Q&A with Lama Lena - June 2023

[@daviswiggin4425]

Thank you for the question and the answer about the dharma and the autism spectrum! As someone on the spectrum myself I really appreciated it.

[@embargo3700]

3:40 Q: Are you aware of yogi communities similar to Tso Pema, where Dzogchen is taught and practice and is also open to westerners for long retreat? 10:20 Q: Can you talk about the relationship between Autism and Dharma? How does it shape one’s relation to it, and how does it affect the energy channels? 1539: Q: I’ve had many practice experiences but have become lazy and lost all motivation. I’m bored of life and have no more interest in further experiences. Any advice? 18:15 Q: Can a gay man replace khandro with pawo in the Dzogchen refuge prayer? 22:06 Q: Can you talk more about your father’s practices? I remember he was working with demons. 23:12 Q: When wishing all beings to be free from suffering, how do we resolve the problem that for the spider to avoid hunger, the fly has to get eaten? 24:46 Q: It seems that keeping the fifth precepts, regarding no intoxicants isn’t that important in Dzogchen. Is this so, and why? 26:40 Q: I am on the path of Trekcho. I don’t know how to describe what I have not seen, but I can only use the word presence. Something and nothing is there. Is this the correct view? 27:17 Q: What’s the skillful way to deal with the bad karma and intense feelings of guilt from doing something that’s necessary, but hurtful to another person, for example, breaking up with them? 28:09 Q: Does it have meaning to see a rainbow the day one goes to a retreat teaching, and also the day of return? 28:36 Q: I have been meditating for 3 years now, and am barely seeing any difference to my life. When is it okay to just call it quits, and pursue other means to improve one’s life? 29:30 Q: I’m interested in Tantra, but I’m afraid to take and follow Bodhisattva vows, because it’s not fully fit with me. I’m afraid of losing my freedom in following these rules. Any advice? 30:25 Q: How to be skillful with manifestations? They arise often, especially during Mantras and go out to beings in pure lands, but I lose track of them. 31:00 Q: How can we work with the heart, from the Dzogchen perspective? 33:09 Q: What is your view on artificial intelligence? 36:32 Q: How do I work with the karma of having practiced negative witchcraft as a young, uninformed person? 38:22 [Discussing Pride day] 40:09 Q: When do you know that it’s okay for you to practice Kurukulle, what are the signs that it will be beneficial? 43:43 Q: Why does it sometimes feel scary when “everything looks back at you”. Any advice (this is for Dzogchen practice)? 48:30 Q: I want to join Lama Lena’s dream yoga group. What teachings do I need to study before, to prepare? 50:42 Q: Why do we need so many yidams? 55:04 Q: I heard a master say that the nature of mind is simply to be conscious of consciousness, without adding anything. Do you agree with this? 56:40 Q: Could you speak more about the meaning of Rakta? [Symbolism of the substance used in pujas] 1:00:05 Q: Can you talk a bit about the arrangement for the Canada retreat? You’ve got an in-person portion, and then there’s also a zoom portion. 1:02:11 Q: I have trouble with the beginning refuge section of ngondro, I fear creating Samaya with a powerful rinpoche, because I know I will break Samaya. Any advice? 1:03:06 Q: Does Tara exist? And how do I contact her during the dream time, or during awake time, if possible? 1:04:46 Q: Do you need help with anything right now? 1:05:13 Q: For people attending the Dorje Phurba teaching coming up, what ritual items are required? 1:06:28 Q: Are we there yet? How will I know when I’m there? 1:06:58 Q: Is there a practice to do when you move into a new house? Do I do an offering for the spirits there? 1:08:24 Q: Could you give some idea of how to work with repeating patterns in life? For example, health problems leads to Poverty leads to needing to move, and then it cycles. How to practice with such a pattern?

[@taraclover4783]

Thanks lamaLena❤, may the merits created be the Cause for all Beings' Liberation🙏🌈🌈🌈

[@ramesh-zw2og]

🙏

[@lunaamerkel1756]

Hello, how can I ask a question?

[@birdsinthesnow6813]

In the chat of the live sessions. Next Saturday or Sunday there is another one.

[@lunaamerkel1756]

@@birdsinthesnow6813 thank you

[@c7eye]

I think I need to go to a war zone too. Nihilism

[@e.h.5849]

Nope, AI can never become sentient, since it is not sentient. AI is computation, human, or any form of awareness is not computation and is not an emergent quality. I understand, Lama Lena, you don't know much about computers (and since you certainly know much about anything else, you are forgiven to be dead wrong on this one:) but the way the algorithm composes a sentence with meaning is not at all similar to how human mind or mind of any other sentient being creates a thought. AI emulates patterns that it is trained on and composes similar patterns. Sophisticated enough, in some cases, very rudimentary and primitive in most other applications. Yes, sometimes you can have a superficial and logical conversation with IT. but you won;t get it to understasnd your subjective experience, cause for that you'd need it be sentient. Nothing can become sentient. this inborn sentience is unobtainable, intransferable, uncreated, cause it directly derrives its existences from the primoridal source. A computer, programming language, a code, an algorithm, computation in general is just abstract mathematic model that is based on patterns of our communication. Sentience is, what allows for feats like transferring the natural state into a disciple, there is a common domain, the field within which this can happen. AI is a child of a barren woman, can never meet her mother outside of her own delusion. I would anytime take your advice on anything else dharma or life related, cause that stuff from you is absolutely genuine and practical and has a very high value! Just being wrong on AI topic is not a big deal. ;)