The session starts with a silent meditation on the two Bodhichittas. After the meditation, Alan talks about ultimate and relative bodhichitta and their connection. Next, we go to the subject of lucid dreaming: 1) waking induced lucid dream, 2) dreaming induced lucid dream, and 3) state check and prospective memory/mindfulness. Then the Lojong is further discussed: the pledges of the mind training. Alan comments on the aphorisms "Do not speak of others' limitations" and "Do not stand in...

The session starts with a short explanation of today's meditation (silent meditation, not recorded), a variation of Shamatha without a sign as taught by Padmasambhava. After the meditation, Alan talks about the significance of Shamatha on the Path and how to deal with all the suffering of which we become more and more aware as we expand our awareness. Alan emphasizes the importance of Shamatha as a platform/base camp for Vipassana and Bodichitta. Furthermore, it is the union of Shamatha and...

The two bodhicittas may seem incompatible, if there is not someone really there, then how to feel compassion? From the other side, when seeing someone in anguish, it seems so real. This is falling to the extremes of nihilism and substantialism, as we deepen the practice the two enhance each other. From ultimate bodhicitta, we realise the lack of inherent nature, so self centeredness seems silly. From conventional bodhicitta, always attending to others, we come to see that we only arise in...

From the substrate, which is in the nature of delusion, a stirring of karmic energies eventually leads to the full elaboration of conceptual designation, everything crystallising in its place with its defined borders. In this practice we are trying to roll this back by oscillating between inquiry (who is the agent) and relaxation. All actions performed out of a reified sense of I only perpetuate samsara even though they might be virtuous. For this not to be the case, actions must be grounded...

Before the meditation Alan discusses from which perspective you can do the tong-len practice - from your ordinary self or from the platform of Avolokishrvara. Alan explains how shamatha can be developed in the context of stage of generation practice. After the meditation Alan continues with the fifth point of the text - 'The whole of Dharma is synthesised in one aim'. Self grasping is not steady, constant. If we can recognise how frequently and robustly they come up and look for triggers, we...

For the practices of awareness of awareness, Alan begins by saying to release your awareness into space with no object, then let awareness of beginning ware be most explicit. Then begin the oscillation. Meditation starts at: 8:30 (silent, front loaded at start of session) Alan discusses the inner and outer mandala - the inner and outer conditions for retreat. Alan quotes and gives commentary from Atisha's lam rim - 'A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment'. The quotes are: 'Just as a bird...

Meditation – continue as described yesterday with one meditation on ultimate Bodhicitta and one on relative Bodhicitta. Continuation of the discussion on transmuting the death process. If have habitual practice of converting adversity into the path then when the final adversity of death arises you will be able to convert that. During the dying process go back and forth between the meditations on ultimate and relative Bodhicitta. Discussion of dream yoga as best preparation for the bardo of...

We lock onto an object, reify it and then attachment or aversion arises. The discovery model allows the mind to heal itself by doing nothing but maintaining cognizance. Discussion of blessings arising from Buddha nature. Meditation – Rest for a while without grasping. As the clarity and warmth of awareness becomes really obvious then explicitly attend to it. Discussion of the five inner qualities necessary for long term shamatha retreat. Meditation starts at: 18:15 (silent, front loaded at...

Alan again front loads the meditation by comparing Atisha's Lam Rim texts and Seven Point Mind Training text and the role of discursive meditation in both. We can be encouraged that although Ultimate and Relative Bodichitta might seem high and complex ideals we have already begun training our minds in each of these with our range of meditations. After the meditation, Alan begins to unpack the next aphorism taking the advice from living well to dying well. He shares advice on preparing for...

Alan front loads this session by looking at the difference between this practice and Dzogchen - grasping - and looks at how practice is ideally couched in a supportive way of life. After the meditation session Alan shares with us Atisha's list of complete conditions for achieving Shamatha, starting with the outer conditions. This takes us naturally to discussion of the contemplative observatory. Meditation starts at: 15:30 (silent meditation)

Today's evening session begins with the continuation of the discussion on the power of prayer and blessings. Alan gives a few examples of how blessings work and their possible bandwidth and draws analogies with the so-called placebo effect. After that, we move onto a beautiful practice of the stage of generation of Avalokiteshvara - the embodiment of compassion. The practice is based on a text titled "A spacious path to freedom" by Karma Chagme (which Alan translated) and the sadhana from the...

This morning we start with the last session in the second cycle of settling the mind in its natural state. Alan gives a short preamble before we go into a silent meditation emphasizing the utter simplicity of the practice and its very nature of presence and stillness. Alan also talks about how this stillness and presence can be applied to a more engaged way of living once we come out of the retreat. After the meditation, we go onto discussing the post-meditative effects of achieving Shamatha,...