Belgien, 15 Mai 2017 - 21 Mai 2017

Through Guru Yoga we set our hearts and minds in the right way so that we receive the teachings as purely as possible.

Guru Yoga is the root of Tantrayana practice. Whatever practice we are doing, Guru Yoga will empower our practice. The reason for this is devotion. The cultivation of devotion is not for the benefit of the teacher. It is us, the students, that benefit from devotion. The cultivation of pure love and devotion opens our hearts, clears our minds of delusion, and reduces our ego. This is the way to truly receive a teaching.

If we come to a teaching from a place of ego-pride, we may not hear it correctly, or we may misunderstand. It may be the perfect teaching, given by the perfect teacher, but with ego-pride, it will not help. Guru Yoga enables us to come from a place of devotion and connection.

In Buddhism, the Student-Teacher relationship is very important. Although we all contain Buddha-nature, we are often not capable of recognizing it. We need a teacher, a guru, to guide this realization within us. The teacher introduces us to ourselves. This relationship is key! We can read a book, but a book cannot read us. A good teacher reads us, and holds up a mirror so that we can see ourselves.

Guru Yoga helps us to cultivate pure motivation and deep devotion for the teacher and the teaching. This, more than anything, will help us to receive the most benefit from our practices. It also enables the wisdom and realization of the Lama to melt within our mind. It is not sufficient to carry the seed of Buddha-nature in us. We need faith and devotion, so that our Lama can transfer blessing upon us.

With a special combination of physical movements, breath exercises and visualization we awaken our inner fire, which burns the blockages of karmic imprints.

Tummo is our wisdom fire. It is something we naturally have within our bodies. This fire, this inner warmth, can be found in the area below the navel chakra. On a physical level it is responsible for the temperature of our body—the heat of digestion and metabolism, the heat that powers chemical reactions and builds hormones. But Tummo is much more than this! On an energetic level, the Tummo fire blazes through the channels, melting away the subtlest blockages and surging energy throughout the body. On the level of mind, Tummo is the source of love, joy, happiness and bliss.

Unfortunately, as we become older we start to lose this natural warmth. Then, our hormones and essences automatically reduce. But it doesn’t have to be this way! The Tummo practice will reignite our inner fire. Through a combination of movements, breath techniques and visualizations we generate the Tummo flame and spread it throughout the body. The flame grows, starting from below the navel and rising higher and higher. It softly penetrates each of the main chakras, spreading to all the branches and every pore of our body.

The chakras are secret doors to our being. Opening them and connecting with our Tummo fire brings us great realizations. In this way, we tap into our inner wisdom. From this great presence we can realize the true nature of our mind, fundamental wisdom, and unconditional love and compassion.

Tulku Lobsang has a very special connection to Tummo. This is his specialty and he can teach it like no other. An amazing opportunity!