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His Holiness the Dalai Lama has often commented that the essence of spiritual practice is cultivating a good heart. As important as meditative quiescence and insight meditation are within the Buddhist tradition, it is crucial to balance such practices with the cultivation of altruism. In this meditation seminar, Alan Wallace teaches a sequence of meditations for the cultivation of the “Four Immeasurables,” namely loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and impartiality. These are followed by teachings and practice of Buddhist Mind-Training, or “Lojong.” While many teachings on Buddhist meditation fill us with a longing to spend more time in quiet, solitary meditation, the practices presented here brings us back to life, to the active world of living with others. This seminar consists of teachings, guided meditations and discussions, but the emphasis is on meditation. Regardless of whether we hold to any religious beliefs, these practices can be of benefit to everyone seeking to explore their own capacity to experience unconditional love and compassion. -
Sadhana classes from the 2022 8-week retreat with Yangchen Ösel (Eva Natanya), which followed the Lake-Born Vajra Empowerment offered by Lama Alan Wallace.
Yangchen offers 15 sessions to guide you in your sadhana practice. Her clear elucidation of these profound practices will enhance your understanding and practice. There are nine meditations and four videos, including a short teaching from Lama Alan on the 6-Session Guru Yoga and Yangchen's explanation of this teaching, the Lake-Born Vajra Sadhana with Gaṇacakra, as well as the complete Lake-Born Vajra Sadhana with Tibetan Recitation.This is available only if you have received the Lake-Born Vajra Empowerment in the Düdjom Tersar Lineage, whether from Lama Alan or another qualified guru.
If you received the Lake-Born Vajra empowerment but did not follow the 2022 8-week retreat it is highly recommended that you receive these teachings from Yangchen Ösel. If you wish to receive teachings on the Lake-Born Vajra sadhana in this lineage of teachings from Lama Alan and Yangchen Ösel, we strongly encourage you to register for the whole of the 2019 8-week retreat, or else follow the entire sequence of the 2020-2022 Vajra Essence retreats. For your convenience, you can stream, download or listen to the teachings on your podcast app. -
A meditation retreat on the first half of Düdjom Lingpa's, The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers. Dzogchen, or the "Great Perfection," is regarded by many as the pinnacle of Buddhist teachings, for it presents the most direct path to realizing our true nature and to unveiling the deepest dimensions of consciousness. This retreat consists of lectures, guided meditations and discussions, and is intended for participants with a sound understanding and practice of the foundational Buddhist teachings of the Four Noble Truths, Bodhicitta, and the Six Perfections. This retreat was recorded in Santa Barbara, May 11-18, 2014. Please read more below about the retreat. This is offered via audio stream/download, video stream or DVD. -
A meditation retreat on the second half of Düdjom Lingpa's, The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers. Dzogchen, or the "Great Perfection," is regarded by many as the pinnacle of Buddhist teachings, for it presents the most direct path to realizing our true nature and to unveiling the deepest dimensions of consciousness. This retreat consists of lectures, guided meditations and discussions, and is intended for participants with a sound understanding and practice of the foundational Buddhist teachings of the Four Noble Truths, Bodhicitta, and the Six Perfections. This retreat was recorded in Santa Barbara, April 12-17, 2015. Please read more below about the retreat. This is offered via audio stream/download, video stream or DVD. -
A Contemplative Science of Consciousness - November 2014 - Recorded November 9-16, 2014 in Santa Barbara, CA Modern science has discovered many important facts about the mind by studying it indirectly through the examination of the neural correlates and behavioral expressions of mental processes. The retreat is available via audio recording, video recording and DVD. -
A Contemplative Science of Mental Balance Recorded February 2-9, 2014 in Santa Barbara, CA
On the basis of an ethical way of life, mental balance is the key to achieving genuine happiness and to following the path to spiritual liberation and awakening. Genuine happiness, in contrast to hedonic pleasure, is a sense of well-being that arises from within, without dependence upon pleasant stimuli. The retreat is available via audio recording, video recording and DVD. -
The Four Noble Truths from the Perspective of Shravakayana, Mahayana and Dzogchen Nov 10-17, 2013 The Four Noble Truths comprise the basis and fundamental structure of all the Buddha’s teachings. More accurately translated as the “four realities for aryas” (those who have gained direct realization of nirvana), these are the four topics the Buddha taught when he first turned the Wheel of Dharma to his five close disciples in Sarnath, shortly after his enlightenment. During this week-long retreat, Lama Alan Wallace explains how these four realities are understood from the perspective of the Shravakayana, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana, or Buddhist tantra, culminating in the Great Perfection, or Dzogchen. Please read below for additional information and for the scholarship application. The retreat is available with streaming audio recordings, streaming video recordings or as a DVD. -
Dzogchen, or the "Great Perfection," is regarded by many as the pinnacle of Buddhist teachings, for it presents the most direct path to realizing our true nature and to unveiling the deepest dimensions of consciousness. This retreat consists of lectures, guided meditations and discussions, and is intended for participants with a sound understanding and practice of the foundational Buddhist teachings of the Four Noble Truths, Bodhicitta, and the Six Perfections. Guest teacher, Eva Natanya This retreat was recorded at El Capitan in Goleta, CA January 2019. This is offered via audio stream/download. -
The Vajra Essence – Part 2
Phase 3: “Revealing the Ground Dharmakāya” and Phase 4: “Determining the Characteristics and Qualities of the Ground” in The Vajra Essence: From the Matrix of Pure Appearances and Primordial Consciousness, a Tantra Self-Emergent from the Nature of Existence. April 1 – May 26, 2021Prerequisite Requirements to Purchase Program
By purchasing you acknowledge that you have satisfied the retreat prerequisites of listening to the 2020 8-week retreat and will listen to Lama Alan’s oral commentary to the Vajra Essence in its entirety and have had an empowerment or will receive the recommended empowerment. If you need a scholarship, you can apply here.Please read full details below in description.
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Phase 1: “Taking the Impure Mind as the Path” and Phase 2: “Revealing Your Own Face as the Sharp Vajra of Vipaśyanā” in The Vajra Essence: From the Matrix of Pure Appearances and Primordial Consciousness, a Tantra Self-Emergent from the Nature of Existence with B. Alan Wallace.
Retreat Dates: April 1- May 26, 2020Prerequisite Requirements to Purchase Program
One must have genuine interest in practicing the dharma and must have read the text, The Fine Path to Liberation. If you need a scholarship, you can apply here.Please read full details below in description.
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The Enlightened View of SamantabhadraLocation: Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Tuscany, ItalyHeld From: April 4th - May 30th, 2019During this eight-week retreat, Alan Wallace will give detailed oral commentaries on one of the five classic Dzogchen treatises by Düdjom Lingpa, The Enlightened View of Samantabhadra. This is the third in a series of 8-week retreats in which commentaries and oral transmissions will be offered for all five of these treatises: The Sharp Vajra of Conscious Awareness Tantra (2018), The Enlightened View of Samantabhadra (2019), and The Vajra Essence (2020-2023)Prerequisite Requirements to Purchase Program
One must have genuine interest in practicing the dharma and must have read the text, “The Fine Path to Liberation.” If you need a scholarship, you can apply here.Please read full details below in Description.
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B. Alan Wallace and Glen Svensson 04 Apr 2018 – 30 May 2018 Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Tuscany, Italy During this eight-week retreat, Alan Wallace will begin by commenting on Sera Khandro’s explanation of the preliminary practices for Dzogchen in The Fine Path to Liberation and by granting the empowerment of the Lake-Born Vajra manifestation of Padmasambhava. He will then give detailed oral commentaries on one of the five classic Dzogchen treatises by Düdjom Lingpa, The Sharp Vajra of Conscious Awareness, in addition to Düdjom Lingpa’s commentary (edited by Pema Tashi), entitled The Essence of Clear Meaning. Alan will comment on all aspects of these texts except the pith instructions on the direct crossing over (thögal), which is to be taught only to individuals who are able to abide continuously in pristine awareness.Prerequisite Requirements to Purchase Program
One must have genuine interest in practicing the dharma and must have read the text, “The Fine Path to Liberation.” If you need a scholarship, you can apply here.Please read full details below in Description.
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“The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers,” “Buddhahood Without Meditation” and “The Fine Path to Liberation” with B. Alan Wallace
03 Apr 2017 – 30 May 2017 Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Tuscany, Italy During this eight-week retreat Alan Wallace will give detailed oral commentaries on two of the five classic Dzogchen treatises by Düdjom Lingpa, The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers and Buddhahood Without Meditation, in addition to the brief text on the preliminary practices for Dzogchen by Sera Khandro, entitled The Fine Path to Liberation. This will be the first in a series of 8-week retreats in which commentaries and oral transmissions will be offered for all five of these treatises: The Sharp Vajra of Conscious Awareness Tantra (2018), The Enlightened View of Samantabhadra (2019), and The Vajra Essence (2020-2023).Prerequisite Requirements to Purchase Program
To register for this retreat, you should be familiar with the foundational teachings and practices of shamatha, the four applications of mindfulness, and the four immeasurables. See below for list of teachings. One must have genuine interest in practicing the dharma and must have read the text, The Fine Path to Liberation. If you need a scholarship, you can apply here. Please read full details below in Description. -
A virtual retreat from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado
Sponsored by Santa Barbara Institute and the Center for Contemplative Research
The Vajra Essence – Part III March 31 - May 30, 2022
Audio Stream/Download Registration
This online, 8-week retreat will focus on completing Phase 4: “Determining the Characteristics and Qualities of the Ground,” Phase 5: "Determining Secret Dualistic Grasping and Revealing the Way of Natural Liberation" and Phase 6: "Teaching on the Essential Points of Practice and Their Key Distinctions" from The Vajra Essence: From the Matrix of Pure Appearances and Primordial Consciousness, a Tantra Self-Emergent from the Nature of Existence. Prerequisite Requirements to Purchase Program By purchasing you acknowledge that you have satisfied the retreat prerequisites of listening to both the 2020 and 2021 8-week retreats on The Vajra Essence and will listen to Lama Alan’s oral commentary to The Vajra Essence in its entirety and have had an empowerment or will receive the recommended empowerment. If you have not received the Lake-Born Vajra empowerment from Lama Alan, then you should not listen to Yangchen's teachings on the sadhana (which began after the empowerment was granted during the 2022 8-week retreat on May 11, 2022). We do hope that at a future date the empowerment will be available again. This year we are offering multiple pricing options as you will see below when you select Choose An Option. If you need a scholarship, you can apply here. Please read all of the details below under description. -
An in-person and virtual retreat from Crestone, CO The Vajra Essence - Part IV March 31 – May 27, 2023 Co-sponsored by the Center for Contemplative ResearchThis registration is for the virtual, online retreat.
During this 8-week retreat, Lama Alan will grant an oral transmission and commentary to Düdjom Lingpa’s revealed treatise, The Vajra Essence, picking up where we left off last May. Please read all of the details below for more information on the teachings and additional details about the retreat. The most important prerequisite for participating in this retreat is that all applicants must have already listened to the oral transmission and commentary on the opening phases of The Vajra Essence by Lama Alan given during the first retreat in this series, offered during April – May, 2020 via either the SBI audio-stream or the Wisdom online retreat. You must have completed this before this retreat begins. To request a scholarship please complete this scholarship application. This year we are offering multiple pricing options as you will see below when you select Choose An Option. -
Virtual retreat from Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, CO
This retreat began with oral commentaries on Lama Alan’s two freshly translated dialogues between Atisha and his principal disciple Drom Tönpa; then we turned to a close examination of the fifty-one mental processes according to classic Indian Buddhist psychology.
The retreat will be available by both video-stream and audio-stream/download, and both are included in the price. If you need a scholarship, you can apply here. The translations that Lama Alan was reading from for this retreat have now been revised and are available in the book, Śamatha and Vipaśyanā: An Anthology of Pith Instructions. The content of the teaching is not impacted with the revised translations.Please see below for more information on the teachings and additional details about the retreat.
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Fathom the Mind. Heal the World.
with Lama Alan Wallace, Dr. Eva Natanya & Dr. Anuradha Choudry October 1-7, 2022
Co-sponsored by Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies and the Center for Contemplative Research.
This retreat is an opportunity to explore the interdenominational, inter-contemplative themes outlined by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his vision for the Center for Contemplative Research:- The Buddhist meditative practices of śamatha and vipaśyanā
- Teachings on nonviolence and compassion from other revered Indian traditions
- Instruction in the contemplative traditions of Christianity
Please select your registration and accommodation option from the dropdown.
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An in-person retreat at Miyo Samten Ling in Crestone, CO sponsored by SBI
The Vajra Essence – Part III March 31 - May 30, 2022
In-person registration is now open for The Vajra Essence - Part III. This 8-week retreat will focus on completing Phase 4: “Determining the Characteristics and Qualities of the Ground”, Phase 5: "Determining Secret Dualistic Grasping and Revealing the Way of Natural Liberation", and Phase 6: "Teaching on the Essential Points of Practice and Their Key Distinctions" from The Vajra Essence: From the Matrix of Pure Appearances and Primordial Consciousness, a Tantra Self-Emergent from the Nature of Existence.Please be aware that in order to maintain moderate social distancing (in addition to a required vaccination against COVID-19), we have very limited capacity for in-person attendance. Only those who have been accepted to attend should register here.
Please do not share this registration link.
See below for more information on the teachings and additional details about the retreat.
