Meditation Retreat Two: Core Practices of Tibetan Bön Dzogchen

The Tibetan Bön model of Dzogchen presented in this retreat extends on the practices presented in Meditation Retreat One: Preliminary Practices of Tibetan Bön Dzogchen and introduces students, who have developed the fundamentals of concentration, to meditation beyond the ordinary mind. Meditation, in this sense, is not a form of relaxation as it has come to be understood in the west, rather it is a means to explore the full potential of the human mind.

In preparation, these Dzogchen practices require that we are relatively free from distraction whilst meditating on the pillow and have established our foundational practices such that we feel development in the qualities of safety, trust, interest, admiration and motivation for practice and feel genuinely interested in understanding phenomena without chasing after it.

It is important to understand that if you have a background of trauma, unfortunately common in most human communities, you should speak with a teacher and explore what practices may be necessary to process these memories before proceeding further down this path.

In this retreat, students will be presented with detailed Dzogchen instructions designed to refine and stabilise concentration without external or internal support. These practices serve as preparation for receiving a complete set of Dzogchen practices designed to cut through mental obscuration and set up the conditions for realisation of the nature of the mind as being pointed out.

It should be emphasised that this form of exploration is completely passive. We are not looking for “any-thing”; rather, we learn the skill of concentrated awareness in which phenomena simply occur and dissipate. With practice and patience, we will notice less and less grasping and more and more acceptance of what emerges and passes. This meditation is with eyes open where we train the mind to not be distracted by any internal or external phenomena. Over time the mind increasingly comes to see reality as it is rather than how it is filtered and interpreted through our senses and our learnings.

It is this skill that establishes the path to higher learning. The path of Tummo (Inner Fire) & Tögal (Bypassing Visions).
Students will receive precise instructions in these Dzogchen practices of Bön and will have ample opportunity to experience and develop a strong foundation in the essence of these profound lineage teachings.

This retreat shares a complete set of teachings from the A Krid (pronounced “Atri”) Lineage of Tibetan Bön Dzogchen; a one-thousand-year-old compendium of the middle path to liberation in Bön. This text is the gateway to a series of expanded texts that refine the skills that ultimately lead to full awareness of mind.

Chapters 6-10 are covered from the text: ‘The Pith Instructions for the Stages of the Practice Sessions of the A-Tri (A Khrid) System of Bön Dzogchen Meditation’.

This text is available for purchase here and will be available for pick up at the beginning of the retreat.