Alan Wallace Shamatha Teachings Fall 2010

In the intro, Alan explained the difference between the space of the mind with its 6 fields of experience (dharmadatu) and ultimate reality, nirvana, emptiness, absolute space of phenomena (dharmata). Like Dudjom Rimpoche said: dharmakaya it’s the nature of your own mind. He goes from that and when he talks about open presence, “if excitation arises, then loosen up, if laxity arises, then focus more clearly”. So, within Dzogchen is it possible to take emptiness (sunyata, dharmata), as the object of your Shamatha meditation? The answer is yes, it is hard (you are taking nirvana as your object of meditation), but it is possible. But with the meditation in emptiness you can also achieve relaxation, stability and vividness. All the space between thoughts can be called, in this case, rigpa.