|
Vajrasattva Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron & Ven. Kacho
Vajrapani Institute, Boulder Creek, CA USA
28 December 2010 - 1 January 2011
01 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron sets the motivation for the retreat. She explains that with the Vajrasattva purification practice, we will review not just our past year but our entire past. We will learn ways to make peace with what has happened in our lives, and with ourselves, and to take that peace and share it with whomever we encounter in the world.
[7 min 20 sec] Download mp3
02 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron leads the group in reciting the Vajrasattva mantra and a body-awareness and breathing meditation, followed by the Vajrasattva practice. Ven. Chodron explains the meaning of taking refuge in the Three Jewels.
[11 min 39 sec] Download mp3
03 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron sets the topic for group discussion: investigation of blame. She poses several questions: What does it mean to blame someone? Who have you blamed in your life and for what? What role does self-blame play for you? What would your life be like if you didn't blame others and didn't blame yourself - and does that feel comfortable or uncomfortable? Is it realistic/accurate to blame others or blame yourself? If you didn’t blame, what else could you do?
[9 min 59 sec] Download mp3
04 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron leads the group in taking refuge and generating bodhichitta, with visualization. She explains the Vajrasattva mantra and discusses the meaning of purification. She then asks for feedback from the small group discussions about blame. Ven. Chodron discusses chapter 2 (verses 27-29) of Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva, “Confession of Negativities By Way of the Four Opponent Powers,”. She talks about how to perform the general confession.
[1 hour 16 min 6 sec] Download mp3
05 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Kacho
Ven. Kacho explains the Vajrasattva practice of purifying negativities and accumulating merit, bringing the light of attention to our acts of body, speech and mind. She reviews the Power of Regret and leads the group in mantra recitation. She explains the visualization used in the purification process of body, speech and mind and leads the group in the practice of the Four Opponent Powers. The session ends with a group recitation of the King of Prayers.
[57 min 13 sec] Download mp3
06 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Kacho
Ven. Kacho teaches a visualization of Offerings to accompany the mandala offering prayer. Ven. Kacho then goes through the Four Opponent Powers, explaining and then practicing each one.
[32 min 1 sec] Download mp3
07 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron explains the importance of having a correct motivation in our spiritual practice, so that we don’t use practice just for ourselves or only for this life. Also, she explains that, in our spiritual practice, we are trying to uplift our motivation so that it will be carried into our daily life.
[55 min 43 sec] Download mp3
08 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Kacho
Ven. Kacho describes the meaning of the different prayers in the Guru Puja, including the Seven-limb prayer. She reminds us that this human life is very precious with its 8 liberties and 10 endowments, and that now - while we have these liberties and endowments - is the most opportune time to study Dharma. She also explains the Eight Precepts ceremony that Ven. Chodron will perform the following day. She reviews the eight Mahayana precepts and explains the benefits of taking precepts. She reviews the four conditions of breaking a precept, and answers questions about offerings.
[55 min 13 sec] Download mp3
09 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron outlines how to confess negativities committed in relation to special objects such as the Three Jewels, one’s parents, and one’s Dharma teachers/spiritual masters (Shantideva. Chapter 2 verse 30). She explains the importance of purifying negative karma without delay to avoid rebirth in the lower realms. Ven. Chodron then reviews verses explaining that the karma we commit in relation to people or things will remain with us long after the people and things have gone.
[1 hour 9 min 39 sec] Download mp3
10 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron and Ven Kacho
Ven. Chodron discusses the benefits of taking the Mahayana precepts. She explains the visualization and the steps for taking precepts, and leads the group in the Precepts ceremony. Then, Ven. Kacho talks about the Power of Reliance and leads the group in a meditation on remembering death. The main points to contemplate: the inevitability of death, the indefinite time of death, and at the time of death, the only things that help us are our spiritual strength and a peaceful state of mind. Ven. Kacho then reviews the Power of Regret.
[1 hour 4 min 10 sec] Download mp3
11 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron explains the importance of refuge and bodhichitta at the beginning of our purification practice. She discusses the importance of purifying harms to holy beings as well as sentient beings. Ven. Chodron then explains the next part of the sadhana. She indicates that if we have difficulty visualizing Vajrasattva, not to worry - with familiarization, the mental image becomes clearer.
[59 min 51 sec] Download mp3
12 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron reviews verses by Shantideva which state that when we die, our friends and possessions will not come with us, but the negative karma we have acquired in relation to those friends and possessions, will come with us. Then she discusses a passage from Aryadeva which reminds us that there will be no need to fear death, if we have practiced well in life.
[1 hour 14 min 27 sec] Download mp3
13 Vajrasattva Purification Retreat
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Ven. Chodron discusses the Power of Regret, with verses from Shantideva (chapt 2, v 45-46) about the importance of purifying negative karma now so that we don’t fall to the lower realms. Ven. Chodron then reviews the Power of Reliance, with Shantideva verses 47-56: relying on refuge in the Three Jewels, relying on the bodhisattvas’ power of prayer, and practicing in accordance with their words. Ven. Chodron concludes by discussing the Power of the Antidote.
[56 min 32 sec] Download mp3
|
