Tomorrow begins the Tibetan year of the fire monkey.  I don’t usually pay much attention to holidays, but Namkhai Norbu’s annual Mandarava Drubchen Retreat begins and I am preparing to participate.  I surprised myself last year by waking up every morning at 3 am for two weeks to join Chogyal Namkhai Norbu as he gave dzogchen teachings and led the practice of long life at Dzamlingar in Tenerife, Canary Islands.  As I mentioned in Deconditioning Ground, this practice is important to me due to my connection with Padmasambhava and his Indian consort Mandarava.

This year feels much like last year.  I do not feel completely committed and am curious if my motivation will increase and what will happen during the two weeks.  Unlike last year though, I actually know a little bit more about the practice, have my necessary supplies, and, due to persistent study, I can do the mudra’s in the short version.

The beginning of the new year presents an opportunity.  Instead of making resolutions, deciding what I should or should not do, and grasping to a practice, I am opening to what is possible.  The Mandarava practice is all about receiving and receiving has been my theme in the past year.  To encourage greater expansion I ask the following questions:

• What is possible beyond this that I haven’t even considered?
• What would it take to receive universal abundance with perfect ease?
• What energy, space and consciousness can me and my body be to operate beyond form and structure, definition, limitations, linearity, and significance for all eternity?
• How can I use this to my advantage?