The Palace and the Jungle

According to the Tantric Buddhist tradition the Buddha was enlightened 'from beginninglessness' . He never ‘became’ enlightened, because he was never not the Buddha. What does this mean with regards to his life in the palace, his conversations at the court and his training in martial arts, horse riding and as a musician? How was this revealed in terms of his relationship with his wife, Yashodhara? How should one view his decision to leave the palace?

The four visions that the Buddha had before he left the palace, the vision of the old man, the sick man, the corpse and the wandering yogi are encoded Tantric teachings which point to the four primary meditation instructions in Dzogchen.

New perspectives arise when Ngala Rig’dzin Dorje reveals the life of the Buddha from Dzogchen view. It is an inspiration for people whose Buddhist path is placed within the context of family life, work and society. We too, according to Dzogchen, are never not the Buddha.

In addition to the course on the life of the Buddha, Lama Rig’dzin will also be giving a complete transmission of the Aro gTér Chöd (gCod) practice, as well as empowerments for the yidam practices of Padmasambhava, Yeshé Tsogyel, Tröma Nakmo and Machig Labdrön.