Dzogchen

(This morning's ponderings)

The Dalai Lama's book on Dzogchen got me definitely interested, (Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of The Great Perfection, Snow Lion, Ithaca, NY 2002), although as I read into it further, it REALLY gets very technical and, well, academic I guess is the word. The Big D.L.'s years of monastic training begin to peek through. Meanwhile, I found a website
http://www.dzogchen.info.ms/
that has a scrolling list of articles down the right side, and from amongst them I've so far read "Ultimate Dzogchen: An interview with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche," which includes a really good description of Dzogchen:

"This unity of being empty and cognizant is the state of mind of all sentient beings. There is nothing special about that. A practitioner should encompass that with 'a core of awareness.' That is the path of practice. Again, 'the unity of being empty and cognizant with a core of awareness.' The special feature of Dzogchen is as follows: 'Primordial pure essence is Trekchö, Cutting Through.' This view is actually present in all the nine [lower] vehicles, but the special quality of Dzogchen is what is called 'The spontaneously present nature is Tögal, Direct Crossing.' The unity of these two, Cutting Through and Direct Crossing, Trekchö and Tögal, is the special or unique teaching of Dzogchen. That is how Dzogchen basically is. That's it."

The articles on http://www.dzogchen.info.ms/ also include one by Lama Surya Das titled "Mind-Nature Teachings Concerning the View, Meditation, and Action of Dzogpa Chenpo, the Innate Great Perfection." Whew! Surya Das is a westerner ordained early-on as a lama, and I like the cheerful portraits of him that I've seen.

"So what is to be done to realize the natural Great Perfection. . . if it is free from all concepts, efforts, and representations? The Prajnaparamita Sutra says, 'The perfection of wisdom is beyond thought.' It should not be conceived of, for it is inconceivable and cannot be described. The absolute truth is not something that can be apprehended by the mind of ordinary beings. In order to indicate this to beings, in a relative way, the Buddhas have said that the void nature is like the sky, while its luminous expression is like the sun. But in truth, even a Buddha cannot entirely express the nature of the mind; there are no words or examples to explain it. It is utterly beyond the relative mind of beings. Yet it is not something that did not exist before, like a new thing appearing for the first time.
"When we are free from all conceptualizations and mental fabrications we can see this nature. When Karma Chagme Rinpoche realized the absolute nature, Mahamudra, he said to his friend, 'This is something that has been with me forever. It is something I have known forever. Why didn't you tell me that this was Mahamudra itself?' When we see the true nature within ourselves, there is nothing more to be seen, There is nothing more to be found in the eighty-four thousand teachings."

"The Prajnaparamita Sutra says:
Regarding mind:
"Mind does not exist,
Its expression is luminosity."

Well, for us intrepid veteran hippie adventurers, all of this definitely is something we've sampled with the help of various dietary supplements. But the ultimately question is the old 24/7: "How to STAY THERE ALL THE TIME???" The temptation is to reply, "Well, if mind is nothing, then I don't need to do anything except light up, turn on the CD player and kick back." But it all does comes back to making an effort, darn it, as long as you do not want to have to rely on external boosters. Meditation of some sort is required, but I am happy to report that a combination of smiling, relaxed-eye concentration (if the eyes wander, the mind wanders) relaxing BEHIND the eyes, and swatting away thoughts by blinking, works very well for me.

H.H. the Dalai Lama also quotes a teaching that recommends shouting "PHAT!!!" whenever a thought intrudes:

"First, relax and release your mind,
Neither scattered, nor concentrated, without thoughts.
While resting in this even state, at ease,
Suddenly let out a mind-shattering 'PHAT!',
Fierce, forceful and abrupt. AMAZING!
There is nothing there, transfixed in wonder,
Struck by wonder, and yet all is transparent and clear. "

Of course this might create problems with the neighbors. Sort of putting 'the Phat in the fire'? Could blinking be the 'silent PHAT!' for urban dwellers? The Big D.L. also quotes the Buddha (probably another translation of the one I quoted above):

"The mind is devoid of mind
For the nature of mind is clear light."
Prajnaparamita Sutra

blink-blink-blink!

Enlightenment... if only it came in suppository form. Preparation PHAT!!

Very Easy Path to... you-know-what

I’ve been reading the His Holiness The D.L.'s book “Dzogchen, The Heart of Perfection,” -- a copy that dropped out of the Baltimore County Library system in 2001 -- and he writes:

"One method that is spoken in the Dzogchen tradition is to 'direct your mind into your eyes and direct your eyes toward space.' This is useful because our visual consciousness is so powerful. This doesn't mean you are looking at something in the outside world, but rather that you direct your gaze toward the space between you and external phenomena."

Now I've heard it described many times in Zen to put your awareness a few inches in front of your nose, or things similar, but I've never heard "direct your mind into your eyes and direct your eyes towards space.' Combining this technique with the thought-swatting blinks that I learned from watching HH the D.L. in action (posted previously*), I realized I had come upon a very powerful method for staying in no-thought.

*As I posted earlier but I’ll repeat here, I watched the Dalai Lama (I call him affectionately 'the Big D.L.) on the tube being interviewed, and noticed that he blinks about four times more than I do. So I started blinking every time he blinked, and could see that blinking interrupts the monkey- thoughts. So next time I sat down to center my eyes on an 'object' (if my eyes wander, my thoughts wander), I blinked every time a thought showed up - sort of a 'thought swatter.' It seems to work very well, and you can ‘blink’ even with your eyes shut! Yahoo! No- thought made even easier!
More as I read further into his book.

Meditation - one way to get started easily

Someone wrote on a Buddhism list:

Someone:
> I just cant sit still for 10 mins.
> Can anyone suggest what I should do?

Ramon replied:A lot of folks get discouraged because they find sitting still too difficult. And if they do sit still, then they find their mind wandering all over the place. The thing is, you first have to learn to concentrate the mind before you can 'relax' into the wonderful feelings. I've found that if my eyes wander, my mind wanders. So the first thing is to keep the eyes settled on one spot. One easy training method that I use is to stare for five or so seconds at a light source - just a regular low-watt light between - 3 and 5 feet away is fine. I stare for five seconds, then turn away from the light source, close my eyes and concentrate on the after-image, usually a purple oval on my eyelids. I stare at it as it slowly dissolves, which takes about 1 or 2 minutes. As long as I keep my focus on the afterimage, ignoring my thoughts is quite easy. Sometimes I also count my breaths at the same time to 10 and back to zero.

After a while, concentrating the eyes on one spot becomes very easy, and a certain 'feeling' begins to spread from the third eye, the forehead, into the body. It then becomes possible to stay concentrated more or less at any time, and I think this is called 'fixation.' Please, someone, correct me if I am wrong.

There are various levels of concentration described in the classic texts, as well as various levels of fixation. But once fixation becomes permanent, one then can 'relax' away from the object -- in this case the afterimage -- and just learn to unfold deeper and deeper into that feeling that started in the third eye area.

This 'relaxation' is meditation, and again can be described within many different levels. But I believe the 'first jhana'(bliss absorption) begins with that 'certain feeling' in the forehead that gradually spreads into the rest of the body. The main thing is not to just stop on these early levels, but always 'go beyond,' remaining alert and not spacing out.

I watched HH the Dalai Lama live on the tube the other night. I noticed that he blinks about four times more than I do, so I started copying his blinking pattern. It was quite interesting, and I noticed it tended to 'blink away' any random thoughts -- sort of like an eyelid 'thought swatter.' I use it now along with concentrating on an object to begin fixation. Blinking frequently open-eyed keeps the object visible more clearly in three dimensions. Blinking with closed eyes is also interesting, flexing the 'blink muscle' without opening the lids. Doing either type of blinking also helps keep me alert.


Comments are definitely welcome!


"Thanks for everything. I have no complaints whatsoever."
Wavy Gravy's daily response to occurring events of all flavors

A real Bodhisattvatudinous dude.

I'm beginning to close in on my essay, "Light to De-Light," (tentative title) but meanwhile I've been enjoying a book by Wavy Gravy, my clown guru, titled "Something Good For A Change." (1992)
It's truly a terrific book, with a few excellent exercises for cheering up, such as the Funny Mantra:

"Put a paper bag over your head and do a bunch of
mouth farts - (razzberries), vibrating the paper."

He hands out paper bags to sick kids in the hospital wards and teaches them how to do it.

Also from the one-page intro:

This is Wavy Gravy- author, kids' camp director, humanitarian, activist, pacifist, clown, and temple of accumulated error. I currently reside within these very words you're looking at right now. Juts gaze directly at the page. Start to open your eyes really wide, WIDER STILL! Just explode your eyeballs onto the page.
SEE ALL THE WORDS AT ONCE
LET YOURSELF BEGIN TO FLOAT IN LIGHT
NOW! Quick, touch my cape!
go WHOOSH . . . and
SQUEEZE YOUR EYES SHUT!
See those bright spots on your eyelids? Now go for the light inside the center of your head. Head for the blinding flashes. . .

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ramon: the funny thing is how close his exercise is to the one I've been polishing - staring at an electric light, turning away, closing my eyes, and then meditating on the afterimage as it gradually dissolves into nothingness -- along with your individual self. It's a combination of Patanjali's yoga 'tratakam' concentration on a object -- in Buddhism the 'kasina' technique of staring at an object until there's a sharp afterimage when you close your eyes -- and from sungazing yoga.
--=-=-=-=
Another Wavy one from the book:

Laughter is the audio announcement that Fun is being had. In its fullest form, laughter is both healthy and holy. The dictionary further suggests that to amuse means to "delight a person's sense of humor."

Wavy Gravy says, "If you don't have a sense of humor it just isn't funny any more."

Did I get you that time? At least a little flip? Don't worry if you didn't get the flop yet. Just keep on flipping away and the flop will come. In fact, it is that moment between the flip and the flop that the major insights and healing occur.

Try vocalizing the flip as "Aaaahhhhhh." Imagine the Angel of Comedy inserting an invisible tongue depressor into your head -- Aaaahhhhh! -- till you are wide open and totally relaxed. Enter the heavenly hyphen (-) followed b y the great release. "HA!" All together now. "AH-HA! Again. AH-HA! Once more. AH-HA! I think you got it. Now, go with the flop:
HA HA HA HA HA HA.

[END QUOTE]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Anyway, Wavy's always been my guru and I just love the guy. A real American Bodhisattvatudinous dude.

See if you can pick up the book at your local library.

Wavy's mantra at all times, even after a third flat tire: "Thanks for everything. I have no complaints whatsoever."

For a guy who's been in a full body cast for months of his life, and many physically pain-filled moments, that's impressive.

Sniggle them Snarfs

The title above, "Sniggle them Snarfs," refers to my alternate persona King of Fools Zero's coronation speech given in Occidental, California, last April (the first proclamation to his clown subjects) that explains how to get rid of SNARFS (Sashaying Nervously About with wRinkled ForeheadS). How? By SNIGGLING them, of course (SNIGGLE being shorthand for

SUMPTUOUSLY
NAVIGATE in
INNER
GORGEOUS
GIGGLING
LAUGHING
EUPHORIA

"HOW THE SMILE DOTH SNIGGLE SNARFS."
SMILE of course being an acronym for "Simply Meander In Loving Eudaemony." So of course the full message is "Simply meander in loving eudaemony and sumptuously navigate in inner gorgeous, giggling, laughing, euphoria."

Ad what does Eudaemony mean? The usual translation [of eudaimonia from the Greek] is 'genuine happiness,' but 'flourishing' is more accurate according to B. Alan Wallace of the Santa Barbara Institute for Happiness Studies.

Now you might argue that in these terrible times it's pretty effing difficult to 'meander and navigate' in such a state of blissful beatitude, but I think if helping others is going to give anyone a real boost, it's going to have to come from an inner peace place that's deeper than just do-gooding. This 'deeper inner peace place' is freely available to everyone thanks to Big Mama Nature, but has to be re-evoked and remembered because life's downers and agonies have placed layers of 'experiential filters' over that inner light which is what we all are born as -- and still remain within our core self under all the accumulated crud. As babies we all had that wide-eyed look of amazement and absorption of inpouring light. But then we learned to differentiate objects with boundaries, to frown and focus down so we could learn to read and 'become individuals.' I'm not saying this wasn't a necessary evolution, but I do think we should have been reminded to keep that first open-focused perception going, and we basically lost it and fell a half-second behind our open perception at 40 million bits per second into our self-reflective egotudinous awareness, operating at only 50 bits per second. That's quite a slow-down! I guess that was from eating the Apple of Knowledge and realizing -- "Hey! We're not wearing any clothes!" -- and getting sashayed out of the Garden of Eden. Damn all! I guess Eden has a sign reading "Uninhibited Nudists Only!" Sounds like a hippie commune.

Luckily, light comes to the rescue - just plain old everyday photons of the sort that allow you to read these words on your computer screen. That's been my big insight this summer. Light makes de-light. And it doesn't require mainlining sunlight (although that's still my favorite yoga), but just opening them baby blinkers up wide and letting the photons pour in! Recent research has discovered that all our cells communicate with light -- biophotons -- so basically our bodies are just one big light sponge anyway. And what I'm now experiencing is that these tiny photons -- how big are they anyway? (Both 'zero' and 'infinite,' heh-heh, according to Quantum Theory.) I would add 'both conscious and loving,' which of course classifies me as a nutcase. But I do find photons very phriendly when I pay them attention, which they seem to like. Try yoo-hooing a few and you'll see what I mean. Maybe Terence McKenna's DMT 'elves' are related?

For the SMILE, I place a stick or pencil - right now a paintbrush - between my teeth to widen these chops into a fixedly fiendish grin. Then I open my eyes as wide as I can -- I know, I look like something out of a Tibetan martial arts catalog -- and whammo! -- all this light energy comes rushing into my solar plexus. It doesn't hurt to try relaxing inside that facial posture -- blinking is allowed by the way. When I relax, especially behind my eyes, everything starts strobing ten to the second, or close to it. Maybe on the earth's Shuman frequency of 7.5 vps? And the rest of my body feels like it's melting. Promise, I haven't altered my consciousness with anything additives.

I dare you to SNARF while you've got the 'bit between your teeth!' and your eyes full wide in amazement! I don't think it's possible. Once you've learned where the stick or pencil puts your cheeks, you can just go there on your own anytime at all. And that wide-eyed look - well, I'd practice it in private because it might scare some kids, but it sure helps lighten me up, especially when I relax behind it.

Check out Padhasamvhava's glare. Of course, in his case, he went a little extreme doing without his eyelids, which I do not recommend.

Some Purring Progress

Last night I managed, while lying down, to reach a deeper inner depth for the purr/ snarl/rattle/flutter/smiling meditation. By 'depth'I mean literally as deep down into the chest as I could manage to resonate, and by smiling manage to keep the same pitch/tone on the inhale as the exhale. Of course the masters of this low-pitched growl are the Tibetan lamas, and I've often wondered, while listening to their inspiring recordings, whether their low pitch has anything to do with their attained experience. I am more and more convinced that it does, because the lower the pitch, the deeper into the body it resonates -- as anyone who has attended loud rock concerts can testify.
Ideally I think one should be able to resonate into the center below the navel, at least for starters.
If the trachea resonates, the aorta vibrates, and the heart as well!
Good vibes all 'round!