Wisdom of the Masters

A reading for meditation of the teaching 'A dear Treasure for Destined Disciples' by Dudjom Rinpoche.Dudjom Rinpoche (1904–1987) was one of the most revered masters of Tibetan Buddhism and a major lineage holder of the Nyingma tradition. Renowned as a scholar, poet, and realized yogi, he spent his life preserving and transmitting the profound teachings of Dzogchen and the treasure traditions (terma).Dudjom Rinpoche’s writings and teachings emphasize the direct recognition of the nature of mind—pure awareness that is naturally free, luminous, and ever-present. With remarkable clarity, he pointed practitioners beyond conceptual elaboration toward immediate realization, often expressing that liberation is not something newly created but the unveiling of what has always been present.Through his compassionate guidance, literary works, and spiritual presence, Dudjom Rinpoche inspired countless practitioners to recognize the innate purity and awakened nature of their own mind. His legacy continues to illuminate the path of awakening for students around the world._______________________________🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.🔆 Thank you to everyone who has written to inquire about offering a donation or gift. You are welcome to do so, and all offerings will go towards supporting monastic requisites and overheads at Viveka Hermitage.There are two options to donate using this email address: [email protected] with PayPalor using this link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage Alternatively, donations can also be made via 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐄 - you can use this direct link:https://wise.com/pay/me/margarets448or please contact us on the email above for account details if you have problems.

This is an extended version of the previously uploaded recording of the Bon pointers (Remain Like the Sky). It allows for more spaces between each profound pointing and thus offers a longer and potentially deeper meditation.Excerpts have been taken from the text 'Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyendyud' - the Experiential Transmission of Bönpo Dzogchen. The text contains the heart teachings of ancient Bönpo Dzogchen Masters, translated and commented on by Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, the current holder of this unique lineage.The Yungdrung Bön (Bön) Lineage tradition is one of the oldest indigenous spiritual traditions in the world. Originating in Central Asia with Tongpa Shenrap Miwoche (considered by tradition to be a full Buddha), the Bön Lineage teachings have been transmitted unbroken from teacher to student for over 17,000 years. This profound and uninterrupted transmission through generations has ensured the preservation and vitality of the Bön tradition, teachings and practices across millennia.Often referred to as Tibetan Bön Buddhism, Bön Lineage teachings share many similarities with Tibetan Buddhism yet maintain unique traditions, texts, rituals and practices intent on cultivating openness of heart, purification of obscurations and direct realisation of primordial awareness.
🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.🔆 Thank you to everyone who has written to inquire about offering a donation or gift. You are welcome to do so, and all offerings will go towards supporting monastic requisites and overheads at Viveka Hermitage.There are two options to donate using this email address: [email protected] with PayPalor using this link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage Alternatively, donations can also be made via 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐄 - you can use this direct link:https://wise.com/pay/me/margarets448or please contact us on the email above for account details if you have problems.

This deeply relaxing 30 minute guided Yoga Nidra will help you relax, find inner peace and drift into a deep sleep. It follows a gentle guidance of sweeping the attention throughout the various body parts in order to relax and let go of any tension in the body and mind. It contains soft background music to help you relax and feel deep inner peace.
Music: Uppbeat Licensed Music

🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.
🔆 Thank you to everyone who has written to inquire about offering a donation or gift. You are welcome to do so, and all offerings will go towards supporting monastic requisites and overheads at Viveka Hermitage.
There are two options to donate using this email address: [email protected] with PayPalor using this link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage Alternatively, donations can also be made via 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐄 - you can use this direct link:https://wise.com/pay/me/margarets448or please contact us on the email above for account details if you have problems.

This reading for contemplation/meditation about the nature of the citta has been excerpted from several discourses given by Acharya Maha Boowa.Ajahn Maha Boowa or Bua (1913–2011) was one of the most revered Thai Forest masters of the 20th century, a direct disciple of Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta. Known for his uncompromising practice and penetrating insight, he dedicated his life to the realization and teaching of the Dhamma in its most direct, experiential form.Ajahn Maha Boowa emphasized the centrality of the citta (heart-mind)—the luminous, knowing essence underlying all experience. Through rigorous meditation, he described how defilements (kilesas) obscure this innate clarity, and how disciplined mindfulness and wisdom can dismantle these obscurations layer by layer. His teachings often highlighted the distinction between the knowing awareness and the phenomena that arise within it, pointing practitioners toward a direct recognition of the unconditioned.He spoke vividly about the battle with the kilesas, encouraging fearless investigation of craving, self-identity, and attachment, and stressing that true freedom lies in complete release from these forces. Ajahn Maha Boowa's guidance combined fierce determination with deep compassion, urging practitioners to verify the Dhamma for themselves through sustained practice rather than mere intellectual understanding.Through his teachings and the establishment of Wat Pa Baan Taad, he helped preserve and revitalize the Thai Forest tradition, leaving a legacy of profound meditative instruction centered on direct realization of Nibbāna.Further information about this tradition and teacher can be found here: https://forestdhamma.org/_______________________________🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.🔆 Thank you to everyone who has written to inquire about offering a donation or gift. You are welcome to do so, and all offerings will go towards supporting monastic requisites and overheads at Viveka Hermitage.There are two options to donate using this email address: [email protected] with PayPalor using this link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage Alternatively, donations can also be made via 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐄 - you can use this direct link:https://wise.com/pay/me/margarets448or please contact us on the email above for account details if you have problems.

Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār al-Niffarī (c. 10th century) was a little-known but profoundly influential early Sufi mystic, best known for his enigmatic work al-Mawāqif wa’l-Mukhāṭabāt (“The Standings and the Addresses”). Living during the formative period of Islamic mysticism, he left no biography of his own; what survives is his dense, visionary prose, which later mystics regarded as spiritually radical and difficult.Al-Niffarī’s spiritual insight centers on the experience of divine encounter beyond concepts and language. He describes mawqif (a “standing” before God) as a liminal state where the self dissolves and God directly “addresses” the seeker. His writings emphasize the paradox of divine proximity and incomprehensibility, insisting that true knowledge of God arises not through doctrine or reasoning but through annihilation of the ego (fanāʾ) in the overwhelming presence of the Real.He also explores the limits of language and consciousness, using cryptic, almost aphoristic statements to suggest that ultimate reality cannot be grasped by ordinary thought. In this sense, al-Niffarī anticipates later apophatic and nondual currents in Sufism, influencing thinkers such as Ibn ʿArabī and later mystical traditions.Today, al-Niffarī is regarded as a visionary mystic whose writings point to a direct, transformative encounter with the Absolute—beyond theology, beyond identity, and beyond the boundaries of speech itself.________________________________Music: Licensed music from Pixabay - 'No-Mad'Duduk whispers - Oud healing music - Louay AlAwam🙏 May whatever goodness arises from these readings/offerings be for the benefit of all sentient beings.🔆 Thank you to everyone who has written to inquire about offering a donation or gift. You are welcome to do so, and all offerings will go towards supporting monastic requisites and overheads at Viveka Hermitage.There are two options to donate using this email address: [email protected] with PayPalor using this link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitage Alternatively, donations can also be made via 𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐄 - you can use this direct link:https://wise.com/pay/me/margarets448or please contact us on the email above for account details if you have problems.