Dzogchen Teaching

"Dzogchen is the teaching on great perfection.  In Dzogchen teaching all the nine Yanas of original Nyingma tradition have been integrated and transformed with much more clarity. 

The Dzogchen teaching was brought to Tibet by Guru Padmasambhava, in his manifestation as Pema Jungne, in 817 AD and by Vimalamitra in 1400 AD. 

Dzogchen is a supreme Yoga practice as the word Dzog is equivalent to Yoga in Sanskrit and the word Chen means supreme.

Dzogchen evolved from Ati Yoga, the highest Yoga, and hence it is often referred as Ati Yoga. 

Dzogchen is the most direct and definite way to enlightenment.  It aims at directly realizing the natural state of being, that is pure, primordial and eternal.  With Dzogchen when one realizes the pure state of being, the cognitive and emotional obscuration are removed without having to exert.

Dzogchen teaching advocates that the Three Jewels -the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, are within us.  They are fully accomplished within us.

The primordial nature of our mind is Buddha, which is non-dual and independent of referential co-ordinates.  At absolute level our mind is Sunya and has no referential coordinates and the essence of that Sunya is the Buddha which is self-luminous and non-dual. 

Externally, Dharma manifests as perceptions, thoughts and feelings, to which we respond with actions.  Internally, Dharma is the unceasing and unobstructed pervasive awareness of the self luminous primordial mind.

Externally, Sangha comprises those whose minds turn toward Dharma.  Internally, Sangha is the cognizant and compassionate energy of our mind that is all pervasive and all-encompassing, the positive aspects of mind; the potentialities of Buddha Nature.

The Three Jewels are fully accomplished within us but we do not recognise them due to obscuration created by ignorance. 

Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are the subject, object and activity, and they are no other than our mental activities.  They are within the mental faculties of ours but we are unable to recognize them due to obscuration in perception.  The thoughts and emotions originating from our mind are conceptual, biased and impure which are influenced by I-factor.  They are outward bound and attached to Samsara. 

According to Dzogchen all the three Kayas; the Dharmakaya, Sambhogkaya, and Nirmanakaya, are also present within us. 

The Dharmakaya is the pure original state of being –the Sunyata.  The Sambhogkaya is the unobstructed non-dual awareness at the pure state of being; the essence –the self luminosity of the pure original state of being.  The Nirmanakaya is the unceasing activity of mind, its experiences and its responsiveness. 

Garab Dorji was the first person in human form, in Nirmanakaya, who received and transmitted Dzogchen teaching.  He is the original progenitor of Dzogchen.

Garab Dorji transmitted Dzogchen lineage to Manjushri Mitra; whose primary lineal disciple was Shri Singha.  Shri Singha was a great master of outer, inner, secret and inner most secret Yoga Tantras.  His lineal disciple was Jnanasutra.  The lineage continued and passed on to Vimalamitra, Vairocana and Padmasambhava.  It was Vimalamitra and Vairocana along with Padmasambhava brought Dzogchen to Tibet.

Eventually, Longchen Rabjampa, known as Longchenpa (1308-1364), synthesized and unified the sources of Dzogchen.  Later it was further synthesized by Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798). 

Dzogchen teaching advocates; “Our true nature is non-dual.  It is independent of dependent origination.  Contemplate on and discover that true nature.  Reflect on to what you actually are.  The time we discover and exploit our true nature, we are liberated.”

Dzogchen is above dualistic perception.  It does not transform something into something else.  In Dzogchen teaching there is no such thing as destroying bad and making good.   

The inherent true nature of ours is Buddha Nature.  It is not something that becomes and it is non-dual.

In Satipathana Sutta, Lord Buddha says; “Samsara and Nirvana presents the dualistic view.  But they are not two discrete identities.  The ultimate truth is non-dual.  No individual entity has its own existence.  To understand that non dual ultimate truth, the understanding of the conventional truth of duality is indispensable.  Without understanding the conventional truth, ultimate truth is not realized.”

Based on conventional truth Lord Buddha gave his Middle Path teaching and based on ultimate truth Lord Buddha gave his teaching on Dzogchen. 

The Middle Path is a causal path in which the causes of suffering are eliminated to realize the ultimate truth.  While Dzogchen is a path that enables us to directly realize the ultimate truth.  It is a Fruition Path.  With Dzogchen one enters directly into the nature of mind and be in it until total realization of the true nature of our mind is realized. 

The true nature of mind is characterized by Sunyata –the undifferentiated state of being.  It is from that intrinsic undifferentiated state of being our thoughts and emotions are born in a continuum.  Between every thought and emotion there is a gap, a dark space, and that gap too is characterized by Sunyata.  The thoughts and emotions arising from Sunyata are either good or bad.  Dzogchen embraces this reality, focus onto it and ensure that only good thoughts and emotions arise.

Sunyata and awareness are the intrinsic unified nature of our mind.  They co-arise in a continuum.  The unified nature of Sunyata and awareness is the essence of the true nature of mind.  It is Sunya yet it is aware. 

Smriti –the awareness and mindfulness, in the form of penetrative wisdom, keeps our mind clear and cognizant of what is going on, and enables us to transcend negative emotions and ensures whatever Karma born out of us is positive and support the well being of everyone.  

Dzogchen is essentially a way to purify our mind by embracing the pure state of mind with the conviction that the primordial state of being is there in us.  Being in the pure state of mind brings about liberation from Samsara.

In Dzogchen the ultimate object of refuse is one’s own primordial nature of mind, which is Sunya yet aware and free from I factor.  The practice begins with taking refuse in a divine teacher who represents infinite merit fields and divinities having the power to enlighten us, and ferry us from Samsara to Nirvana. 

The prostration onto the divine teacher is done while reciting the refuge verse.  In doing so, all the three, the mind, body and speech are engaged.  The divine teacher is then visualized with fullest devotion.  As the teacher is fully visualized, mental effort is made to be with the divine teacher and eventually without mental effort.  Finally the divine teacher is dissolved in the pure state of being inherently present in us, the primordial nature of our mind.  

Dzogchen practice generates Bodhi Citta –the enlightened feeling that enables us to hear the cry of all living beings in pains, distress and sorrows.  It is fruition path of liberation, a skilful means for knowing and being in our true nature.  It relies on internally existing being within us.  It does not transform something into something else but it enables us to realize what is already inherently there in us.  With Dzogchen we liberate ourselves by being what we actually are. 

Lord Buddha says; “We have infinite potential, but we are ignorant of it.  That infinite potential we have in us is at the deepest level of subtle state of our consciousness.”  Dzogchen is based on this truth.  It is a way to discover and experience that infinite potential.

Dzogchen enables us to actualize what is good and humane that benefits others.  It aims at to restrain and be humane and just.  Eventually it enables us to dissolve our outer consciousnesses in inner consciousness where our true nature eternally exists. 

Our true nature is unchanging and enduring.  It is unaffected by the law of cause and effect, the Karma.  It is not causally conditioned and not associated with change.  It is non-duel and has no subject-object relation.  The humane aspect of that true nature of ours is Buddha Nature. 

The Buddha Nature deep seated in our inner consciousness does not exist as an object or an identity.  It is simply objectless.  It is non-duel and simply non-dualistically self aware. 

Buddha Nature is the primordial state of being.  It is resting in our inner consciousness.  With Dzogchen we actualize the Buddha Nature.  When the Buddha Nature is actualized, the Ego which dictates and directs our outer consciousness, and ties it to sense objects, and keeps us attached to Samsara is rendered inactive without having to exert.

Our mind is the primary seat of our thoughts and emotions arising on the basis of subject-object relation with the presumption that there is I am in us.  With the presumption that there is I am in us, Ego co-arises with our every outward bound thoughts and emotions.  And all the evils in the world can be traced to the Ego that co-arises with our thoughts and emotions. 

With Dzogchen practice we redirect our outward bound outer consciousness to inward direction deep into our inner consciousness in search of true nature of our mind, which is devoid of dualities, Sunya and simply aware. 

In our mind the mental phenomena unceasingly arise and fall but mind itself is fundamentally Sunya.  With Dzogchen we transcend all dualistic conceptions and actualize non-dualistic principle and affirm that there is only one reality, the purity of mind, devoid of dualities, Sunya but aware.

Dzogchen is the most definitive and secretive teaching of Lord Buddha to directly see and realize the unconditioned pure state of mind, which is primordial, ultimate and absolute. 

At pure state of mind Lord Buddha says: “In seeing, there is just seeing.  No seer and nothing seen.  In hearing, there is just hearing.  No hearer and nothing heard (Bahiya Sutta -Udana 1.10).”  This teaching Lord Buddha gave only to few select disciples, who had highly developed facultative capacity to understand and receive the teaching.  This was the Dzogchen teaching.

At the most subtle state, the primordial intrinsic state of our mind is non-discriminatory and non-dualistic.  However, at that state our mind continuously radiates thoughts and emotions in response to reaction of senses against their respective sense objects that creates attachment to Samsara. 

Dzogchen practice utilizes our natural intelligence to look inward dispassionately at our mind and sort our confusion and ignorance on oneness of the truth transcending the sense of duality. 

The dualistic perception creates delusion while the non-dualistic perception embodies ultimate truth.  It is with the perception of duality, we feel sad on our relative state of being.  In absence of duality, everything in the world is just grace and elegance.

Dzogchen enables us for ceasing the unceasing activity of mind, by focus on arising, abiding and disappearance of thoughts, and thereby realizing the non-dual naturally pure state of mind void of fleeting thoughts.  It is at that non-dual state of mind Bodhi Citta –the natural feeling for others’ well being arises. 

Dzogchen practice directs our out flowing outer consciousness to focus inwardly on undisturbed naturally pure state of mind, the Buddha Nature.  Focusing on the Buddha Nature, we will have direct experience of the Buddha Nature whereby arising, abiding and disappearance of the thoughts naturally settles down. 

At the most settled state of our mind, the Buddha Nature is contemplated upon and activated, and actualized to be our nature at all time, space and circumstances.  This is the essence of Dzogchen."

I am a novice.  I would appreciate receiving comments and corrections in my thought and understanding on Dzogchen.   Thank You.