Swimming with Lotus and the Essence of Dzogchen
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Australian Retreat, Namgyalgar

November 3-8, 2015

by Hwa Rogers and Jan Cornall

The day before Rinpoche’s arrival at Namgyalgar in the tropical north of Australia, the rain turned into a fine mist, falling all day and completely obscuring the unique volcanic landforms which rise up like guardian sentinels from the coastal plain. Formed around 27 million years ago their caves, water holes, cliffs and peaks are sacred to the local Jinibara and Kabi Kabi people, these landforms tell the story of a mother, father and their children caught up in a flood.

Three of the peaks form a protective semi circle around the Gar where Rinpoche was to spend the next month spent after his busy round of Asia travels. Around him preparations for the November retreat were in full swing. One coordinator described it, “like an ocean with wave after wave of activity going on.”

Halloween fireworks in the nearby village heralded a change in the weather and by the first day of the retreat it was nice and hot, just how Rinpoche likes it. Here in Namgyalgar, Rinpoche’s ridge top house, with garden on one side and a farmland and forest view on the other, is conveniently situated just a few steps away from the Gonpa.

It seemed auspicious that on the first day of the retreat (also the day of Buddha’s descent from heaven) that the contracts on the sale of Namgyalgar South were signed and without announcement or fanfare Namgyalgar North became simply Namgyalgar. While letting go of the Southern Gar has been a painful experience for many, there is the relief of having a more stable financial situation and a sense of new energies gathering. Namgyalgar now has seventeen qualified teachers of Santi Maha Sangha, Vajra Dance and Yantra Yoga. More than enough to keep our Down Under Vajra energy spinning like a top!

By 4:30 pm we were all seated in the Gonpa in great anticipation. People had arrived from all over Australia, from New Zealand, from far away places like the USA, the Czech Republic and South America. We weren’t sure what Rinpoche would be teaching as until now it hadn’t been announced, and our excited hello-how-are-you-how-have-you-been chatter turned to silence as a single clap announced Rinpoche’s arrival. We stood in respect and he swung into the Gonpa flanked by his helpers and sat down. After a short welcome speech by our president Lynne Geary, and a precious few silent moments before the webcast countdown, Rinpoche began.

Taking us straight into the essence of Dzogchen he reminded us of the importance of the Three Gates. He remarked that of body, speech and mind, mind was most important. But mind is also tricky — our voice and physical body are always in service of the mind. Mind likes to be in control — remembering we don’t have to follow mind, is useful. Rinpoche reminded us too that Dzogchen is all about discovery. When we discover, we experience — we are not thinking with our mind. If we want to have realization, we need to be in the nature of mind. To discover nature of mind, we need to do Ati Guru Yoga. “If you take nothing else away from this retreat please remember this: do Ati Guru Yoga whenever you can. This retreat is on Ati Guru Yoga.”

Of course the day’s teaching had far more detail than I can mention here, and as profound as it had been, was soon over. The music was turned up loud and we had a chance to practice being present in the joyful Khaita Dance.

On day two Rinpoche began by telling us something of the history and lineage of the Dzogchen Teachings and of his own efforts to secure precious texts. Particularly, he described how Shakyamuni Buddha had predicted that a being like himself would appear in the future and teach a special teaching, completely beyond cause and effect. This was Garab Dorje, born in Uddiyana, who at the age of seven spontaneously chanted a root text known as Dorje Sempa Namkha Che, The Total Space of Vajrasattva. Within this text is the ultimate essence of all the profound points of Ati Dzogpa Chenpo, so we can have complete confidence in it.

Commentaries on this text (one by Vimalamitra) were lost over centuries, and yet by some wonderful serendipity and coincidence, some years ago Rinpoche gained copies and for a long time worked on collating and comparing five different manuscript editions. The result is the text he shared with us over the rest of the retreat.

Prepared as a practice calendar in the form of fifty-two verses, one for each week of the year, Rinpoche urged us to make good use of it during practitioners’ meetings, where we could study it together. We were the first students to receive this transmission, he told us, and later a commentary will be available.

There was much discussion and excitement about the text as practitioners relaxed between teachings at Namgyal Bar with coffee and cake, or at the lotus pond gazebo or while swimming in the lily pond. Others were busy with early morning Yantra Yoga and Vajra Dance, and during the day there were meetings and practice explanations to attend, karma yoga jobs to do, and of course Khaita every day at 5pm.The Evolution Creations auction was in full swing and an auction for future developments at Namgyalgar would take place on the second last night.

Over the following days, Rinpoche elaborated on the verses, sometimes interspersed with more detailed teachings, sometimes with humorous stories. At their completion, a wild storm broke in the middle of the afternoon. When it passed, the Gar was bathed in a wonderful light. There was a magical feeling and the sky took on a luminous quality. Small children with “lion dogs” chasing behind, ran up and down the hill.

People stood around feeling the magic and special clarity of the light, combined with love and gratitude for Rinpoche.

Finishing in the usual way, Rinpoche gave advice and exhortations to practice as time passed quickly. He wished us a safe journey home, hoping that we all meet again, whilst recognizing the inherent uncertainty; that we practice at the Gars and Lings and support and collaborate with our Vajra brothers and sisters.