The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra, one of the most famous and often-recited Dzogchen texts, is a uniquely profound prayer because it simultaneously takes place on two distinct levels and also serves as an immediate practice instruction. Conventionally speaking, it appears to   be an aspiration prayer by the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra for all  sentient beings to recognize the nature of their mind and thus become buddhas. Actually, however, it is an aspiration prayer of this very nature of the mind—the primordial basic awareness (rigpa) that is called “Samantabhadra”—  to recognize itself, “its own face,” or its own essence, which is nothing other than beginningless perfect buddhahood. Thus, it is a wake-up call by our own buddha nature to be revealed as it is by way of seeing through its adventitious fleeting obscurations.  The prayer not only outlines the profound view of Dzogchen in a nutshell but also provides clear instructions on how to discover the five wisdoms of a  buddha in the very midst of our five main mental afflictions.

Schedule

Friday, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday, 10:00 am – Noon

About Mitra Karl Brunnhölzl

Karl Brunnhölzl was originally trained, and worked, as a physician in Germany. Since 1988, he received his Buddhist and Tibetan language   training mainly at Marpa Institute For Translators in Kathmandu, Nepal (director: Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche) and also studied Tibetology, Buddhology, and Sanskrit at Hamburg University, Germany. Since 1989, Karl has served as a translator, interpreter, and Buddhist teacher in North America, Asia, and Europe. Since 1999, he is one of the senior translators and teachers at Nalandabodhi and Nitartha Institute. He is the author of over a dozen books on Buddhism, such as The Center of the Sunlit Sky, Straight from the Heart, When the Clouds Part, and The Heart Attack Sutra.

Scholarships available.

No one turned away for lack of funds.