ED, When I first read this post I assumed that 'Dzogchen' was someone's fancy-schamcy spelling of 'Dogen' - as in Dogen Zenji the founder of the Soto sect of Japanese Zen Buddhism. I was surpised to find out it is not, but a Tibetan word. What a coincidence!
The thoughts expressed here are also very similar to those taught by the Soto school which empasizes 'shikantaza', or 'just sitting', expending no conscious effort to keep thoughts from arising or trying to dismiss them. Is there any recognized connection between Dzogchen and Dogen that you know of? ...Bill! --- In [email protected], "ED" <seacrofter001@...> wrote: > > > > Kristy, See below. Be well, ED > > > > "Dzogchen, the Path of Self-Liberation > > The particular method of Dzogchen is called the Path of Self-Liberation, > and to apply it nothing need be renounced, purified, or transformed. > Whatever arises as one's karmic vision is used as the path. > > The great master Pha Tampa Sangye [South Indian Yogin of the 11 century > (ed.)] once said: It is not the circumstances which arise as one's > karmic vision that condition a person into the dualistic state; it is a > person's own attachment that enables what arises to condition him. > If this attachment is to be cut through in the most rapid and effective > way, the mind's spontaneous capacity to self-liberate must be > brought into play. > > The term self-liberation should not, however, be taken as implying that > there is some 'self' or ego there to be liberated. It is a > fundamental assumption...at the Dzogchen level, that all phenomena are > void of self-nature. > > 'Self -Liberation', in the Dzogchen sense, means that whatever > manifests in the field of experience of the practitioner is allowed to > arise just as it is, without judgement of it as good or bad, beautiful > or ugly. > > And in that same moment, if there is no clinging, or attachment, without > effort, or even volition, whatever it is that arises, whether as a > thought or as a seemingly external event, automatically liberates > itself, by itself, and of itself. > > Practicing in this way the seeds of the poison tree of dualistic vision > never even get a chance to sprout, much less to take root and grow.(p33) > > Not Sutra, not Tantra, Dzogchen does not see itself as the high point of > any hierarchy of levels, and is not a gradual path. > > Dzogchen is the Path of Self-Liberation, and not the Path of > Transformation, so it does not use visualization as a principle > practice; but it is beyond limits, and practices of any of the other > levels can be used as secondary practices. > > The principle practice of Dzogchen is to enter directly into non-dual > contemplation, and to remain in it, continuing to deepen it until one > reaches Total Realization. (p34) top > <http://www.dzogchen.org.au/index.php?page=dzogchen#top> " > > > http://www.dzogchen.org.au/index.php?page=dzogchen > <http://www.dzogchen.org.au/index.php?page=dzogchen> > > > --- In [email protected], Kristy McClain <healthyplay1@> > wrote: > > > > ED.. One final comment on this.. I think the attached comments > correlate with my prior comment. They teach that the environment is > simply not the focus. That, in fact, being distracted is equally > relevant to the process. Or -- this is how I am reading this. Take > care.. k Longchenpa makes an astonishing commentary on a portion > from the Dzogchen Semde root tantra, the Kunje Gyalpo. I have included > both Longchenpa's commentary and the relevant text from the Kunje > Gyalpo. Quotes are from Longchenpa's The Precious Treasury of the Basic > Space of Phenomena, published by Padma Publishing. My comments are > beneath the KJG quotes below. "Spontaneously present meditative > stability, settled in its own place, is understood to be ongoing, like > the flow of a river, without having to be deliberately cultivated. > Within that context, everything arises as the true nature of phenomena, > and so there is no error or obscuration, no dullness or agitation, no > distraction or even the lack of it, because any object of distraction > arises as the display of that nature." From the Kunje Gyalpo: To > ignore what is inherent and seek afar for something else, eagerly > trying to arouse the bliss that requires no effort... there is no > greater debility than this. Undistracted meditative absorption is a > stake that tethers one to reification. With respect to what is and > always has been , there is no distraction, nothing to be lost. > Undistracted meditative absorption seduces one with hope. Such are the > Mahayana approaches based on either causes or results, which reveal what > is provisional.... With respect to what is and always has been, there > is no distraction, no loss. The state in which nothing need be done > transcends all effort and achievement. Jackson: Notice above where > Longchenpa says any object of distraction arises as the display of that > nature. In other words, whatever you are distracted by is itself the > display of Rigpa and so you are actually still noticing Rigpa's display. > As an example, when you are simply present to the here and now observing > the sky, while observing the sky, a strong distracting thought or image > enters your mind. Suddenly you are no longer in the here and now > noticing the sky, but rather you are observing this thought. This is in > traditional Mahayana vehicles of meditation considered to be distraction > and is taught to be avoided and corrected. One is taught to stay in > here and now awareness. But Longchenpa is saying those distracting > thoughts are themselves just as valid as the sky as objects of > experience. Those thoughts are also occurring in the here and now, so > when you are observing thoughts or images you are also fully in here and > now presence. Both the sky and thoughts are equally Rigpa's pure > display. So in this way it is understood that distraction is > impossible. If this extremely subtle and vital point is understood, all > effort at trying to maintain an undistracted state drops away. All > experiences of every kind are equally the display of Rigpa. Then one > may ask: Well, ok ... then what exactly do I do when practicing > Dzogchen? Great question! But it must remain unanswered, or else the > answer will be turned into a new something to do. In Dzogchen the > notion that there is something to do or practice is considered an > illness. You are already Rigpa Awareness, what would be the point of > doing something in order to become what you already are? > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
