An Introduction to the Practice of Contemplation

Chogyal Namkhai Norbu

A N INTRODUCTION TO THE PRACTICE OF CONTEMPLATION

FROM ORAL TEACHINGS GIVEN AT MONTE FAITO 1980

Edited by Costantino Albini Translated from Italian into English by Andrew Lukianowicz

T his publication is for those who have already received the Master's transmission of the practices it contains. We strongly urge yqu not to circulate it outside that group of people and to treat it with the utmost respect.

Edited by Costantino Albini Translated from Ita).ian into English by Andrew Lukianowicz Cover illustration by Patrizia Moscatelli Calligraphy on the bookmark by Dugu Choegyal Rinpoche © 2002 Associazione Culturale Comunita Dzogchen Shang Shung Edizioni 5 8031 Arcidosso GR- Italy Phone +39.564.9 66 039 E-mail: [email protected]

All rights of translation, reproduction and partial or total use in any form whatsoever are reserved in all countries.

IPC- 229EN02- Approved by the International Publications Committee of the Dzogchen Community founded by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu.

PREFACF

Among the many topics taught by the Master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu during a retreat at Monte Faito in spring 1980, that the present writer had the good fortune to attend, he gave the transmission of a complete and progressive method for those wishing to practise contemplation according to the Dzogchen tradition. This is a progressive method, replete with counsels and exercises to enable a beginner to master the practice, and with precious advice on how to avoid deviating from the right path. Among other things it also gives definitive clarification regarding the crucial moment when students may start to consider themselves Dzogchen practitioners. This method is complete because, starting from the

beginner's position it reaches the advanced level, illustrating on the way the increasingly imperceptible and delicate variances that distinguish true contemplation from the deviations that, throughout the path, present a risk to the practitioner. Finally, it directly penetrates the purest realms ofTotal Perfection so as to provide all the instruments that enable one to achieve perfect and complete Realisation. 3

This book is intended as a manual of contemplation that can be utilised by all practitioners of the Dzogchen Community. The passages dealing with contemplation have been drawn from the transcriptions of the teachings, and this material has then been subdivided in three parts adhering to the traditional sequence: fixing - releasing - continuing. They describe and nurture the gradual development of the contemplative faculty, and are intended to constitute a guidebook for easy reference whenever the need is felt. Some pointers and detailed explanations have been highlighted in italics to underline their specific reference� and the citations in the notes refer entirely to the teachings of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu contained in his published works. Any inaccuracies or errors contained in the text should be ascribed solely to the editor. I wish to thank Enzo Terzano, Adriano Clemente, Igor Legati, Tiziana Gottardi, Annamaria Moscatelli, Fernando Rossi, Carlo Soldatini and Patrizia Moscatelli, without whose affectionate solicitude this book may never have been completed. This p ublication is o ffered with devotion to our Precious Teacher, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, and to all his Sangha with affectionate wishes. Man galam Cos tantino Albini Rome, on the day of Buddha Shakyamuni's Parinirivana, metal-snake year 2128-6 June 2001

4

Part One

FIXING AND STABILISING

Fixing and stabilising

FIXATION

In the Dzogchen teaching, to approach the practice of contemplation according to the instructions found in the Semde, the Series of the Nature of Mind, the first exercise with which to begin is called fixation. THE PLACE The ability to practise fixation must first be developed through constant application: for a beginner it is not easy to learn this practice while remaining immersed in the commitments of daily life, in one's family or surrounded by people busy with their affairs. To this end, in order to establish the p ractice correctly it is advisable in general to start by undertaking a retreat. Thus it is important, in the first instance, to find a calm place, a location that is isolated where it is possible to withdraw your attention from daily concerns and find a little silence.

7

Part one

THE METHOD The second point Is the method to apply: it comprises four aspects. When you first learn to practise fixation the body should be controlled; that is, you should seek to remain still in a steady posture. Those who are able to do so should assume the 'seven-point Vairochana posture'1; this is the perfect posture. Many people, however, find this body posture difficult to maintain, in which case you should remember that the only indispensable feature is to keep the back straight and the body under control. The tongue should touch the palate; this disposition is symbolically called 'union of the water element and the fire element', that is of the two principles of cold and heat. The first aspect concerns the body posture.

The second aspect is the breathing. Before practising you should p erform a series of nine purification breaths2 as is done in Yantra Yoga3• 'The seven-points' of the Vairochana meditation posture are: I) crossed legs; 2) hands on knees; 3) tongue resting on the palate; 4) eyes, lips and teeth naturally relaxed; 5) back straight as an arrow; 6) chest and shoulders open; 7) the whole body relaxed and controlled at the same time. [Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, The Precious Vase, Shang Shung Edizioni 1999, note 27.] 2 The aim of this exercise is to expel the impure air; it also has the power to eliminate hindrances related to body, voice and mind and to palliate ailments and provocations by negative energies, as well as to balance the condition of the elements. (Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, Manual of Ytmtra Yoga, Shang Shung Edizioni 1997). 3 Yantra Yoga is a psychophysical discipline that combines body movement, breathing and mental concentration, and forms an integral part of a Dzogchen practitioner's preparation.

8

Fixing and stabilising

NB: There follows a description ofthe nine breaths as performed by male practitioners; female practitioners should perform them inverting right and left. Inhale (through both nostrils), raising your right elbow. Block your right nostril (with the tips of the middle and ring fingers of your right hand) and exhale from your left nostril. Then, after having inhaled again (through both nostrils) raising your left elbow, block your left nostril and exhale through your right nostril. Repeat alternating in this way until you have done the movement (combined with the respective breathing) thrice from the left and thrice from the right. Then the last three times inhale through both nostrils thoroughly expanding your chest, and exhale completely from both nostrils, bending your trunk down and forward, as if to touch the ground with your forehead.

This preliminary purification exercise is always performed at the start of any practice session- for every type of practice - and is most useful; b efore a Shine4 session, among other things it serves to make the flow of thoughts more regular, to find greater mental equilibrium, and to develop more self-control. Subsequently, practising the actual meditation sessiOn, the breathing s hould be left to its regular, natural rhythm, deep ifposs ible but relaxed and not controlled by the w ill. 4 For Shine and Lhagthong, see Chogyal Narnkhai Norbu, The Precious Vase, note 97; Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, The Crystal and the way of Light, Routledge & Kegan Paul 1 986, p. 80.

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Part one

------

The third aspect, after those of the methods of posture and of breathing, is the gaze. When practising Shine in Dzogchen the eyes are not closed. It is customary to keep the eyes closed in other meditation practices, such as in the inner Tantras, when visualising a deity or mandala in order to 'transform's impure vision into pure vision. With the eyes open this would be far more difficult. Why? Because all around you would still see impure vision. When you have to work with your imagination it is easier to do it, and it comes more spontaneously, with your eyes closed. In our case, however, to engage in contemplation there is no need to train in the 'transformation' of our vision by means of the creative imagination, nor, on the other hand, is it necessary to 'think' of anything; you engage in the practice remaining present to your perception of everything appearing to your six senses6 in the present moment. Thus in the Dzogchen Semde, apart from in its initial stages Shine is not a meditation exercise (in the sense of there being 'something on which' to meditate discursively) but is instead a practice that from the very beginning aims at the state of p ure contemplation. (Shine nevertheless is only a preliminary to true contemplation that must eventually be surpassed). 5 The Path ofTransformation denotes the totality of systems of the outer and inner Tanrras, with the exclusion of Atiyoga. See Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, The Precio us Vase, PartTwo, 2.- 2.8.7. 6 T he six senses are the five physical senses plus the mind. On the six aggregate consciousnesses related with them, see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, The Precio us Vase, note 1 94.

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Fixing and stabilising

In the Dzogchen teaching it is said that the eyes are the 'door of wisdom' and that wisdom arises through vision, through the eyes; this is why the eyes are not kept closed.

The eyes mus t re main open, and the gaze mus t befixed. It should now be clear that as you do not close your eyes, in order to start to practise fixation you need a point on which to fix your gaze. This point can be the Tibetan letter A, as depicted in the bookmark; in any case, it is not so important for it to be the letter A from the Tib etan aiphabet, it could also be a western A or any A. Fix your gaze on the A. The fourth aspect is the mind,

and the ways to

direct it. There are two ways to practise fixation: 'with an object' and 'without an object' (or, 'with a concept' and 'without a concept') . You can say 'with an ob ject' o r 'with a concept' at choice b ecause, when a practitioner is gazing at the letter A or any other object her intention is to fix on the obj ect, and this is connected with the concept of having 'something to do'. As regards the second manner of fixation, 'without an object' or 'without a concept', there are two kinds, that will be described below.

11

Part

one

First of all, you start with fixation on an object.

FIXATION WITH AN OBJECT

NEPA -THE CALM STATE

The aim of fixation with an object is to discover the state of mental calm ( nepa)7 and to become accustomed to it. The best way is to train in fixation with the letter A. In the various contemplative traditions, in this practice various objects are used to fix one's gaze, such as a candle flame, a sacred image, or a blue flower. In any case, as regards the specific way in which Shine is practised according to the Dzogchen teaching, the letter A is most used. There are many reasons for this. The A is also used in the night practice, it is used for going to sleep and waking up, it is used in Phowa and in many other p ractices, as the princip al symbol of the primordial state of consciousness. It is used also because A is a neutral sound that 'rules' o r 'generates' all other sounds. When you practise p rono uncing A with your voice, your mind, breath and gaze converge on the A.

First of all, then, fix your gaze on the letter A as indicated: Controlling your body posture 7

12

gnaspa.

Fixing and stabilising

Relaxing breath and mind, but Concentrating somewhat sharply on the point where you are fixing your gaze. It is important that throughout the time that you practise fixation

all the sensefunctions should always be present.

Even

when a practitioner is fixing very sharply and not actively 'attending' to all that is happening around him, everything should be clearly present to his sense perception. Otherwise it means he has strayed from fixation, sliding into a state of torpor.

There are two different ways to ftx on an object. 1)

'Staring' at an obj ect as if you wanted to p ierce it. You

concentrate all your attention to focus on that object. This is also called

'triangularfixation'8: two 'angles' are at the

practitioner's end while the third points at the object. Our side has two 'angles', that is a larger space (the 'base of the triangle') , because it represents the multitude o f o ur thoughts; all our thoughts, all our confusion, are like the space contained between the two 'angles' that we now concentrate as much as we can, forcing them all to converge on a single point, the third 'angle', that is on the object on which we are fixing our gaze. Concentrating all our attention on the obj ect in this way our thoughts block themselves; b ut take care - do not think that they

no longer exist, that they have been destroyed: they do not arise simply because in this way they are blocked.

2)

Fixing the gaze in a more relaxed manner.

In general, as soon as your attention is relaxed thoughts arise again; if you fix more sharply, they disappear.

8 Take care: this does not mean you should visualise or imagine a triangle! The image is only a metaphor.

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Part one

This is why it is useful to train in fixation on an object. If you notice that thoughts no longer disturb you very much, you should gradually relax your concentration. If you find that you are still frequently disturb ed by thoughts, you should relax more gradually, whereas if they no longer disturb you then you can relax more swiftly. I f, after having relaxed, there are not too many thoughts present, or if the thoughts that arise do not disturb you, that is, if

presence isfound by means o f fixing on the obj ect (naturally when you practis e fixation you should not follow the train of your thoughts), then you can pass immediately to fixation without the obj ect.

Practising fixation using this method it becomes possible to start to find within yourself the state of calm called nepa in Tibetan. Nepa means 'still, quiet'. For example, at times it may occur that immediately after the extinction of a thought others do not automatically follow it, as usually happens9, but we are able instead to recognise a 'space', a gap where there are no thoughts. This is the effect that ensues from fixing the gaze on an object sharply enough. Practising fixation by applying this method, do not follow thoughts or try to stop them. In fact, there is ac tually nothing you have to do with thoughts. All you have to do is to fix your gaze quite intensely on the letter A.

There is always a gap between one thought and the next, but usually 9 we do not notice it.

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Fixing and stabilising

If you are very disturbed by thoughts, you can resume fixation more sharply, and straight away you will start to find a state of calm where thoughts do not arise. This is what in general is called Shine. The name Shine derives from this state in which thoughts do not arise, that is called

nepa.

At the beginning it is necessary to start from thought, from mental concepts. So inevitably the first phase of this practice is recognition of the object (which is a function of the mind). Nevertheless, it is not necessary to think: "That is the A" . Simply remain present in the attention of fixation, paying attention to it. Paying attention to the simple act of fixation, thoughts disappear. In this case it is not enough to attain the calm state, nepa, where thoughts are not present, but it is necessary instead to proceed until gradually you thoroughly relax the mind and the attention. Which, as you will discover, are two different things. At this point there is something very important that you should know. While you are fixing in the first way ('triangular' fixation) , you may notice some changes in your perceptions, for example changes in the appearance of the letter A where you are fixing your gaze. Maybe as you stare at it the white A may appear yellow or black, or it may turn into a face or a mask, or become gigantic, or disappear, or turn into moving flames. It can also turn into many other things.

When the object on which you are fixing your gaze seems to transform before your eyes, this means you are fixing too sharply. It does not mean that you have already accomplished realisation, or that you are beholding some miracle, it

15

Part

one

simply means that your fixation is too intense and that you should relax it a bit. In any case when you fix on an object you cannot relax your attention completely, otherwise you will not achieve the goal of your practice. The aim of fixation on an object (that is, in our case, on the letter A) is to attain a state of mind in which thoughts are not present. This state cannot arise unless you have trained for a certain amount of time fixing your gaze intensely; however, if you have fixed your gaze too sharply and your perception undergoes deformations you should try gradually to relax the intensity of your gaze in order not to block progress. It is useful to remember that Shine is not achieved by fixation alone; this is j ust a preparation. Furthermore it may happen that when you are practising Shine even though everything seems to be going well you experience a sense of sleepiness. This is a symptom of lack of attention , in which case it is necessary to engage in fixation with more vigilant attention. Sleepiness happens fairly frequently, and if you cannot shake it off engaging a sharper and more wakeful attention, then it is useful to do some breathing exercises or movements. One movement in particular is very helpful. 'Push' (but witho ut straining) your chin upwards, tilting your head backwards, two or three times. This exercise is very effective. In fact if you do it too much it can also cause insomnia; if this happens, you should do the opposite movement, that is tilting your head forward.

In this way you can actually understand what is meant by the 'calm state of nepa'. To practise this fixation it is useful to keep your eyes still, without blinking too often, and not letting your gaze wander to the left or right. It is also useful to try to

16

Fixing and sta?ilising

avoid moving as much as possible otherwise it is difficult to find the calm state without thoughts. If, however, you succeed fairly easily in entering this state, such that as soon as you sit down you already enter the state free of thoughts, undistracted and with your senses present, then it is not necessary to engage for a long time in fixation with an object. You should not think that in this practice there is an inexorable, 'bureaucratic', sequence of progressive stages, and that you must at all costs do this for three days, then that for seven days . . . According to the Dzogchen teaching, if you see that a certain stage of the practice is not necessary then you can leave it out altogether! If on the contrary you are not succeeding in your practice with ease, then it is indispensable to 'conquer' the state of nepa by practising fixation as much as possible. In any case, at the beginning it is advisable not to seek immediately to protract your practice sessions too long. It is b etter to start with brief sessions, two or three minutes at the most, and then have a short break, maybe doing some deep breathing, and then to resume, in this way alte rnating training and relaxation.

I t is very important c onstantly to observe y ourself The training in fixation that I have explained serves to find the state of nepa, the state where no thoughts are present. Initially, when you gaze at the A it may be easy to find this state, b ut subsequently it may seem

17

Part

one

that very 'strong' thoughts arise, that disturb the practitioner even more than at the start, and do not leave him in peace. Or, at the beginning of the session the mind may resemble a restless horse that at first scrapes the ground wildly but then after a few moments starts gradually to calm down. There are at least two or three different ways this phase can manifest. It is necessary to attend carefully to the development of your practice and take note of any problems and disturbances that may arise.

W hen fixing the gaz e y ou should pay attention to the way y ou start and the way y ou finish. It may easily happen that at the beginning there immediately arises a very calm state, undisturbed by inner or outer events. But if you notice that you are not able to maintain this state for more than a few moments it means you have to persevere with fixation on the object. If conversely you notice that maintaining undistracted relaxed p resence seems more difficult at the beginning of a practice session, but if you continue for a few moments everything spontaneously becomes easier, then this may be repeated in other practice sessions. If this always recurs it means that it is not necessary to continue with fixation on the object. To summarise, if at the beginning you are disturbed and then spontaneously you calm down, then you can practise Shine without an object.

18

_____

Fixing and stabilising

If, on the contrary, you observe that at the start everything seems to go well b ut after a few moments more and more difficulties and disturbances start to arise and give no sign of abating, then it is advisable to engage some more in fixation with an object. If nevertheless the problem persists, you can add sound to your fixation. Firmly fixing your gaze on the letter A, pronounce its sound: A.. . A ... A... It is very useful for a practitioner who is restless or disturbed by many restless thoughts and who finds it difficult to abide in the calm state to pronounce the sound A while fixing her gaze on the A. In this way, in fact, everything, including the breath, converges on the A. Automatically the letter is associated with the sound and your attention and intention are directed there. In this way all of your inner and outer condition becomes more harmonious, so that you can gain control over the state of nepa. In conclusion, the goal of fixation with an object is to become able to govern the state of nepa. It is very important to practisefixation with an object. Many tend to practise it in summary fashion, and even thou gh at times it is not necessary to practise for a long time nevertheless you should try; it is not merely an optional step. Those who make a habit of practising Shine, even though they may have reached p ractice without the o bj ect, may find it necessary and helpful occasionally to resume fixing their gaze and mind on an object. Those who have too hastily passed on to fixation without

19

Part

one

an

obj ect

may experience

sundry

difficulties

and

disturbances caused by the mind, and should take note that this means they have not adequately trained in fixation with an object. Those who do not practise ripening in the right way, instead merely experimenting without making any progress, gradually get rigid and become 'seasoned' , unable to develop any further. S uch a person, who may have practised for a long time but without right diligence, would find it very useful to return to fixing on the A. Only in this way can he or she start to progress again. In the Dzogchen tradition you need to know how to use all the means that can be of help, according to how you are getting on. Methods are said to be like patches on clothes; after a while, when they are worn out, they fall off by themselves.

FIXATION WITHOUT

AN

OBJECT

A practitioner who is able to abide thus, that is without being disturbed by thoughts and without following them, as if the presence or absence of thoughts was completely irrelevant, can start to practise fixation without an object. GYUWA

-

MOVEMENT

The aim of fixation without an object is to become familiar with another important natural function of the mind, the movement of thoughts, but without being distracted by it. The movement of thoughts is 20

Fi_x ingandstabilising

_ __ ______ _ _____ __ _

called gyuwa10: in Tibetan the word gyuwa means a leap, a movement.

F ix your gaz e on any point in th e space in fr ont ofyou. When you start to practise fixation without an obj ect you should direct your attention in the same way as when you started fixing on the object. For this practice the letter A is no longer used, nor any other obj ect as support; instead you fix your gaze in the empty space in front of you, always keeping gaze, mind and breath united, in the same way as when you were fixing on the letter A. There is no longer a support for your gaze, a 'target' to aim at, but you act as if there were.

At th e beginning of th is ph ase it is important not to relax th e attention too much , or th e body posture; everyth ing sh ould be well controll ed Even though there is no object on which to fix your gaze you must act as if there were in order to prevent a sudden and spontaneous proliferation of thoughts. Subsequently you will be able to start gradually to relax

your attention too. As the mental tension is gradually relaxed, control of the body and the breath also relax; that is, all your tensions relax, and then thoughts start to arise again. You have to notice as soon as possible when you have 10

gyu ba.

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Part one

strayed into distraction. At times it may seem you are in the calm state whereas in fact you are distracted; and you can continue i n this way for a long time without recognising it. You must be vigilant about this with great care, because for us distraction is a habit; it is like letting yourself fall asleep. In this case you should do some breathing exercises. And above all, do not force yourself to do practice sessions that last too long. When we practise together, in a group, there is no opportunity to take a break and you always have to go on. On the other hand when you are practising on your own, after a while, say after about three minutes, you can take a break for a minute; move about, take a deep breath, relax your mind, touch something, do something, then resume your p ractice. In this way gradually you can make your practice session longer and longer.

If you do this, and relax your attention more and more, you will clearly notice that the 'calm state' that we encountered doing fixation with an object, and 'movement' , that is the arising of thoughts, co-exist simultaneously. THREE COUNSELS ON THE PROLIFERATION OF THOUGHTS11

When fixing on an obj ect it serves as a support, a 'pivot' for our thoughts. While we are doing the fixation we certainly do not pursue thoughts (that is we do not let them distract us) , however it is as if the thoughts were 'around' the 11 During the teaching the Master returned to this problem three times, describing it in three slightly different ways. As the three different perspectives they offer are so useful, instead of being spread through the text the three passages are brought together here.

22

point where we are fixing our gaze, like a bee that has found a flower and cannot leave it. If, while we are practising with an obj ect 'the bee leaves' (that is, if we let thoughts wander freely as they are accustomed to do) then this will damage the calm state; that is, we lose the experience of nepa. In the same way, at the start of the practice without an obj ect thoughts arise more abundantly: why? Because concentrating the fixation acutely on the obj ect causes thoughts to stop by themselves, automatically. Whereas now, in the absence of this support the fixation 'relaxes' and naturally the occurrence of thoughts intensifies. 1. It may then happen that, noticing the greater flow of moving thoughts a practitioner accustomed to the calm state of nepa may feel disturbed and may think his meditation is getting worse. This is because usually we are very conditioned to think that 'meditation' means being in a state of calm, of quietude that excludes all movement. Instead what is happening now is that our comfortable state of calm starts again to be disturbed by a swarm of thoughts that spring forth without cease! When this happens, do not worry, you should

be in the state ofmovement itself. That is, when thoughts arise do not attempt to block them, but try instead to b e present in the very thought that arises. This is the way to continue 23

Part one

developing your practice. When thoughts come do not get discouraged and do not fear that you are regressing. Observe the thoughts without j udging or following them, try instead to be present in the thoughts. This is a method for discovering what the actual condition of movement is. The calm, deep, ocean of the state of nepa now has its wave, its movement, but fundamentally quiet and movement are the same. 2. We aren't accustomed to abiding naturally in a

state of presence, and usually we live in a condition in which the states of mind are all mixed together, all confused. When you start to practise, as soon as you relax a bit you find the calm state and immediately think: "So, this is meditation" . When we only do fixation with an object, thoughts are hidden because our fixation blocks them. But then when there is no longer this support and the movement increases it seems we are disturbed again, that we have relapsed into confusion. In fact we have not at all regressed, and there is no need to worry, instead we must be able to observe the movement itself. Why do more thoughts arise at this time? Because our body and breath are more relaxed, and when everything is more relaxed thoughts are more exposed. So now we are just rec ognising the presence of thoughts, that previously we were unable to notice. 3. Before we undertake the practice of contemplation,

in general the condition of our mind is restless and we 24

Fixz'ng and stabilising

______

cannot distinguish thoughts well. When the water in the sea or in a lake is stirred we cannot see what is underneath, but when the movement calms all the impurities sink down and the water becomes limpid again, and at last we are able to see all the small fish moving underneath. Just as when water, that by nature is pure and transparent, is calm it lets everything it contains appear, so when we are in a relaxed state, that by nature is more limpid and clear, we have the impression that thoughts arise in greater numbers. The truth is that they have not increased, they are simply more visible. S IMULTANEITY

Learning in this way to remain in relaxed presence, at a certain moment you find yourself in a state in which even though more or less thoughts continue to arise they do not disturb your presence and they vanish by themselves. That is, t hey self- liberat e, because this state is not conditioned by the habitual continuity of judgement12• 12 In the mechanism that includes the functioning of the five physical senses (and hence the habitual subject-object relation), "in the first moment contact with the sense objects occurs at the level of pure perception, while in the second moment the mental consciousness starts to function, which engenders judgement", see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, The Precious Vase, note 1 05. Furthermore, the practice of Shine gives us the opportunity to observe how the mind consciousness, due to our ingrained conditioning, continues mechanically to produce judgements also when it comes inro contact with a thought that arises, as if it were an object of the physical senses. And in doing this, it is sustained by a hoard of ready-made judgements, 'sound' and accepted as true, such as, for example, regarding the existence and reality of the sense perceptions or the irrefutable relation of subject and object, etc., contributing thereby w substantiate the view of the world constructed by erroneous perceptions to which we are al"- ays accustomed.

25

Pan one

Particularly evident in this state is pure presence, called rigp a, non-dual awareness. Discernible within it, are three distinct fundamental elements ( ne-gyu- rig): 1) nepa, the calm state, like a still sheet of water; 2) gyuwa, the movement of thoughts, like a wave; 3) rigpa, the recognition of the presence of this wave. These three elements, however, are all present simultaneously in the same condition. Only by being in the state of Shine can you ascertain this concretely.

I n this state there is nothing to seek and nothing to relinq uish. Typically, b eginners think that the calm state of Shine is something to pursue, and that, conversely, the arising of thoughts is an obstacle that can disturb the calm state, which must thus be avoided. However, once you finally find yourself in the state of union of ne-gyu­ rig and continue in this presence then you understand that this is the authentic state of Shine. In this way you discover that quietude, nepa, and the arising of thoughts, gyuwa, are both present. A practitioner should not stray into judgement13 but instead, remaining in the state of presence see arising 13

26

See previous note.

Fixing and stabilising

thoughts as fish leaping from the surface of the sea, or perceives this state as an ocean in which both characteristics are evident. The depths are still, yet the surface ripples as waves form. In this case, too, you should not make a distinction between the two aspects, or deem one a good state and the other a state of disturbance. Rather y ou should seek to be p resent. if there is calm remain present in the state of calm; if'the fish leaps' seek to be present in that very movement, in the 'leap' of the fish. Acting in this way you should gradually relax the attention more and more; if you don't relax, this perception (of simultaneity) will not occur any more. As I explained at the start, when you fix your gaze and attention intensely on an obj ect, what happens? All your thoughts are blocked automatically and it seems they can no more arise, it seems that you have found the state of nepa. But when you let go of the obj ect you begin to discover that the possibility of the movement of thoughts still exists, like the 'leap of the fish'. In this phase of progress in meditation,

the p racti tioner must seek to be ' in' the leap itself, in the movement. This means that now you no longer need to concentrate your attention as much as possible (as 27

Part one

done at the beginning with the letter A) . Instead, conversely, relaxing more and more you come to discover that the state of the 'leap of the fish' and the state of calm are present at the same time. Then it seems that there are two states. 1. One state, in which the slightest amount of intention is

still present. This is rhe state in which even though thoughts arise there is always awareness

(trenshe14);

rhe latter is not a thought

but simply presence of mind. (At times it is p ossible to confuse presence of mind and thoughts- to us awareness may seem a thought- and at times instead to mistake a thought that has arisen for awareness.) In this case the only important thing is to see whether or not there is j udgement, whether or nor one is pursuing the thought. If thoughts are 'pursued' and created, even only in a light manner, this means there is j udgement. If, instead, while observing my state I notice thoughts, such as for example: "Here, now I am in the calm state" or

there is a way in which I can be present 'in' the thought itselfwithout engaging the

"Here, now a thoughts is arising",

mechanisms of j udgement. If I had to say or explain what is happening in that moment, on the one hand it is utterly impossible for me to find the words, but on the other hand I retain a precise memory of it. This presence of awareness is very important, it must not be lacking, otherwise the practice of Shine ends up sinking into a sleepy state.

14 tre nshe, a word composed of tre npa (dra n pa, Skt. smritz) which means to recall, to keep in mind, to remember; and sheshin (shes bzhin, Skt. jiia ta), meaning to be conscious, to have understood, to know. Concerning awareness in the teaching, see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, The Mirror, Station Hill 1 997.

28

Fixing and stabilising

2. A natural state of total spontaneity. This is what is called

rigpa,

the recognition of pure

presence. Presence can be recognised above all in the condition where there are thoughts, that is, in the

condition of 'movement'. When during practice there are more thoughts (that is, 'more fish are leaping') there is also the opportunity to recognise presence as the manifestation ofwisdom, and, at

the same time, together with the movement of thoughts one can also recognise the presence of the state of calm,

nepa.

You must understand that fundamentally all three states are at the same level: the state of calm, the state of movement itself,

gyuwa,

nepa, is movement, rigpa is

is calm , and

pure recognition of your own state, that is present in both.

EXPERIENCES

(NYAMS)

The practice of Shine entails certain characteristic experiences called nyams15; through a nyam one can discern how one's practice is progressing. The first nyam is the nyam of movement. This happens when you do fixation with an object, then continue without an object and start to relax; that is when all thoughts arise. This nyam is compared to a tumultuously rushing stream: its course is ceaseless, swift, unstoppable; in the same way many thoughts arise in the practitioner's mind and it is very difficult to find a state of nepa. On overcoming the state where as soon as you relax thoughts arise, you can experience a nyam of attainment, 15

nyams.

29

Part one

in which the state of the mind manifests like a river, peaceful and dignified, smoothly flowing down to the sea. The flowing river may rest in some calm bend, because the river is not like the stream. What is the cause of this difference? It is due to the fact that now the practitioner has learnt better to control thoughts, that is she is able to be present in the thoughts the very instant that they arise. There follows another experience, called the nyam of stability: the mind finds itself in a calm state, tranquil and deep as the sea. This does not mean thoughts have disappeared; a sea may have waves, or fish that are leaping, there can be movements of all kinds, but its state of deep calm cannot be disturbed.

H ere, this is the r ealis ati on c all ed stable Shine. I t is very i mporta n t to ac hieve this s tate ofs table Shine, an d y ou have to prac ti c e in order to attain i t. It is not necessary to follow to the letter a strict programme or rigid rules, but it is very important to know how to co-ordinate yourself, correcting yourself according to your own needs. For example, if a practitioner notices he is very agitated he should not practise only Shine, he should do something else as well to help him get calm, such as the ' vaj ra posture'16 or breathing exercises17, or use some relaxation techniques. It is likewise necessary, if you feel sluggish, 16 PartTwo,

17

30

For the Vajra posture see Chogyal Narnkhai Norbu,

6.1.3. 1 .

See notes 2 and 3.

The Precious Vase,

Fixi ng a nds tabilisi ng

to remedy this by doing something to wake up, such as for example particular breathing techniques, or you can raise your gaze higher, or go to practise somewhere more open. If you encounter the obstacle of obfuscation ( mugpa) you must train in visualisation, practising methods pertaining to the Way of Transformation or the Purification of the Six Lokas18• THE FOUR DEFECTS

The practitioner's goal is to be in the state of presence, and then to maintain it, noticing all the defects in her practice and remedying them as necessary. These defects can always occur until one has made great progress in the state of Shine. There are four main defects. 1)

Chingwa: 19 torpor. This is a drowsy state from which clarity is lacking, a kind of inert lassitude as if one had lost consciousness. In general the presence of the senses too is lacking, or even if in some way the senses are working, perception is not perfect. When affected by such sluggishness, you must choose a place for your practice that is more open, more airy an d bright, wear lighter clothes and maybe eat lighter food; your seat must not be too comfortable and you should do some breathing exercises. 18

For the purification of the six lokas see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu,

Precious Vase, Pare Two, 6.1.2. 19 byingba.

The

31

Part one

2)

M ugpa:20 obfuscation. In this case not only is there no clarity in your meditation, there is a kind of obscuration like a shroud of fog. It is a state of depression, of darkness, in which you are distracted but it is not easy to notice it. The remedies are those mentioned above, b ut above all it can be helpful to intensify your practice of the breathing exercises and of the movements ofYantra Yoga; also you can raise the point where you are fixing your gaze and your attention. 3) G odpa:21 agitation. This is a state of excitement, with an over-abundance of thoughts, restless, wild, which cannot be controlled. In this case you should not force yourself to practise sitting meditation, you had better do something else, walk a bit or practise the vaj ra posture or do some breathing exercises. 4)

Th orwa:22 dispersion. This is a -highly disordered mental state, in which everything is a bit scattered, thoughts multiply, stratify and get lost in several streams that you are not able to control by means of attention and which cannot be co-ordinated in any way. You are in a state that is distracted but not sluggish: th orwa is a state of agitated distraction that nevertheless is not easy to detect. This is the state of mind normal for most people, who have never done any practice, and it is also 20 21 22

32

rmugspa. rgodpa. tho rba.

Fixing a ndstabilising

frequently found in the state of presence of practitioners who are a bit 'seasoned'. What is a 'seasoned' practitioner? It is someone who knows the teachings because he has listened to them, sometimes for a long time; but even though initially he may have p ut them into practice, after having some experiences early on he surrenders to complacency, and deceiving himself he b ecomes convinced that he has 'understood everything'. So he stops at a level of intellectual indifference, relinquishing the sincerity of his practice. Such a person will often say: "My practice makes progress by itself', or "I do not need to do anything, I am already in the state of contemplation", whereas in fact his life is nothing but distraction! Finally, some advice that mainly concerns old practitioners: for you it is of the utmost importance to be vigilant regarding this last defect, thorwa. If you notice that you are being taken over by such dispersal then the sole remedy is patiently to resume practising fixation on the object. If, however, as may happen you notice that you no longer easily find the calm state, then it is helpful to co­ ordinate your fixation with sound. This will certainly produce a good result. It is useful and necessary for practitioners to become expert in recognising defects; these occur especially when you have not yet attained adequate mastery of fixation with the object. Passing from the phase of fixation with 33

Part one

an object to the next one of fixation without an object must be done in the right way and at the right time, without hurrying or getting ahead of yourself THE THREE WISDOMS

The three aspects of the condition of the individual: ngowfi3, essence; rangshin2\ nature; and thugjr!.S, energy, are called 'the three wisdoms of the base' . You can understand them by observing the process of formation of thoughts. While we are in a calm state of Shine a thought arises: if we observe it, the thought disappears. The thought in itself does not produce action. Action is produced only if we 'pursue' the thought, letting ourselves get caught up in it; it is not produced if we simply observe it as it goes its way. This applies not only to thought but also to any phenomenon of the emotions or the senses, that is to all the manifestations of energy. If we restrict ourselves to observing it the moment when it arises, the thought dissolves and disappears. This is the principle of 'self-liberation'. Essence

Thoughts cannot be blocked. Only someone who has never tried can think that it is possible. In the 23 24 25

34

ngobo . ra ngbzhin. thugs rje, more generally translated as 'compassion'.

Fixing and stabilising

____

Dzogchen Semde tradition there are exercises for attempting to 'block thoughts' . You practise continuously for one, two or three days 'blocking thoughts' one at a time. As soon as they arise you think: "I don't want to think, I want to block''. After some days in retreat at last you come to understand that there is no way to block thoughts, it really is impossible. After making this discovery you must practise the opposite. Think of everything you can without leaving any empty gaps, look right and left and think, think strenuously until you wear yourself out. This too is really a very important practice. Both creating and blocking are actions, and through this last exercise you come to understand that there is no way to resolve this problem by entering into action.

The only solution is to be in the state ofself liberation, leaving thoughts free, without pursuing them. However you must not remain indifferent, because that is nothing but distraction; on the contrary, you must always be present. If you are not present, the state you are in is no longer contemplation. When you have presence then every thought that arises liberates itself, like a wave arising in the sea and disappearing in the sea, or like a snake loosening its own knots. 35

Part one

At times a snake will wind itself in knots, making a tangle so complicated as to seem inextricable to an observer. But the snake has no need of our help, if we stand by and watch we will see that at j ust the right time it knows how to get loose with the greatest naturalness. The same applies to thoughts; if we observe them without pursuing them and without intervening they liberate themselves. A practitioner who observes thoughts well will discover that there is nothing to find. There is no place where thoughts originate, there is no place where they abide, and there is no place where they end up. All he finds is emptiness. This is the essence. The essence is our own primordial state itself whence all thoughts manifest, j ust as a mirror reflects all forms. The reflections arise from the mirror itself, but if we look for the reflections 'inside' the mirror we do not find anything, only emptiness. That is why it is said that

the essenc e is emptiness. There are two ways of conceiving emptiness:

1.

The emptiness of that which has never existed.

2.

The emptiness of something that appears to perception

to be present but which in reality does not exist. This

36

Fixing a ndstabilising concept can be understoo d by logi c rather than through practice. The example traditionally given is of animals' horns. We know that a cow has horns but a hare does not, nevertheless we are able to say 'a hare's horns' o r 'a horse's horns'; we can say and imagine these because we know that a cow has horns. It is as if our thought places the cow's horns on the horse's head. However if I say 'a horse's horns do not exist' or 'a cow's horns do not exist' these are two very different ways of not existing. Why is saying that a horse's horns do not exist not meaningful? B ecause we have always thought that a horse's horns do not exist. But on the contrary for us a cow's horns actually exist, so if we say that a cow's horns do not exist it is very meaningful. The meaning of the statement 'the essence is emptiness' is that, among all sense phenomena nothing that 'exists in or of itself' or that can be deemed 'actual in the absolute sense' (that is, independent of causes and conditions) can be found, because all things in our vision arise through interdependence26 and are produced by the dualistic condition. Even though we believe that everything that appears to our six senses27 is concrete there is nothing that can be deemed real.

Nature

Consequently, one of the most frequently stated principles of the teaching is that "everything is illusory"; nevertheless the illusoriness of phenomena does not mean that every thing does not have its function that 26

Concerning interdependence, see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu

27

See note

Precious Vase, note 1 20.

The

7.

37

Part

one

can actually be perceived by our senses. The function exists naturally, because as every thing that we can perceive or conceive is always found in the relative condition then the function of every thing too is found in the relative condition. For example, we can state that (from the point of view of the absolute condition) food is an illusion, that it is not something concrete; but when we eat food it still fulfils its function of staving our hunger. Why? Because (in the absolute) hunger itself is illusion, the stomach itself is illusion. We eat illusory food, fill our illusory stomach and stave our illusory hunger. Why then do we say illusion? Because everything that habitually we perceive and conceive is not the absolute condition. If we get to the bottom of things, of all things, we do not find anything, so we say emptiness. On the other hand, as in the relative condition everything has its function and its continuation, we cannot assert that a certain thing 'does not exist' or 'is not'. The same applies to thoughts. Even though after we follow a thought to its source we find nothing, after an instant another thought arises. And if we observe this thought too and find nothing our logical conclusion is that 'it does not exist'. Evidently, however, this conclusion itself is nothing but another thought, and so on. Thus we can see that, j ust as one thought naturally arises from the previous one in a continuous and uninterrupted succession, the same occurs in the case 38

Fixing and stabilising

of objects that are present in our vision; all phenomena have their own function and their own way of continuing. This is called 'the nature'; because even though the essence of every phenomenon of the senses is emptiness its function continues and is always naturally present. This function can produce both pure vision and Impure v1s10n. Energy

As I have explained, our individual condition has three aspects: essence, that is emptiness; nature, that is the level of functions; and energy, that is the level of manifestation. You can understand this even better when you practise Shine:

every thing that manifests is at the energy level. At times you may feel sensations of emptiness, at other times sensations of confusion or agitation that may manifest subjectively or objectively, that is 'inside' or 'outside' us. For example, we may feel a great confusion in our heads, o r as we saw above, while fixing on the obj ect . the obj ect itself may seem to change. We know that if we gaze at an object intensely for a long time without relaxing, the obj ect may appear to change colour or shape, and that at times this may seem a miracle. For example, if I am gazing at the A and before my eyes the letter changes into the statue of a deity or into 39

Part

one

a spirit or it disappears, in reality this is not something marvellous. It merely means that I have not known to relax my attention at the right time. My fixation was too sharp and too long. fu has already been said,

fixation on the obj ec t must be very sharp at the start, then gradually must be relaxed until the right level isfound; this is the way to reach the practice of true Shine without an object. There is a parable in a Sutra. A man was listening to Buddha's teachings on meditation yet was unable to engage in the practice of Shine in the correct way. Even though Buddha had explained it to him several times he continued to misunderstand, practising in a way that was sometimes too rigid, sometimes too relaxed. So Buddha asked him: "What do you do ?" He answered: "I am a musician. " Buddha asked: "What instrument do you play?" He replied: "The guitar. " Buddha continued: "When you play the guitar in order for the strings to sound right should they be very taut or very loose?" To which the musician replied: "Neither; the right tautness lies in the middle." Then Buddha told him: "See, your Shine should be the same." Through this correlation the musician was able to understand and finally succeeded in his practice. Not all beginners succeed, however, in starting in the same way as in the parable given in the Surra; it is 40

R_ix_i_..! ng��-nd stabi lising

_______________ ____

very difficult to find the right balance from the very beginning. Shine must be first sharp and then relaxed; this is the way to reach Shine without an object. HELPING OTHERS To learn Shine you need the help of an instructor, who helps yo u to deal in the right way with anything that comes up. However, j ust as a doctor must know an illness well in o rder to be able to cure it, an instructor too must have precise knowledge, founded on direct experience. In this case having as yo ur base your own experience is of decisive importance; it is very difficult to give effective help

relying solely on

intellectual reasoning.

If a

practitioner with more experience wants to help a beginner by giving explanations on particular meditation practices that is fine, but what advice can she give in the case of practices related to contemplation such as Shine? In actual daily practice, not only do the things described in books on meditation take place, an infinite number of diverse individual experiences can occur. In order to be able

you have to know how to enter into the (other person's) experience. In other

to identify the problem and give advice

words, say a student asks me a very complicated question; in order to be able to help her it is not enough to remember my teacher's words or to consult a book, instead I must enter

the state ofthe person asking the question. I must be able to "go and see", to feel the experience (of her state) . By asking me the question the student is already describing or showing me her state; only in this way can I find the way to help her. Even though each individual perceives him or herself in a way that appears to be different, in reality the condition of people is more or less the same . Only someone who has true experience of practice is able to discover this condition, and this is the only base for helping others; and it is also the most effective way to examine oneself.

41

Part one

STABLE SHINE

As we have said from the very b eginning, observation is very important. We must observe all things, and we can only discover the defects that arise in our practice by observing ourselves. Practising in this way we can attain the state of Shine, that subsequently must become stable Shine. Abiding in Shine means being in a condition like the calm sea, that is, a condition that is not disturbed whether thoughts are present or not. In any case, what is experienced in this first phase is a Shine that is almost fabricated. In fact as long as I 'stay' this way it seems I can go on forever, but as soon as I 'let go' and stand up or simply look around the state of Shine disappears. As our practice develops more and more often this state arises by itself, spontaneously. It is no longer necessary to strive to maintain the posture and the fixation, or continuously to seek this state. When I have the presence of awareness then whatever posture I am in I am in the state of Shine. When this comes about this is called 'natural Shine'. The way to develop your practice still further from this intermediate level consists in the gradual integration of movements, of certain actions of the body (moving the eyes, then the limbs, walking slowly, doing prostrations, practising Yantra Yoga, etc. on to common actions) ; of the voice (reciting invocations,

42

Fixing a ndstabilising

man tras and the Song of the Vajra on to b eing able to converse with others) ; and finally of the mind (at first doing visualisation, then reflecting, that is trying to reason about something without losing the presence of Shine, up to managing, for example, to read a newspaper) , 'expanding' the boundaries of the formal session to include daily life. You have to continue in this way until, while walking or doing anything, with the p resence of awareness effortlessly you are in the state of Shine without needing to strive to seek it or anyway to produce it. If at that moment you are not disturbed by thoughts or by movements or by any external circumstance, however chaotic it may be, then you can say that your Shine is stable.

43

Part Two

RELEASING

__ &km�

__

RELEASED SHINE

As is evident from what has been said so far, the first thing that you must achieve is stable Shine. Once you have attained stable Shine, you have to release it. 'To release' means to liberate; but what is there to release? What must we be liberated from? Let us suppose that now we have ripened our ability to maintain a firm Shine, even for twenty-four hours. Nevertheless when we are not abiding in this presence we can slip into distraction, and there are always moments and circumstances when we are 'out' of Shine. (Moreover, this clearly entails that intentional commitment to presence is still necessary, as if there were a state 'in which' to enter and to abide) . This is the specific feature of 'stable Shine' and it is precisely this that must be released. 47

Par two

It is as if there were a boundary that has to be eliminated, but how? Stable Shine always has a starting point28• For example, 'I' think: "Now I am present, I am in Shine,; or, even without producing a thought 'I' always have this presence, and with that I remain in a calm state like the sea. Everything that happens in the sea is present, and 'I' am aware of it even though I do not pursue it; I do not judge it but remain as if observing it. This is the state of stable Shine. The method for releasing this situation of subtle dualism is this: I have to be in the movement itself. When a thought arises, like a fish leaping on the surface of the sea, 'I' am no longer an observer of what is leaping but instead I am the leaper. This does not mean I have to do something, rather

with the very presen ce I am in, I liberate myself This is released Shine. Someone who has tried, who has experienced this state, can understand the difference.

28 And also a 'goal' (that is, there is the duality of subject and object, like two different factors; there is a certain 'separation' between 'who' is present and 'what' he or she is present to.)

48

Releasing

One might ask: If in this Shine yo u do not recognise the forming of thoughts (that is, movement), if you are able to discern only the calm state, then what should you do? As I have j ust said, in order to release Shine you need to know how to be in the state of thoughts; in stable Shine there must always be the presence of thoughts arising. Otherwise it would mean that we are distracted, and that we are not in Shine.

When there is this presence it is as if 'the one' who is in the state of Shine turns to observe 'the one' who is observing, and this presence has its own precise kind of clarity. That Is, you expenence a different mode of presence. This, however, is merely a description; the state we are speaking of must in any case be directly experienced. This is the way to release Shine. Having reached this point, the practice session compnses: First remaining in stable Shine; Then releasing it;

Then continuing. In general these last two stages are shorter, while at the beginning one should remain a little longer in stable Shine. Subsequently, with a little training it is no longer necessary to remain in stable Shine for a long time; as soon as you enter the state of Shine, whether or not

49

Par

two

thoughts arise you observe 'who' is in this state, immediately release it and then continue. That is, you should seek gradually to increase the duration of the continuation, of the 'after having released'.

When you have achieved released Shin e and remain in the con tin uation ofthis state, you have finally become a Dzogchen p ractitioner, and this means that now there is the possibility to . . ) enter 1nto actiOn .

'

When you do this practice on retreat, when you finish your retreat you should be somewhat able to be in the state of released Shine. Even though you may not be able to continue for a long time, if you have really ripened your experience of released Shine then you have achieved your aim, because from this moment on you can 'enter into action'. Released Shine is different from stable Shine. Stable shine is a very delicate state: you can alter it by j ust changing your posture. Conversely, a practitioner who has ripened released Shine can slowly stand up, and gradually moving a little at a time more and more, can learn not to lose presence. It is necessary to train in this progressively, like someone in hospital patiently learning to walk again. We can learn every day, every moment, even while we are working. 50

Rekasing

Neither a particular place or posture are necessary, you can train at any time. When you have really achieved the level of released Shine then training in it will not impair your work. Someone might think: "I work in a factory, I have to package one piece a minute, if I get distracted I might cut my finger! " However in released Shine you do not get distracted, not even at work that requires the greatest attention. In this state we are really able to control ourselves, integrating all circumstances with our clarity; this is the fundamental means for the development of clarity. 'Clarity' refers not only to the distinct vision free of the obstacles p ro duced by the dualistic mind but also to intelligence: intelligence is part of clarity. When the results of their p ractice ripened,

one

of these b eing the

development o f clarity, many teachers of the Dzogchen lineage spontaneously manifested vast knowledge and profound learning even without having studied. There are many teachers of this type; o ne of the most recent, for example, is the famous master Jigmed Lingpa. Of great renown and deemed by everyone a great scholar, he wrote several books that range over the most diverse subjects. How can one explain that a person such as Jigmed Lingpa, who never studied in depth, could have been able to write works and treatises concerning all the fields of knowledge?

However, the development of clarity does not only bring about the enhancement of ordinary knowledge. What most counts, is that the great development of clarity engendered by this method of contemplation is the fundamental vehicle for realisation.

51

Par two

It is in order to develop clarity that this tradition insists so much on the diverse purification practices. Realisation is accomplished on the basis of the accumulation of wisdom29, and accumulating wisdom means entering the practice of contemplation; there is no other way to accumulate wisdom. Entering the state of released Shine is true contemplation.

NAMKHA ARTED As we have said, in order to p rogress further after the attainment of stable Shine it has to be 'released'. The teachings about this level of practice can be studied in great depth, however (in terms of the purely practical aim of this manual) this essential explanation will enable you to understand what is indispensable: what you have to do and the way to continue.

A very important practice for making progress is Namkha Arted30• Practising it occasionally is of great help to those who engage in a more general way in Shine and especially to those with few meditation experiences (nyams). 29 The two accumulations, of merit and wisdom, constitute the inseparable dyad that is fundamental in order to proceed along the path of the Bodhisattva. In outline, the Mahayana system considers that the practice of the first five Paramitas accumulates merit and the practice of the sixth Paramita, or Prajfiaparamita, accumulates wisdom. In this regard see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, The Precious Va se, Part One, Chapter IV. According to the Dzogchen teaching, on the other hand, the accumulation of wisdom itself also generates the accumulation of merit; however the converse does not apply. Thus the practice of contemplation perfectly produces both accumulations. 30

52

na m mkha ' a r gtad.

-�k�in�

-----

The place. You should stay in a place out in the open, such as the top of a hill or mountain, or by the sea31• The time. The ideal time is when the sky is clear. Clouds are an obstacle to this practice; however nor should the sunlight be too strong. During the morning session you should look to the West, in the afternoon to the East, so as always to have the sun behind you. The best times of the day are the late afternoon, or early morning until about eleven o'clock, because later if the sky is clear the sun is too high and the light too strong so it can irritate the eyes.

This, then, is what you have to do: you can sit in a controlled posture, but if you are familiar enough with released Shine then the posture is no longer so important. Stay as you are, in a posture that does not require any effort; remaining thus, fix your gaze in the sky, into empty space.

You have to stay in a condition of presence, as if entering into space, and as ifthe sky you see is integrated in your own state ofconsciousness, so that no perception of subject and object any longer obtains. This p ractice is not based o n the act of 'looking', like a subject looking at an obj ect . The sky, and space, are metaphors for the nature of mind. Space is boundless and

31 That is, a place where you can see a vast expanse of sky without anything hindering your view.

53

Par two

without definition, j ust as our state, while we are observing, cannot be bound or defined by concepts.

Remain in this non-dual state, in presence of the union of subject and object. This practice can produce many nyams and is of the greatest help for making progress. First we spoke about the way to attain stable Shine and then we described released Shine; now, you find the same condition when your state of consciousness and space are unified. In this case it is very easy to experience every type of nyam. As a p ractitioner you should not be a spectator of the

nyams,

nor should you form attachment o r revulsion

nyams, whether beautiful or ugly, you should nyam arises, the main thing is that your own state must be present in that nyam. You must not allow the dualistic mind to consider the nyam as an obj ect to observe. If the nyam is towards the

simply be aware of them. Even if a very beautiful

integrated into the unity of subj ect and object you will make p rogress. But it is important to b e clear that, however many

nyams

arise, you should never form

attachment.

Namkha Arted of this kind, that is, practised in this way, reveals the state in which there is unification of the state of Shine and the "Shine that has clarity too" called Lhagthong32•

32

54

See note 4.

&letZJing

Once attained, this state is the state where you should abide; in it there is nothing to affirm or to confirm. The only thing the practitioner can and must do, once this state has been achieved, is to engage in continuing in it. How is one to continue in this state?

55

Part Three

CONTINUING

Continuing

THE FOUR CHOGZHAGS

The Dzogchen teaching always speaks of the Four Chogzhags33• Many when reading Dzogchen Upadesha texts identify in the Chogzhags the fundamental principles of the practice: true, they are very important, but as by definition they are 'ways to continue' evidently this indicates that there must already b e something that should continue. For this reason there is a correct sequence of practices: first you must discover Shine, then make it stable; then from stable Shine you proceed to released Shine, and then by practising Namkha Arted you must achieve that state where Shine and Lhagthong are united.

A practitioner who has achieved this state knows what must continue, which is precisely this state, and it is now that the methods for continuing are needed, which are the Chogzhags. 33 chog bzhag rnam bzhi. The complete names are: ri bo chog bzhag, rgya mthso chog bzhag, rigpa chog bzhag, mang ba chog bzhag.

59

Part three

What, in brief, does Chogzhag mean? Chog means 'as it is', zhag means 'to leave'; so, the true translation of these words is 'to leave in peace as it is', 'not to correct . In the teaching there are four types of Chogzhag. )

RIWO CHOGZHAG

This name means ' Chogzhag like a mountain'; it concerns the way the practitioner should b e, should stay. You see, speaking of Shine we know that at the beginning there are four fundamental points that have to be defined: the posture, the breathing, the object of fixation and the mind. In this case too, we start with the posture. In many teachings, not only for Shine but for every practice, there is an accurate description of how to seat oneself; there are always instructions on the posture to maintain. Instead, in the Chogzhag we must leave everything as it is, so we should 'leave in peace' our body as well, calm and stable like a mountain. What does 'like a mountain' mean? All mountains are naturally more or less triangle shaped; there is none of the opposite shape, as (if it was upside down) it could not remain balanced on its peak. This means that mountains do not need to control themselves to stay this way. Thus the mountain symbolises a spontaneous condition, not fabricated but rather left as it is, 'natural'. 60

Continuing

The symbol of the mountain means that when we practise there is no specific posture we have to assume and there is nothing we are obliged to do; we practise leaving our body as we find it in that moment. For example, if while lying on her bed the presence of the Chogzhag spontaneously arises in a practitioner, that is she recognises the presence of the 'state of Namkha Arted', what she must do is just remain in that state in that very same momen t. She should not get up, assume the posture and think: '�, now I want to practise some Namkha Arted!'' Whatever posture you are in, whether sleeping, walking or eating, there is nothing to change: the posture you are in is the posture 'like a mountain'. This is the real meaning of the first Chogzhag. We have said that the level of practice of Chogzhag starts the moment when a practitioner is able to be in the specific state ofNamkha Arted. This means already having released Shine, and, before releasing it, already to have stable Shine: there is no contradiction.

GYATSO CHOGZHAG

The second Chogzhag is called Gyatso Chogzhag, 'Chogzhag like the sea'; however in this case the sea is not a metaphor for the calm state, as in the case when speaking of Shine. Many intellectuals who study Dzogchen interpret it that way, literally; however the real meaning of gyatso is 'ocean', and in Dzogchen the

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ocean is a symbol that denotes the eyes and has nothing to do with the calm state of nepa! This means that the eyes (and consequently the other sense 'gates') must remain as they are, that is to say there is no need to close them. The purpose of the eyes is for seeing, so if they are open leave them open: this is the 'Chogzhag of the eyes'. Its meaning is very important because it is by means of the eyes that we see the appearance of all things, whether beautiful or ugly. But a practitioner who has really released his stable Shine knows how to overcome all emotional turbulence connected with sense obj ects, and, rather, is able to integrate all these visions in the state of presence. First we explained the way to practise Namkha Arted, unifying our own state with that of the sky. Now, one of the most characteristic principles of the Dzogchen teaching is that "visions are an ornament of one's natural state" . There is nothing that we have to (or can) renounce because, also in the case of impure vision it consists of our own energy. We are speaking of the specific function of tsa/34 energy. The characteristic metaphor for tsal energy is a multi-faceted crystal, from which many rays and iridescent lights manifest when it is exposed to the sunlight, like rainbows filling the whole room. Where do they come from? From the crystal. 34

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Continuing

The crystal is a metaphor for the primordial, natural state of the individual. In this metaphor the meaning of the colours is clear: the colours are the essence of the elements. When the colours 'solidify' they become what we call material objects, beautiful or ugly. When, conversely, material phenomena 'resume' their substance they end by 'returning' to the colours that are their essence.

Tsal is a way that energy manifests, and basically it is precisely in this way that everything originates from our natural state. Our ordinary vision, that is the vision of humans, is the same for all humankind. Some people believe that vision is the same for all sentient beings, but that is not the case. In the Buddhist tradition,

samsara (the wheel of rebirth) is lokas. The

subdivided in six 'worlds' or visions, the six

three higher states are gods, demigods and humans; the three lower states are animals, pretas (hungry spirits) and hell beings. These are said to be the six visions (or five, if gods and demigods are joined together) , b ut actually these visions are nothing o ther than the result of the five (or six) passions. When an individual being accumulates a type of passion, such as for example very much anger (which is one o f the passions easiest to accumulate) , the result or fruit of this accumulation is rebirth in the hell vision. In this way the accumulatio n of any of the six passions p roduces the corresponding karmic vision.

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In this regard there is the parable about members of the six

lokas meeting

near a great river. The representative of the

gods sees the river as nectar because, being born a god due to its

karma it

has the type of perception typical of the

gods. The human sees the water as something for quenching thirst and for washing. A fish sees the river water as a home, its existential dimension. The

preta,

that

does not have the karmic cause to enjoy even a drop of water, perceives it as its opposite, as scorching flames. A Buddhist

tantra relates that a Bodhisattva

once met the

chief of a group of pretas; the chief was seated on a throne, and tied to the pedestal of the throne there was a small, very hungry

preta with a huge belly, a big mouth and a very

thin throat. After a while the chief departed, and the bound

preta asked the Bodhisattva for some water as it was

thirsty. Moved by great compassio n the Bodhisattva immediately gave it some water, but as soon as the

preta

touched the water it was burnt. The water had turned into fire due to the

preta's karmic vision.

The same occurs for beings reborn in the hell realms: everything they perceive manifests as something extremely bad.

This means that n o phen omen on exists that is n ot a karmic vision . A common perception exists only where there is a common karma. We are all human beings, in our human karmic vision that lasts until our death. Mter death if there is no karmic cause for a new human birth it will be very difficult to be reborn as a human. However any being in whom this cause ripens will obtain a human rebirth after death and will come into this dimension. The same applies to the hell realm. We can say that hell does not exist, and this would be true because if we

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search for it while remaining in our human vision we cannot find it anywhere. Some people, however, speak of hell as if it were an actual country, with all the features of a real place; you see, this is the view of a being that actually experiences the infernal karmic vision. This does not mean we can visit or perceive it now, but it is possible for us to have its karmic cause within us already now as every day we accumulate anger, getting enraged and arguing. Anyone who accumulates a lot of anger is building up the hell karmic vision; and then, when the karmic cause has ripened and the secondary causes35 manifest, the hell that was invisible or 'did not exist' until now manifests very concretely. And the same applies to all six lokas. For this reason B uddha says that all is illusion. Everything exists only in relation to the conditions produced by karma, but in truth it is illusion; nothing that appears to us to exist is concrete, therefore the objects of the senses do not really exist. So, all visions, both beautiful and ugly, arise from ourselves: all is tsal, our own energy, j ust like in the metaphor of the light: when it passes through the crystal it makes coloured rays appear. There is another way that energy manifests that you need to know about: it is called rolpa. The characteristic metaphor is a mirror, in which we see all forms appear, beautiful and ugly. 35

Such

as,

for example, death.

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The meaning of the metaphor is that, j ust as a reflection is not an object outside the mirror, in the same way rolpa energy does not maniftst 'o utside' us, but 'inside: When we do a visualisation or practise a sadhana of the Path ofTransformation, for example concentrating on an image of Vajrasattva bigger than Mont Blanc, or on infinite other mandalas, all of these visions can, by means of our training, be concretely actualised. They all appear through the manifestation of our energy called rolpa. Rolpa and tsal are two ways that the energy of our primordial state manifests. For a practitioner who is able to be present in this state all manifestations, inner and outer, are means for making progress. Followers of the Dzogchen teaching do not pose any limits on the practices that can be done (rituals, visualisations, transformations) but instead utilise all of them, with awareness; only those who know the diverse functions of energy can utilise them in this way. To sum up, the Chogzhag of the ocean means not being afraid of vision, because in reality we cannot be harmed by anything; it is better to live relaxing in the vision itself (than to try to resist it or to flee it) . RJGPA CHOGZHAG

What is the real meaning of the word rigpa? It simply means knowledge, but not intellectual knowledge. You know that in S anskrit 'ignorance' is called avidya; the a- prefix denotes negation, and if it is 66

Continuing

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removed what remains is vidya, in Tibetan rigpa. This word is used very much in the Dzogchen teaching. First of all you need to know that in Dzogchen, Bodhicitta36 actually denotes the primordial state of the individual, that is, the nature of mind. When a practitioner enters this state and abides therein he is said to have the knowledge called rigpa, a knowledge that is experienced in one's practice. When you engage in Shine, first of all by means of fixation with an obj ect you find the calm state, like a calm sea, in which thoughts are not present; this state is called nepa. Then you become familiar with the dynamic aspect, called gyuwa, 'movement'; we used the metaphor of fish leaping in the sea. In the calm, motionless sea of nepa a thought arises, a fish leaps, and this is gyuwa. Not only do thoughts arise, there is always the presence of awareness; certainly you do not pursue the thoughts, otherwise it would no longer be Shine, but nor do you allow yourself to forget or not to notice the movement, otherwise your Shine would be affected by torpor.

The clear and distinct presence ofthese two states, the calm state and the state in which something moves when we are in the state of released Shine, is called rigpa. 36 For an explanation of the meaning of Bodhicitra in the Dzogchen system see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu and Adriano Clemente, T he Supre me Source, Snow Lion 1 999, Part One, Chapter Two. For a more general disquisition on Bodhicitta in the Mahayana system, see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Precious Va se , Part One, Chapter 4.

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In sum, the determining factor is presence: it is due to presence that we begin to start to have knowledge. When the state of rigpa or of knowledge continues as it is, this is called Rigpa Chogzhag. It is enough to leave it unaltered, j ust as we find it. This is the fundamental thing you need to know; it is very simple. To recapitulate, first I said not to be concerned about your body, then that you do not need to close your eyes, then to continue the state you are expenenCing. NANG\X'A. CHOGZHAG

The word nangwa denotes our VISion, pure or impure, whatever it may be; so Nangwa Chogzhag means 'letting vision be' j ust as it is. This means that it is not necessary to flee vision; on the contrary, to reject vision is precisely what you must not do. If while sitting in meditation I see around me many disturbing movements, to the extent that in order to continue I need to close my eyes, this clearly indicates that I am not yet able to practise the Chogzhags. This is the truth, pure and simple. We have said that the Chogzhags are a way for continuing. Clearly, in order to be able to learn the ways for continuing there must be something to continue. As long as there is something that can disturb a practitioner's meditation then she has not yet integrated vision and the nature of mind. This is very important, you must remember this, above all because when you have made the slightest progress in your 68

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Continuing

practice and are able to continue, to enter into the state of continuation, the time will come when you will be able to apply the four Chogzhags to all visions. The four Chogzhags are of fundamental importance for the practice of Dzogchen. There are several more complicated interpretations and analyses of them composed in various ages by great teachers and scholars, but this explanation is all you need for concrete practice. In conclusion, you have to understand the real meaning and function of the four Chogzhags. What is important for you to understand is that these are not Jour ways to meditate' (even though there are many interpretations along these lines) but simply a single way to continue, leaving be the body as it is, the gaze as it is, the state as it is, with the clear presence of vision. As all meditations require a certain posture, a certain gaze, an obj ect on which to fix the mind and a way to breathe, the four Chogzhags are subdivided in a similar manner. If I am lying down and seem to be sleeping, anyone who sees me cannot at all discern whether or not I am practising; however it is possible that in that very moment I am in the prefect presence and total relaxation of the four Chogzhags.

INTEGRATING PRESENCE IN EXPERIENCES

For practitioners who have reached this point there is an explanation connected with our nyams, with our 69

Part three

experiences of sensation, of clarity and of emptiness. We have already said that the condition of the individual is related to essence, nature and energy. Essence refers to the state of emptiness, above all the state of nepa, that is a state in which thoughts are not present but which should not be confused with the absence of thoughts characteristic of fixation. We have said that intensely fixing on an object creates a stillness in which thoughts are not present. However this does not make us certain that we are in Shine: more often thoughts do not arise only because there is no gap. In fact in this case as soon as we relax the fixation somewhat, all thoughts manifest again. So this is not the true state of nepa. Rather, the state of nepa manifests when a practitioner is really in the state of stable Shine and is able to remain even a quarter or half an hour without a thought arising. What is the condition of this state? It is characteristic of what is called essence; we could almost say that it is a way that essence manifests. Clarity is the way that nature manifests. It appears in diverse modes and aspects in various circumstances, for example in dreams. In general the dreams we have as soon as we fall asleep concern our recent fantasies and daily life, or our normal habits and attachments; however at times, at a later hour dreams come that bear no relation to our daily life. In particular in the morning, shortly before we wake up, when our sleep is light, sometimes some quite 70

Continuing _

interesting dreams37 can come. This is a manifestation of clarity and this can happen not only to someone who regularly does the dream p ractice but to anyone, because clarity is a quality that all individuals possess. At times, for example, clarity can manifest spontaneously. It may happen that you are at home, in peace, without having any particular idea or thought, and suddenly a kind of vision comes in to your mind. Maybe you see someone who is about to arrive, like a kind of daydream . . . so, a thought that comes to mind in this way, spontaneously, but which then turns out to be true. There are manifestations of clarity of this type that everyone can experience; the circumstances can also come about whereby with the same naturalness these phenomena become frequent. Everyone experiences actual, real manifestations of clarity. At times it may happen that, when we have to undertake some new activity or have to face some problem, immediately a thought arises clearly showing us the best way to solve the problem, like 'a stroke of genius'. But then when we reconsider we decide that that way is not ok, it cannot work. So we face the problem in a way that may be less ' imaginative', or that seems to give us a b etter guarantee of success; but then even though we do our best, things

do not g o the way we planned and anticipated with all our

reasoning. So at the end we find o urselves saying: "What a pity! If I had stuck to the first idea that came to me maybe everything would have worked out better." Episodes of this kind often occur, and they are manifestations of the natural clarity of the individual.

37 An example of a extraordinary dream of clarity can be found in Namkhai Norbu, The Crys ta l a nd the way ofLight, Routledge & Kegan Paul 1 986. Concerning dream practice see Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, D re a m Yoga a nd the Practice ofNa tu ral Light, Snow Lion 1 992.

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Nevertheless, certainly some restraint is advisable in terms of believing that the first thing that springs into our mind is always and in every case a manifestation of clarity!

So, clarity also manifests outside meditation because it is a qualification of the individual; hence, by means of practising clarity manifests even more. However clarity also manifests in the form of nyams, through vision and sensation. Sensation denotes above all the sensation of pleasure, tied to energy. I am often asked to speak about sexual practice. Some people who have heard or read something about it have some ideas about the use of sex in the practice ofTantra, and so they ask me whether these practices exist in Dzogchen. Usually these are deemed restricted teachings and so they are not discussed openly. We know that normally men and women live their intimate life in private, they sleep at home, not in the street or the square. When they are out in public they wear their clothes and behave in a civilised manner; only when they are at home, on their own, do they get comfortable and take their clothes off. The same applies to sexual practice: it is not considered something to chat about in public. So usually I do not speak much about these things (but even when I say that I don't speak about them I am speaking about them!)

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On the other hand, clearly when a person is genuinely interested and wants to know something more about this practice, especially if it is someone not bound by monastic vows, it need not be kept hidden. What is the aim of this practice? And what has to be done?

Sensation is the path, and through sensation you attain realisation. Sensation is a concrete event. It is not something you imagine you are feeling; on the contrary, it is something you feel concretely. While we are experiencing sensation we cannot find a way to define it conceptually, however usually we are completely conditioned by it. Anyone engaging in sexual activity enjoys a pleasurable, delightful sensation, but then inevitably he or she dissipates it in vain; normally there is no way to utilise it to turn it into the Path. Now, when a practitioner is able to use it as the path, this means she is no longer conditioned by it. In this case, being present in this state, not distracted or conditioned, she develops her practice.

If a practitioner is capable of increasing sensation further, that is, of having a sensation stronger than normal, her practice becomes more effective. I suppose many of you have read books such as the Kama Sutra or Kama Shastra, which in the West are considered books for entertainment. I think they were introduced in this way to sell more, but you should 73

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know that most of their principles are derived from the Tantras, and the main aim of these texts is to teach the development of sensation. This lets us understand that there is a way to develop it much beyond the normal. Let us look at an example. A person hears speak of an interesting, marvellous book that teaches you how to develop sensatio n greatly, so he hurries out immediately to buy it and engage in the practices explained in the book. However, if he is still completely dominated by passion and attachment then even if he succeeds in applying some technique in the correct way what result will he obtain? None, or maybe worse, he may have even more problems in his life. Instead in the case of someone not conditioned by passion, the development of sensation will become an excellent means, very effective for her realisation. Just as to increase a fire you need more wood, so when there is greater development of experience there is also greater development of wisdom. If yo u have understood this, which is the true fundamental sense, even though you may not know how to apply many complicated techniques you can be a bit more concrete. This explanation is very concise, so maybe an example may be ofhelp. If we watch the way cats mate, we see that nearly always they also have to fight with a third cat. The next day one of these cats has scratches on its face. They do this because they are dominated by the passions. 74

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Human beings too usually behave in the same way. When a man and a woman get engaged or 'get together' everything is coloured by the passion of the moment. But what often then happens, when the passion has abated a bit, is that many problems start, and at the end even from the outside people can see that they don't get on any more. These are the manifestations of the passion that also dominates human beings; but humans, unlike cats, can learn to free themselves of it. Even though perusing the tantras you can discover many different esoteric techniques, the essential truth that underpins them all is that within us there is the 'presence of sensation' . It cannot be conceptualised at all, it can only be experienced. Ifa practitioner is in the presence ofsensation without being conditioned by it, and maintains awareness, this is already the path. In general Dzogchen practitioners, except in the case of monks or nuns, normally have sexual contacts, so they need to understand what is the fundamental point, what they are seeking to achieve. The principle of presence must always be accompanied step by step by the manifestation of sensation; also in the case of contemplation, of Shine, a practitioner integrates the principle of presence with the manifestation of his or her energy, which occurs through sensation. 75

Part three

In this practice it is not a matter only of the existence of sensatio n and of the knowledge of sensation, because we have seen that not only humans but also animals somehow experience sensation. The essential point, the first thing you need to learn, is to know how to utilise this sensation. Usually we do not know of any way to utilise the passions. Rather, we are dominated by them, it is not we that dominate them. For this reason it can prove very useful from the beginning to learn to utilise the passions. The same thing applies to us when we practise Shine. There are three main categories of experiences

(nyams) :

the

sensation of pleasure, the manifestation of clarity, and the state of emptiness. These experiences may always manifest during practice, also to beginners, both separately and in every possible combination. The important thing is to know that when as practitioners we have succeeded in evolving beyond stable Shine, that is we have 'released' Shine so we are no longer conditioned by the distinction between

nepa

and

gyuwa

(that is

between the calm state and the state of movement) , then these three experiences o r

nyams present themselves at the

same level and we are no longer conditioned by them. The sensation of pleasure is analogous to the manifestation of clarity, it is not something concrete, and is integrated at the level of nepa, of the calm state.

Whoever knows how to practise the four Chogzli.ags has already acquired the capacity to p ractise Shine perfectly, and is continuing in the state of Shine through the four Chogzhags.

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Contents PREFACE

Part One FIXING AND STABILISING Fixation Fixation with an object Fixation without an obj ect Three counsels on the proliferation of thoughts Simultaneity Experiences The four defects The three wisdoms Stable Shine Part Two RELEASING Released Shine Namkha Arted

3

5 7 12 20 22 25 29 31 34 42

45 47 52

Part Three

CONTINUING The four Chogzhags Riwo Chogzhag Gyatso Chogzhag Rigpa Chogzhag Nangwa Chogzhag Integrating presence in experiences

57 59 60 61 66 68 69