Dzogchen
Being In Your True Nature
Dzogchen Is Total Perfection
The real condition of each individual.
The knowledge of Dzogchen comes through experiencing the state of your
Primordial Condition, Natural State, Buddha Nature... beyond the mind.
The methods for experiencing the knowledge of the Natural State are called Dzogchen teachings.
The essential point is to truly be in the State and experience it.
The great Siddha and Avatar, Garab Dorje, came as an emanation of Buddha Shakayamuni around 300 years after Buddha Shakyamuni's paranirvana.
He transmitted three statements as a guideline on how to achieve and gain the full Knowledge of Dzogchen or the Natural State.
The three statements of Garab Dorje and progression of the teachings are:
Direct Introduction:
Dzogchen Semde, the series of mind. You are introduced to your Natural State by a qualified teacher.
Going Beyond Doubts:
Dzogchen
Longde, the series of space. By the use of precise methods that combine physical positions, energy points, gazing, time of the day and month, etc... you can have the direct experience of your Natural State beyond the mind.
Development:
Dzogchen Upadesha,
esoteric series or secret series.
The Great Perfection
There is no phenomena that is not completed in the mind; this is the sacred truth of the Great Perfection.
The Knowledge of Dzogchen comes through experiencing the awake, aware Love Presence or Natural State.
This experience is beyond mind. It is the real condition of each individual.
Dzogchen Quotations
"Dzogchen doesn’t ask you to change your religion, philosophy or ideology, nor to become something other than what you are. It only asks you to observe yourself and to discover the ‘cage’ you have built with all your conditioning and limits.
In fact Dzogchen teaches us how to regain that freedom of being which we all have in potentiality. “Freedom” in this case means a state in which we are no longer conditioned by dualism, by judgements, by the passions and by everything we believe in.
One might ask, “But what is then left of a person?”
Pure presence, uncontaminated clarity, like that of a mirror that reflects everything, which is the true treasure of mankind."
— Chögyal Namkhai Norbu
"The precious relative bodhichitta is compassion, and the precious ultimate bodhichitta is emptiness.
With compassion and emptiness, enlightenment is unavoidable.
All the sutras, tantras, scriptures and oral instructions are contained within this.
It is not all right to say, 'I don't need devotion, I don't need compassion for beings, just meditation is sufficient.' With compassion and emptiness, the view is automatically like a blazing fire.
When this happens, the profound emptiness, self-existing wakefulness, very quickly arises in one's being. This is unfailing, unfabricated, unobscured, the straight path for attaining enlightenment within rigpa."
— Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
From the book: "Vajra Speech"
"The everyday practice of dzogchen is simply to develop a complete carefree acceptance, an openness to all situations without limit.
We should realise openness as the playground of our emotions and relate to people without artificiality, manipulation or strategy.
We should experience everything totally, never withdrawing into ourselves as a marmot hides in its hole.
This practice releases tremendous energy which is usually constricted by the process of maintaining fixed reference points. Referentiality is the process by which we retreat from the direct experience of everyday life.
Being present in the moment may initially trigger fear. But by welcoming the sensation of fear with complete openness, we cut through the barriers created by habitual emotional patterns."
—Dilgo Khyentse Rimpoche
"Integrating knowledge of the natural state in all aspects of life.
This is the true path of Dzogchen. Why?
Because your natural state is the only thing permanent, its aware presence remains in everything beyond life and death, day and night, shadow and light.
One of the most difficult aspects of integration, meaning remaining undistracted from your true nature in daily life, is when you're living a Pawo Kandro relationship, or a spiritual love relationship.
In this type of relationship you are challenged at all moments of life. Those challenges are a great opportunity for you to see where you stand as a Dzogchen practitioner.
Are you able to recognize, to be aware of your primordial condition (natural state), in the most difficult conditions?
Like emotional crisis, going down in deep shadows of your being, extreme bliss, joy, all of those experiences.
If not then to have the awareness of when you are becoming distracted.
At this point we have two main levels that go from concentration to contemplation.
The first one is easy, just focus more into whatever you are doing, come back to the present and relax.
The second one, apply the methods that suit you best to reestablish the recognition of your natural state.
Once the recognition is present all the diverse energies, experiences that have been creating tensions, suffering will dissolve by themselves.
They become like a big play where you are feeling every thing that is happening in the moment without being distracted by being stuck into them.
Your awake love presence shines without flickering.
The display of emotions, sensations, visions are just a reflection of the light of the five elements that form your physical matter."