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In the bitter coldness of Yachen Gar, Tibet, several nuns are practicing Dzogchen with a simple shelter.

My observation was made taking into account the continuing influx of Tibetan teachers (and also teachers from other traditions) plus the number of Western senior students who are becoming lamas and teachers here in the West.

so many possibilities as to why this is occurring. Maybe unbeknownst to you, you have violated the dwelling place of some spirit - angered and insulted, its now out to disturb you. Its a common problem. It could have happened when you were in the park or forest and had to pee and happened that you peed on some spirit's domain. Or some people they like to abandon their problems and so they go into the woods and start doing crazy things, like take off all their clothes and dance, or maybe have sex or masturbate thinking such will empower them without realizing the consequences of such wanton actions. To resolve the issue you will have to determine beyond any doubt the precise cause - is it simply your mental projection, or are the 'visits' really manifesting from external energetic forces? Or perhaps a bit of both, which is quite common. The bad news is its usually a combo - you have either consciously or unconsciously invited these visits, so in one sense, 'they' or 'it' originated from your own mental field. Maybe you were dabbling in something you thought were harmless, and accidentally over-stepped some boundary, which then resulted in some residual energy brought back into your conscious zone. Sometimes people try to experiment without having properly or formally prepared some sort of protective ritual - they 'go' off to unknown zones and lord knows what 'memories' they gather there, and then bring these back with them. Some of these memories could be pleasant ones, which they then tend to re-generate or re-play over and over, because it feels good, and after a while, a kind of palpable, sensate or surreal 'entity' or 'entities' can begin to take shape or take birth. At other times the memories could be very ugly, or traumatic... in which case, the tendency for self-preservation dictates that these memories automatically get shoved deep to the back of the mind, or buried quickly within the subconscious somewhere, just waiting for germination. In this case, each time you try to do any sort of practice, be it spiritual or psychological, even if its simple visualization exercises, you will get either little glimpses, or perhaps glaring in-your-face sort of experiences. It sometimes feels as if you are inside a room with windows all round, and from time to time, you feel as if you see 'eyes' looking at you from the outside which you will find very unsettling and uncomfortable. The more you practice, the more real the 'eyes' get. Then what do you do? You can either fight them, in which case there could be two outcomes: One is you vanquish these prying eyes, and they leave your space for good, or Two, they vanquish you, and forcefully take over your space. If you don't think you want to fight them, you can try to pacify them and make peace with them. This can be, and usually is, a very long process which requires great resolve and mental stamina - Have you got what it takes to pick this option? Or you could turn to the 'experts' for help. Plenty of them out there with all sorts of claims. Just look at youtube and you will know whats it like. Some could be very costly - tens of thousands of dollars apparently, according to testimonials i have read here on the forum. One session apparently won't be enough - they tend to make you more vulnerable and a sort of dependency mode usually follows. This is a tricky option, like getting out of the frying pan and into a hot fire, in which case all the salt baths in the world will not be able to replenish the agonizing loss of money and the stress from having to depend on your 'exorcist' for validation that all is good and under control. This is basically the summary or gist of your dilemma. My advice is this: You need to know for sure what you are dealing with. No one here can decide and administer help in an effective manner because you are an unknown face. To be able to actually assist you properly many factors have to be taken into consideration. Your habits mostly. Then your face have to be studied, especially your eyes. An authentic exorcist or spiritual master need to look at your eyes first of all. They usually tell the whole story. In my tradition, we have various mantras of wrathful protectors which are very effective for transforming and/or subduing malevolent energies, but unfortunately for them to be effective they have to be 'tuned' individually and in person too because the master have to imbue the mantra with his or her awakened energy, otherwise its no different from chanting 'baa baa black sheep', or maybe slightly better than that... it might work to a small degree, but then again, might not work at all. So don't be overly believing of what advice comes thru here, even though these are all sincere and genuine, nonetheless, you will not get very far because they are too generalized. Its up to you how determined you are to resolve this issue. My tip is to approach and speak to a Vajrayana master if you have access to a centre or group near you. Just go and meet someone there, ask for a private chat, tell your problem to whoever it is who seems friendly and receptive and see if there's affinity there. If there is, you will eventually meet someone who will freely assist you with a permanent solution. Sometimes it could be that you will meet a master and after listening to you, he or she will laugh in your face and tell you to go away. This doesn't mean that he or she hasn't done anything for you. A lot of times because we are too preoccupied with our own sufferings we fail to see the master had already done something to make the problem go away. But because of ignorance, we become blind to it and fall back on our delusional beliefs. Its good to be open and receptive should you ever get to meet such a master. A lot of what happened had to do with your affinity, and how it will all pan out will also depend on precisely this.

Stirring up your life Never think that you will be able to settle your life down by practicing the Dharma. The Dharma is not therapy. In fact, it is just the opposite. The purpose of the Dharma is to really stir up your life. It is meant to turn your life upside down. If that is what you asked for, why complain? If it is not turning your life upside down, on the other hand, the Dharma is not working. That kind of dharma is just another one of these New Age methods; the Dharma should really disturb you. ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

the Thangka painter... https://vimeo.com/102653054

dont you already know that Buddhism is transmigrating West? Its quite clear, this process. It began with the decline of Buddhism in India, then the forceful takeover of Tibet, now Japan's new generation's disinterest. Its part of the great way. no worries.

The Insight That Brings Us to the Other Shore . "The insight of prajñaparamita, the perfection of wisdom as taught in the Heart Sutra, is the ultimate truth, transcending of all conventional truths. It is the highest vision of the Buddha. . Prajñaparamita is the liberating insight that helps us to overcome all pairs of opposites, such as birth and death, being and non-being, defilement and immaculacy, increasing and decreasing, subject and object, and so on. All phenomena are products of dependent arising: that is the main point of the prajñaparamita teaching. This helps us to get in touch with the true nature of no birth/no death, no being/no non-being, etc., which is the true nature of all phenomena. . This is a state of coolness, peace, and non-fear that can be experienced in this very life, in your own body and in your own five skandhas. It is nirvana. As it is said in a very beautiful sentence in the nirvana chapter of the Chinese Dharmapada, “Just as the birds enjoy the sky, and the deer enjoy the meadow, so do the wise enjoy dwelling in nirvana.” . ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Attempts are made to develop awareness through awareness of body, awareness of surroundings, and also through group work of various kinds. But there’s a problem if we are unable to relate with and appreciate the insignificant details of our everyday life. Doing special body awareness practices might seem extraordinarily fruitful and liberating. Nevertheless, there’s still a dichotomy in your life. You feel the importance and the seriousness of the awareness practice in which you’re involved, but in fact, the more you feel that the whole thing is important and serious, the more your development of awareness is going to be destroyed. Real awareness cannot develop if you are trying to chop your experience into categories and put it into pigeonholes. ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Clothed in the finest robes of non-conceptuality; Nourished by the sweet, sustaining nectar of bliss; Abiding within the vast, open spaciousness of clarity; Cured of all the afflictive emotions inhibiting liberation; Such is the simple life of the self-awakened yogin. (p. Ladakh)

The Three KayasAccording to the Mahayana view, nothing tangible or intangible can affect great emptiness, which is always unobscured and pure. This is called the essential permanence of Dharmakaya. Dharmakaya is completely pure formless form. The nature of Dharmakaya is unobstructed like stainless sky, so any wisdom qualities and aspects can manifest from its unobscured spontaneity. Since Dharmakaya is pure, whatever appearances radiate from it are self-adornments and always pure. This pure appearance is called the continuous permanence of Sambhogakaya. Sambhogakaya is immeasureable qualities of flawless, inconceivable, desireless exaltation form. Infinite manifestations, whether they seem to be objective or subjective, can spontaneously and unendingly manifest from the pure appearance of Sambhogakaya to benefit beings. These reflections can manifest as many impure aspects to connect with the impure phenomena of sentient beings to guide them to pure phenomena, and as many pure aspects to connect with the pure tangible phenomena of sentient beings to guide them to pure intangible phenomena. Although the occurrence of these appearances is definite, their aspects are an indefinite emanation of effortless compassion to the indefinite faculties of countless sentient beings, arising in any form, at any time, and in any direction. This is called the indefinite permanence of Nirmanakaya. Nirmanakaya is unobstructed, miraculous emanation form. The quality of Dharmakaya is stainless, great emptiness. Since it does not have the permanence of an object, it never remains in the somethingness extreme of eternalism. Yet because of its unobstructed nature, pure wisdom appearances unendingly manifest so that it never remains in the nothingness extreme of nihilism. Even ordinary karmic phenomena are obscured, impure manifestations of the three kayas. For example, the state of deep sleep is the impure manifestation of Dharmakaya, beyond tangible and intangible material appearances. Dreams are the impure manifestation of Sambhogakaya, arising as intangible, subtle appearances beyond daytime’s tangible, gross appearances. Waking phenomena are the impure manifestation of Nirmanakaya, arising as tangible emanations of appearance. Through practice, these impure manifestations become the pure manifestations of the three kayas as they naturally are. ~ Thinley Norbu Rinpoche

a handful of Lama Samtens around

maybe helpful to bear in mind that there are different nuances to 'seeking'. thats why in certain Buddhist schools, seekers are encouraged and reminded always to check their motivation. some form of earnestness must follow one's spiritual development, otherwise it is possible for arrogance or slothfulness, or both, to seep in.

the lotus flower is rooted in the mud

Because we don't recognize our essential nature, we don't realize that although appearances arise unceasingly, nothing is really there. We invest with solidity and reality the seeming truth of self, other, and actions between self and others. This intellectual obscuration gives rise to attachment and aversion, followed by actions and reactions that create karma, solidify into habit, and perpetuate the cycles of suffering. This entire process needs to be purified. ~ Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche

Immensely beneficial to do this if one is seriously committed to making progress on the path.

Free Perception ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche To be attached to the reality of phenomena, tormented by attraction and repulsion, and obsessed by the eight worldly preoccupations is what causes the mind to freeze. Melt the ice of your concepts so that the fluid water of free perception can flow.

Afraid i dont, Rigzin Trinley, but if you manage to eventually buy it, please let us know how useful it gets to be for you. and also i cannot say which is the best book on the karikas. I guess its up to the individual to find resonance with the different commentaries available. Personally i find 'The Adornment of the Middle Way' & 'The Great Secret of Mind' quite perfect for contemplating Nagarjuna's teachings on Madhyamika, although the latter is not specifically confined to Nagarjuna's work, i found it helpful when studied in tandem with The Adornment of the Middle Way. There are some really good papers on Naga's works written by various scholars on the net if anyone is really interested to pursue understanding in this particular body of teachings. All the best.

Whilst those refined states of meditative consciousness have a seeming height and sharp, discriminating focus, natural awareness has an unspannable breadth and profound depth that effortlessly encompasses all, without bias or exclusion. ~ Paramito Ladakh

a taster of Nagarjuna's Middle Way doctrine: Nagarjuna discusses the notions of change by examining one concrete example: motion and rest. He breaks down the verb into its three components ofthe verb in the abstract, its subject, and its sphere of activity, in this case motion, the mover, and the space within which motion occurs. The concept of "movement" is dissected and scrutinized to demonstrate that the three categories of the verb, its subject, and its sphere are all untenable. There is indisputably a perception of action, but this perception cannot be explained in a way that withstands logical inspection. First, a span of time is necessary for activity to take place. Activity, of any kind, requires a process of changing physical position or changing attributes. This change requires a temporal extension, for an instantaneous change would be tantamount to the complete disappearance of one thing and the appearance in its place of a wholly new thing. Nagarjuna first points out that to speak of motion in the present requires isolating the present moment. Movement in the past or in the future obviously does not constitute present moving; neither the "has moved" nor the "will move" is presently moving. When, though, did the motion of the presently-moving object commence? Prior to its commencement it was the "will move," but a "will move" is not moving. "How could there be a movement in the not [yet] moved?" he asks. Note: karika II.13 Likewise, movement is not initiated in the "has moved," for the "has moved," by definition, is not partaking of present movement. Further, movement does not commence in the "presently moving," for this is already moving — an action cannot begin anew in a place where it is already present. The exact commencement of motion can never be perceived, for, no matter how infinitesimally small the atomistic division of time, there will always be one point at which the object is not yet moving. "When the commencement of movement is not being perceived in any way, what is it that is discriminated as the moved, the present moving, or the not [yet] moved?" Note: karika II.14 Thus movement can only be perceived in the present moment, and the activity's necessary time span is lost. With the loss of temporal extension, the verbal activity becomes unfathomable, and hence unreal. Even assuming that one could still speak of motion even when confined to a single present moment only, one now has the problem of what moves. By definition, only a mover can partake of movement. Likewise, separated from a mover, there can be no such thing as movement in the abstract. The relation between these two, the moverand the fact of its movement, is logically meaningless. To say that a mover moves is redundant and superfluous. To say that a non-mover moves is to state a contradiction. But these are the only two options, for, "other than a mover and a non-mover, what third party moves?" Note: karika II.8 It may sound reasonable to say that it is a mover who partakes of movement. But it is not appropriate to speak of a mover without movement for, if it does not move, then by what is it a mover? Either option creates a disjunction between the subject and its action that is unacceptable. The subject of motion is only half the story. One must further examine the lack of motion, or rest. The problems encountered by the issue of rest are identical as those faced by motion: a mover is not stationary, for this is a contradiction, a non-mover is not stationary, for this is a needless tautology, and there is no third party that is stationary. Further, a mover cannot come to rest, for it would then cease to be a mover. If a mover were to become a "rester," then its identity would change and it would no longer be the same subject; there would be the dissolution of the moving object and the instant creation of the stationary object. The obvious objection to the above arguments is to say that they assume an untenable identity of a mover and its movement. This identity should be replaced with a concept of difference, the opposition could declare: the mover is not the same as its movement, but merely possesses movement. If this were so, though, then movement would exist in the abstract and be independent of the mover. There would be motion but nothing moving. Another problem of isolating the subject from its movement is that this subject is not perceived in any way. This subject devoid of attributes, what Western philosophy calls the "bare particular," would be a metaphysical creation produced purely by the imagination, for it could never be experienced. Nagarjuna closes this section with the summary statement that neither motion, nor the mover, nor the space moved in is evident. Note: karika II.25 He has up to this point not offered an explicit discussion of the spatial dimension, but he states that the reality of space is to be negated in the same way that motion and rest were. The reader is at this point likely to be left with the thought that Nagarjuna was a rampaging nihilist. All concepts are being summarily denied for some obscure and perverse purpose. Admittedly, this is a conclusion that has occasionally been drawn by admirers and detractors alike, both ancient and modern. However, while it is not yet clear what Nagarjuna's intent is, it is likely not one so simple. He appears to be negating, not the reality of subject and object and their attributes, but rather just some way of thinking about them. Regarding the topic of this section, he wrote "The view that movement is identical with the mover is not proper. The view that the mover is different from motion is also not proper." Note: karika II.18 It remains to be seen, though, what view is proper.

Both my partner and her sister are vegetarians, with eggs being excluded from the latter's diet. My partner works out regularly while her sis (they are both in their late 20s), who is pursuing a masters degree at this time, leads a more sedentary lifestyle. Their menstrual issues are almost identical - occasionally both would experience severe cramps coupled with slightly heavier flows, but this happens maybe twice a year. When i met my partner about 7 years ago, her alcohol (beers mostly) consumption was quite high, and at that time her menstruations were excruciatingly painful, with a lot similar symptoms to Dusty's sis. Gradually she altered this habit and have since reduced intake by at least 90%, during which time she saw a gradual decrease in her periodic struggles. I remember being told that women with difficult periods ought to avoid consuming 'cooling' foods and drinks as this tend to exacerbate the condition in a drastic way, and beer is definitely listed as a 'cooling' beverage. Was also told that this same group must avoid 'cooling' fruits, with special emphasis on the avoidance of pineapple, melons, grapes, mangos, longan and lychee. hth (edit) found this info link on dong quai which is better than the other one i posted earlier (apologies) http://www.rjwhelan.co.nz/herbs%20A-Z/dongquai.html

the herbal remedy most widely used by asian women wrt menstrual problems is Dong Quai http://bodyecology.com/articles/nine_benefits_of_dong_quai.php

The Middle Way ~ Ajahn Brahm

"Although in Dzogchen meditation there is no distinction between the practice of sitting meditation and post-meditation, if at first you have not grasped sitting meditation on its own ground then you cannot integrate the insight of meditative experiences with the post-meditation experience. Even if you strive to turn the stream of daily activities to the spiritual path, you may deviate into 'losing the natural disposition in the general proliferation.' Therefore: Divide meditation into sessions. Dividing the practice into sessions this way, you may have the kind of practice where you feel certain that you can sustain the essence in the meditation state. But if you don't know how to integrate this with activities in post-meditation and then maintain that state continuously, the remedy will not work under all circumstances. And if an incidence of discursive thinking prevails, you will be consigned to the usual rut. So it is most important to maintain the transparent wakefulness in post-meditation. At all times and in all situations. At that time there is no need to look for some other meditation subject. In the meditation state imbued with this very dharmakaya view, vagrantly take no account of all the activities and thoughts, neither inhibiting nor indulging them, and maintain that with uncluttered immediacy." ~ Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches Lion's Gaze (pgs 90-91)

try Rebecca Turner. Search 'World of Lucid Dreaming'. Non-esoteric. You need to pay for the course. Not for me, but may suit your search.