Practice Library

Dzogchen Retreat - The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers by Düdjom Lingpa

A one-week retreat on Dzogchen with Lama Alan Wallace.

Dzogchen, or the ‘Great Perfection’, is regarded by many as the pinnacle of the Buddhist teachings, as it presents the most direct path to realising our true nature and to unveiling the deepest dimensions of consciousness. The author of the text taught on this retreat, The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers, is the 19th-century Dzogchen master Düdjom Lingpa, who presents the view, meditation, and way of life of the Great Perfection from his own experience, inspired by his many visions of the ‘Lake-born Vajra’ manifestation of Padmasambhava, who first introduced the teachings of Dzogchen to Tibet in the 8th century. With delightful humility, he describes himself as an old vagabond, ludicrously clothed in mud and feathers, who has shaken his beggar’s satchel and presents these lucid teachings as what came out. This retreat is intended for mature Dharma students with a strong basis in the foundational teachings and practices of the Sutrayana, who have faith in Dzogchen, and trust in the teacher. It may therefore be regarded as an “advanced introduction” to the teachings and practices of Dzogchen. Eight days of teaching and practice, over 40 hours of video. The

What this course covers

• The view, meditation and way of life of the Great Perfection
• Düdjom Lingpa’s text, translated by Lama Alan Wallace
• The most direct path to realising our true nature
• An advanced introduction, for students with a basis in the foundational teachings

Sessions

1. D1S1 - Meeting Dudjom Lingpa's Text and Its Lineage 89 minutes
2. D2S1 - The Liturgy, and Whether Dzogchen Must Wait 95 minutes
3. D2S2 - Stillness Without Stimulation, and Life After Death 88 minutes
4. D2S3 - The Buddha's Breathing Practice as a Source of Joy 99 minutes
5. D2S4 - Four Questions on Happiness, and Reality's Blessings 68 minutes
6. D2S5 - Shamatha, Materialism and the Question of Rigpa 101 minutes
7. D3S1 - Refuge, Devotion and the Two Causes of Suffering 106 minutes
8. D3S2 - Guru Devotion Across the Three Vehicles 71 minutes
9. D3S3 - Seeing Through the Guru, and Boundless Compassion 103 minutes
10. D3S4 - Right Listening and the Limits of Watching Thoughts 51 minutes
11. D3S5 - Working with Emotional Triggers, and a Wide-Ranging Q&A 116 minutes
12. D4S1 - Motivation, Guru Devotion and Entering the Path 89 minutes
13. D4S2 - The Third Balance, and the Search for Where Mind Exists 90 minutes
14. D4S3 - Settling the Mind, and the Emotions That Surface 88 minutes
15. D4S4 - Full Shamatha, and Whether Consciousness Survives Death 71 minutes
16. D4S5 - Bodhicitta's Stages and Whether Shamatha Comes First 104 minutes
17. D5S1 - Six Domains of Practice, and Why Mind Is Not the Brain 119 minutes
18. D5S2 - The Training This Text Assumes 64 minutes
19. D5S3 - The Space Between an Impulse and Acting On It 102 minutes
20. D5S4 - Galileo's Moons, and a Realisation Not Yet Stable 59 minutes
21. D5S5 - Questions on Observing the Mind and Losing the Self 90 minutes
22. D6S1 - How View Transforms a Single Meditation Technique 101 minutes
23. D6S2 - Resting in Awareness, and Why Nothing Exists Inherently 83 minutes
24. D6S3 - Why Dzogchen Practice Is Simply Waking Up 89 minutes
25. D6S4 - Finding the Basis of Designation for the Self 68 minutes
26. D7S1 - The Three Marks of Existence in Everyday Examples 118 minutes
27. D7S2 - Hell Realms as Dreams, and the Grip of Self and Other 37 minutes
28. D7S3 - The Bardo as a Cinema, and Deities as Your Own Mind 67 minutes
29. D7S4 - The Foundations of Practice, and the Limits of Intellect 42 minutes
30. D8S1 - Resting in Awareness, and Why the Mind Must Change First 95 minutes
31. D8S2 - The Text's Closing Verses, and Acquiring Confidence 55 minutes
32. D8S3 - Distinguishing Mind from Primordial Awareness 72 minutes
33. D8S4 - The Substrate Trap, and the Moon Behind the Clouds 37 minutes
34. D8S5 - The Retreat's Closing Visualisation and Dedication 42 minutes