ED, That is a good question. Religion does not have to follow factual history. But zen is not a religion. Moreover, zen has a lot of stories supported by historical facts.
I am not interested in the abstract remarks of the Dzogzhen master, but amused by mentioning of the third century BC, which is about 200 years after the death of Sakyamuni, and well before the appearance of mahayana (around the turn of the century). Tibetan Buddhism, as well as zen, developed from mahayana, and Dzogzhen is part of Tibetan Buddhism. It is logical that the Dzogchen master was able to predict the technique. So there is nothing wrong. Anthony --- On Thu, 17/3/11, ED <[email protected]> wrote: From: ED <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] First Master of Dzogchen To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, 17 March, 2011, 10:03 PM Anthony, do you believe that one should only follow religious or spiritual or psychological paths whose historical origins are known to be factual? --ED --- In [email protected], Anthony Wu <wuasg@...> wrote: > Do you believe this myth? Anthony --- On Thu, 17/3/11, ED <seacrofter001@...> wrote: Garab Dorje, the first master of Dzogchen, manifested as a human being in the third century B.C.E.. His final teaching before he entered the Body of Light was to summarise the teachings in Three Principles, sometimes known as "The Three Last Statements of Garab Dorje." He left behind this testament for all the Dzogchen practitioners of the future. The Three Statements of Garab Dorje are: "Introduce in the state directly" refers to the transmission by the master, who, in various ways, introduces and brings the disciple to understand the condition of "what is", the individual's primordial state. This is the Base. "Do not remain in doubt" means that one must have a precise knowledge of this state, finding the state of the presence of contemplation which is one and the same in all the thousands of possible experiences. This is the Path "Continue in the profound knowledge of self-liberation" is the Fruit. That means, the complete and unchangeable knowledge of self-liberation is totally integrated with one's daily life and in all circumstances one continues in that state. All the hundreds and hundreds of original texts of Dzogchen can be considered to be an explanation of these three verses of Garab Dorje." from "The Crystal and the Way of Light" and "Dzogchen, the Self-Perfected State" - by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu top
