The Dzogchen Community founded by Dzogchen master, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu offers a rich and vibrant entrance into practice and study that each individual must discover for themselves according to their capacity and circumstances. For new practitioners who have received transmission from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu either through a world-wide online webcast or in person, there are several recommendations for integrating into the Dzogchen Community.
Throughout the world there are many Gars and Lings where one can experience first hand and receive instruction about the Community's principle practices with the support of other practititioners. The Mirror (see below) has a complete list of Rinpoche's year-round Teaching schedule.
To access ongoing practice sessions each week at Tsegyalgar East, visit our Weekly Practice Calendar or sign up to receive notice automatically each Monday.
For retreats and special programs taught by authorized teachers at Tsegyalgar East visit our main Events Page.
People may also visit the Gar and stay in our dormitory for a nominal fee or in exchange for Karma Yoga. Contact the Gekod, David Hayes at dfhayes@yahoo.com for information.
These two calendars are found on our main website at www.tsegylagar.org where it is useful to spend some time reading about our community. Here is where you can also find links to a number of other US practice communities called "Lings." The Tsegyalgar East Blog (here) is a more immediate listing of happenings at the Gar and about the culture of our Sangha/Community nationwide.
Recognizing that it can be a somewhat daunting experience to navigate the many practice options, we make the following suggestions as a starting point.
Main Practices:
Guru Yoga- Each month Tsegyalgar East publishes a weekly calendar listing the designated ganapuja dates, times. and locations which occur four times a month- on Guru Padmasambhava Day, Dakini Day, the New Moon and the Full Moon. Many individuals do a daily Tun which can be found in the main text, The Book of Tun and Ganapuja. Another starter book that can be ordered through the Shang Shung Institute Bookstore is: Guruyoga. (These two linked to the online bookstore). Another useful book is Drajyor for Rinpoche's unique system of correct pronunciation of all invocations of the practices. Small Glossary for the Dzogchen Community is also available at the SS Bookstore.
Yantra Yoga- There are a number of ongoing Yantra Yoga practice session for all levels at Tsegyalgar East as well as special weekends. You can also access the Yantra Yoga international website for further trainings and resources including the video, Breathe, The Perfect Harmony of Breathing that is especially useful for people with physical limitations and can be ordered online in the SSI bookstore ( see below) or on Amazon.com. You can also buy the instructional videos, Tibetan Yoga of Movement, The Perfect Rhythm of Life Level I and Level II of the same series. The manual called Tibetan Yoga of Movement: The Art and Practice of Yantra Yoga is a good foundational reference text. Our resident Yantra Yoga teachers are Paula Barry, Martina Kacurova and Naomi Zeitz.
Vajra Dance - Each week Tsegyalgar East practitioners practice the Vajra Dance Tun including the hour before Ganapuja. These sessions are found on the weekly schedule. Our two authorized resident teachers, Kyu Kyuno and Leela Hewitt-Whitcomb, offer year round instructional courses in addition to overseeing special visiting guests. Visit the Vajra Dance webpage at Tsegyalgar East for further information as well as our weekly and special events pages.
Collective Practices - include the many secondary practices that Chögyal Namkhai Norbu gives the lung transmission during his retreats to benefit particular circumstances. Qualified Practitioners who have received transmission can order practice books and MP3 or DVD instructional resources to learn these practices. Contact the SSI bookstore.
Santi Maha Sangha weekends with authorized teachers can be found on our Events page. Jim Valby is the North American authorized Santi Maha Sangha coordinator. See below for information how to join the Base Level SMS Online Study Group.
The Mirror
New practitioners are advised to subscribe to The Mirror, International Newspaper of the Dzogchen Community. There you can also find Chögyal Namkhai Norbu's world-wide international Teaching schedule. Many of his Teachings are available as Open Webcasts. Members in the community automatically receive online access to the Mirror or for an additional fee may subscribe to a print version. Sustaining members receive both the print and online subscriptions automatically. As a member one can also purchase pdf versions of every issue for download.
Norbunet (International E-List of the Dzogchen Community)
NorbuNet is a group email list established for the international Dzogchen Community.
To subscribe to NORBUNET send a blank email from your account to norbunet+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Alternatively, if you have a Google account, go to http://groups.google.com/group/norbunet and click on the Apply for membership link.
Tsegyalgarnet (National Yahoo Groups E-list with regular course announcements and updates)
Go here to Join this group : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tsegyalgar/Webcasts of Teachings
A few notes of general information: The teaching on the first day of each retreat usually starts at 4pm or 5pm local time and lasts for two hours. Every other day it will be from 10am-12pm local time. Make sure to convert the local time of where Rinpoche will be teaching to your local time using this time converter: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
The most accurate place to view the webcast schedule is Rinpoche's calendar at www.melong.com to see when and where he is teaching. Most of Rinpoche's teachings are available by Open Webcast.To listen to a webcast go to the actual Dzogchen Community Webcast site: click here
World-Wide Transmission Dates
Transmission of Guru Yoga directly from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu via live internet is available three times a year on special world-wide live transmission dates where the entire world wide community participates at the same time:
Individuals planning on participating in the WWT explanation at home via speaker phone hook-up as a prerequisite to the actual WW Transmission, will need to purchase either the practice book, the book Guruyoga (the practice is in the back of the book), or DVD. Please contact the Shang Shung Bookstore at the link provided below.
Anniversary of Padmasambava - Wednesday, July 17, 2013 11:00 PM EDT (most recent)Anniversary of Adzom Drugpa - Thursday, Nov 28, 2013 at 7:00AM EDT
Anniversary of Garab Dorje - TBA February 2014
2013/14 dates & Times TBA check Tsegyalgar East website for the next scheduled www transmission date and instructions. Visit the Tsegyalgar East Events page as the dates near for the required explanation prior to the transmission.
Shang Shung Bookstore
To purchase both restricted and unrestricted practice texts, shop at the Shang Shung US Bookstore
Membership in the Dzogchen Community
There are many benefits to becoming a member of the Dzogchen Community. Go to the following links to read about our membership categories.
The easiest way to renew your membership or become a new member is online at: tsegyalgar.org/support/onlinemembership/
or download a membership renewal form and submit by mail: tsegyalgar.org/membership/membershipforms/
Santi Maha Sangha Training
Santi Maha Sangha is a course of study and practice in nine levels initiated by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu in 1994. The aim of Santi Maha Sangha, which in the ancient language of Oddiyana means "Dzogchen Commmunity," is to guarantee the continuation of the Dzogchen teaching as it was originally transmitted by Garab Dorje, and as the Master has been transmitting it for more than thirty years within the Dzogchen Community. After the "Base" level, whose contents are presented in The Precious Vase, there are three levels dedicated to Semde, three to Longde and the final three to Mennagde or Upadesha. Visit the Tsegylagar East webpages here
Each Tuesday Tsegyalgar East hosts a Santi Maha Sangha Base Level Study Group online via Webex at 9:00 PM - 10:30 PM. The study group primarily reviews, The Precious Vase and base practices with some opportunity for discussion among the participants. Collaborations with various authorized SMS teachers occurs whenever possible. The study group is limited to 25 participants from the US.
If you would like to participate, please register online so that you can receive an invitation to join the Webex meeting each week.
For further information about the study group, contact Elisa Gonzales at ejgon@hotmail.com.
To read more about Chogyal Namkhai Norbu's Santi Maha Sangha Training visit the main Tsegyalgar Website at http://tsegyalgar.org/theteachings/santimahasangha/
To order the text go to the Shang Shung Institute US Bookstore.
If you would like to connect with a practitioner in the community for support, write the Blue Gakyil at bluegakyil@tsegyalgar.org
Recommended Reading Lists
Great Public Beginners Materials:
1. The Crystal and the Way of Light
In The Crystal and the Way of Light, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu examines the spiritual path from the viewpoint of Dzogchen. He discusses the base, path and fruit of Dzogchen practice, and describes his education and how he met his principal master, who showed him the real meaning of "direct introduction to Dzogchen."
2. Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State
Rinpoche begins by clearly explaining the Dzogchen teachings and then reveals, in a simple and non-intellectual manner, what is meant by the practice of Dzogchen.
3. Dream Yoga
Provides the instructions for guiding dream states and developing clarity within sleep and dream.
4. The Mirror: Advice on Presence and Awareness
This is a brief text that with astonishing simplicity and depth expounds the three fundamental aspects of the Dzogchen path: the view, or intuitive understanding of one’s primordial state; the meditation, or the application of this knowledge; and the conduct, or the integration of meditation with all one’s daily activities.
5. The Foundation of the Path
This collection of teachings contains the foundation for observing ourselves and understanding our real condition: The Four Awarenesses, The Three Sacred Principles (Refuge, Bodhichitta, Dedication of Merit), The Three Trainings, and the Vajra State. This is a transcription from oral teachings by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu.
6. My Reincarnation (Documentary Film about Chögyal Namkhai Norbu)
Filmed over twenty years by acclaimed documentarian Jennifer Fox, MY REINCARNATION chronicles the epic story of the high Tibetan Buddhist Master, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, and his western-born son, Yeshi.
7. General Introduction to Dzogchen DVD
In this video Chögyal Namkhai Norbu answers the question: What is Dzogchen? This video gives the viewer an opportunity to experience directly words of a great master.
Great Transmission-related (Reserved) general Beginners Materials:
Important Notice: 'Reserved Items' are the material intended for the Dzogchen Community. In order to purchase this items one must have received Direct Introduction (Transmission) from Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. If a book is practice related, one must have also received transmission for that specific practice.
1. The Practice of Daily Life
Advice on The Practice of Daily Life, taken from oral teachings by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu at Merigar, August 2003, Kunsangar, June 2001, Merigar, 2001, Hawaii,1999.
2. Introduction to Contemplation
Transmitted during a retreat in 1980, this book contains a complete method for practicing Dzogchen contemplation.
3. The Precious Vase
This Book is the Base text of the Santi Maha Sangha study series created by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Expanded on notes and quotations, it is the essential text for the study and practice of the base Level of Santi Maha Sangha training.
4. The Three Paths of Liberation
The Three Paths of Liberation is a straightforward guide to the understanding of the essence of all paths, Buddhist or not, leading to spiritual realization.
5. The Song of the Vajra
This commentary on the Song of the Vajra was transmitted by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu at Tashigar, Argentina in 1990 and includes detailed
explanations of the Song of Vajra.
explanations of the Song of Vajra.
By Practice: (This section of the SSI-USA Bookstore website shows you what materials are available by practice)
Compiled by Jacqueline Gens and Anna Bartenstein, 2013
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