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During this week-long retreat, Alan Wallace teaches insight meditation drawn from the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism which probes the nature of the mind. He discusses the relation between lucid dreaming and dream yoga, including areas of complementarity and divergence. In addition, throughout the week, retreatants are taught how to engage in the daytime and nighttime practices of dream yoga. Guided meditations and groups discussions are included as well as teaching by Alan Wallace. Modern scientific research into lucid dreaming draws a sharp distinction between the waking state and dreaming, and it has developed practical methods for inducing lucidity, namely, recognizing that we are dreaming while we are dreaming. The common theories and practices of lucid dreaming do not deeply challenge our conventional assumptions regarding the nature of waking reality, but rather help us to become more mindfully engaged with daytime experience, and can be remarkably effective in helping us to start having lucid dreams. These practices include keeping a dream journal, recognizing recurrent "dream signs," conducting "state checks" throughout the day to confirm whether we are awake or dreaming, and cultivating "prospective memory," that is, remembering to do things in the future. The ancient Buddhist contemplative tradition of dream yoga emphasizes the deep similarities between the waking state and dreaming, while also acknowledging significant differences. Dream yoga begins with the recognition that we are dreaming while in the dream state, which is common to the modern discipline of lucid dreaming. But after recognizing the dream for what it is, dream yoga shows how to explore the nature of dream reality by transforming the contents of the dream. Latter stages of this practice leads to a fearlessness in the dream state and the experiential exploration of the "substrate consciousness," out of which all dreams emerge. The ultimate aim of dream yoga is to fully awaken to the nature of experienced reality as a Buddha, an "Awakened One." During this retreat, Alan Wallace discusses the relation between lucid dreaming and dream yoga, their areas of complementarity and divergence, and daytime vs. nighttime practices of dream yoga. Please select the media type you would like to receive: DVD video discs, or downloadable MP3 audio files and PDFs. -
Retreat Title: Lucid Dreaming and Dream Yoga September 18-25, 2018 Sponsored by Garrison Institute, New York Audio Stream and DownloadModern scientific research into lucid dreaming draws a sharp distinction between the waking state and dreaming, and it has developed practical methods for inducing lucidity, namely, recognizing that we are dreaming while we are dreaming.The ancient Buddhist contemplative tradition of dream yoga points out deep similarities between the waking state and dreaming, encouraging us to become lucid at all times. To fully awaken to the nature of experience is to be a Buddha, an “Awakened One,” and that is the ultimate aim of dream yoga.During this retreat, Alan Wallace will discuss the relation between lucid dreaming and dream yoga, including areas of complementarity and divergence. In addition, we will engage in the daytime and nighttime practices of dream yoga, interspersed with times for discussion.You may select either the digital download files (you will receive an email with download links) or the MP3 CD discs. These will be delivered via USPS mail. -
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Mahamudra Shamatha Teachings with Drubpon Lama Karma
This retreat with Drupön Lama Karma is no longer available. In the future, registration for retreats with Drupön Lama Karma will only be available for a few months after the retreat is concluded.
November 2023, Part 1, Three-Month Series
Drubpon Lama Karma provides detailed instructions on the practice of Shamatha from the Mahamudra perspective, based on his own experience from years of meditation retreats. These teachings began on November 3, 2023 and continued on a weekly basis for three months. The teachings are available in both audio and video recordings. The teachings are in Tibetan language with English translation. The videos of these teachings are in the process of being updated on YouTube with Spanish and Portuguese closed captions (CC). The first few sessions are now available. You can watch the first session of this series of Shamatha teachings free on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK10qdh4j2I You can read more about Lama Karma and these teachings by clicking here. If you need a scholarship for this series, please email: karmajnana108@gmail.com -
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Meditation Retreat on Shamatha in the Dzogchen Tradition In his mind treasure, The Sharp Vajra of Conscious Awareness Tantra, the 19th-century Dzogchen master Dudjom Lingpa clearly explains four quintessential practices that are each indispensable on the Great Perfection path to enlightenment. They are: meditative quiescence (shamatha), contemplative insight (vipashyana), the breakthrough (tekchö), and the direct crossing-over (tögal). In this retreat Alan Wallace gives a detailed explanation of the opening section of this text (including Dudjom Lingpa's own commentary), together with guided meditations, focusing on the shamatha practice of “taking the mind as the path.” This is the most emphasized shamatha practice in the Dzogchen tradition as a whole, and it provides a profound and insightful means to explore the mind and eventually dissolve it into its relative ground-state, the substrate consciousness. This is a necessary foundation for the practice for the practice of vipashyana and the authentic Dzogchen meditation. This week long retreat was held in November 6-13, 2011 at the Old Mission Renewal Center in Santa Barbara, CA The nine disc DVD set chronicles the seven- day retreat consisting of lectures, guided meditations and discussions. -
Mindfulness and Introspection in Daily Life A weekend retreat held June 24-26, 2011 in Santa Barbara, California In this retreat, B. Alan Wallace expands on Shantideva's classic text A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life (The Bodhicaryavatara). In particular, Dr. Wallace discusses chapter five entitled Guarding Introspection in which Shantideva advises practioners to maintain a state of vigilant introspection and examine one's thoughts, words and deeds in daily life. The DVD set chronicles the weekend retreat held at Santa Barbara's historic Old Mission. -
Lama Alan offers concise, pith instructions on the four revolutions in outlook, the common, outer preliminaries that are the basis for the uncommon inner preliminaries. These teachings are from the 2020 8-week retreat, The Vajra Essence Part I. There are no prerequisites for these teachings. If you would like to register for the entire 8-week retreat you can click here -
This nine-disc DVD set chronicles the seven-day Meditation Seminar for Neuroscientists & Mental Healthcare Professionals recorded March 22 - 29, 2009 at the Old Mission in Santa Barbara, CA. In this workshop, Alan Wallace instructs participants in the cultivation of executive attention and metacognitive skills and gives detailed instructions on the four applications of mindfulness, centering on careful examination of the body, feelings, mental states and processes, and the interactions among mental and physical phenomena. This retreat is equally relevant to academic psychologists, neuroscientists and mental healthcare professionals, as well as those who seek to understand and heal the mind. -
"Probing the Ultimate Nature of Reality" is available as a DVD set, or digital download MP3 audio stream files. Both options include PDF files, retreat handouts, and other pertinent information. DVD SET: This nine-disc DVD set chronicles the seven-day retreat “Probing the Ultimate Nature of Reality: A Vipashyana Retreat in the Great Perfection Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, presented on the basis of Dudjom Lingpa’s Mind Treasure, The Vajra Essence” in Santa Barbara, California from September 2009. MP3 AUDIO DOWNLOAD: All seven days of this retreat are available by MP3 audio stream and conveniently divided into teachings, meditations, and discussions. PDF files include explanatory notes on the audio files, retreat handouts, and other pertinent information. Pre-requisites: Part I “Exploring the Depths of the Psyche: A Shamatha Retreat in the Great Perfection Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism", presented on the basis of Dudjom Lingpa’s Mind Treasure, The Vajra Essence” in Santa Barbara, California from June 21 – 28, 2009. Please select either the 9-DVD set (sent via Priority Mail) or the digital MP3 audio download files (you will receive a download link). -
Retreat on Atiśa’s Pith Instructions on Theory and PracticeLama Alan Wallace offers commentaries on Three Texts by Atiśa:Guide to the Two RealitiesPith Instructions on a Single MindfulnessThe Mahāmudrā Granted by the Noble Lord to GönpawaThe 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.For additional information please read below.Translations available into Portuguese and SpanishPlease select your media option and language option.
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The Seven Point Mind Training of Tibetan Buddhism Retreat, widely taught in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, stems from the teachings of the 11th-century Indian Buddhist scholar and contemplative Atisha and was first written down by the 12th-century Tibetan monk Chekawa. This training summarizes the Bodhisattva way of life by integrating theories and practices for the cultivation of ultimate and relative bodhichitta, or the mind of awakening. Beginning with a careful investigation of the nature of the mind and its relation to nature as a whole – resulting in a realization of emptiness and dependent origination – this training leads one to the experience of profound compassion and the transformation of all experiences into means of furthering one's spiritual growth. This retreat is available by streaming video, as well as DVD. The retreat was recorded March 21-28, 2010 at the Santa Barbara Mission. -
Over 15 sessions Glen Svensson will introduce the practice of shamatha, the practice of cultivating a calm, clear and focused mind. Each session includes discussion, guided meditation and Q&A. This program is suitable for those new to this practice and also those who are already well established in shamatha practice. These teachings were originally part of 2020 8-week retreat. Please see below for additional information. -
Shamatha Teachings with Drupla Tsampa Karma Translated by Khenpo Namchak Dorji Recorded in October 19 and 20, 2019 (one and a half day retreat) The translation for these teachings has now been revised and is available in the book, Śamatha and Vipaśyanā: An Anthology of Pith Instructions. The content of the teaching is not impacted with the revised translations. -
The 19th-century classic Dzogchen treatise, The Vajra Essence, by the eminent master Düdjom Lingpa concludes with a concise lucid account of the Six Bardos, namely the Bardos of Living, Dreaming, Meditative Stabilization, Dying, Reality itself, and Becoming. The teachings on these Bardos show how each of these transitional phases of cyclic existence can provide a platform for achieving enlightenment, particularly by way of the practices of shamatha, vipashyana, and Dzogchen. Lama Alan Wallace offers an explanation of Düdjom Lingpa's teachings, with guided meditations for putting them into practice. This seven-day retreat was recorded March 2011, at the Old Mission in Santa Barbara, CA The retreat is available via streaming video, streaming or downloadable audio recordings or DVD. -
B. Alan Wallace 10 Apr 2011 – 04 Jun 2011 Thanyapura Mind Centre, Phuket, Thailand Dharma talks and guided meditations given six days per week during the Spring, 2011 eight-week Shamatha retreat at the Thanyapura Mind Centre in Phuket, Thailand, with B. Alan Wallace. Podcasts will be posted daily during the retreat.
