Foundations of Mahamudra and Dzogchen Meditation

A 3-week DharmaWeb course preparing for summer retreat

This three-week course introduces three core meditation practices that support the Mahamudra and Dzogchen teachings we will work with during the summer retreat.

Together, we will focus on three essential stages of practice:

• bringing the mind to rest (shamatha)
• looking into the nature of mind (vipashyana)
• learning how to rest in the natural state

These are the practical foundations that allow retreat instructions to become workable and meaningful.

Our primary guide will be Rinpoche’s Secret Path of the Siddhas, together with supporting instructions from the 9th Karmapa’s Ocean of Definitive Meaning on shamatha and vipashyana. These classical teachings help us understand how stability and insight develop together, and how they prepare the ground for recognizing the natural state directly.

Each session will introduce one of these three practices and explore how to apply it in a simple and reliable way. The emphasis throughout will be on developing clarity and confidence in one’s own practice. This course is especially helpful for students planning to attend the summer retreat, as well as anyone who would like a clearer foundation in the meditation methods that support Mahamudra and Dzogchen practice.

About the Instructor

Greg Patenaude is a Buddhist teacher, writer, and the director of Younge Drodul Ling. Since 2004 he has studied and practiced under the guidance of his root teacher, Younge Khachab Rinpoche, receiving many teachings and transmissions and regularly attending group and personal retreats, including the annual ten-day summer Dzogchen retreat.

For more than a decade, Greg has supported the transmission of Rinpoche’s teachings in many roles. He has edited and published books, translated sadhanas used within the YDL sangha, and helped organize and lead retreats and study programs. He has also served as director of YDL for over ten years, helping sustain the community in which students can practice together and deepen their understanding of the path.

Greg teaches meditation groups, retreats, and DharmaWeb classes focused on the foundations of Mahamudra and Dzogchen practice. His approach emphasizes clarity and direct application so that students can develop confidence working with the nature of mind in the midst of everyday life.

In addition, Greg has completed traditional shedra studies with Rinpoche and has received teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, Kusum Lingpa, and others.

He lives in Seattle, Washington and continues to support practitioners committed to walking a path of awakening grounded in compassion, generosity, and lived practice. His writing can be found at lifes.work.