Finally the long-awaited summer timidly comes into its own right. It generously showers us with flowers, we admire the stunning sunsets and listen to concerts of birds. Nature is generous, and everything reminds us of the principle of generosity.

If we consider the activity in the Dzogchen Community from this point of view, we can say that it’s all based on this principle: all the activities of the Gakyil who offer their labor, energy and time – body, speech and mind; instructors, thanks to whose activities we have a precious opportunity to deepen our knowledge and strengthen our practice during collective retreats; volunteers, thanks to whose work the Gar lives and is renewed; translators who give access to classes with foreign instructors, retreat coordinators who play a less noticeable, but very important role, offering, like the Gakyil, their work for the benefit of the Community; the Gekö, a person who devotes a significant part of his or her life to serving the Gar and all its guests and inhabitants (from a human to a small fly) and just everyone who follows in Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s footsteps, truly inspired by the precious Dzogchen teaching – all of them generously offer their presence in a wide variety of manifestations. And therefore we have a unique opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the Dzogchen Community Mandala, which is constantly moving and changing in accordance with the circumstances.

Planting flowers at Kunsangar North.

In May we hosted four dance retreats at the Gar: an educational course on the Vajra Dance that Benefits All Beings with Yana Sokolova and Olya Nimachuk, an educational and practice retreat on Khaita Joyful Dances with Yulia Petrova, a Vajra Dance practice retreat for advanced students on the principle of self-organization, and a training retreat on the Dzamling Gar dance and song in a combined online and offline format.

Vajra Dance with Ulyana Sokolova.

As for the last mentioned retreat, we had an excellent opportunity to follow an explanation of the essence of this practice from Fabio Risolo and Adriana Dal Borgo, and, importantly, we learned and practiced the steps under the remote guidance of Adriana with the help and support of the Khaita instructor Vladimir Belyaev at the Gar. The Dzamling Gar song, spontaneously received by Namkhai Norbu in Tenerife while he was enjoying swimming in a pool, is unique. In some way it contains Rinpoche’s testament for us practitioners of the Dzogchen Community. It is essential and extremely useful for understanding the essence of Dzogchen practice and the role of the Dzogchen Community, which is joyful presence, enjoying collective activities and practices.

Khaita Joyful Dances at the Gar.

In early June everyone had the opportunity to learn the Khalongdorjeikar, the Vajra Dance of Space, on the Khalong Mandala. On 16–22 July we will host an online retreat with the international instructor Prima Mai accompanied by other Vajra Dance instructors at Kunsangar North. In addition, it will be possible to organize a Khalong retreat from scratch on 3–8 August. If you are interested in this event, please complete the survey: https://forms.gle/of9CowA2ibrwtmgX9

From June 19 to June 24 we hosted a wonderful online retreat ‘Harmonious breathing and 8 minutes of Yantra Yoga every day’ with instructor Fabio Andrico, accompanied by Mila Zakhirina (instructor of Fabio’s method ‘Harmonious breathing’) and Kirill Mironov (Yantra Yoga instructor) offline at Kunsangar North.

Yantra Yoga rretreat with Fabio Andrico via Zoom.

From June 25 to June 30 we had an onsite retreat with Santi Maha Sangha instructor Grigory Mokhin and Yantra Yoga instructor Kirill Mironov entitled ‘Meditation, contemplation, integration in practice with the sound of HUM within the methods of the SMS Base’, webcasted live for those who have no possibility to come to the Gar.

Retreat with Grigory Mokhin and Kirill Mironov at Kunsangar North.

On July 25-30 we invite you to the Gar for a Yantra Yoga retreat with Mira Mironova ‘Secret breathing for directing prana into the central channel’.

In addition to onsite events, Kunsangar North regularly organizes online retreats (in June it was Chöd with Steven Landsberg and Bodhicitta instructions with Gabriella Schneider).

Vajra Dance Mandala painting with Galina Surmina.

We regularly hold Khaita Joyful Dances and Vajra Dance practices. The Gar is filled with creativity: there is a wonderful space – the ‘Tea and Chan’ tea room, coordinated by Dima Leontyev, where you can not only enjoy good tea and heart-to-heart conversation, but make or purchase objects from a ceramic studio. Those who wish and love to draw can also open up to this pursuit in the company of the Gekö, a talented artist, or learn how to paint a thangka or draw a mini-model of a mandala on which we dance vajra dances (the first experimental master color class with Galina Surmina has just taken place). The chefs in the dining room often spoil the guests with delicious cakes. There are joint screenings of interesting movies related to the Teaching… And, of course, there are spaces for the silence of contemplation, solitude and personal retreats.

The School of Tibetan Medicine periodically organizes all-good health days for the Gar’s employees and friends. Soon they will host a wonderful online course on Diet and Nutrition with Dr. Phuntsog Wangpo.

Tea and Chan lounge place and ceramic studio

We would also like to call for volunteers! They are very much needed this summer season! For those who wish to and have an opportunity to participate on a volunteer basis in the life of the Gar, see details here.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Gar, enjoying the generous summer, collective practices, fun soulful gatherings and all that was created thanks to Rinpoche’s generosity and is supported by the unceasing manifestation of creative energy, care and attention of all of us – practitioners of the Dzogchen Community.

I would like to finish with the slightly altered words of the Dzamling Gar song:

As soon as possible, in a relaxed manner,

Come to Kunsangar North!

Joy and happiness are present, nothing is missing,

Come as soon as possible, in a relaxed manner!

Elena Razumova in collaboration with the Gekö Marina Novitskaya and the Gakyil of Kunsangar North