August Monthly Sangha Gathering: The Way of the Great Perfection

Sunday 4 August, 9.30am-1.00pm
In Person at the Sydney Centre (158 Australia Street, Newtown) & Online

In August we will present: Liberation: Is it possible in this life? – a teaching by Alain Beauregard

No matter who we are, we all share the same wish to be happy and free from suffering. But when we are immersed in the responsibilities of this life and in all our frenetic daily activity, it may seem impossible to achieve liberation, that is only for special beings. But nothing could be further from the truth: when we realize the suffering caused by our way of living in samsara, a desire arises within us to be free from it, and the practice of the dharma offers us the possibility of liberation in this life.

This session is part of our Monthly Sangha Gathering series presenting highlights from: The Way of the Great Perfection , a new cycle of the All-Encompassing Path to Enlightenment.

The ground is our buddha nature,

The support is this precious human life,

The wonderful circumstance is meeting a spiritual teacher, and

The method is the pith instructions through which we can realise our true nature, the buddha.

Gampopa, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation

The All-Encompassing Path to Enlightenment is the main study programme in Rigpa, for students of all levels: new, more advanced or in-between. In this cycle, The Way of the Great Perfection, we will explore the main principles of the preliminary practices in a fresh way. These practices are a complete path in themselves and also the foundation for Vajrayana and Dzogchen practice.

The preliminary practices, called Ngöndro in Tibetan, encompasses all the elements needed to prepare us to fully receive the Great Perfection teachings of Dzogchen, the highest and most direct stream of wisdom within the Buddhist tradition of Tibet.

So no matter where we are on our path, this new cycle will support us in taking it to completion. Our senior and most experienced Rigpa teachers will guide us through the key principles of the Ngöndro, helping us to discover or revisit these principles in a fresh, up-to-date, real life way, while preserving their authenticity.

Each session will offer guided contemplations, group meditations, exercises and discussions.

The goal of this multi-year programme of The Way of the Great Perfection is for us to arrive at a thorough and complete understanding of what the teachings tell us about the different methods of Buddhist practice, to reach a complete certainty on how we apply them in daily life, and ultimately realise the innermost nature of our own minds.

We warmly invite you to attend in person at our National Centre in Newtown but if this is really not possible for you, you may join online by Zoom.

Held on one Sunday each Month, 9.30am – 1.00pm

Next sessions on 4 August, 1 September, 27 October, 3 November, 1 December

Cost: Adult: $20, Concession $10, Rigpa Subscribers (members): free

(Subscribers, if you have not received a discount code, please email sydney@rigpa.org.au.)

Please Note: Sangha members who wish to engage in this All Encompassing Path Program: The Way of the Great Perfection more fully please email us at newcastle@rigpa.org.au.

Lapsed sangha members who wish to reengage with sangha studies can also contact us at the above Newcastle Rigpa email address.