Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 50-minute retreat instruction, Lama Yeshe provides detailed practical and meditative guidance for a Chenrezig retreat. He covers the daily schedule (morning sessions from 5–6am, evening from 6–7pm, sleep by 10pm), physical preparations including cleanliness practices, meal timing, and observance of eight precepts if desired. He then walks through the internal meditative structure: taking refuge with expanded compassion for all beings, dissolving the ordinary self-image into emptiness, visualising guru and Avalokiteśvara arising from a white light-beam at the heart, and radiating purifying light to all sentient beings and realms. He discusses mantra recitation counting methods, the seven-branch practice and mandala offering performed before mantra, proper visualization of the guru before oneself, pace of mantra recitation, and the choice between short and long mandala versions. Throughout afternoon and evening, he suggests rotating meditations on human rebirth, impermanence, the three types of suffering, equanimity, and exchanging self with others. Pitched at those who have received Chenrezig initiation and have prior retreat experience.
File metadata (for organising)
File: lama-yeshe-retreat-advice-retreat-advvice-1b
Teacher: Lama Yeshe
Collection: Retreat Advice (Lama Yeshe)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~4,137
Or you you do another, you know, mantra or whatever you you wanna do, you do. There will be plenty, you know, enough to do. So then from from, yeah, control until one, And maybe you’re washing. You know? You’re washing your body and things like you know?
It could do. If you have good place, you know, facility, you know, a place if it washing place good, better take everyday back, usually. Everyday take back. So, you know, important. This this this particular, you know, yoga tantra is very much emphasizing cleanliness.
You know? Effective. Very effective. And, also, every session every session, when the beginning, you you make, you know, wash your mouth to to to face. Yes?
You know? You you you wash your mouth, and somehow you put water in your face, you know, washing your hands, you know, and go very clean and clear. You know? Sort of, you know, complete wake up. And and maybe then from from one, isn’t it?
From one I think so. From one, then you can meditate until two. Then you’re little bit breaking. Half hours, you’re breaking. Then another session, then you have tea.
Isn’t I think you are there. And there’s each break time each break time you you have drink or you eating. After the you know, your session is not start time. You just do reading. You know?
Reading the Dharma book. You do these things, Dharma book. Or you have another you know? Example, you you have meditation. You know?
This kind of meditation. Example, one who want, you know, the Dharma meditation or one who want, you know, guru shakti visualization or one who go on to come to mantra. All those things you set up, you know, you do. It’s it’s, you know, pure time. Then yeah.
Then from the best is normally the when the sunshine time breaking, when the sun sundown time should break. Because that time, you know, much destruction. The sound vibration sound coming time, much vibration, and mind is much movement. And when the sun down, much movement. Sort of distract easily.
So break. So from six or seven, you start a meditation in one hour one hours, and then enter, you know, the eight. Up from eight, at the clock, you have the dinner, and then maybe from nine, you meditate until ten, and then that ten you should go and sleep. Really, you should not go too much, you know, and say, oh, I have so much energy. Even you you don’t believe your, you know, your, you know, baby mind says, oh, I’m so enjoying.
You know? I want to just meditate, you know, all night sort of, you know, sometimes habit experience. You know? So enjoying, so much so joyful. I just want you know?
Sometimes, you know, even say, oh, I don’t want to eat. I don’t want to drink. Don’t trust. You know? You you eat eating time all the time.
You know? Lunch should eat. You know? Have breakfast. And dinner is a question.
Better not eat, You know? A dinner, actually, when do you when you will check, you know, this easier concentration thing. If the stomach is too much full and very difficult. Depending, each people has different, you know, at the physical body. Some look at example.
Some eat very little. You know? Some people eat very little food. Large time, they eat very little food. They can’t eat too much food.
You know? And that kind of people, let can have dinner too. Large eat dinner, and it can have dinner at. But one, you know, can eat well lunchtime, breakfast time, then maybe not necessary. Maybe light.
However, you know, flexible. Don’t don’t make too much. You know? Food is really not really important. You know?
It is according to your health. As much possible, keep healthy. Keep healthy. It’s so important. You check up, do you know you want or not?
You check up. And many times, you know, the meditation that they do is taking, you know, the eight precepts. That you also you choose. You do every day or not. If you take the eight precepts, you can’t you cannot have dinner.
That’s for sure. Isn’t it? Okay. I think so. But that is not you know, definitely you do.
Even if you’re taking every day at first, advice is better you take, you know, a full moon and a new moon. Definitely. Yes. Is it it gives you, you know, good, you know, energy. Big purification.
Action. Okay. I think outside these things maybe that inner. So now internal, when we do meditation, first, you take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Then they cultivate the enlightenment attitude, bodhicitta.
Especially past beginning, the routine when you’re sitting. A sort of great determination in this place, this seat where you’re sitting, you know, right here. You know? I want in this seat, in this, you know, seat, you know, I want to discover enlightenment. Not going break.
I discover enlightenment. So, you know, it’s very useful. Or until I not yet unified my slip to, you know, the divine compassion, characteristic nature of Avalokiteśvara. I never going, you know, change my bed. So, you know, having determination, very much helpful.
Strong to order to benefit for all mother sentient being. That’s all. You know? The taking refuge is as you do we do. Remember, there is slight different.
Hīnayāna, we’re taking refuge, and the Mahāyāna, we’re taking refuge. They are slight different. Mind and the technique is good. You should, you know usually, you know, you should visualize or thinking, right side father, your left side mother, and front of you, which means your enemies. You think bad people or whatever you think, you know, front of.
And enemy is okay. Enemy or whatever you put in front of. Your good attachment object would be exact here. Anyway, all universal living beings around you with a great compassion. Sort of, you know, taking great as possible by myself.
You know? I want to act. You know? In the world, everybody say, oh, these people are suffering, you know, but not acting. You know?
Your neighbor, you know, suffering. You know? No. Most people, you know, other neighbor, they’re not acting, isn’t it? You know?
They’re not acting. So very important to have one hand, you know, concerned people, but don’t want acting. You know, want the acting myself, you know, order to lead, you know, all sentient beings into perfect enlightenment, you know, taking great responsibility by myself, sort of, you know, this kind of, you know, the, you know, attitude taking refuge is, you know, so profound rather than when you’re concerned. You know? I’m the most suffering person, you know, having much big ego problem.
You know? I wanna root out. You know? I wanna root out, sort of, you know, too much pumping yourself. You know?
That that becomes, you know, actually, you know, self still self-cherishing. You know? You know? A trip. So be careful.
So you can you can see, isn’t it? You you are also, like, this, you know, small place, but your mind is completely, you know, bigger universe, isn’t it, rather the closed mind. Some people some rich people stay in a big room and only instead of stay. You know? But his mind is, you know, much more smaller than than, you know, his room.
You know? So the richest people who stay small room, but the mind is completely become the universal. You know? So they’re like okay. Mhmm.
However, Good, anyway. I think so. Mhmm. Then after that, your visualization your visualization. Remember, when you take a breath, you visualize, you know, guru or Avalokiteśvara.
Okay? It absorbs you to sink into you. And then you you completely, you know, melt into light and vanish, you know, or disappear, the self imagination, you know, of yourself by ego’s projection, which is totally nonexistent, truly scientifically. You know? Not just to, you know, sort of, you know, you’re pretending.
It’s not existing in your imagination of, you know, your conception, your conception. It’s not existing relatively and absolutely not existing. I’m not talking about sort of, you know, religious point of view. It’s absolutely not existing. You check up.
You can realize you’re safe. So same time, you you repeat this mantra. What do you call mantra? Yeah. You know this mantra is here.
Here? Somebody’s. You can do it for me. You read this mantra. Yes.
Om mani padme hum is purification. Purify, you know, the projection of, you know, the ego’s projection. You know? The imputed, you know, ordinary the self imagination. You know?
Ordinary imagination is, you know, mundane. You know? Such imagination. I’m that this is purified. You know?
Sort of. And then, you know, mantra. Next one, Yeah. Okay? Oh, that is You do.
So when you say Śūnyatā mantra, you stop a little bit. And all the your silhouette, which is light is, know, you know, the you know, you becoming you becoming process of, you know, It is written there. You do this one as this. You read a little bit. Oh, that is in space.
You know? When when you you stay in, what empty the point is space. Little while or between, you know, maybe ten or fifteen or twenty minute. When coming when beginning coming, you know, the the the instead of coming, you you in space in space, you visualize, you know, lotus flower. And then what?
On the petals, suddenly appears a radiant white moon. That’s right. On the, you know, radiated, you know, white, you know, moon disc. Suddenly appears in space. You know?
We all appears, actually. You people also comfortable with the nothingness space you come. And now, you know, we’re going we we also disappears into nothingness, isn’t it? You understand what I mean? It’s not just, you know, Lama makeup this thing.
You can see. Okay. So this is also sign. You know? Signs also explain, you know, as the, you know, not existing, then this is the, you know, coming cause, you know, you know, relate with another problem or if this become this, you know, this thing.
I think you people know already. Okay? Yeah. Suddenly Mhmm. Suddenly appearing from the center of the moon is a short thin shaft of brilliant white light.
Yeah. You become this light. So that much look. That much light. Maybe that much light.
You know? It’s very simple. That might light. You know? And beam light.
Mhmm. Good. So your mind so that time you you recognize this is me. So your mind is unified what that, you know, the being what lie, which which is, you know, characteristic nature of it. Mhmm.
So you unify. So if you feel looking, you’re looking that dim light sort of you know? Still looking, dim light is there. You are here sort of. You know, if you feel, you yourself go into that completely.
You know? You know, to sink yourself into that. Then the duality is disappear easily. They unify, you know, the mind. And that then pardon?
Blue or white light? White light. White light. It’s beam beam beam white light. Excuse me?
Did I say believe? No. I see. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Okay. Yeah.
Because you have experienced maybe a bit other other meditation. You know? Okay? Alright. And mhmm.
So then suddenly, that, you know, the beam light with the essence of your mind is the you know, transform it into you know, divine, you know, divine, you know, compassionate wisdom, you know, form. I I think, you know, much easier forms as I gave you this time initiation. Remember? That much easier. Or some people easier, you know, this, you know, this this kind of, you know, analog.
You can do this. Whatever you easy you do that. You choose. Mhmm. Good.
Other, you know, the we call. This name is. Means, you know, the eleven, you know, face. Other one means four-armed. Okay?
Whatever you easier you do. Oh, then you become now Avalokiteśvara. Then. So, you know, and then your your is is has the white radiated light on visible. Your your neck chakra is has the already, really, not.
Your heart you your heart. No. And the. Whom? Okay.
Is more maybe concentrating more helipose because, you know, the whole body is, you know, white, completely white, white light. So the heart, you know, on the is also white. So that if you visualize, you know, blue blue hum, it’s more conspicuous, more easier. Usually, in Tibetan, some text, we we have white, you know, white. White is subtle.
But I think perhaps, know, personal or maybe easier. You know? Blue hum. Easier. You check up whatever you you know, conspicuous is easier or white one.
Because the whole, you know, body is white light already, then the heart is white light sort of, you know, makes it, you know, unclear altogether. So you know? I have seen it. Yeah. Yeah.
Okay. Yes. Yes. Yes. Right.
Yes. Right. Yes. You know what? Yes.
Okay. So then the same time, you know, you are. What are you saying? You shouldn’t be in there. In there one second.
Then? It says brilliant white light radiates out from your crown chakra. Yeah. Yeah. Light radiates from your throat chakra.
Brilliant blue light radiates from your heart chakra. Information. Yes. Yes. That you do purification.
Okay? You do. And much light goes to all the six realms, all Australia, mountains, trees, you know, agitated mind, you know, you know, road completely disappears into into the light. You know? Okay?
So all universal living becomes Avalokiteśvara. All universal space is becomes, you know, indestructible, know, you know, energy. Dharma light energy. However, okay. It’s very good.
You know? Very good. Especially if you have, you know okay. If you have you know, somebody is really makes you angry object. You know?
You’re sending, you know, light. And he completely melted into light. It disappears. You know? Sort of something release.
Like, you know, you have inside here some tone or something, you know, injection. Somebody take from you is sort of release, you know, in the mind. Same thing. Someone is so attachment object. You know?
You completely, you know, so much attach. You know? Can’t rid of the, you know, the imagination. And you you you send that light and, you know, purify it, impute it, and complete becomes you know, the relatively, it disappears and absolutely becomes, you know, maybe okay. I will look at the shutter.
So very much is helpful. That helps, you know, your action. You become. Purified all, you know, and the in a sense of world or sentient beings, you know, completely purified. It becomes, you know, It is so much.
It’s helpful. That making you sort of, you know, karmic connection with all living being. So when you reach, you know, such a higher, you know, levels, and you can easily, you know, help for them because you you connection karmic connection already while you’re in meditation. It’s making a karmic connection so they all becomes your disciple in the future. And, you know, and they they they can easily understand on what you are, you know, saying and easily communicate and unify easily rather than gaps or you know?
They feel gap. You know? Karmic connection make it easily feel to unified feeling. Okay. Then, wait.
Continue. The release finishing. Release. I want finish. Your rays contact all these manifestations of pure Buddha nature.
They assemble till they fill all space with radiant blissful energy. This radiant blissful energy gathers into a stream which rushes in through your crown chakra and on into your heart chakra, filling your heart chakra with blissful energy. This energizing feeling activates your heart mantra, which Okay. That’s right. Yes.
Sure. So then and then before the mantra, now I will I will say, before the mantra, you know, the counting, you know, energize. You know, before counting mantra, I would like to you do seven branch. You know? Seven Seven branch.
You know? Okay. I would like to do. And you’re operating. Okay?
Operating. Okay? I think short time you can do, you know, because you have experience already here, isn’t it? And you do in in Tibet, you know, the player. You know, you did translate already.
You all have this experience. So easier. Seven short, you know, seven the short one. It takes how many? Just a few.
Months. Yeah. That’s right. Yeah. So, you know, short time you do.
And then after seven limbs, you offering mandala. You know, mandala, I told you, what if any problem comes, different problem comes, you do given the way. You intend in offering mandala. You know. I think you know.
If you are if you don’t get, you know, enough money, enough food for, you you offer so much, you know, fantastic jewels. Okay? Okay? True. If you offer fantastic jewels and you know?
I think so. Yeah. You know? It those kind of things helps, you know, for to to to return, you know, those kind of things enough for you. It’s helpful for you.
Okay? If you you have too much, and then you do something else, you know, because you like. Okay? Or you I think you’re alright. Then after to offering mandala, then you you you do mantra.
Okay? When you’re opening the seven branch, this and also offering mandala, that time, you visualize in front of you your guru. You visualize your guru as he aspect, and then his heart, you visualize the as you visualize. So his heart has, you know, the Chenrezig. You see sort of, you know, see Chenrezig there.
You know, Avalokiteśvara is there. At the same time, he he, you know, he is, you know, sort of, you know, accept your your offering. You know? Okay. And, also, not necessarily Chenrezig confused that time.
Confuse that, you know, instead of your guru, confuse, you know, that time sort of, you know, vague transformation of wisdom in light. You know? Okay. That way, it’s helpful. That way you look at it, it appears most time.
Okay? Good. And then you you you you offer and finish it, and then then you the look. The guru is just here. Just right here.
Maybe five to some people has difficult. Sometimes we we visualize here, here, up here, you know, like that, you know, sitting exactly as this here. And if you do that way, comfortable, you do. If you do that way, uncomfortable, you put. You know?
You know? From here, maybe that much, you know, longer in space. You know? They’ll be the higher from you. Maybe that much.
You know? Higher. And then you visualize. Okay? Just sit there.
You know? Just you feel it. You know? It’s you’re there. You know?
So at the same time, you you you are, you know, sort of, you know, examination of realization of him. You know? You know, I’m joking. Anyway, you do. You know?
But not too much pay attention to visualization. Time when the mantra is saying. Most time, you get you know, the visualize around the mantra. Okay? Oh, yeah.
This time, you do it. Okay? Is if you have two two, three people group, you know, say low. You know? Only you can hear, not hear others.
You know? But if you are alone, you are still even if you if you wanna say, You know? A little bit aloud. You wanna say, okay. You know?
Okay. Pardon? How fast? Or is you should say not to extreme extreme quickly, not extreme slow. Very medium.
You know? Medium. Okay? That’s enough. That’s enough.
That’s not too much. Too quickly. You know? Too not too long. That’s easier.
Okay. Yeah. Is it possible to do the long mandala instead of the short one. That is that is takes long time. You know?
Better. You know? This time, I don’t do. You know? Long time.
This one takes so much time. Okay? Take time. Okay? Because you can do the same initiation.
Or you you if you want to, you do. You know? If one who has time, okay, one can do. Maybe if you do the the longer one, one hundred thousand, but the short one is five hundred thousand or ten hundred thousand. Okay?
You’re very useful. You’re looking carefully. So what I want. Oh, yeah. Actually, if every day you do even every day without returning, every day you do, maybe one rosary, If you do every day for your life, you know, I mean, our lordship himself, you know, promising.
I never abandon you. You know? You understand? The person who seekers liberation, who who do the mantra every day, you know, the one hundred one hundred, you know, mantra. He says, I never let go that person.
Impossible. It’s true. Is it no. If you if you understand, okay. True.
So mhmm. Now you do mantra, each session, when you finish the mantra, you push how much mantra you count. You you you put it in the paper so you have calculation record when the session finish. Or look it. Sometimes we do like that.
Sometimes this make it ticking. Equally, this should be look. One one one round comes. You know? One round comes, you put it this way, one.
You know? But this ticking. Sometimes it doesn’t work because this look example, my one looks like. It doesn’t work. So when I do a hundred, you know, it’s coming and it comes here.
It comes here. You know? I put you know? I have some small small things, you know, put here. So each round comes, I put one here.
Then another comes. I do this way. Well, this is much easier. Is it? Okay.
You do that way. Yes. Yes, dear. Always I always use left hand. That’s okay.
Yes. That’s okay. Yes. Sure. Sure.
Yes. That’s okay. Yes. You do it this way. Yes.
We do also. That’s alright. Sure. Mhmm. Okay.
So we we do the lamas know, many lamas experience doing the, you know, the. We combine together also. You know? The graduated path to liberation we put together. So, example, one hour is you you you the session your session.
Maybe you, you know, thirty thirty five minute, maybe you reciting mantra, you know, and doing things. And maybe twenty twenty twenty five minute, you do. You combine. And sometimes you you combine, you know, and the the the how, you know, human rebirth. Your only human rebirth is how precious.
You know? Remember those things. You already know already. You you meditate. Those kind of things.
And sometimes you you you meditate, you know, impermanence. Each session you do little bit little bit bit. Okay. So so the morning, you do this kind of things. Afternoon session afternoon session, I would like you to afternoon, you know, and the little bit, you know, the three types of suffering.
You know? Suffering. You know? Three suffering. Yes?
Okay? Those those things, you know, analytically, you you meditate. And then that that’s up then after the sun sun finish evening evening. Yeah. Evening, I would like you to is is in one session, equanimity.
And one session is the exchanging self and others. I think you probably have information. You know? The changing self-cherishing attitude even before looking yourself, you know, now change it to benefit others. And, also, very strong, you know, one section is very strong, you know, And one session is, you know, and disappear.
Same imagination. You know? Stone. But, actually, every time, you know, Buddhist is important, but more emphasize, I mean, you know, more emphasize. What you do is when you when you finish your mantra, you put mala down.
Okay. Then you sit down like that. You know? And then resting meditation. If it’s too difficult, you know, difficult, you know, foggy mind, then remember the guru is still there.
So the guru guru, you know, Avalokiteśvara. Much powerful. Just like, you know, you know, the thousands of kilometers, you know, a higher mountain, coming powerful water down.