Merigar West, July 2nd to 8th, 2025
The retreat with Namkhai Yeshi presented another novel chapter in the ongoing evolution of the Dzogchen Community, challenging and rewarding the more than one thousand participants and leaving us in wonder. No doubt those participating by Zoom (a daily average of about fifteen hundred) and the thousands viewing by webcast were also moved.
Yeshi taught in a seemingly non-traditional way that covered all key components of traditional Dharma, from the sacred principles of Refuge, Bodhicitta, and Dedication of Merit, to the Four Awarenesses and Seven Mind Trainings, proceeding to preliminary Dzogchen practice of Khorde Rushen and ultimately to Direct Introduction to the State of Ati. Instructions on integration of the teachings in daily life and behavior were also given, succinctly and effectively.
Approaching the subject matter first from a scientific perspective brought home the reality of the teachings without reliance on faith. The titled theme of the retreat was ‘The Song of the Vajra’ and its effective singing was emphasized along with its meaning. The importance of sound for practitioners was highlighted throughout the retreat, and Yeshi’s original musical compositions, including a concert on his birthday in collaboration with Alessandro Di Maio aided in developing awareness through sound.
To someone like me the presentation was sometimes challenging to my atrophied scientific and musical capacities, which were limited to begin with. But it somehow succeeded in deepening the understanding of teachings studied for many years.
Rushen of the Voice was given a particular focus, revisiting teachings that Chögyal Namkhai Norbu had given in the 1990’s. In this case Yeshi led us in group practice, as we sounded row by row to empower our personal practice.
Near the end of the retreat Yeshi received a draft translation of the Dra Thalgyur Tantra, the foundational Tantra of Dzogchen Upadesha, the title of which has many English translations, all related to sound, such as All-Penetrating Sound, Sound Consequence, and Sound Becoming Dimensions, to name a few. He subsequently read and interpreted it for us, introducing another sublime dimension to the already profound retreat.
A correspondence of inner and outer experience was on display throughout the days of the program, with dramatic heat, storms, and eventually heavenly weather in the beautiful Merigar West surroundings. Meeting scores of old friends among the onsite participants, after a bit of sensory overload, began a blissful week-long gathering of the Sangha. Celebratory occasions during the retreat reminded me of an observation Yeshi had made years ago – that Dharma practitioners sometimes seem to overlook some obvious facts, such as that the opposite of samsara is joy. That didn’t seem to be a problem in this retreat. Though the lens of the teachings also sometimes makes personal issues feel magnified, being within the mandala of the Community made them a little ‘easier’ to observe and perhaps provided better odds for their Self-Liberation.
Much gratitude is due to the one hundred and fifty staff and volunteers of all kinds – administrative, parking, technical teams and many others – whose collaboration was inspiring as well as impressive. And of course, tremendous appreciation goes to Namkhai Yeshi for the incredible teachings. As a friend put it, to have Yeshi as a teacher after having Chögyal Namkhai Norbu as teacher, feels like winning the lottery, not once, but twice.
Will Shea
