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With the many demands on our time in today’s world, it is all to easy to continue our spiritual practice to brief periods of meditation each day, supplemented by occasional teachings and retreats. But is is difficult for such intermittent dedication to Dharma, interrupted by long periods of mundane activities and concerns, to bring about deep and lasting transformation in our minds and way of life. In his classic text “Transforming Felicity and Adversity into the Spiritual Path” the 19th century Dzogchen master Dodrupchen Tenpey Nyima provides practical instruction for transmuting all of life’s ups and downs into nourishment on the path to enlightenment. During this retreat, Lama Alan Wallace offers an explanation of his teachings, together with guided meditations for putting them into practice. The audio recordings cover three and a half days of teaching and you will also receive the text. After you place your order you will receive an email with a link to the teachings. The audio stream was recorded in June, 2013 at Santa Barbara’s historical Old Mission. -
Extracting the Vital Essence of Accomplishment: Concise and Clear Advice for Practice in a Mountain Retreat by twentieth-century Nyingma master, Düdjom Rinpoché, Jigdral Yeshé Dorjé. Lama Alan Wallace presents and comments on pith instructions of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. Providing guidance on retreat, this course is based on the text Extracting the Vital Essence of Accomplishment: Concise and Clear Advice for Practice in a Mountain Retreat by twentieth-century Nyingma master, Düdjom Rinpoché, Jigdral Yeshé Dorjé. Lama Alan translates and explores the short, powerful text on retreat in terms of the preliminaries, main practices, and post-meditative practices of the Great Perfection path. This retreat consists of 10 one-hour lectures, each with a 30-minute guided meditation. To allow time for contemplation and practice, starting on June 3 you will receive a new teaching weekly for ten weeks. Each session will include a one-hour lecture and a 30-minute guided meditation. This will be a Virtual Retreat with Audio stream/download. We are offering multiple pricing options as you will see below when you select Choose An Option. Please see the description below for additional information. Si prega di vedere sotto per informazioni in italiano. -
During the 2022, The Vajra Essence - Part 3, 8-week retreat, Lama Alan offered three teachings, and meditations, on these essential, integrated shamatha meditations:- Mindfulness of breathing,
- Taking the mind as the path and
- Shamatha without a sign.
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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
Select your virtual retreat option
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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. This audio stream/DVD chronicles the seven-day retreat recorded July 19-26, 2008 at the Old Mission in Santa Barbara, CA and includes teachings, guided meditations, and discussions. Please select your preferred media type, audio stream, or DVD disks. -
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. -
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. This year we are offering multiple pricing options as you will see below when you select Choose An Option. -
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.
