Commentary on Precious Vase with Elias Capriles Module II

On Making One’s Own Treasure Chest of Drawers
for Keeping the Teachings of the Base Level of the SMS Training

with Elias Capriles

Module II

January 4-10, 2021
Zoom and live in Dzamling Gar Gönpa

(depending on circumstances of covid)

This course is based on a Commentary to The Precious Vase compiled on the basis of a course that Elias offered many years ago. Its purpose is to clarify the different levels of meaning that coexist in the book by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, in response to Elias’ perception of the misunderstandings by some students.
In fact, the book contains teachings pertaining to the Hinayana (Shravakayana and Pratyekabuddhayana), Gradual Mahayana, Outer Tantra of Purification, Inner Tantra of Transformation, and the Dzogchen Path of Self-Liberation / Spontaneous Liberation. Likewise, it contains teachings of provisional meaning (drangdön) and definitive meaning (ngedön). Outer teachings, Inner teachings, Secret Teachings and some Super-Secret teachings. And Elias has perceived students who are unaware of the coexistence of these different levels in the text, get confused by the apparent contradictions that issue from this unawareness.

For example, at some point we read that we must have a sense of shame and restraint, and then we read about the Behavior of Samantabhadra, in which all is viable / all is good. Dzogchen Behavior implies being in rigpa, where all self-judgment and self-control self-liberate. However, to apply this Behavior we must be well established in rigpa—yet it’s just too easy to believe one is well-established in rigpa while in reality one might not even have had a single glimpse of that condition.

Some people confuse the Instant, Nondual, Absolute Presence which is rigpa with the mediated, dualistic, relative presence (tenpa: dran pa) of whatever activity one is carrying on. And some people have even said that the principle of Dzogchen is the presence of awareness (tenpa dang shezhin / dran pa dang shes bzhin), which is a conceptual, dualistic presence of the awareness of what is beneficial and what is harmful, that must be kept when we cannot continue in the state of rigpa, but which is not the main practice of Dzogchen.

In the course, we’re follow the Commentary by Elías—who will orally correct some factual errors committed in his original oral explanation that then was transcribed, and/or in the process of transcription.

In the first module, held in December 2020, Elias clarified some of the difficult points in The Precious Vase, such as the four understandings, the four stages of approach and attainment, the three characteristics, the Bhumi of the chakra of letters, and so on. Then, since there was some time left, he began following his Commentary to The Precious Vase from the beginning and he arrived to pg. 20 of his text. So in the second module he will begin in the last paragraph of pg. 20.

The course is intended to last a relatively long time, as the Commentary is quite vast.

Hours: 10am – 12noon and 3-5pm

Cost: 12€/session or 60€ for all, 70€ with recording & 75€ for all, 85€ with recording for non-members
No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Registration link: https://forms.gle/qNtXkLqPcf3Q57EW9

Donation link: https://www.dzamlinggar.net/schedule/precious-vase-module-2

Your donation for the course is greatly appreciated,and here you can see our recent project in Dzamling Gar
https://www.dzamlinggar.net/en/on-going-project
You can make a donation at Infopoint or at the Gönpa for live attendance.

Elias spent 10 years in South Asia where he met his first Dzogchen teachers and did many 3-month retreats focused mainly on Trekchöd. He received teachings on Trekchöd from Trinley Norbu Rinpoche and Dudjom Rinpoche, and the main cycles of Nyingma empowerments from the other Great Masters of the 1970s. It was also at that time that he met Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, his last great Dzogchen teacher. Currently he is an instructor of Buddhism and Dzogchen certified by Dzogchen Master Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. He lectures, leads workshops and teaches courses in many countries of the Americas, Europe and Asia.