The Vajra Essence, Part 4

Receive advanced teachings on Dzogchen from renowned teacher Lama Alan Wallace in this self-paced retreat, produced in partnership with the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies.

About the Teachings

This retreat focuses on Dudjom Lingpa’s famous text, The Vajra Essence: From the Matrix of Pure Appearances and Primordial Consciousness, a Self-Emergent Tantra of the Nature of Existence.

In the final 8-week retreat of this series on Düdjom Lingpa’s revelations of the Great Perfection, we come to the culmination of the Lake-Born Vajra’s teachings in The Vajra Essence on cutting through to the original purity of pristine awareness (tekchö). 

This series of pointing-out instructions draws critical distinctions between the mind and pristine awareness, between conditioned consciousness and primordial consciousness, and other fundamental distinctions within the Dzogchen view. These instructions are followed by detailed teachings on the final stage of Dzogchen practice known as the direct crossing-over to spontaneously actualization (tögal), which comes to its fruition in the achievement of various manifestations of the rainbow body. As with the earlier teachings on Düdjom Lingpa’s revelations of the Great Perfection, commentary on this practice will not be offered during this retreat as a public teaching, but only later on to those who have achieved shamatha and vipashyana and on that basis are able to authentically rest in pristine awareness.

Following this section of The Vajra Essence, oral commentary will be offered on the Lake-Born Vajra’s concluding teachings on the six transitional phases (bardo), including dream yoga.

Please note that this will primarily be a meditative retreat, not an intensive 8 weeks of teaching.

Included in your retreat

• 92 teaching videos from Lama Alan Wallace and Glen Svensson

• Lama Alan’s teaching notes

• Glen Svensson’s review notes

• 39 readings

Prerequisites/Restrictions

The most important prerequisite for participating in this retreat is to have completed The Vajra Essence, Part 1 of this retreat series before starting. If you are an All-Access member or have previously purchased the retreat you you can access it here. If you would like to purchase the video recordings of the retreat you can do so here. 

There is not a requirement that you have received an empowerment to participate in this retreat.

A Message from Lama Alan

To honor the sacred lineage of these teachings, I do ask that anyone who registers for this retreat listen to my oral commentary to The Vajra Essence in its entirety within this retreat, though you may take as much time as you wish to do so.
—Lama Alan Wallace

Included in Your Retreat

• Video recordings of each session, including sessions with Glen Svensson. (Approximately 90 videos.)

• Any readings assigned

• Lama Alan’s teachings notes as applicable

• Glen’s review notes

• Access to the live Sharing & Caring Workshops

• Access to the 2023 8-week retreat Facebook Group

Don’t miss the welcome email!

If you enroll in this retreat, you’ll receive a welcome email after you’ve completed the enrollment process that includes important information, including a link to access the retreat home page where you’ll be able to access the videos as they’re posted. If you do not see this email after enrolling, please check your spam and trash folders. If you still can’t find it, please contact us via our contact page.

Important: by proceeding to enroll, you confirm that you agree to and have met the requirements stated above.

We look forward to having you with us!

This retreat is the fourth and final in our series of online retreats with Lama Alan Wallace on The Vajra Essence. Click here to learn more about the series.