Sunday, September 29, 2024 (13:00 -15:00)
Sunday, October 13, 2024 (13:00 -15:00)
Sunday, October 27, 2024 (13:00 -15:00)
Sunday, November 10, 2024 (13:00 -15:00)
Sept 22 / 29, Oct 13 / 27, Nov 10
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET
About the Course
Mahamudra, the great vision, is the direct experience of the true nature of our mind and all experience. It is generally regarded as a special transmission and practice only given to advanced students in secret. However, there were and are many teachers who taught mahamudra openly. Long ago, Gampopa was famous for teaching it widely in Tibet, and recently Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, and other great teachers have taught mahamudra openly to all. In fact, all of us have glimpsed the nature of our mind before we even heard the dharma or practiced meditation. We just never knew what happened, as the glimpse was so ordinary.
Mahamudra is a journey of glimpses. Meditation practice is the first step and ground for tuning into the nature of our mind, but the leap comes when we open our heart to ourselves and our world in everyday life.
This five session course will immerse participants in:
- The meditation practice of shamatha on-the-spot mindfulness and vipashyana panoramic awareness
- The compassionate heart practices of the four limitless ones, “sending and taking” (tonglen), and raising windhorse.
- Four mahamudra slogans as guiding instructions, one slogan introduced in each session.
There will be talks with question and answer periods, discussion groups, and singing. Singing dharma-inspired songs is a key part of the mahamudra tradition.
Please note: This online program will be recorded and available to registered participants around 72 hours after each live session has taken place. You may find the recording under “My Programs” after signing into your Shambhala Online account. While it is recommended that participants attend all live sessions, should you need to miss, the recording will be available to watch in preparation for the next class.
Readings
The following readings are recommended as preparation for this course, particularly if you are new to meditation and/or to mahamudra.
In the first reading, Trungpa Rinpoche does not mention the word mahamudra, but that is the view that he is presenting. This is a great book to read and contemplate. It’s highly recommended to obtain a copy.
Chögyam Trungpa, The Path Is the Goal, Chapters 1 & 2, pp. 3-34
For a very brief and illuminating overview of the path, there is: Chögyam Trungpa, Mudra, "The Nine Oxherding Pictures," pp. 74-93. Or you can view the pictures with Trungpa Rinpoche's commentary online here: Oxherding Pictures
Prerequisites
Open to all.
About the Teacher
John Rockwell has been on the path of dharma for 47 years. He met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1975 and studied and practiced the Buddhist and Shambhala teachings for 12 years with him, and in particular worked with him on translating Tibetan texts into English. For ten years, he studied and taught at Naropa University in the Buddhist Studies department. For many years, he served as an acharya or senior teacher for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and also studied intensively with Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. His inspiration now is to open the heart and senses on the spot.