The Dzogchen Primer Read online

  There have been an incredible number of practitioners in the past who attained accomplishment and liberation, the great bodhisattvas and mahasiddhas of India as well as the Tibetans of different lineages. Just read the life stories of how many practitioners did so; they are like the stars we can see in the night sky. Definitely it is possible—but it is in our own hands.

  For sentient beings as a whole, samsara is endless. But for each individual person who practices and awakens to enlightenment there is an end to samsaric existence. There are two possibilities: the endless path of samsara, and the path with an end to samsara. Right now we have the choice between the two. We can practice, gain accomplishment, and attain enlightenment, cutting all ties to our existence in samsara as deluded sentient beings. For the person completely under the power of discursive thinking, the path of samsara continues endlessly. When one gains mastery over the essence of mind by perfecting one’s practice of rigpa, samsaric existence is brought to an end.

  Three key words summarize all Dharma teachings: ground, path, and fruition. The ground, the buddha nature, the dharmakaya of all the buddhas, is like a wish-fulfilling jewel. It is the basis for buddhas and sentient beings; there is no difference whatsoever. It is said that the nature of mind is like a wish-fulfilling jewel. Those who fail to recognize this are called sentient beings; those who realize it are called buddhas. In other words, the jewel of the buddhas did not fall in the mud, whereas the jewel of sentient beings fell in the mud and was covered by dirt. First there was a jewel, then it fell in the mud, under the power of delusion.

  Being under the power of delusion or confusion is called the path. All the attempts to clean the jewel in order to remove the dirt obscuring it are the example for spiritual practices that enable one to gain realization.

  The term buddha refers to someone who has realized the ground to begin with. In this context, buddha refers to primordial enlightenment. Sentient beings have no chance for primordial enlightenment since they already have soiled their jewel. But, by cleaning the jewel through engaging in the practices of visualization, recitation, and meditation, one purifies the obscurations of body, speech, and mind and gathers the accumulations of merit and wisdom. Thus there is the possibility to become “re-enlightened” and that is called fruition.

  Phrased in another way, buddhas do not stray into the deluded state of a path. Because their jewel is not dropped in the mud, it does not have to be cleaned. The state of sentient beings is like a jewel that fell in the mud. The dirt has to be removed in order to re-establish the purity of the jewel. The story of the wish-fulfilling jewel is that once it is cleaned it can be placed on top of a victory banner. One can make offerings to it, and it will then fulfill all wishes—that is the fruition.

  The ground is the buddha nature, which is like a wish-fulfilling jewel. It is present in all beings just like oil is present in any sesame seed. All beings have buddha nature, but this alone is not enough. The second thing needed is the support of a physical body, the precious human body. It is only as a human that one is able to practice and awaken to enlightenment. Insects and animals do have an enlightened essence, but their body is not a support for realizing it because they cannot receive teachings or speak—they don’t come to Dharma talks and receive teachings. Only humans do this. The third factor needed is the positive circumstance of a spiritual teacher. These three need to coincide: having buddha nature, being a human possessing a precious human body, and connecting with a spiritual teacher. Then it’s possible to receive the pith instructions on how to recognize and realize the nature that we already have. Although we cannot be primordially enlightened, we can become re-enlightened.

  We presently possess all three of these factors: we have the buddha nature, we are humans, and we are connected to a spiritual teacher. If we let this precious opportunity slip away, don’t practice, and just watch life pass by until we die, that would be like returning empty-handed from an island full of jewels. Sentient beings are lost; we’ve lost our buddha nature. An example of this is a stupid person who loses himself in a crowd of people and doesn’t know who he is until someone tells him, “Here you are!” If we don’t recognize our true nature, we are like the stupid person lost in a crowd, asking, “Where am I?” We need to “find” ourselves. Even though we seem to be lost, by virtue of the positive circumstance of the spiritual teacher we can be introduced to our “lost” nature. The spiritual teacher doesn’t hand us something we don’t already possess. We have it, and yet we have lost it, so to speak. There is no greater misfortune than losing what we already have, the buddha within ourselves. The qualities of an enlightened buddha are not his qualities; they are the qualities of the buddha nature fully manifest. We also possess that same potential, but it is hidden, lying dormant.

  If our buddha nature is beyond delusion and liberation, can’t we also say that we are in essence primordially enlightened? We could possibly succeed in convincing ourselves with such a philosophical trick, but it’s not really true, because we have already strayed onto the path. If we had never fallen into confusion, we could rightfully claim to be primordially enlightened. But unfortunately it is too late to make that claim. Our precious wish-fulfilling jewel has already fallen into the stinking mud.

  Primordial enlightenment means that ground and fruition are identical and there is no path of delusion to be cleared away. This is definitely different from the situation of us who have already strayed onto the path and therefore need to clear away delusion in order to reach fruition. Take the example of a myriad of jewels: some are covered with mud, some are clean. All of them are jewels, but each is distinctly individual. Sentient beings’ minds cognize individually, so we have to say that they are separate.

  This is quite a good example, to view all beings and buddhas as countless jewels, some covered with dirt, some clean. They are not identical even though they have the same qualities. If the minds of all sentient beings were one, then when one individual attains enlightenment, everybody else would be liberated at the same moment. But if you attain enlightenment it doesn’t mean that I will be enlightened. Understand it this way: although beings have similar qualities, we are not one. We have the same essence, which is empty and cognizant, but our form of manifestation is separate, distinct from that of another sentient being.

  If I recognize buddha nature and attain enlightenment it doesn’t mean that another person also recognizes and attains enlightenment. Sorry about that! If beings shared both the same essence and manifestation, when one reached enlightenment everyone else would too. We are like pure gold scattered in different places: equal quality, but separate pieces. Likewise with water: the properties of water are identical, but there is water in many diverse locations in this world. Or think of the space inside our different houses—the same space but with various shapes. The empty cognizance is identical, but the “form” around it is distinctly individual. Some jewels were lucky, others fell in the mud.

  Adapted from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Repeating the Words of the Buddha (Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1996), “Re-enlightenment.”

  5

  MEDITATION

  Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche

  I would like to begin by defining the qualifications for the Dharma teacher and the Dharma student. I will talk about the different types of teachers we can learn from and the need to integrate learning and reflection within meditation training.

  The teacher, who is sometimes referred to as the “spiritual friend,” should possess numerous great qualities. In brief, he or she should have gone through the proper training of learning, reflection, and meditation involving the view, meditation, conduct, and fruition of each of the vehicles. The master who possesses confidence and experience in the view of emptiness will never err concerning the meaning of the teachings. Although some minor mistakes in the phrasing might occur, someone with stability in the view will be able to immediately correct such inaccuracies.

  The spiritual friend should, of course, be perfect
in learning, reflection, and meditation, but we, the students, also should never separate these three. Learning alone is not sufficient: what has been learned should be firmly established within one’s being through reflection. What is meant by the word reflection? It means to investigate and examine the teaching. So please discern what is said and what is meant. Investigate what the words and the meaning indicate. Understand the purpose as well as the benefit of the teaching—really work it over and ponder it. This kind of reflection clarifies our understanding of what we study.

  Without some degree of study and reflection, our devotion to the spiritual master and to enlightened beings is inconsistent. Likewise, our love and compassion for others tends to be fickle and transient. Especially concerning the view of the ultimate nature, without study or reflection it’s very hard to be really stable. Without a proper basis in studying and reflecting, we can easily be interrupted by doubts and hesitation. Maybe we don’t get completely wrong views, but subtle wrong views can easily sneak in. Therefore, it’s very important to gain some intellectual comprehension of the teachings through studying and reflecting upon them. However, if we simply leave the matter with learning and reflection, we are still mere intellectuals. There is no doubt that we need meditation training. Meditation here means the process of bringing what we have learned and reflected upon into the realm of personal experience.

  When speaking of spiritual masters, there are four types of teachers that we should follow, all of whom are indispensable and can bring us great benefit. I go into greater detail about these types of teachers in my book Indisputable Truth, but here I will just briefly mention them. The first of these four categories is the “living lineage teacher,” an actual physically embodied master who belongs to a lineage. The second type is the “teacher who is the scriptures of awakened beings,” which includes the words of the Buddha and statements made by accomplished and learned masters of the past. The third type of teacher is called the “symbolic teacher of experience,” our personal experiences gained from living in this world. To fully grasp the Buddhist teaching that states that samsaric existence should be discarded, we need to comprehend what the nature of samsaric existence is. By understanding the characteristics of our own daily life experiences, we come to realize that samsaric existence is futile and unreliable, not something in which to put our trust. In this way, ordinary life becomes our teacher. It instructs us in futility and impermanence. That is what is meant by the symbolic teacher of experience.

  We need to meet, follow, and take guidance from these three types of teachers. Ultimately, however, there’s only one true teacher. This is our enlightened essence, the self-existing wakefulness within ourselves, also called the “ultimate teacher of the innate nature.” All sentient beings within the six classes of living creatures possess this enlightened essence. Among these six classes, the three inferior types—hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals—also possess an enlightened essence, a buddha nature. But because of their unfortunate circumstances or, in the case of animals, their stupidity, they are unable to put it into practice and realize it. However, anyone who experiences and realizes this enlightened essence does attain complete enlightenment. No matter how miserable or how deluded we may be, if we can bring our buddha nature into our experience and train in it, we can be enlightened. On the other hand, if we don’t experience and realize this enlightened essence, we will not attain complete enlightenment. To meet and realize this enlightened essence, we must utilize learning and reflection; most important, we need to practice meditation.

  This ultimate teacher of the innate nature is present in everyone, all beings, without any exception. Although this is so, we don’t acknowledge it; we don’t recognize it. That is why it is said to be shrouded in a veil of ignorance. We have to use that analogy, speaking as if there were something hidden that we need to see. Since our innate nature is locked up inside an encasement of dualistic fixation, we need to destroy this dualistic experience. Now, let’s examine whether this statement is true or not.

  In terms of destroying this encasement of dualistic experience: unless we use some method, some technique, it just doesn’t happen. The best method is of course effortlessness, but effortlessness cannot be taught. Even if we try, we do not become effortless automatically. Effortlessness just doesn’t seem to spontaneously take place. But this encasement in dualistic experience falls apart the moment we simply let be in a nondualistic state. Another way to look at it is to realize that every moment of ordinary experience is governed by habit, by conditioning. Our present habit is dominated by deliberate effort. We have therefore no choice but to use our present habit of being deliberate and using effort in order to arrive at effortlessness.

  When loving friends want to console or to relieve another’s pain, they say, “Relax, don’t worry.” This is really one of the finest statements that a person can make. Relaxation—especially mental relaxation—is something basic and extremely beneficial. It is human nature to strive for material gain, sense pleasures, a good reputation, and appreciation from others, often in an intense or even desperate way. Unless we can relax and not be so caught up, our relationship to enjoyments and wealth becomes hollow and substanceless, almost as if we were robots.

  When someone whose heart is troubled and worried is, out of true affection and kindness, told, “Relax, don’t worry,” this statement helps and can make a big difference. Telling someone to let go and relax can instill a sense of peace. This holds true not only for human beings but also for animals. When you show a genuinely loving expression on your face and kindly stroke an animal with your hand, these actions help it to feel at ease. Most important is to behave with love and compassion, expressing these feelings by being gentle and affectionate. The opposite of this is to act out of anger and to be aggressive toward others.

  This is why the perfectly enlightened one, the Buddha, said, “Rest calmly.” In fact, teachings on the practice of shamatha sound very much like “Relax, don’t worry.” When we tell each other, “Relax!” the power of just that one word has some kind of deep impact. Most people using the word don’t really know the true depth of the meaning of “relax.” We say, “Relax!” but that which prevents us from being relaxed is, on a coarse level, our own disturbing emotions. On a more subtle level, that which prevents an utterly relaxed state of mind is subconscious thought activity, an almost unnoticed undercurrent of conceptual thinking.

  When the Buddha said, “Practice shamatha, rest calmly,” he was giving affectionate advice. He was telling us to try to be at peace with ourselves, to remain like an ocean unmoved by the waves of disturbing emotions. We must realize that the degree to which our mind is occupied by disturbing emotions generates a corresponding degree of pain, of feeling unsettled and upset. If there’s a medium degree of disturbing emotions, we feel that degree of pain. Even when there is simply an undercurrent of concepts, a subconscious flow of thoughts, this still prevents us from feeling totally at ease and remaining in the peaceful state of shamatha. So, the Buddha said, “Rest totally free, completely without any disturbing emotions, without any thought activity.” This practice is called shamatha, and in the Sutra teachings it is taught in incredibly great detail. All the practices of shamatha can be condensed into two types: shamatha with the support of an object and shamatha without any object.

  For a beginner it is difficult to simply be at peace, to rest calmly and free from a mental focus. This is because all our activities and ways of perceiving are dualistic, due to the habit of holding an object in mind. Therefore, the beginning practice of shamatha is to keep some concept or object in mind—not a complicated point of focus or multiple ones, just a single simple one.

  The most widespread and generally accepted form of shamatha with support involves placing the attention on the movement of our breath or on an object like a pebble, a stick, an image of the Buddha, or the like. Focusing our mind on one simple object prevents it from being occupied by anything else. We are not planning the fut
ure, reacting to some past event, indulging in being upset about this and that, or pondering some choice object of love or hate. By concentrating on just one thing, it is possible for a feeling of peace, relaxation, and comfort to take place.

  Imagine a monkey locked inside a small box with four openings; it is really restless. It sticks its head out one side after the other, so rapidly and repeatedly that someone observing from the outside might think that there are four monkeys. Our present state of mind is very much like that restless monkey. It doesn’t linger in one place from one moment to the next. All the time our minds are busy, constantly thinking. When we practice this form of shamatha, focusing our attention on just one object, we become accustomed to this new habit after some time. That is how it is possible to attain stability in a calm state of mind, in shamatha.

  Compared to a state of mind that is occupied by nervous, restless thoughts, it is much better to be in a focused, relaxed state of peaceful attention. The benefits of this can be seen immediately: the very moment mind is simply focused on one object, the waves of disturbing thoughts and emotions are absent. Spending a session meditating in this way is like taking a break. It becomes a time of peace and calm, of feeling comfortable with ourselves. When our attention begins to stray away, when we are unable to keep an object in mind, we get distracted, and the feeling of being at ease also disappears. Then we remember the object of attention and continue as before, and the feeling of being at peace reoccurs.

  At this point of meditation training, please don’t believe that dualistic fixation is absent; it hasn’t collapsed yet. Yet, the moment of resting calmly with focused attention is free of gross disturbing emotions; it’s free of anger, attachment, and dullness. Say we’re focusing on a vase of flowers. We’re not involved in reacting against the flowers, in aggressively disliking them, which is anger. We are not attracted to them either, thinking how nice they are, which is attachment. Neither are we indifferent to them, which is dullness. Although the mind is free from the gross expression of these three types of emotions, there is still some sense of focus, of “me,” “that,” and “I’m focused!” As long as one retains such concepts of subject and object, dualistic fixation is not absent. In this way, it’s not yet the perfect type of shamatha, and it is definitely not the awakened state of mind. Nevertheless, compared to an ordinary disturbed state of mind, shamatha with an object is much preferable, because it’s free from gross disturbing emotions.