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  • 12 Jan 2015 5:16 AM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)


    Dzogchen Center will be hosting Lama Surya Das for one of its special weekend retreats, in Laguna Beach, CA at the end of January. This is a delightful, rare and precious opportunity to receive guidance and inspiration from one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars and a pioneering interpreter of Tibetan Buddhism in the West.

    He will offer an Evening Talk with Q&A on Friday, January 30th at 7.30 pm; followed by a One-Day Retreat on Saturday, January 31st from 10 am to 5 pm. His topic is "One Step Enlightenment: Coming Home"

    Both events will be held at the beautiful Bridge Hall and Courtyard in the Neighborhood Congregational Church, 340 St. Ann's Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651.

    Further details are available on the event page, and secure online registration for the events is now open.

  • 29 Dec 2014 12:20 PM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)

    Teachers will be in retreat with Lama Surya Das during early January, and there will be no Sunday afternoon meetings on either January 4th or 11th. Regularly scheduled Sunday afternoons at the Shala will re-commence on January 18th, when we will be starting to review the series of maxims entitled "Commitments of Mind-Heart Training".

  • 28 Nov 2014 7:56 PM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)


    As shown on the event page and in the email sent to those registering to attend, access to this Saturday's one day retreat at Laguna Woods Village is at Gate 12.

    Directions to Gate 12 were also provided in the same email. They are as follow:

    Clubhouse 2 is accessed from Gate 12, on Moulton Parkway north of the El Toro Road intersection. Your name will be on the event registration list; for entry, you will need to give your name to the gate guard upon arrival. For map and directions, see here.

    Going south on I-5, take the El Toro exit. Continue straight on Paseo de Valencia for 0.2 miles, then right on El Toro. Take El Toro west for 0.7 miles, then right on Moulton for 0.2 miles to Gate 12. The gate guard will have your name on a list for the meditation retreat.

    Going north on I-5, take El Toro exit and turn left on El Toro. Then as above.

  • 08 Oct 2014 5:31 PM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)

    Dzogchen Center Southern California will be holding its annual Fall One-Day Retreat on Saturday, November 29th, 2014, in Laguna Woods, CA from 9.30 am to 4 pm. 

    There will be guided meditation, chanting & prayers, teachings and plenty of opportunity to ask questions.

    The title for the retreat is
    Rainbow of Liberation: Longchenpa's Four-Themed Precious Garland 

    This is a short text by one of the tradition's most celebrated masters, and summarizes the entire path of awakening from a Dzogchen perspective.

    Further details will be published shortly, and we look forward to seeing many of you there for this wonderful day of practice and community.

  • 30 Sep 2014 4:10 PM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)
    Due to the hot summer weather and lack of airconditioning, Sunday afternoon teachings at Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala will not be held during September or early October. Regular Sunday afternoon meetings will resume there on Sunday, October 12th (note that this is one week later than originally planned, due to the continuing heatwave).

    During this summer hiatus, the group will be practising the Mind Training Maxims already covered in Sunday meetings. A list of those can be found here.


  • 08 Sep 2014 5:18 PM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)

    Our dear teacher Lama Surya Das will be giving a one-day workshop hosted by InsightLA and open to all in Santa Monica, CA on Saturday, September 20th: Awakening Together and the Six Building Blocks to Creating Your Spiritual Life (please click here for further details).

    This is a great opportunity to connect with our principal teacher, who is both a recognized Lineage Holder in the ancient wisdom tradition of Dzogchen and a masterful guide to modern spiritual life. We hope many of you will join us in supporting this event and receiving these rare and precious teachings.

  • 02 Jul 2014 2:48 PM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)

    Each Sunday afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm the group gathers in Dana Point at the beautiful Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala (by kind invitation of their Director, Diana Christinson) to focus on the renowned Mind-Training meditation tradition from India and Tibet ("Lojong"), with the guidance of teachers Daniela and Christopher.  

    These practices, which have been handed down in an unbroken lineage for more than 1,000 years, provide a skillful way to work with the difficulties of life, opening our hearts and revealing the innate wisdom and goodness within us all. This is the path of awakening in everyday life, every step of the way.

    A three-stage approach to development is taken: 

    1. reading or listening to a teaching; 
    2. discussion; and 
    3. practice

    There are many good texts available that deal with these practices. Feel free to choose whichever one (or more) appeal to you; that way we can discuss a variety of interpretations of each of the 59 maxims that form the heart of the mind-training tradition.

    Suggested texts include:
    Awakening the Buddha Within, by Lama Surya Das (Step Two: Right Intentions, pp 151-160 Lo-Jong)
    Start Where You Are, by Pema Chodron
    Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on Lojong, by Norman Fischer
    Training the Mind, by Chogyam Trungpa
    The Practice of Lojong, by Traleg Kyabgon
    The Great Path of Awakening, by Jamgon Kongtrul (trans. Ken McLeod)
    Buddhism with an Attitude, by Alan Wallace

    Whichever book you choose to work with, it will be helpful (but not essential) to read the relevant part dealing with the next maxim or pith instruction, before each Sunday's discussion. Come as often as you can, but if you need to miss one or more sessions, you can simply keep your study and practice of Lojong going with the book until the next time you come.

    Don't be afraid to join in mid-series: the teachings can be helpful no matter where you start on the path.


  • 02 Jul 2014 1:36 PM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)

    Since teachers will be in retreat with Lama Surya Das at the Dzogchen Center Summer Retreat on this date, the Sunday group meeting will not be held on July 13th, 2014. Regular Sunday afternoon meetings will resume on July 20th.

  • 16 Jun 2014 6:15 AM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)
    Our website provider has informed us that this site will be offline and unavailable for 10 hours or so, starting on Friday night, June 20th, at 11 pm.

    This is to enable a behind-the-scenes upgrade to the code which runs the site.

    Accordingly it may not be possible to reach this site on Friday night until around 9 or 10 am on Saturday morning.

    We apologise for any inconvenience.

  • 15 May 2014 11:16 AM | Lama Christopher Coriat (Administrator)

    Our popular Sunday afternoon sessions will resume on June 15th. We will meet each Sunday from 2pm to 4pm at Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala on Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point, by generous invitation of their Director, Diana Christinson.

    This series will focus on the study, discussion and practice of Lojong, the 1,000-year-old mind training and attitude refinement practice from India and Tibet. Read this post for more about Lojong, and suggested reading materials.

    This series open to all, newcomers are welcome at any time, and there is no charge. Further details are available in the Events section.






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