12-week course, The Four Yogas of Mahamudra
Join us for The Four Yogas of Mahamudra, a 12-week immersive course that begins this Tuesday. Mahamudra, often referred to as The Great Seal, is one of the most profound teachings in Tibetan Buddhism, offering a direct path to realizing the true nature of mind. This course is designed for intermediate to advanced meditation practitioners who seek to deepen their practice and understanding of the mind’s innate clarity and wisdom.
Led by Lama Michael, this course will guide you through each of the Four Yogas—One-Pointedness, Non-Conceptuality, One-Taste, and Non-Meditation—offering practical meditation techniques and experiential insight into these stages of realization. You will learn how to stabilize concentration, dissolve conceptual thought patterns, and rest in the natural, effortless awareness that lies beyond duality.
Over 12 weeks, participants will receive personalized guidance, engage in group discussions, and be supported in their meditation practice. This course is designed for those familiar with meditation and interested in Buddhist teachings or the deeper practices of Mahamudra, though prior experience in Mahamudra is not required.
What you will gain:
• A comprehensive understanding of the Four Yogas of Mahamudra
• Practical tools to deepen concentration, clarity, and insight
• Methods to overcome obstacles in meditation and daily life
• A greater sense of calm, equanimity, and awareness
• The ability to integrate these teachings into everyday experience
Sessions will be held via Zoom every Tuesday at 4 PM PST, with recordings available for those in different time zones. Whether you are deepening an existing practice or beginning your journey into Mahamudra, this course provides a structured, supportive environment for exploring the true nature of mind.
Course starts: Tuesday, October 15th at 4 PM PST or watch at your own pace
Duration: 12 weeks (recordings available)
Teacher: Lama Michael
We do not turn anyone away due to financial hardship. If you require assistance, please contact us at info@dzogchenretreat for support. Join us for this transformative journey!
Join This Course
Enhancing Non Dual Meditation 12 Week Course
Welcome to the Tuesday Night Dzogchen Sangha's upcoming twelve-week course: Enhancing Non Dual Meditation.
Led by Lama Michael Gregory, this program offers a unique opportunity to learn and practice these profound and rare teachings and meditations in the space of your own practice environment with other serious long-term practitioners and supportive teachers. Led by Lama Michael Gregory, this course offers a unique opportunity to learn and practice truly rare and profound instructions with a wise and experienced teachers and Sangha.
Join our transformative 12-week course Enhancing Non Dual Meditation, for practitioners who wish to enhance their practice, remove obstacles, and realize their full spiritual potential through teachings of Mahamudra and Dzogchen on the Nature of Mind. This 12 week course will be led by Lama Michael, live on Zoom and then also available to watch on recording on our platform teachable for those on other time zones.
Enhancing Non Dual Meditation Course
Overview:
Enhancing the Practice:
Delve into profound pointing out teachings and meditation methods to deepen and stabilize your experience of non-dual awareness.
Removing Hindrances and Obstacles:
Identify and eliminate hindrances such as mistaken views and subtle distractions.
Progressing On the Path:
Explore the correct approaches to ensure steady and meaningful progress. Manifesting the Result:Learn to integrate the fruits of your practice into everyday life.
Course Topics:
Correcting Mistaken Ideas:
Address misconceptions about
objects, time, essence, nature, and knowledge.
Training in the Three Skills:Cultivate essential skills for proficient practice.
Eliminating Deviations:
Avoid deviations from emptiness as the seal and path.
Crossing the Three Difficult Passages:
Overcome challenges where emptiness and compassion appear as adversaries.
Removing Hindrances:
Address obstacles such as illness, demonic influences, and disturbances in samadhi.
The Four Yogas:
Practice the four stages of yoga leading to ultimate realization. Manifesting the Result:Understand the implications of your practice results on your spiritual journey.
Supportive Community:
Our online class creates a nurturing community of fellow practitioners. Share your experiences, receive guidance, and deepen your understanding in a supportive environment and meditation groups.
Comprehensive Study Materials:
Access a treasure trove of study materials, including video teachings, guided meditations, and supplementary texts, ensuring a rich and immersive learning experience.
Interactive Learning on Teachable:
Experience a transformative educational journey with our interactive learning platform on Teachable. Gain access to a wealth of dynamic resources, including class recordings that allow
you to revisit lessons at your own pace,comprehensive class notes that provide valuable insights , quizzes to assess your understanding, and thought-provoking reflections that deepen your engagement with the course material. This interactive approach ensures that you not only absorb knowledge but actively participate in learning, making it an enriching and empowering experience that stays with you long after the course ends.
Course Inclusions
🔸 12-Week Self-Paced Course: Access all class videos on demand, allowing you to start at
your convenience and proceed at your own pace.
🔸 Live Zoom Classes: Join us for engaging live sessions every Tuesday from 4 pm - 6 pm,
featuring teachings, guided practice, and Q&A with Lama Michael and Lame Kinley on Wednesdays
🔸 Comprehensive Content: The course comprises 12 modules, each offering a 2-hour video session. These lessons are posted on our platform 24 hours after the live class.
🔸 Guided Practices and Support: Each session includes guided practices for the week, live
Q&A, and email support.
🔸 Study Resources: Find class notes and additional resources for further study on our platform.
Schedule and Course Details:
The course begins on June 4th 2024 - August 27th. Live Classes will be offered on zoom every Tuesday from 4pm - 6pm PST. Class Video Recordings are available for viewing within 24 hours of the live class and will be available on Teachable, along with class notes and quizzes. Lama Kinley will also offer live classes on Tsalung Yoga every Wednesday.
Course Details:
• This 12 week course offers all class videos on demand and is a self-paced course. You can start any time and go at your own pace and will be offered on Teachable's online learning platform, with easy to access weekly lessons which include the recorded class, detailed class notes, materials and weekly reflections.
• The course consists of 12 modules with 1 video session per module which is 2 hours long.
• Each session includes a guided practice for the week as well as live Q&A and email support
• Class notes and resources for further study are also included
Donation and Access:
We have two options to access this course.
You can become a Sangha member and access this course and all previous courses.Your kind donations allow us to support our retreat center,retreat community and to offer Dharma teachings to all.
Choose the option that suits you best:
1️⃣Membership: Become a part of the Dzogchen Sangha for $149 per month.
This includes access to this course, access to live classes, class notes and supplementary materials, recorded classes and Teachable course access, all previous 21 courses, discounted live and recorded retreats, and live meditation and Dharma classes every week as well as meditation instructor support and Sangha support.
2️⃣Course Access: Join the 12-week series only for a one-time fee of $499 with complete access to live classes, class notes and supplementary materials, recorded classes and Teachable course access.
Already a member, access this course under this your Lam Rim Courses Bundle on Teachable.
Prerequisites for the course:
Middling to high level understanding of Dharma and Dzogchenprinciples, commitment to daily meditation practice, retreat background is beneficial and stable mental health. All attendees of previous courses are welcomed.
Please send inquires if you’re uncertain if the course is right for you to with your practice background:
Register:
Register directly on Teachable and enroll in the course and receive all course access information including zoom and online course access which begins on June 4th 2014 - August 27th 2024
Members:
Access this course and all previouscourses under the Lam Rim Bundle:
buddhist-and-dzogchen-teachings.teachable.com/p/lam-rim-stages-of-the-path-to-enlightenment
Scholarships:
Five scholarships are available to those in Financial need. Please apply by emailing info@dzogchenteaching.com and telling us about the reason you are unable to contribute at the above level, the amount that you can pay monthly and the number of volunteer hours you can offer to us subsidize the course fee. Please be advised that we receive many applications for this program and please only apply if you truly cannot support these teachings at the requested level. We ask each applicant to take a clear and honest look at their finances and where these teachings are prioritized in terms of importance and value.
Simple Registration on Teachable
The King of Infinite Space and The Vajra Bridge
Welcome to the Tuesday Night Dzogchen Sangha's upcoming twelve-week course: The King of Infinite Space and The Vajra Bridge. Delve into the profound world of the Great Perfection, also known as Atiyoga or Dzogchen, a tradition of esoteric Buddhism that unveils the path to instantaneous enlightenment. Led by Lama Michael Gregory, this program offers a unique opportunity to learn and practice these profound and rare teachings and meditations in the space of your own practice environment with other serious long-term practitioners and supportive teachers.
Course Overview
The literature of the Great Perfection has been categorized into three sections: The Mind Section (Sems sde), The Space Section (kLong sde), and the Upadesha Instruction Section (Man ngag sde). In this course, we focus on the crown jewel of the Space Section Tantras: The King of Infinite Space and The Vajra Bridge.
The Space Section transmission is known as the Vajra Bridge (rDo rje zam pa). It is believed that Vairochana, a renowned translator active in the Eighth Century Common Era, received these texts and instructions for the Space Section from his teacher Sri Singha. This wisdom was then passed down to his student Mipham Gonpo. Remarkably, for five generations of this lineage, every master achieved a rainbow body at the time of their passing, attesting to the
profound transformative power of these teachings.
In this comprehensive program, you will immerse yourself in the timeless teachings of Dzogchen, a path that reveals the natural state of your mind, opening doors to countless direct realizations. Led by the revered Lama Michael Gregory, this course offers a unique opportunity to learn and practice truly rare and profound instructions with a wise and experienced teachers and Sangha.
Course Highlights
Tuesday Night Live Dzogchen Teachings:
Join Lama Michael for a twelve-week course starting on Tuesday, September 26th, at 4 pm Pacific. Live classes include direct teachings, meditations and Q&A with Lama Michael.
Tsa Lung Trulkhor:
This course includes a comprehensive twelve-step journey into Tsa Lung Trulkho with Lama Kinley, offered on Wednesdays. All classes are recorded for easy review.Embark on a profound yogic journey through channels, winds, and drops. Unlock thesubtle energies within your body, harmonize your physical and mental well-being, and tap into an infinite source of vitality. Experience the warmth of unified awareness and pranic movement as you cultivate inner balance and ignite the sacred flame of transformation.
Supportive Community:
Our online class creates a nurturing community of fellow practitioners. Share your experiences, receive guidance, and deepen your understanding in a supportive environment and meditation groups.
Comprehensive Study Materials:
Access a treasure trove of study materials, including video teachings, guided meditations, and supplementary texts, ensuring a rich and immersive learning experience.
Interactive Learning on Teachable:
Experience a transformative educational journey with our interactive learning platform on Teachable. Gain access to a wealth of dynamic resources, including class recordings that allow
you to revisit lessons at your own pace,comprehensive class notes that provide valuable insights , quizzes to assess your understanding, and thought-provoking reflections that deepen your engagement with the course material. This interactive approach ensures that you not only absorb knowledge but actively participate in learning, making it an enriching and empowering experience that stays with you long after the course ends.
Course Inclusions
🔸 12-Week Self-Paced Course: Access all class videos on demand, allowing you to start at
your convenience and proceed at your own pace.
🔸 Live Zoom Classes: Join us for engaging live sessions every Tuesday from 4 pm - 6 pm,
featuring teachings, guided practice, and Q&A with Lama Michael and Lame Kinley on Wednesdays
🔸 Comprehensive Content: The course comprises 12 modules, each offering a 2-hour video session. These lessons are posted on our platform 24 hours after the live class.
🔸 Guided Practices and Support: Each session includes guided practices for the week, live
Q&A, and email support.
🔸 Study Resources: Find class notes and additional resources for further study on our platform.
Required Text
Schedule and Course Details:
The course begins on September 26th, 2023.
Live Classes will be offered on zoom every Tuesday from 4pm - 6pm PST. Class Video Recordings are available for viewing within 24 hours of the live class and will be available on Teachable, along with class notes and quizzes. Lama Kinley will also offer live classes on Tsalung Yoga every Wednesday.
Course Details:
• This 12 week course offers all class videos on demand and is a self-paced course. You can start any time and go at your own pace and will be offered on Teachable's online learning platform, with easy to access weekly lessons which include the recorded class, detailed class notes, materials and weekly reflections.
• The course consists of 12 modules with 1 video session per module which is 2 hours long.
• Each session includes a guided practice for the week as well as live Q&A and email support
• Class notes and resources for further study are also included
Pricing:
We have two options to access this course.
You can become a Sangha member and access this course and all previous courses.
Choose the option that suits you best:
1️⃣Membership: Become a part of the Dzogchen Sangha for $149 per month.
This includes access to this course, access to live classes, class notes and supplementary materials, recorded classes and Teachable course access, all previous 21 courses, discounted live and recorded retreats, and live meditation and Dharma classes every week as well as meditation instructor support and Sangha support.
2️⃣Course Access: Join the 12-week series only for a one-time fee of $499 with Lifetime access to live classes, class notes and supplementary materials, recorded classes and Teachable course access.
Already a member, access this course under this your Lam Rim Courses Bundle on Teachable.
Prerequisites for the course:
Middling to high level understanding of Dharma and Dzogchenprinciples, commitment to daily meditation practice, retreat background is beneficial and stable mental health. All attendees of previous courses are welcomed.
Please send inquires if you’re uncertain if the course is right for you to with your practice background:
Register:
Register directly on Teachable and enroll in the course and receive all course access information including zoom and online course access which begins on September 23rd.
Registration Link for New Attendees:
Members:
Access this course and all previous
courses under the Lam Rim Bundle:
buddhist-and-dzogchen-teachings.teachable.com/p/lam-rim-stages-of-the-path-to-enlightenment
Scholarships:
Five scholarships are available to those in Financial need. Please apply by emailing info@dzogchenteaching.com and telling us about the reason you are unable to contribute at the above level, the amount that you can pay monthly and the number of volunteer hours you can offer to us subsidize the course fee. Please be advised that we receive many applications for this program and please only apply if you truly cannot support these teachings at the requested level. We ask each applicant to take a clear and honest look at their finances and where these teachings are prioritized in terms of importance and value.
Simple Registration on Teachable
Register directly on Teachable and enroll in the course and receive all course access information including zoom and online course access which begins on September 23rd.
The All Creating King: New 12-Week Dzogchen Online Course
Discover the profound wisdom of Dzogchen, the pinnacle of Tibetan Buddhist meditation. Immerse into the transformative practices of Tsa Lung Trulkhor, Trekcho, and Thogal, guided by the seminal root text Semde Tantra, "The All Creating King" (Tibetan: Kunjyed Gyalpo). Embark on a journey of self-realization and transcendence like no other. The live course begins June 1st 2023 on zoom every Tuesday from 4 - 6pm or recordings can be watched later on Teachable.
In this comprehensive 12-week online class, you will be immersed in the timeless teachings of Dzogchen, a path that unveils the natural state of your mind which opens the doors to countless direct realizations. Led by Lama Michael Gregory this program offers a unique opportunity to learn and practice these profound meditation techniques in the space of your own practice environment with other serious long-term practitioners.
Tsa Lung Trulkhor, the profound yogic practice of channels, winds and drops will empower you to unlock the subtle energies within your body, harmonize your physical and mental well-being, and tap into a limitless source of vitality.
Experience the warmth of unified awareness and pranic movement, combined with visualization as you cultivate inner balance and ignite the sacred flame of transformation.
Through Trekcho, the "cutting through" practice, you will unravel the layers of illusion and directly access the pure essence of mind. Engage in direct inquiry and rest in the unaltered awareness that lies beyond thoughts, emotions, and concepts. Discover the freedom and clarity that arise when you transcend the limitations of ordinary perception.
Thogal, the profound practice of "direct crossing,” or “leaping over the skull,” will guide you to recognize the luminous nature of reality. By merging meditation with the visual exploration of light and subtle visions, you will traverse the realms of existence and dissolve the boundaries between inner and outer worlds. Encounter the radiance of your own mind and unlock the boundless potential that lies within.
Our online class provides a supportive community of fellow practitioners, offering a space for sharing experiences, receiving guidance, and deepening your understanding.You will have access to comprehensive study materials, including video teachings, guided meditations, and supplementary texts, ensuring a rich and immersive learning experience.
Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening. Join our 12-week Dzogchen online class and unlock the power within.
Reserve your spot today and experience the profound teachings of Tsa Lung Trulkhor, Trekcho, and Thogal, as revealed in the Semde Tantra, "The All Creating King." Embrace the path of Dzogchen and illuminate your true nature.
The required course text is, “The Supreme Source,” with commentary by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and an additional supplemental text, “You Are the Eyes of the World,” a commentary on the root text by Longchenpa is highly recommended.
The zoom class begins Tuesday June 1st from 4-6 pm Pacific and continues each week at the same time. The class is immediately recorded and uploaded for those who miss a class or participating in different time zones accompanied by a transcript of the class and weekly online
quizzes for those interested in reaffirming their understanding of the View.
Schedule and Course Details:
The course begins on June 1st 2023. Live Classes will be offered on zoom every Tuesday from 4pm - 6pm PST. Class Video Recordings are available for viewing within 24 hours of the live class and will be available on Teachable, along with class notes.
Course Details:
• This 12 week course offers all class videos on demand and is a self-paced course. You can start any time and go at your own pace and will be offered on Teachable's online learning platform, with easy to access weekly lessons which include the recorded class, detailed class notes, materials and weekly reflections.
• The course consists of 12 modules with 1 video session per module which is 2 hours long.
• Each session includes a guided practice for the week as well as live Q&A and email support
• Class notes and resources for further study are also included
Pricing:
We have two options to access this course.
You can become a Sangha member and access this course and all previous courses.
- Membership in the Dzogchen Sangha is $149 monthly and includes free access to all previous18 courses on Teachable and heavily discounted recorded retreats, four other live weekly classes and Sangha outreach with long term practitioners and more.
Learn more about membership details here:
https://dzogchenteaching.com/membership
2. Or join the 12 week course series only without membership by registering on Teachable below for $499.
Prerequisites for the course:
Middling to high level understanding of Dharma principles, commitment to daily meditation practice, retreat background is beneficial and stable mental health. All attendees of previous courses are welcomed. Please send inquires if you’re uncertain if the course is right for you to:
Register:
For simple registration, choose between the two options below.
Become a sustaining member and access all courses, this information access will be sent to you via email, including access to all 18 courses on Teachable.
Register directly on Teachable below, enroll in the course and receive all course access information.
Five scholarships are available to those in Financial need. Please apply by emailing info@dzogchenteaching.com and telling us about the reason you are unable to contribute at the above level, the amount that you can pay monthly and the number of volunteer hours you can offer to us subsidize the course fee. Please be advised that we receive many applications for this program and please only apply if you truly cannot support these teachings at the requested level. We ask each applicant to take a clear and honest look at their finances and where these teachings are prioritized in terms of importance and value.
Recorded Dzogchen Online Courses
Dzogchen Thogal Spontaneous Presence
Separating Samsara from Nirvana: Khorde Rushen 12 Week Course
Separating Samsara from Nirvana: Khorde Rushen 12 Week Course
This 12 Week Course with Lama Michael will explore the transformative and significant practice of Spontaneous Presence and Thogal led by Lama Michael with clear, ludid teachings, pointing out meditations and Q&A.
The main thing is pointing out the nature:
In this, the three bodies are completely present. Not substantial in any way, is the Dharmakaya. Lucidity, which is the gleam of emptiness, is the Sambhogakaya. It’s unlimited arising, anything is the Nirmanakaya. The complete presence of these as you were one mind is the
Svabhavikakaya. To point this out directly and immediately:
It is this mind of yours right now.
Since it is just this, unaltered and clear to itself, how can you say, “I have not recognized the mind itself?”
Since there is nothing in this to be meditated upon, how can you say, “meditation has not occurred?”
Since it is just this manifest awareness, how can you say, “I have not found my mind?”
Since it is just this unceasing, lucid awareness, how can you say, “I have not seen the mind's nature?”
Since it is just this which thinks, how can you say, “looking, I have not found it?”
Since there is nothing to do, how can you say, “doing it, it did not happen?”
~ Excerpt from Padmasambhava’s "The Naked Seeing of Awareness," quoted from Karma Chame’s commentary on the Bardo of Dharmata as it appears in the third volume of the "Rinchen Terdzo" from the writings of the Terton Karma Lingpa.
Course Details:
• This 12 week course offers all class videos on demand and is a self-paced course. You can start any time and go at your own pace.
• The course is comprised of 12 modules with 1 video sessions per module which is 2 hours long.
• Each session includes a guided practice for the week as well as Q&A
• Class notes and resources for further study are also included
Prequisites:
Serious Application of either Trekcho and/or Mahamudra instructions with Khorde Rushen strongly recommended.
Helpful prerequisites, but not necessary: Serious Sutra study and meditation on emptiness and compassion, common and uncommon preliminary Ngondro practice, Chod, Khorde Rushen and a dedicated long-term meditation practice.
If you are unsure if this course is a good fit for you, you can reach out to Lama Michael at Michael@mbsgroup.org.
Pricing:
$399 for Lifetime Course Access for non members.
Or
Become a Member for $149 and access all live and recorded courses as part of your membership.
Separating Samsara from Nirvana: Khorde Rushen 12 Week Course
Separating Samsara from Nirvana: Khorde Rushen 12 Week Course
Separating Samsara from Nirvana: Khorde Rushen 12 Week Course
The Dzogchen Practice of Separating Samsara from Nirvana: Khordé Rushen taught by Lama Michael Gregory
This 12 Week Course with Lama Michael will explore the transformative and significant practice of Khordé Rushen.
Here in saṃsāra, we remain within the confines of karma accumulated through our impure body, speech and mind, as well as mental afflictions and habitual tendencies, and as a result of our failure to recognize our own essential nature, we are deluded.
By following this extraordinary path of secret mantra’s skilful means, and practising Khordé Rushen, we arrive at a feeling of physical, vocal and mental exhaustion. In the wake of this, by sustaining the essential nature of mind, those of the highest capacity can realize the nature of mind there and then. Even if we are of lesser or middling capacity, this will make it easier for us to recognize the three-kāya awareness that is pointed out in the main practice.
That is how the two kinds of rushen—outer and inner—can put a stop to both the causes and effects of saṃsāra.
Therefore, this rushen preliminary practice is good on the ordinary level for purifying obscurations of body, speech and mind, and pacifying obstacles, and ultimately leads us to gain the supreme accomplishment and realize the enlightened body, speech and mind, or the three kāyas, which are the essence, nature and compassion.
The basic point is this: by acting with body, speech and mind in a powerful, spontaneous way, like removing water from the ear by pouring more water inside, we will purify our impure perception and activity and go beyond attachment. As a result, we will arrive at the three doors of the natural state, the enlightened body, speech and mind, or essence, nature and compassion of the naturally arising wisdom of awareness.
Lama Chokyi Dhakpa (Michael Gregory) will offer clear and lucid teachings and meditations allow for a deep inner and outer release of suffering roles, patterns and identity into the vast and radiant nature of mind. The freedom of knowing your true nature, brings true happiness and peace and awakening in every moment. This course offers a precious opportunity to awaken to the spontaneously present nature of mind and be free of all suffering. This naturally- abiding, uncontrived nature is already fully present in all living beings without exception.
Over the course Lama Michael will offer clear and vivid teachings with modern every day examples as a way of intergrating these meditation instructions into life. An interactive Q&A sessions will be offered at the end of every session.
The Six Yogas of Naropa 12 Week Online Course
The Six Yogas of Naropa 12 Week Online Course
The Six Yogas of Naropa 12 Week Online Course
The Six Yogas of Naropa Online Course, will be live on Zoom with video recordings for different time zones. The six yogas are a collection aof tantric Buddhist completion stage practices drawn from the Buddhist tantras. They are intended to lead to Buddhahood in an accelerated manner.
The primary instructor is Lama Michael Gregory with guest teachings and authors of course texts Lama Glenn Mullin and Lama and Dzogchen translator Chris Wilkinson.
The Six Yogas or correctly the Six Dharmas of Nāropa, are a set of advanced Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices compiled by the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Nāropa and passed on to the Tibetan translator-yogi Marpa Lotsawa. This course offers the rare and precious opportunity to discover compassionate and blissful awakening through the embodies practices of Tibetan Yoga.
These practices traditionally require tantric initiation and personal instruction through working with a tantric guru as well as various preliminary practices. This course will provide introduction to the practices, alongside these advanced teachings and the opportunity to go further with study, meditation and retreat.
The six dharmas work with the subtle body, particularly through the generation of inner heat energy.
Course Outline:
- Tummo: The Yoga of Inner Fire
- Gyulü: The Yoga of the Illusory Body
- This practice is a kind of contemplation on the illusory nature (maya) of phenomena.
- Ösel: The Yoga of Clear Light
- Luminosity, radiance or clear light refers to the clear radiant nature the mind, which is associated with buddha-nature.
- Milam: The Yoga of the Dream State
- In the yoga of dreaming the yogi learns to remain aware during the states of dreaming (i.e. to lucid dream) and uses this skill to practice yoga in the dream.[3]
- Bardo: The Yoga of the Intermediate State
- These practices deal with navigating the bardo state in between death and rebirth.
- Phowa: The Yoga of the Transference of Consciousness at the time of death
- Transference is a practice meant to eject one's consciousness out of the body into a state of Awakening at the time of death (or into a Buddha's pure land).
- An introduction to the six physical yogic exercises of Tsalung Trulkhor will also be offered.
- We will also be exploring karmamudra, sometimes unfortunately thought of as sexual yoga, as a path to awakening.
The teachings of Tilopa (988-1069 CE) are the earliest known work on the six dharmas. Tilopa is said to have received the teachings directly from Chakrasamvhara. Nāropa learned the techniques from Tilopa. Nāropa's student Marpa taught the Tibetan Milarepa, renowned for his yogic skills. Milarepa in turn taught Gampopa. Gampopa's student, Düsum Khyenpa, The 1st Karmapa, attained enlightenment while practicing the six dharmas.
This course will serve as an introduction to those interested in these transformative practices, and a gateway to further practices later on.
Prequisites:
Serious Sutra study and meditation on emptiness and compassion, common and uncommon preliminary Ngondro practice, Chod, Khorde Rushen and a dedicated long-term meditation practice.
If you are unsure if this course is a good fit for you, you can reach out to Lama Michael at Michael@mbsgroup.org.
Pricing:
$399 for Course Access
Or
Become a Member for $149 and access all live and recorded courses as part of your membership.
Transforming Consciousness Into Wisdom
The Six Yogas of Naropa 12 Week Online Course
The Six Yogas of Naropa 12 Week Online Course
The entire path of Buddhism can be characterized as a quest for understanding the mind and then ridding the obstacles to mind. While the mind is the foundation of Buddhism, it is rarely directly described in its complexity. In this 12 week course Lama Michael will offer illuniminating teachings and meditations on how to transcend ego and transform these consciousnesses into the five enlightened wisdoms.
For this reason the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, wrote a treatise called Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom, which describes the eight consciousnesses in great detail and explains how we as ordinary beings are deluded by them.
The Course will be based on tbe book Transcending Ego: Distinguishing Consciousness from Wisdom presents a translation of Rangjung Dorje’s brilliant 36 verse doha spanning this topic and includes a lucid and accessible commentary on these verses by Thrangu Rinpoche. This book is a virtual textbook of Buddhist psychology by an authentic teacher from a lineage that continues to be alive today even though it is a thousand years old.
Lama Michael will introduce modern examples and situations in which these teachings can be impactfully applied for awakening inner wisdom.
With regard to meditation, there are the particular traditions, views and practices of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, the basis of which are the teachings of the Buddha and the commentaries or shastras on those by the great masters. In order to achieve the high view of Mahamudra or Dzogchen we need to cut our doubts, hinderances and aberrations, which is accomplished by listening to and contemplating the Mahayana dharma.
Course Details:
• This 12 week course offers all class videos on demand and is a self-paced course. You can start any time and go at your own pace.
• The course is comprised of 12 modules with 1 video sessions per module which is 2 hours long.
• Each session includes a guided practice for the week as well as Q&A
• Class notes and resources for further study are also included
Prequisites:
Helpful prerequisites, but not necessary: Serious Sutra study and meditation on emptiness and compassion, common and uncommon preliminary Ngondro practice, Chod, Khorde Rushen and a dedicated long-term meditation practice.
If you are unsure if this course is a good fit for you, you can reach out to Lama Michael at Michael@mbsgroup.org.
Pricing:
$399 for Course Access for non members.
Or
Become a Member for $149 and access all courses.