegyalgarby Cindy Thibeau

In early September,we were graced withthe presence of Con-

stantino Albini whoarrived from Italy to giveus the gift of the teach-ings of the Chöd practicethat our Precious Masterreceived through dreamsof clarity.After a long flight, aneight-hour hold over in aNew Jersey airport, and a shortnight of sleep in a foreign land,Constantino was sweet, kind andgracious upon his arrival atTsegyalgar. He entertained usover lunch with interesting storiesof Rinpoche and the teachings.That evening he began the Chödretreat with a beautiful introduc-tion to the history of the auspi-cious and fortunate birth and lifeof Machig Lapdron, her profoundunderstanding of thePrajnaparamita, and her awaken-ing of Supreme Knowledge with-in herself. Each day Costantino expoundedmore fully on the power and sig-nificance of this practice in ourlives to pacify suffering, howvision and truth are revealed aswe practice and develop TulzhugChöpa - resolute conduct by prac-ticing continuously observingourselves to recognize the fourdevils-manifestations of our ego.

He elucidated the traps and pit-falls of the four mind demons, theego fixations, the root of all ourproblems, and the only remedy,Rigpa - the development andrecognition of PrimordialInherent Wisdom. Observing our-selves we recognize and cut theseconcepts or experiences of ourmental existence, the mind,which holds onto a self, and its’discursive internal and externalthoughts. The practice developsand is akin to Bodhicitta (com-passion, caring and knowing ofothers suffering, plus knowledge-never letting go of this compas-sion) and the pure intention ofrealizing Primordial Wisdom forthe benefit of others.Constantino read eloquently fromH. H.The Dalai Lama’s text onthe Heart Sutra, Jerome Edou andSarah Harding’s texts on theChöd practice. His mastery of thepractice was evident as he led us

each day taught the correct use ofthe bell and damaru. One of themost inspiring parts of the retreatwas Constantino’s teaching onthe absolute value of devotion toour Teacher, our Guru, who hasbrought us these gifts of libera-tion, without whom we wouldwander aimlessly in samsaric suf-fering. Constantino embodies thisdevotion and manifests it in histeaching and in his practice.The last day of the retreat we allwent to Khandroling, our sacredland, where we sat for Chöd prac-tice on the newly completedUniversal Mandala. After a beau-tiful and strong practice, we gath-ered at the pond for a picnic andsunbathing as Constantino helpedto clarify some of our questionsand confusions. It was our goodfortune to have a truly giftedteacher and wonderful humanbeing share his wisdom with us.

14

NYC Dzogchen Community Reports

On September 18th and 19th, 2004, the New York DzogchenCommunity hosted a weekend retreat with Costantino Albini.Mr. Albini focused on the Upadesha practices of Rushen derived

from the Longsal Nyigthig Upadeshas of Padmasambhava. As explained in The Precious Vase, the function of these practices

is to distinguish the state of mind that is the source of samsara from thestate of instant presence that is the root of liberation. Padmasambhavadescribed these practices as the “supreme essence of my heart”.Students preparing to take the Santi Maha Sangha (SMS) base levelexam were especially eager to receive this teaching and work togetheron the practices described in The Precious Vase.

The teaching began with a clear explanation of Guru Yoga and ofthe meaning of SMS. In brief, “the universality of pain,” as taught bythe Buddha, leads some fortunate human beings to try to put knowledgeinto practice. Our Teacher, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, has given eachone of us this gift in order for us “to get serious about the teaching ofDzogchen.” Although we use the word “practitioner” to mean anyoneon the path; in fact, a real practioner is one who has experience with thethe state of contemplation. Through the practices offered in the SMSsytem, one might become a practioner and thus see real, concretechanges happen in one’s life. The essence of SMS is not about passingan exam, it is about gaining knowledge and having that knowledge, orwisdom, produce real effects in the lives of each one of us.

Mr. Albini explained that The Precious Vase should not be read likean ordinary book, which we study to gain information. It is best to con-sider this volume as a personal letter written to every one of us by ourTeacher. From its opening pages, The Precious Vase describes our linkto a living tradition. It is important to learn about the history of such atradition; it is not less important to realize that this tradition may have areal impact on our day-to-day existence.

For the rest of the weekend, we focused on the practice of Rushen,which, as Albini explained, is a “skillful means,” inseparable from wis-dom and understanding. Whether reading or practicing rushen, we mustobserve ourselves and realize that our intention is to gain real knowl-edge, not simply erudition or a higher standing in the Community.

In spite of torrential rains, which affected all modes of transporta-tion, some twenty people attended the retreat, including members of thePhiladelphia and New Jersey Communities as well as old friends fromTsegyalgar. The New York Dzogchen community was happy and hon-ored to have Costantino among us.

by Leilani Sim-Godbehere

Michael Katz’s DreamYoga and LucidDreaming Workshops

on the Big Island and Oahu wereboth terrifically successful. Thefirst workshop was held Aug 27 &28, 2004 on the Big Island at theKoalani Center near Hawi Town.The second workshop was heldon the island of Oahu at the Uni-tarian Church, Honolulu and theShambala Center, Kailua theweekend of Sept 3 and 4, 2004.

Dzogchen Community ofHawaii sponsored the well-attended workshops on the twoislands. DCH had two goals: thefirst goal was to provide a uniqueDzogchen related opportunity forits members and friends and thesecond was to fundraise for theCommunity. Both goals were eas-ily reached.

The Dream Yoga Workshopprovided people with insight andpractical tools to develop theirlucid dreaming capacity within

the context of Dzogchen practice.Those familiar with Dzogchenappreciated Michael’s explana-tions as to how lucid dreamingcan be an important method ofextending one’s practice. Thoseunfamiliar with Dzogchen wereintroduced to some of the mostfundamental Dzogchen conceptsin a practical and creative way.

Besides attending one of theDream Yoga Workshops, I highlyrecommend anyone interested indeveloping their awareness with-in the dream and sleep states toacquire a copy of the newlyrevised and enlarged version ofthe book “Dream Yoga and thePractice of Natural Light” writtenby Chögyal Namkhai Norbu edit-ed and introduced by MichaelKatz.

Michael Katz clearly is athome lecturing and leading groupworkshops in this most excitingand fascinating topic of DreamYoga and Lucid Dreaming. DCHlooks forward to his next visit.

Dream Yoga in Hawaiiwith Michael Katz

Practice Retreat with Costantino Albini New York CitySeptember 18 – 19, 2004

ERRATA

On p.7 of Mirror No. 69 there is mistakenly printed a picture ofAdzom Drugpa with the text for the preservation of the sacred texts ofChangchub Dorje. Courtesy of Bernhard from Salzburg/Austria

I N T E R N A T I O N A LC O M M U N I T Y N E W S INSTANT KARMA

Meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama for the First Time

Miami, FloridaSeptember 19 – 21, 2004

by Andrea Nasca

I’m the kind of person who usually likes to takemy time making decisions, for example at arestaurant I’m always the last one to order. In this

instance, though, I knew immediately that I wasgoing to buy a plane ticket and fly to Miami to seeHis Holiness the Dalai Lama. I had a couple anxietyattacks after I bought the ticket because I was goingaway from my young daughter for the first time, butother than that, I was very excited about going. Ithink I cried almost all the way to Tsegyalgar to pickup Naomi thinking about my daughter Ayana andhurricanes and planes crashing…anyway, I took adeep breath, sounded Aand was calm in an instant.

The first night in Miami, we were relaxing atDominik’s when around 10:30 when she said, “So,are you ready to go out?” I blinked a few times,sleepily. OK, I thought, get up Andrea, this is proba-bly your one chance to see the Miami nightlife. Wewent to a bar in South Beach where a live band blast-ed salsa music (which, because of the velocity,reminded me of polka) and I got on the dance floor.The next days were all about the logistics of gettingeveryone to and from the teachings, food and sleep-ing arrangements. I think there were eleven in ourfriendly, happy entourage. A couple in our group,including a 3-year-old Tibetan boy called Kundenand I, were seeing His Holiness for the first time.The first day was the public talk, “World PeaceThrough Inner Peace:. When we got to our seats,Naomi suggested I try to go closer, so I did my littletrick where I pretend to be invisible and I walkedright down to the ground level and got about 25 feetfrom the stage. When it was time for His Holiness tocome out, I burst into tears. Really, I was a littleembarrassed because I didn’t see anyone else crying,while my whole face was wet with tears!

“I am simply here to remind you of our deepervalue,” he began. “We have two precious qualities,as humans: intelligence and warm-heartedness. Withthese, we can develop infinite altruism. Children aredying because their mothers don’t have the milk intheir… how you say [breasts] (he pointed to his cheston the left) even to feed them. We ourselves create somuch suffering. Very sad. Very sad,” His Holinessrepeated.

His Holiness talked about how large-scale warand violence have become very routine and orga-nized, even though our reality is that we’re all inter-dependent. “War is obsolete,” were His Holiness’exact words. The 20th century was one of violenceand bloodshed and these did not solve any problems,so clearly, there is no justification for war. Our inter-ests are the same as the interests of others: ecologi-cally, economically and culturally.

Spiritual dialogue, respect for others despite ourdisagreements, and sacrificing some of our self-

interests (as individuals and as nations) are what HisHoliness advised for cultivating a non-violent worldsociety. His Holiness made it clear that every indi-vidual has this responsibility and that it must startwith people and their families. “I sometimes lose mytemper with my attendants, for example”, he said(everyone laughs), “truly, but with enthusiasticdetermination we learn not to get angry. His Holinessspoke about how we can learn to communicaterespectfully, like learning the alphabet, so we start todevelop, as children, a gentler and more peacefulmind. He also said that we, as humans, fundamental-ly possess warmth, affection and goodness. Negativeemotions are just like visitors who eventually goaway. We can easily solve our problems if we devel-op and sustain our naturally positive qualities. “Weshould be more childish,” said His Holiness, withprofound and simple wisdom.

The next two days of teachings were from theroot text, The Garland of Views, by GuruPadmasambhava. His Holiness referred mainly tothe commentary by Jamgong Kongtrul, which hefinds particularly concise. There are many differentviews, as there are many different humans with var-ied karmic conditioning. His Holiness proceeded tounravel the garland of views that humans have, fromthe various erroneous views to the various paths ofliberation. He pointed out that the physical level can-not supercede the mental level, so we should focusour efforts on the mind level. Even if someone hasmany riches, their mind can be utterly disturbed.Even if someone is very poor, they could have a joy-ful state of mind.

The Garland of Views is quoted from many timesin our Santi Maha Sangha Base level text, ThePrecious Vase. The spiritual and philosophical vehi-cles are outlined in detail including the three philo-sophical characteristics views, the three inner and thethree outer Tantras. I listened carefully, took a lot ofnotes and sometimes just relaxed in His Holiness’spresence.

His Holiness advised that we observe ourselvesand be like a guard with a spear at the entrance of ourminds. Buddhist practice means adopting a deliber-ate ethical stance – one’s motivation is to free oneself and others from suffering and the cause of suf-fering (our ignorance). Being a good person is whatmost people are concerned with, and so we shouldalso respect all traditions whose uniform view is tobe loving and kind.

After the first day of teachings, I had a pleasantdream of the Dalai Lama talking with me. On thesecond day, we saw a rainbow on the way to theteachings. In the warmth and sun of Miami I swamin the pool at Dominik’s house, floating in a sensa-tion of the infinite sky. The final day was as movingas the first. My new Tibetan friend and I were sittingtogether and as His Holiness left the stage I startedcrying, palms together, saying thank you, thank you.Next to me, it took my friend a good 10-15 minutesto recover. She begged to let her go up on the stage.She went up and did full prostrations and circumam-bulated the throne. She came off the stage and wewere both smiling.

Dear Friends,Because all of you in one way oranother have expressed interest inthe Baja Winter Gar over the lastseveral years, we are alerting youto a very nice, but limited oppor-tunity to be part of a small resi-dential community and garden inBaja. This is an opportunity onlyopen to members of theDzogchen Community and so far,we have made it known mainly tothose who have already indicateda relationship to the Winter Gar,though there is brief mention ofthis development in the latestMirror. Rinpoche has given hisapproval of this project.Across the road from the BuenaFortuna Permaculture andBotanical Gardens belonging toBaja Gakyil members Kitzia andGabriel Howearth, we are pur-chasing a 16-acre plot of land.Ten flat acres are the most fertileBaja farmland available, whichwe will use to make a permacul-ture garden and grow organicfruits and vegetables under thetutelage of Gabriel and Kitzia.The remaining 6 acres are the lowsurrounding hills, which will hosta proposed 21 homes - 20 belong-ing to shareholders and one forRinpoche. The site is just on the border ofthe small town of La Ribera (onetown south of Buena Vista wherewe have held the past two Bajaretreats), on the Sea of Cortez(east side of the Baja peninsula),3 minutes from swimming beach-es, 30 minutes from tropical reefsnorkeling and diving beach, 45minutes from the Winter Gar, and50 minutes from the Los CabosInternational Airport.We havenamed the property LumbiniGardens.

Each share, which is used to pur-chase the land and pay variouspermitting fees, etc. costs $6,400.We are requesting a one-thirddeposit to hold the share for any-one seriously interested.Approximately 10 shares remainavailable.This purchase is being made pos-sible through the good auspices ofKitzia and Gabriel, who haveinformed their neighbor, OscarCastro, owner of the property,about us - they have a long-stand-ing relationship with him andhave purchased property fromhim previously. Scott Schroeder,on the Baja Gakyil, who has 15years of experience in Baja realestate, is working with the ownerto make sure all the necessarypapers and permits and agree-ments are in order. We plan to complete the propertypurchase (and have all sharespaid-for in full) by February of2005. We would also like to havea meeting at that time of all share-holders to discuss optimal siteplans for the property, draw upthe share-holders’ cooperativeagreement, and possibly reviewpotential building designs. Thiswill be a fully ecological develop-ment, houses will be of modestsize, utilizing native materials,and we forecast the cost of build-ing a house to be between$15,000 and $25,000. The property has severalaspects—providing an affordableand ecological residential oppor-tunity for members of theDzogchen Community who wishto take advantage of the calmbeaches on the Sea of Cortez;providing a lush garden whichwill produce organic food andherbs for the Community, a nurs-

ery for plants to be planted on theWinter Gar property, and perhapseven income potential; providinga practice site for the Communityon the east side of the BajaPeninsula; and providing com-fortable beach access forRinpoche when he is in Baja. The shareholders will draw uptheir guidelines for this residen-tial community collaboratively,but will not be responsible formaintaining and harvesting thegarden—though their participa-tion is welcome. It is not expect-ed that everyone will build theirdwellings at once, and it is possi-ble that some people will just pre-fer to have a nice tent cabin orpalapa rather than to construct afull house. For more information and to indi-cate your interest, please contactTana Lehr at the following e-mailaddress: greengaruda@mac.com.Current shareholders includeRosanne Welsh, YvonChausseblanche, Tom andBrooke Garnett, Carol Fields,Tana Lehr & Nary Mitchell, ScottSchroeder and Tracy Heligman,John LaFrance, Miles Thomas,Nathalie Nutting, and PatriciaShahen. Several otherCommunity members have statedan intention to purchase a share.We are grateful to be able to offerthis opportunity in Baja, a placeof great biodiversity and unlimit-ed spiritual potential. Please alsosee the Baja Winter Gar websiteat: <bajasangha.org>.Carol FieldsMember, Baja Winter Gar Gakyil

T H E M I R R O R O C T / N O V 2 0 0 4 15

I N T E R N A T I O N A LC O M M U N I T Y N E W S

The Dzogchen Community of Tsegyalgar West in Baja Sur Mexico will be having a Santi Maha Sangha Base Level Retreat

with Jey Clark, certified SMS base level teacher December 26,2004 - January 2,2005.

The retreat is planned to be held at the “Jardin de Los Naranjos” which is the name thatRinpoche recently gave to the Community land in Baja. There will be sessions of study

and practice of the Santi Maha Sangha Base as well as Yantra Yoga sessions and Tun andChöd practices every evening. Anyone seriously interested in following the teachings ofChögyal Namkhai Norbu can participate in the retreat, without previous Transmission,

with the condition that they participate in the November 2004 Video Transmission.Participants will be able to camp on the land or make arrangements to stay in Buena Vistaor Los Cabos. If several people stay in the same area we recommend sharing a car. From

the US there are inexpensive flights from Los Angeles through Aero California orAirgorilla.com.

The cost of the retreat will be $125US.

For Norte Americanos: to register send a check made out to ‘the Winter Gar Fund’ to: Dzogchen Community West

2748 #D Adeline StreetBerkeley, CA 94703

For Mexicanos and others: Please email Tana (see below).

To receive registration and lodging information contact Tana Lehr at <tanalehr@pacbell.net>.

Se habla espanol.

PROPOSED BAJA GAR (TSEGYALGAR WEST)ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

NEW MEMBERS For the first three years, members can be consid-ered “new.”

Year 1, 350 pesos, or $35.00Year 2, 750 pesos, or $75.00Year 3, 100 pesos, or $100.00

Membership Discounts: 50% discount if you are a student, or under 25years old, or over 60 years old

Privileges: 5% discount on Dzogchen Community events and retreats(in Mexico only); and notification by e-mail about all DzogchenCommunity public retreats and events, including Namkhai NorbuRinpoche’s teaching schedule.

REGULAR MEMBERS (Year 4 and Onwards, or Earlier if YouChoose)

Individual, 1,750 pesos, or $175Family, 2,225 pesos, or $225

Membership Discounts: 50% for students, and for those under 25 andover 60.

Privileges: Annual subscription to “The Mirror;” participation in theSMS (Santi Maha Sangha) training; participation in the Gakyil; mem-bers’ newsletter; 20% discount on all retreats and events; and e-mailnotification as described above.

SPONSOR MEMBERS

Individual, 3,500 pesos, or $350Family, 4,500 pesos, or $450

Membership Discounts: Same as above for students, youth and seniors.

Privileges: 40% discount on all retreats and events; plus one free retreatper year (in Mexico only); otherwise same as for regular members.

SUSTAINING MEMBERS

Individual, 5,000 pesos, or $500Family, 7,500 pesos or $750

Membership Discounts: Same as above for students, youth and seniors.

Privileges: One free retreat and one free workshop per year (in Mexicoonly) and otherwise the same as for sponsor members (40% discount onall retreats and events).

FOUNDATION MEMBERS

Individual, 25,000 pesos or $2,500Family, 50,000 pesos, or $5,000

All Community retreats and events free on a yearly basis (in Mexicoonly), plus all privileges listed for sustaining members.

WORKING MEMBERS

1. 160 hours (20 days) in one year of verified work for the Community(the candidate must document his or her hours and have them vouchedfor by the Gakyil of the site they are assisting) is equivalent to NewMembership for Years 1 to 3.

2. 360 hours (45 days in one year) of verified work for the Communityis equivalent to Regular membership.

3. 720 hours (90 days) of verified work for the Community is equiva-lent to Sponsor Membership

Notes: There is no mixing and matching, part financial, part work con-tribution toward membership. Additional hours of work can be carriedover to the following year’s membership. The Community will supplyletters of recommendation and documentation to verify the work con-tributed by working members.

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS The establishment of levels of membership is meant to make member-ship in the Dzogchen Community as accessible and meaningful as pos-sible for the members, while assisting the Community in its work.These varying levels are not meant to imply that any level of memberis better or worse than any other level. All constructive participation isdeeply appreciated.

ACCOUNTABILITYThe amount of income obtained through memberships, and the progressachieved by the Gar will be documented and communicated to themembers each year.

Residential Community in BajaA Letter from Carol Fields, Baja Gakyil

continued on next page

16

I N T E R N A T I O N A LC O M M U N I T Y N E W S

The MirrorNewspaper of the

InternationalDzogchen Community of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

Main Office:PO Box 277

Conway, MA01341USA

Tel: 413 369 4208Fax: 413 369 4473

Email: Mirrornk@cs.com

European Office:The Mirror

MerigarArcidosso58031 GR

ItalyEmail: lizmirror@tiscalinet.it

Tel: 39 3298865292 Fax: 39 0564- 968 110

Editorial Staff:Naomi Zeitz,Tsegyalgar

Conway, MAUSA

Liz Granger Merigar

Arcidosso, Italy

Literary Editor:John Shane

Advisors:Adriano Clemente

Anna EidBarbara Paparazzo

Des BarryJim Valby

Layout & Design:N. Zeitz

Web Site Managers:Malcolm Smith

John Herr

Printer:Turley Publications

Palmer, MAUSA

Distribution:Tsegyalgar at

Conway,MA, USA

Subscription Rate/6 Issues:$35US available

throughTsegyalgar

35 Eurothrough Merigar

Visa and Master cardwelcome

All material ©2004 byby The Mirror

Reprint by permission onlyWe reserve the right to edit

all subsmissions

WWeb site address:eb site address:wwwwww.melong.com.melong.com

on line only $25USon line only $25USpaper only $35USpaper only $35US

paper and on line $45paper and on line $45

Tashigar NorteCalle Bolivar Nro 32

Valle de Pedro GonzalezMunicipio Gomez, Isla Margarita

VenezuelaTel: 0058 4165800

Email: tashinor@mail.dzogchen.ru

TASHIGAR NORTEPROGRAM OF ACTIVITIESOCTOBER TO DECEMBER, 2004

October 31 - November 6Teacher Training, 1st level of Vajra Dance with Prima Mai and AdrianaDal Borgo.

November 9 - 21Complete teaching and practices of Lhalung Sangdag, the Terma ofHeka Lingpa.

November 24 - 28Yantra Yoga for beginners, 1st level with Carolina Mingolla supervisedby Fabio Andrico.

November 29 - December 4Advanced Course of Dance of the Song of the Vajra with Adriana DalBorgo.

December 5 - 8Rinpoche´s birthday teaching and Practice of Long Life (Tshedrub)

For information please contact: Tashigar NorteCalle Bolivar Nro 32Valle de Pedro GonzalezMunicipio Gomez, Isla MargaritaTel: 58 295 415 5800Email: tashinor@mail.dzogchen.ru

Beautiful Wood Carvings Available from Tashigar South

Tashigar South wants to announce that a member of our Community,Ricky Sued, has made several beautiful woodcarvings that Rinpochehas authenticated. Rinpoche suggested to Ricky to paint them and putthem on Norbunet for sale.

At the web site below you can view the first finished one, carved fromcedar wood, of Guru Dragpur, 18” x 30” (45cm x 75 cm).

Go here to see the carving:http://espanol.geocities.com/tashigarsurcuadros/

This carving was donated to Tashigar South and has been marked tocollect the money for the restoration and cover of the exteriorMandala, so for this project we decided to hold a virtual auction whereeverybody can participate by sending their written offers via email toour secretary at tashigar@dcc.com.ar and the best offer takes the GuruDragpur.

Thanks to all for collaborating with us.Tashi Delegs!Gakyil of Tashigar South

Tashigar SudComunidad Dzogchen

TashigarCalle publica S/N

Tanti 5155Pcia. de Cordoba

ArgentinaTel & Fax: 0054 3541 498 356

Email: tashigar@dcc.com.ar

An Open Letter from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

Tashigar Norte, Margarita

Sept. 20, 2004

Dear Dzogchen Community,In these last years I have been spending most of my time in TashigarNorte, Margarita Island, Venezuela, and transmitting my importantDzogchen Longsal teachings. At the same time, we are engaged in a bigproject to construct a comfortable teaching hall with all the indispens-ably related projects of a Gar. If there is someone who is interested tocontribute to this project, you are always welcome.In recent years, those who attended the Longsal retreats in TashigarNorte and promised to contribute money with our auction, etc., we needthese donations urgently at this time because our work is going aheadvery quickly. That is why I want to remind you all please honor yourcommitment and bring it into action as soon as possible.

With many Tashi delegs to you all.Yours, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu

How to Fulfill Commitments:For people wanting to fulfill their financial commitments to TashigarNorte or send money for the projects there here is the banking info:You can make money transfer to: “Asociacion Civil Tashigar Norte”, Checking Account #: 8302808412, Bank: COMMERCE BANK (ABA#: 067-010-509), Address of the Bank: 220 Alhambra Circle, CoralGables, Florida, 33134, U.S.A.

SWIFT CODE: MNBMUS33A(Sometimes required)

LOCAL GAKYILS

There has been a policy of returning 50% of the membership value tothe local Gakyil with which the member is affiliated, if requested. Wewill continue that policy at the Sponsor, Sustaining, and Foundationmembership levels.

WHERE TO SEND YOUR MEMBERSHIP:

The membership period for the Baja Gar (Tsegyalgar West) will runfrom January 1 to December 31st in a calendar year, though it is possi-ble to join at any time. All except new memberships will be pro-rated,depending on the number of months left in the year, if the member joinsafter January.

Please mail your membership check (dollars or pesos) along with 2passport photos to the following: Make checks out to DzogchenCommunity West Coast Winter Gar Fund; mail to: Tsegyalgar West, c/oCarol Fields, 755 Euclid Ave., Berkeley, CA 94708

Or wire your membership fee as follows: Wells Fargo Bank, 1800Solano Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94707, USAAccount name: Dzogchen Community West Coast Winter GarAccount; Account Number:0178831467; Routing number: 511400393; Swift Code: WFBIUS6S;Federal Wire Transfer Number: 121000248

You will receive an e-mail confirmation of your membership number(which is assigned through Merigar), which you can use to register forretreats worldwide until you receive your official membership card.

When we have received by mail both your two passport photos and yourmembership fee, you will be sent your membership card, or it will beheld for you if you prefer to pick it up at the next retreat in Baja.

The customary 20% and 40% discount rates for the differing member-ship levels are honored throughout the world at retreats with NamkhaiNorbu Rinpoche. The possibility of earning free retreats and events isa feature only of retreats and events in Mexico plus being a member atleast at the sponsor level in Tsegyalgar West.If you have questions, please e-mail the following: carolmfields@aol.com

tt aa ss hh ii gg aa rr nn oo rr tt hh&& ss oo uu tt hh

View of Tashigar Norte from above, Gonpa roof on the right J BASSI

continued from previous page

T H E M I R R O R O C T / N O V 2 0 0 4 17

I N T E R N A T I O N A LC O M M U N I T Y N E W S

nn aa mm gg yy aa ll gg aa rr && pp aa cc ii ff ii cc rr ii mm

NamgyalgarPO Box 14

Central TilbaNSW 2546Australia

Tel / Fax: 02/44737668Email: namgyalg@acr.net.au

Web site: www.dzogchen.org.au

by Jan Taylor

It was like a dream…maybe acliché but true, especiallywhen Michael would remind

us to ask “Is this a dream?” as wewandered around the universityor hospital venues of his lectureseries, observing all sorts ofincongruous visions before us. Itwas amazing how many “incon-gruities” there were when wewere aware and present, observ-ing our surroundings as reflec-tions in a mirror instead of think-ing about what happened yester-day or what might happen tomor-row.

Snippets of dream-likeimages come to mind as Iremember Michael Katz’s firstvisit to Australia; the airportmeeting, trips to the bush nearMelbourne or a nearby coastalregion on a wild, wet and windyday, wanderings around art gal-leries and the sharing of Asianculinary delights. Images of fire-works and sky-walkers from theopening ceremony of theOlympics and athletes perform-ing amazing feats join the mixand then comes the day of theworkshop in Melbourne.

Michael arrived in a blusteryMelbourne on August 12th. Thefirst lecture on Friday the 13th

was well attended, the brightlime-green lecture theatre givingthe evening a surreal quality.Many from local Buddhistgroups attended the lecture thefollowing night in a nearby, butsmaller city, Geelong. TheMelbourne workshop was heldon the Sunday the 15th with 46participants and we were wellpleased with this response con-sidering most of the participantswere not part of the Community.The day of the workshop passedin an easy, flowing way with lotsof special moments. The kook-aburra sitting in the gum tree inthe morning, passively acceptingclose attention as we wanderedthe garden setting was quiteincongruous and somehow aus-picious. I wonder how manydreamt of a kookaburra that nightand found it a cue to becomelucid in their dream. Many hadamazing dreams during theinduction of a sleep state in theafternoon and the linking themeof blue sky and spaciousnessemerged. The dramatization ofsome of the dreams was cause forawe at the amount of instanta-neous creativity in the group aswell as the feeling of being apartof that dream, even though it had

begun as one individual’s experi-ence. There we were amongstmonsters and wise men, comingto understand how dreams, andpossibly this life also, (surprise,surprise!) are just plays of themind.

The final lecture inMelbourne on the August 19th

was Michael’s last night beforeflying to Sydney the next daywhere another lecture was heldon Friday the 20th and the work-shop on Sunday the 21st.

Now the tour is a memory ofa short moment in time. TheCommunity made a little profitand many people, most from out-side the Community, had theopportunity to take part in thedream work and introduction tothe practice of natural light thatMichael gave in what I imagineis his own inimitably skillfulway. We look forward to the pos-sibility of another event in thefuture.

A summarized evaluation ofthe Australian Tour can beobtained from Jan Taylor(jant1@iprimus.com.au)

Dear Vajra Brothers and Sisters,

It is my pleasure to inform that anew Management Committee(MC) has been voted into officeat the 3rd Annual GeneralMeeting of DzogchenCommunity (Singapore) held onSunday, 11 July 2004. TheMembers of the new MC are:

President - Edmund Tai Kwok Wah Vice President - Michael Foo See Jin Secretary - Wong Hee Kun Treasurer - Fan Chin Assistant Treasurer - Lee Chee TeongCommittee Member - Sam Chan Teng JiangCommittee Member - Sandra Lee Siew Hwan (Ms)

Additionally, the MC Memberswill perform Gakyil functions asfollows:

Blue Section Michael Foo See JinEmail: -michaels11@hotmail.com

Sam Chan Teng JiangEmail: -chantengjiang581@msn.com

Edmund Tai Kwok WahEmail: -edmundkwtai@yahoo.com.sg

Red Section Wong Hee KunEmail: frogwong@singnet.com

Sandra Lee Siew HwanEmail: san138a@yahoo.com

Yellow SectionFan ChinEmail: fanchin@singtel.com.sg

Lee Chee TeongEmail - teong@starhub.net.sgEdmund Tai Kwok WahEmail: -edmundkwtai@yahoo.com.sg

The new MC, elected for a 2-yearterm, looks forward to a fruitfulcollaboration with you.

Best regards

Edmund Tai

TIBETAN MEDICINE COURSESin Australia and SingaporeDecember 2004 - February 2005with Dr. Nida Chengtsang

The Dzogchen Community of Namgyalgar, in collaboration with

the Medical Department of the Shang-Shung Institute in

Merigar, is pleased to announce the next visit of Dr. Nida

Chenagtsang to Australia and Singapore between December

2004 - February 2005.

Dr. Nida will be conducting the following courses in TibetanMedicine :

SINGAPOREMantra Healing (Level 1) December ) 9 – 13, 2004 ( Beginners course)

Inquiries / Registration: Edmund K W Tai at: <edmundkwtai@yahoo.com.sg>Telephone: [65] 6878 4534 - (during Singapore’s office hoursfrom Mon to Fri)

AUSTRALIACairns, North Queensland- Dream analysis course - December 16, 17, 18 & 19, 2004- Mantra Healing course - December 21, 22 & 23, 2004

Inquiries / Registration: Dammika MillsTell: 07 40553677 / Email: taracitta@iig.com.auP O Box 8177, Cairns QLD 4870

Namgyalgar, Central Tilba, NSWMantra Healing Level 2 - 4 day Intensive December 27th - 30th, 2004(for people who have done MH weekend workshopsor Level 1intensive with Dr. Nida )

Inquiries / Registration: the SecretaryTel / Fax: 02.44737668 / Email: namgyalg@acr.net.au

Melbourne, VictoriaKu Nye Level 3 - January 2nd - 11th, 2005 (for people who have completed Levels 1 & 2 with Dr. Nida)Ku Nye Level 1 - January 15th - 24th, 2005 (beginners course)Dream Analysis - January 27th - 31st, 2005 (suitable for newcomers)

Inquiries / Registration: Julia TilleyTel (03) 9443 9447 / Mobile: 0417 477 050Email: <juliat1@optushome.com.au>

Sydney, NSWKu Nye Level 2: February 4th - 13th, 2005 (for people who have completed Level 1 with Dr. Nida + 60 hours of practice)

Inquiries / Registration: Helen Trehy Tel: (02) 4385 1813Email: helentroy@iprimus.com.au

TOUR CO-ORDINATOR (For Queries or Further Information):Julia TilleyTel (03) 9443 9447 / Mobile: 0417 477 050Email: <juliat1@optushome.com.au>

New Gakyil Singapore

“It was like a Dream” The Australian Dream Yoga Tour with Dr. Michael KatzAugust 12th - 21st, 2004

Dream Yoga Participants in Melbourne

18

NAMGYALGAR TSAMKHANGRETREAT CABIN #1

The name Rinpoche said togive to the new retreat cab-in at Namgyalgar is

Tsamkhang 1, meaning retreatcabin 1. This little cabin nestlesbehind the coral tree and smokefrom it’s pretty little wood heatercurls up over the green landscape.The view from the cabin looksthrough the trees down to WallagaLake and the sea beyond, and thesky above that. The feeling here ispeaceful and sweet, with the shin-ing bright sun of spring and thered flowers of the coral tree andprayer flags flying in the wind.

The cabin is now ready forpersonal retreats. There is a com-fortable bed near the windows tothe view, a hot shower, gas forcooking, solar lights and a powerpoint for a CD/tape player, afridge and a small jotul combus-tion heater to keep the chill out incold weather. There is a friendlyand capable Geköes atNamgyalgar to insure your com-fort and safety. (Please see book-ing details below).

This cabin is available forclosed personal retreats, whichmeans being engaged full time inpractice transmitted by ChögyalNamkhai Norbu, remaining inseclusion and limiting contactwith others to necessary commu-

nication with the Geköes. In somecases, depending upon the cir-cumstances, some variation tothis may be possible (a semi-closed retreat), - please discussthis with the retreat booking coor-dinator.

Membership in one of theFive Gars of the DzogchenCommunity is a requirement.Applicants need to make anadvance booking and beforeentering the cabin be introducedto the cabin protocol by theGeköes or a Red Gakyil memberat Namgyalgar.

Cost: Victorious Members: Freeretreats of 2 weeks duration perretreat that can be extended if thecabin is available and notreserved by other members.Sustaining Members: - $100. perweekBasic Members: - $150 p.w.

Applications and InquiriesRetreat Booking Coordinator -Jean Mackintosh: Tel: 0244 737049 /Email: jeani@sci.net.au

In her absence please contact theSecretary of Namgyalgar - VikiForscutt Tel / Fax: 02 4473 7668 /Email:namgyalg@acr.net.au

THE PROJECT“COMPLETE WORKS OFCHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU”

Here is the annual report regarding the Project“Complete Works of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu”. Inthe fourth year of this project (July 2003 – June2004) we collected about US$ 36,000 that wasoffered by the following donors:

Alba PapiniAnna PucciAnonymousAnonymous from Frankfurt, GermanyAnonymous from Salt Lake City, Utah, USABernhard SchweizerBoon Chuan Fong RingoChiara CarraroClara BordeuClaudia CiardulliDavid MeyerDavid Sharp BequestDeppe JanyDzogchen Community of Brescia (Italy)Dzogchen Community of GermanyDzogchen Community of HollandDzogchen Community of Naples (Italy)Dzogchen Community of Siena (Italy)Dzogchen Community of Venice (Italy)Dzogchen Community of Vladivostok (Russia)Dzogchen Community of Vienna (Austria)Emanuela CittonEric VoisinFabio OrlandiniFranca BizzottoFrancesco GracisGabor HardyGiordano Asoli and Joanna FaggGiorgio MinuzzoGiovanna MeloneHorst GelterIna SchlingemannJohannes BinderJoseph NixdorfLee BrayMarina MicelliMassimo OrsiMimmo MercoglianoMonique and Yann LeguenPaola ZingaliPaolo BrunattoPaolo PapponePia BarilliRiccardo GiambarresiRiccardo MoragliaRita BizzottoRoberto ZamparoRosanne WelshStefano PirovanoThierry and Annick JeanneretTom GarnettUgo CardeaUwe GloessZsolt Somogyvari

The donations given before and after the periodJuly 2003 - June 2004 are not listed here. We apolo-gize for any unintentional errors and omissions.

We are listing below the translations done byAdriano Clemente in the past year and his futureplans for this project.

TRANSLATIONS OF CHÖGYAL NAMKHAINORBU’S WORKS IN 2003-2004

1. THE TWENTY-SEVEN COMMIT-MENTS OF CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU(chos rgyal nam mkha’i nor bu’i dam bca’ nyer dgu).

2. THE INTRODUCTION TO THE MIR-ROR OF VAJRASATTVA (rdor sems me long gidgongs pa ngo sprod), in LONGSAL TEACHINGSVOL. 5, forthcoming.

3. THE UPADESHA ON THE PROFOUNDPATH OF THE ILLUSORY BODY (zab lam sgyulus kyi man ngag), in LONGSAL TEACHINGSVOL .5, forthcoming.

4. THE PRINCIPLE OF THE VIEW TOTAL-LY BEYOND THE CONCEPTUAL MIND (lta bablo ‘das chen po’i dgongs pa), in LONGSALTEACHINGS VOL. 5, forthcoming.

5. THE TREASURY OF ATI SAMADHI,FIRST LEVEL OF SANTI MAHA SANGHA, newrevised and enlarged edition (a ti bsam gtan dgongsmdzod).

WORKS IN PROGRESS

1. THE TOTAL SPACE OF VAJRASATT-VA: ROOT TEXT AND COMMENTARY (rdo rjesems dpa’ nam mkha’ che rtsa ‘grel).

FUTURE PROJECTS

1. LONGSAL TEACHINGS VOLUME SIX(Gomadevi, Guru Yoga of White A, MandaravaTsalung etc.)

2. LONGSAL TEACHINGS VOLUMESEVEN (Total Integration of Behavior, 25Longchens, Bardo etc.)

3. SANTI MAHA SANGHA SECONDLEVEL, NEW EDITION.

4. SANTI MAHA SANGHA THIRD LEVEL,NEW EDITION.

5. THE TOTAL SPACE OF VAJRASATTVAWITH THREE COMMENTARIES. 6. VAJRA DANCE, ORIGINAL TEXTINCLUDING THE HISTORY OF ITS DISCOV-ERY.7. THE BOOK OF DREAMS.8. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

Our goal is to collect a fair amount of money everyyear for the translator, so that all of ChögyalNamkhai Norbu’s Tibetan works can be translated inthe best way as soon as possible.We hope that all the Gars, Gakyils and practitionersof our Dzogchen Community will continue to col-laborate as they did so far very generously.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROJECTThe donations can be handed over manually to theMerigar Office or can be sent through bank transferto the following account:

# 893, Banca Popolare dell’Etruria, Branch ofCasteldelpiano, in the name of Comunità DzogchenFAIBAN Code: IT98Q 05390 72190 0000 0000 0893BIC Code: ARBAIT 33126

Please note that the old bank account # 684082,Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Branch of Arcidosso, willbe discontinued, therefore all the bank transfersshould be sent to the account given above.

For any further information please contact KarinEisenegger-Koppensteiner, garuda@bluewin.chand Igor Legati, edizss@tiscali.it

I N T E R N A T I O N A LC O M M U N I T Y N E W S i n t e r n a t i o n a l g a k y i l n e w s

Principles of the Dzogchen Community Blue Book UpdateThe Blue Book, “The Principles of The Dzogchen Community”, published by Shang Shung Edizioni,Merigar 2001, came out as a result of an international Gakyil conference at Merigar in 2000. This booklet is supposed to be a manual for all members of the International Dzogchen Community andespecially for Gakyil members. As a current manual, it needs to be updated in its second edition that willbe published soon.To fulfill the task of giving necessary information to everybody interested, we need the collaboration of allworldwide Gakyils. The International Gakyil will send out a few questions and requests for information inthe next weeks. We hope very much for your quick response!Our first request is that each GAR and LING send its full and completely updated address, telephone num-ber, email addresses, web sites, etc. by the 31st of October, 2004, to the following email address: <garu-da@bluewin.ch>. We would also need an updated list for all publishers inside the Community.Please forward this message to any Gakyil that might not be able to receive this mail through Gakyilnet,Norbunet or the Gars!Thank you very much!Karin Eisenegger-Koppensteiner, Blue International Gakyil

Personal Retreats at Namgyalgar

The new retreat cabin Tsamkhang #1, which is situated in a privateand picturesque location near the coral tree on the saddle, with viewsto Gulaga and the surrounding bush land, is now available to mem-bers for personal retreats. Also available are caravans and tent sitesin the camping area near the Gonpa. In some situations, depending upon circumstances and availability,a room in the house, members for personal retreat may useGawaling.In early 2005 a dark retreat cabin, which is currently under con-struction in a secluded area of the Gar, will also become availablefor retreat.If you are interested in undertaking a personal retreat at Namgyalgarplease contact the secretary for details about the types of retreats thatcan be done, requirements of retreatants, retreat accommodation andcosts, duration retreats can be undertaken for (including possibleprolonged stays on the Gar to do Practice-Study-Karma Yoga) andhow to arrange to do your retreat.

The SecretaryNamgyalgarPO Box 14Central TilbaNSW 2546

Tel / Fax: 02/44737668Email: namgyalg@acr.net.au

T H E M I R R O R O C T / N O V 2 0 0 4 19

r e f l e c t i o n s

The Dearly DepartedTwo Poets and Visionaries

by Louise Landes Levi

Sheldon Rocklin 1937-2002

Sheldon Rocklin, early explorer of the Indian sub-continent, docu-mentary film maker and founder of Mystic Fire Video, died inNYC in Sept. of last year, from complications resulting from

Pneumonia. His understanding of the media, long before the popularvideo of today, and his interest and sensitivity to the Eastern world,brought Buddhism to the living rooms of hundreds of thousands ofbeings who without this visionary film makers and archivist would havebeen without access to the ‘Swans in the Lake’ and many, many otherecological, artistic and intellectually visionary dimensions of the latetwentieth Century. He documented extensively teaching by His Holinessthe Dalai Lama and our own Master, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rin-poche, Next Year in the Land of the Dakini, in his series, Women of Pow-er, filmed by Constanzo Alioni and narrated by Laura Albini and LouiseLandes Levi. Mystic Fire Video, for more than two decades, producedand distributed important works dealing with sacred and spiritual sub-jects, from Tibet, Egypt, Japan, India, as well as films documenting thework, in our century, of thinkers, artists and social innovators. MysticFire’s Paradise Now, The Brig, Signals Through the Flames, Sacred Ecy-glove, Love Lion and the West’s First film on Tibetan Medicine. TheBuddhist community and the many masters whom Sheldin presentedmourn his passing. Please consult www.mysticfire.com for its entire cat-alogue and ordering procedures.

“Summer Solstice”Today is the first day of summernow is the time of the unthinkableSheldon Being breathed on the ventilatorgasping for breath, all the lights turned off,There are still Tibetans who fillthe room with sound, holy mantras,We are all bereft.I will board a plane for London & cryin the skyI am running out of filmI stumble in the light of dayI find my glasses & consider it a miracleI thought I lost my passportI need help to sing my songSheldon father of our common dream,the halls of summer prepare us forthe silence to come,Friendship fallen, sirens of the morning call out your name-Sheldon,SheldonI have lost my dictionaryThe summer is over before it began.You were the world’s best friendthe shore of the sea washed by the waves,

Now you have reached the highest point,like the sun you stand still with Angus.

(june 22, 2002)

Charles McGheehan 1934-2002

Golden Rain*

Charles McGhehan (our Vajra brother) Charles, poet, translator‘protector of the poor’, died in Amsterdam on Oct. 6th, 2002,surrounded by his loved ones and friends. Charles met Chögyal

Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche in Amsterdam in 1995. Already disabled, hemade an heroic trip to the airport to greet the Master. Unknown to otherpractitioners, (who wondered who the ‘’stranger’was) the Master imme-diately shook his hand, when he emerged from the arrival gate. Later, asRinpoche was escorted to the car that was awaiting him, Charles and Istood alone watching the group in the parking lot. At that point, the Mas-ter turned (in the car) and looked fixedly at us...I shall never forget thelong steady gaze, with eyes wide, from the car in which the he was seat-ed, directly fixed on Charles and I. Charles was well known to poets and those who practiced, at least inAmsterdam. He was the translator of Holland’s great modernist BertShierbeck and later an organizer of festivals that invited poets of diversenationalities: African, Indian, Israeli, American, Japanese. The poetsgathered to meet, read and mingle, together. The translator of an earlybook on Zen, he then embraced what he felt was a Buddhist point ofview and attempted to serve, in all ways possible, those less fortunatethan himself. He attended the retreat with Rinpoche in Amsterdam andlater, unable to leave his house, studied the Dzogchen preliminaries andpractices to the best of his ability. A talkative man, he was unable tospeak for the last year of his life. I hope within his mind the teachings

of the state of presence resonated and that the meeting with our Master- “every word of the master is a mantra, every gesture a mudra” -allowed him to experience his own clarity at the time of his departurefrom the earth. Ga jij gang Lieve Charles & tot ziens.(Transl.fr. Dutch: Go on your way dear Charles & See you Soon)

* Golden Rain In May

“The day we met in May under golden rainwas in the garden ova most pleasant dream;as if I’d woke & seen it then as Reality.with some ovtha sweetest songs birds can sing,that becam melodies of your best memory.”

C. Mcgheean, 1994

Chronicle of Another House- moving: the Thirteenth

by Nene Reile

The phone keeps on ringingin the almost empty livingroom, its echo absorbed by

the great green gold leaves, theearth colored tiger, the whiteclouds and the two tiny angels thatfly through the tropical world thatI painted on the wall five or moreyears ago. “Hello… yes … westill have some furniture to sell …no … we don’t have a rockingchair … what? We are moving tosouth Australia to live … yes,Melbourne … that is why we areselling everything .. or almosteverything… no, I’m sorry butI’m taking my books with me …yes, there are lots… thanks …good luck to you, too!” The phonecalls ends and silence returns tothe room lit by the autumn sun.This is the thirteenth time we havemoved house and we have man-aged to stay here for a good sixyears! Arecord!!

And the silence flows like aprimordial river into my ears,light and tenuous. It seems to beformed of colored fragments ofwords, of sounds, of mantras, ofsongs. Of six years of the Song ofthe Vajra that have been absorbedby the walls and the wooden win-dow frames of the house, by theclimbing plants on the terrace andassimilated by the souls of thegreat trees at the bottom of thegarden; melodies of mantras thathave become part of the cosmicdust that sparkles in the rays ofsun in the empty rooms.

The sun’s rays pass obliquelyacross the terrace and illuminatethe four towers of boxes awaitingtransportation by a removal com-pany to a distant port in the northof Germany. How many thereare! At least 40 boxes. What onearth are you doing with all thatstuff? Hey! Mind you, it isn’tonly my stuff – at least of coupleof them belong to Fabian, thedaughter Helmine’s boyfriend.He and Gandalf, my son, arealready in Melbourne waiting forus. And we are here also waitingfor some thing – our passportswith the visa from the AustralianEmbassy in Berlin. Once theyarrive, we can leave!

Back to the boxes and ourmoving - inside the dark space ofbox 17, the great drum used forthe Ritual of the Guardians is

lying, wrapped up in my soft quiltto protect it during the long seavoyage. I really hope that every-thing gets there! Well, to tell thetruth, I miss my quilt a bit, butanyway, what to do? Our thir-teenth house moving is not only alittle stressful but is actually a realrevolution! And then writing anddrinking tea, the evening hasarrived. I didn’t get much donetoday except write. Life is sosweet!

A solitary bell announces thesunset hour and Helmut has goneto swim in the cold water of thelittle lake beyond the fields. Ithink that these afternoon swimsin the autumn have had an effecton his most recent artwork. Couldit be a water nymph or a nagaarisen from the depths of hisgreen water world to reveal thesecret of the microcosm con-tained in a drop of water? And hashe playfully covered him in gar-lands of emerald blue seaweed?

And this evening, my cat,Galippo, who at this time isalways on his way back homefrom his eternal roaming, will notcome. About a week ago he wastaken in by an old friend of ourswho lives in a town on the otherside of Augsburg. Galippo is nowquite an old cat and will be wellcared for at Markus’s house.Finally he will have a house all tohimself that he won’t have toshare with another dog or cat andcertainly not with any mice!While my ferocious little Pippi,the red cat that Alex andJacobella, my old friends fromMerigar, gave me at the end ofthe retreat last June, has become alovely big cat, strong and coura-geous. I hope that both Pippi andOtto, our sausage dog will be ableto get past the bureaucratic obsta-cles in order to come with us toAustralia. It will be so sad if wehave to part from them. Oh,Nene! Separation only exists inyour dualistic mind. That soundsgoods …but I still have tears inmy ears at the thought of leavingthem.

The other night I heard thedistant meowing of a cat throughmy bedroom window. I thoughtthat it might have been myGalippo running away and find-ing his way back home. I rusheddownstairs but everything wasquiet in the garden. Suddenly abird black as night flew out of abush, brushed against my hair

The Silk Shoe

i thought my will couldstop the inevitablebut nothing stopsthe hand of the great impartial

your skin becomes translucent like daddy’s at the endfingers and limbs cool as ele-ments dissolveeyes sparkling with a kind offinal wisdom

death is nearmy sisters and i are so sad andwe cry“are you afraid?” i ask.“no”, you say resolutely,.“areyou?”

the death of the mother is like our own our blood is her bloodour lives primordially entwined

i cannot sleepi listen and look for your breathin the nightin the day i try and make the world like a silk shoeso you can enter with easethe last phase of your journey

by Naomi Zeitz

with his beating wings and disap-peared in the direction of thefields against the background ofthe rosy gleams of lightning. Istayed there, still as stone. Thecold wind blew over me carryingthe infinite laments of as manyunknown animals and otherbeings from the nearby fields andthe dark ocean of samsara. Thesky was full of stars and I couldhave remained there for thewhole night to watch it. I thoughtonce more of Galippo, who wasprobably dreaming of passing meby in the damp shadows of thenight. And where could mydamaru be? Oh, yes … it shouldbe in box 37 inside the large blueenamel pot, made in “WestGermany”, really strong. Ofcourse, it has a ten-year guaran-tee!

P a s s a g e s

Died:Our Vajra brother Fabio Formichipassed away on September 12 inRome, Italy. He was 44 years old.Many of us knew Fabio fromASIA’s colorful Tibetan tentbelow the Merigar Gonpa duringthe summer retreats. He had col-laborated with ASIA for manyyears with enthusiasm and greatenergy. He was a passionate trav-eler and loved life in general.He suddenly became ill morethan a month ago and almostimmediately had to face the factthat he was dying. This is not easymoment for anyone but thosewho visited him and spent time atthe house where he passed his lastdays saw him accept such a sud-den end with a serenity that wasextremely moving. He nevercomplained and always had aready winning smile for hisfriends, his daughter and all thosewho went by to greet him. Thepeople in the Rome Communitywere very close to him up to theend.

20

Being born (a woman) is a fortu-nate thing!

by Oni McKinstry

Naomi actually asked that Iwrite about Dzogchenpractice and love and rela-

tionship, but truth of the matter iswith my personal history, it is bet-ter that, instead I describe myjourney back to my Master, in thislifetime.

I was born in Danang,Vietnam in the year of the WaterHare, on the Fire Ox day of theEarth Sheep month. My sister,brother and I were baptized intothe Catholic Church, according tothe wishes of my father who diedwhen I was two.

Vietnam is a primarilyBuddhist country but with largepopulations of Roman Catholicsfrom centuries of French colo-nization. My mother was and stillis agnostic but I grew up partici-pating in the regular Buddhist rit-uals that my Grandmother per-formed every new moon, fullmoon and days of our ancestors’anniversaries which occurred atweekly intervals. It was some-thing that she did and she neveronce explained to me what shewas doing or why, but I did growup with the idea of Karma and itsconsequences firmly influencingevery act and word.

When I was ten years old, theKorean teacher who taught usFrench and English on Saturdaymornings invited me to a lun-cheon that she was giving oneSunday to a group of monks. Shehad always dressed in mini skirts,wore red lipstick and high heeledshoes and so I imagined that shewas a very modern woman whoaspired to material wealth andopulence. I had visited manyBuddhist temples in our city withmy grandmother and offeredincense and flowers, like every-body else, and had seen monks intheir ochre robes and shavenheads but had not really had anyclose contact with them. To methey were part of the background. On that Sunday morning, Iarrived to see a long table withabout a dozen monks sittingaround it, each with his ownround black bowl the size of alarge pot in front of him, withnothing inside. Then my teacher

and members of her familywalked up to each monk, offeredhim a spoonful of food from aplate they carried in their handswhich they then placedcarefully into the blackbowl. I was gestured tocopy them. Before themonks ate, they put theirhands together andchanted in a language Ididn’t recognize forabout half an hour. Thenthey chanted again afterthey had finished eatingand then we could beginto eat.

The followingSunday my youngerbrother and I accompa-nied my languageteacher to the templewhere the monks camefrom to hear teachings .Iremember taking refugeat a later visit to the tem-ple and studying theAbhidharma text andlearning the Pali lan-guage in order to pro-nounce and understandthe chants better. So Ibecame a “Buddhist”from then on, though Iwas not too encouragedby the fact that I was born afemale and was stuck with theencumbrances that came with thisbody as I had fantasies of becom-ing a nun. When our familyimmigrated to London, England Imade regular visits to the ThaiTheravadin temple for studiesand meditation sessions and keptthe five precepts - religiously asthey say.

So I continued through yearsof married life and motherhood inNew Zealand, practicingVipassana meditation at homeand on weekend retreats at thelocal Buddhist Vihara. My teach-ers were Western monks of theThai Forest tradition and wereEnglish speakers so it was easierfor me to make some sense of theteachings. But I always felt I wasa “bad” Buddhist because I want-ed to be enlightened before I die,not just simply “enter the stream”and come back again for the nexttry. I had come across the TibetanBuddhists in India in the mid 80’sand found them to be rather mot-ley, but they seemed to have a

kind of energy that was complete-ly mysterious to me albeit a littleexciting. Despite being a sparselypopulated country, New Zealand

has quite a large and eclecticgroup of practitioners of diverseBuddhist denominations, but Iwas not interested in shoppingaround and decided to perseverewith my Vipassana practice, keepsitting and see what the futureunfold.

One day in July 1998, notlong after leaving a 12-year mar-riage and still in the throes ofgrief and anxiety, while browsingthrough the Buddhist section ofan alternative bookstore a book,entitled “The Crystal and Way ofLight” literally fell off the shelfand almost hit my head. Then Idiscovered “Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State” from the locallibrary and from the back pagefound a contact name in NewZealand which turned out to beobsolete. The following year Ibought the music CD of “Chod -Cutting through Materialism”which I listened to over and overagain, mostly at night in bed.Don’t ask me why I was attractedto the books or the chanting, itjust sort of felt ‘right’. It wasn’t

until July 1999 that I receivedfrom Naomi through the Mirrorwebsite, a name and telephonenumber of a David Sharp inAuckland to contact for informa-tion on the DzogchenCommunity. It turned out he lived10 minutes walk from my apart-ment, in the same suburb. David,who has since passed away, wasextremely open, enthusiastic andgenerous with his knowledge andunderstanding of the Rinpoche’steachings. My very first practicewas a Ganapuja! But because Ihad been given a folder of pagesof practices and photos of theguardians and deities and hadstudied these a few days before, Iwas able to follow somewhat. Itwas as you could say a completeturnaround. I had been a vegetar-ian for nearly 20 years, seldomdrank wine and had never spokenTibetan before. But at that famouspoint of no return, I took to thewhole thing like a duck to water.I wasn’t even disgusted with eat-ing meat!! To say I was a renunci-ate would be too kind, I had beenteaching Hatha Yoga at that timefor 5 years and my colleagues andI were proud little Indianisedyogi/nis , pleased with our Sattviclifestyle, eating dhal and riceevery week, wearing Indianesqueclothes and Omming with the stu-dents.

About a week later, I had adream of being in a large, dimlylit room with enormous woodenpillars in four corners, a largeAsiatic man dressed in a Chinesestyle ankle length robe in goldbrocade was walking back andforth in front of me, speakingloudly and waving his arms. Iremember thinking this man isteaching me some kind of yoga,telling myself I must rememberwhen I wake up; I must remem-ber ………Well of course thatwas all I could remember.Unbelievable as it may sound,while dreaming I also had astrange feeling that this manmight actually be in my room andforced my eyes to open to see if itwas true and a vision of him wasstanding right there in the room,looking at me. Was my desire tomeet him so strong?

David told me then that inDecember, Chögyal NamkhaiNorbu, the master of this lineage,

was coming to Auckland for a 3day weekend teaching on his wayto Australia where he was to stayuntil April giving longer retreatsat the big centre there. I had nottaken any holidays outside theusual national days for the last 3years and had saved up enoughmoney for a trip away. So I dulybooked my ticket and borrowed atent from a friend, all this before Imet Rinpoche.

The Auckland teachings wereheld at a teachers training collegequite near the city centre. When Iwalked in, there were people tak-ing registrations and selling theThun books in the foyer. In themain room, there were threeTibetan thankas on the wallbehind the dais and two rows ofchairs at the sides. There weresome Buddhist people I knew andabout 4-5 Western Tibetanmonks, but I was also surprised tosee other acquaintances too. Westood up as the Master arrived, Iturned to see that it was the sameman in my dreams, only he waswearing ordinary clothes and hewasn’t so big. All the time duringthe talk, there was this tall blackhaired man who was videotapingthe event and he kept walking upand down the aisle taking photosand working the camera, whichseemed a little curious to me.

I didn’t remember any thun-derous feelings or earth shakingrealizations or that my mind wastaken over by any particularimpressions. I studied this man’sface intently; his mannerism, hiswords and I felt absolutelyNothing! I mean Nothing and Ihonestly wanted something then.I concluded that I needed to spendmore time in his presencebecause the meeting was too ordi-nary and at least to see if I was toostupid to understand.

It wasn’t until I receivedDirect Introduction from theMaster in Namgyalgar at theChristmas retreat that I felt thatnow I can continue with the prac-tices and studies of his preciousteachings with some confidenceand faith. Needless to say, my lifehas been through many changes, Ihave uprooted myself and havebecome something of a traveler,but sometimes that happens……..I am a very lucky (woman)indeed.

HOW I MET CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU

A S I A C A L E N D A R & C A R D S 2 0 0 5

ASIA onlusAssociation for InternationalSolidarity in ASIAVia San Martino della Battiglia 3100185 Rome, ItalyTel: 06 44340034/35Fax: 06 44702620 www.asia-onlus.org – info@asia-onlus.org