DZOGCHEN At the home of Paljor and TseringLa Cienega, New MexicoJuly 2, 2005 Translator: Paljor

“What this teaching is all about is really the direct introduction to your own Buddha nature.

All phenomena is contained within this Buddha nature that we all possess.

So it is important to actually determine whole heartedly and positively how our Buddha nature is very present within every sentient being; and it is complete, perfect and there’s no difference between Buddha and that of sentient beings. Having realized that we all are potential Buddhas, since we all have Buddha nature, we should never doubt the existence of Buddha nature within ourselves. And all the entire universe and cosmos is contained within that Buddha nature. And Buddha nature is defined as space itself, and we’re talking about the infinity of space, so everything is contained within that space and should be seen as a reflection of the mind. And not something that exists outside the mind as an entity. Everything is contained within this vast expansiveness of the mind. Mind is the Buddha, mind is the universe and everything is a projection or creation of the mind; outside the mind, nothing else exists.

The mind is also defined as the indestructible vajra and sometimes is called vajradara; and also sometimes it is known as the primordial Buddha, and samantabadra. The mind has many names simply to indicate that minds cannot be simply defined, or localized, or objectified. It is the search. We use so many words, such as the great perfection, the middle way, mahamudra – all these are nothing but words. Mind cannot be known by words, because it’s beyond expression, beyond conceptual thought. Only what is within the conceptual can be known by words. But to try to define mind with words only leads to confusion. You don’t need words. It is like the taste of honey, which can only be known by tasting with the tongue. There’s no way to explain the smell of a rose without smelling it yourself. You can’t see the vajra, but you can hear it. It can only be known by experiential knowledge, direct introduction.

So to define the mind, it is non-existent because it is the basis of samsara. It can’t be a contradiction, because it is the middle way. Because to accept something as existent or non-existent either way leads to what is known as the two extremes. So one has to learn to think that it is neither this nor that, it is only suchness. The word itself has no meaning at all. If any of you hold any view, any expression – only if one has the experience of it, can it lead to the experience of the nature of mind.

So the words only point to some direction, but it doesn’t define it. If the finger is pointing to the moon, it cannot reach the moon. The tendency of most people is that they are looking at the finger, not the direction; but the finger isn’t the nature of emptiness. So try to understand the direction in which the finger is pointing, because all the definitions are pointing to something that cannot be defined by words. So what is uncontrived, what is natural, can be understood naturally. You can’t push yourself to understand. But for some people, it comes naturally. Whatever comes naturally, sometimes for others, it is very difficult to understand. However, one should not be concerned about not understanding this. One shouldn’t say, “I’ve been listening to this emptiness for years and I still don’t understand it.” It’s so

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empty there is nothing to be understood. Those who do understand where the direction of the finger is pointing and know the direction, shouldn’t be too proud. Just be natural.

In other words, Rinpoche is using the special word, (Tung.) ‘seeing.’ Mind can’t be seen. Even the Buddhas haven’t seen the mind, but they understand. So if you don’t see something, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The best thing is to see that there is nothing to be seen. And that’s a real seeing. But if you don’t see the mind, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The mind can never be seen. When you don’t see it, don’t worry. Even the Buddha has never seen it. But that doesn’t mean the mind isn’t there.

When you being to feel, ‘I don’t see it’ – whoever says 1 don’t see it, that is the innate feeling of primordial awareness. It sees that there is nothing to be seen. And that is the seeing.

The intrinsic nature of the mind primordially is pure, passive, just like the, pure water in the ocean. And when the ocean is disturbed, you see’ a lot of dirt. But whenever it settles, it is always clear. The water has always been clear. In the same way, the mind has always been natural, intrinsic. The contamination is only the karmic propensities. When we use the term ‘purified’, which is a direct introduction to the contaminates – when you purify any water, you make it drinkable. The nature of the water doesn’t change. Any glass of water, whether it is salty, any molecule of the water whether it be a glass or a lake, you make it drinkable. Any source of water is exactly the same. Therefore, the Buddha nature in, every sentient being is exactly the same.

So one should broaden one’s own view of emptiness, and confirm and deepen one’s own understanding, without the slightest doubt that Buddha nature exists within ourselves; and to broaden our mind about this Buddha nature. When I talk about Buddha nature – we’re not talking about three different things, we’re talking about essentially the same thing.

It’s like a successful businessman. He can afford to lose millions and millions and have millions left. So you should become confident of your Buddha nature. So ‘ you can’t lose it. One becomes fearless, if you become so confident. You become fearless.

We can handle small problems, small obstacles, obscurations; but we must train to become fearless, and willing and, able to conquer any situation, especially when big obstacles like anger appear. Yesterday we talked about the ability to subdue negative emotions, negative thoughts. First we start out like a small incense fire, remember? We have to make that flame (Buddha nature) bigger so if any obstacle comes, it can bum in it immediately.

When the weather is good and the stomach is full, and you have no other problems, you feel like a good practitioner. But when there is a real problem – bad weather, empty stomach, sickness – then you see how you handle that situation.

So you must strengthen yourself like a body builder, with as much muscle that is needed, so you can handle any problems, any difficult situation.

So always strengthen yourself to be able to deal with any situation, especially the most difficult situation, which is the hardest emotion. When there is suffering and the causes of suffering and the suffering of suffering – and there are many causes of that. So each one becomes so intense and that is

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the real taste of one’s strength: to be able to subdue any negative emotion and that’s really the hardest thing ever to overcome.

A lot of these problems that arise are because of attachment and aversion. Attachment is very strong, like when we lose something dear to us and we find ourselves feeling it is pointless to live our life without it; and aversion is a very strong emotion and causes enemies and that can make us destroy other lives, So either way, both are very destructive to our Buddha nature.

So the attachment and aversion are both extremely strong desires. All this becomes very harmful to one’s realization. So one should strengthen, and meditate on, for example, anger, so that the anger itself becomes completely helpless and cannot do any harm. So not only subduing, but completely eliminate and transform it, so that all the negative emotions are purified and transform into a positive emotion.

One shouldn’t try to run away from namthogs (afflictive emotions) or from our own thoughts and negative emotions. There’s no escape. Rather one should challenge; one should fight until exhausted .. You can’t stay angry for a number of years, for 25 years, 24 hours a day. It’s impossible for anyone to stay that long, being angry. Because everything that happens, whether it’s pleasure or anger, everything has its own limit. You can’t be permanently angry. That is the nature of impermanence. If you build your own strength, you can exhaust every thought form; every propensity. Build the fearlessness to challenge and to subdue negative emotions, rather than to avoid or run away from it.

There are known to be three methods of subduing. The highest method is through mahamudra or Dzog Chen, the great perfection. The second method is bodhichita, and the last is through Hinayana or self-enlightenment.

These three methods are also called three wisdoms. So it is the quality and quantity of the wisdom. And in Tibet, there is a belief that the peacocks can handle poison better than any other living creature. When the peacock takes poison, their feathers become brighter and more colorful. But give the same poison to any other bird or creatures, they die. So those with the greater wisdom can handle all the negative emotions more easily, than those with the lesser wisdom.

What is also known as the three poisons are desire, anger and ignorance, which is very often seen as the wheel of life in the center represented by a coiled snake. The-root ofatbregative emotions is ignorance, because of being ignorant of how to handle negative emotions. Ignorance gives birth to a very deep and dark sleep. There’s no light of wisdom, and that’s when negative emotions come in like a thief in the dark.

But there is another method, if one has skillful means; you can meditate in sleep. You can use the sleeping time for meditation. One famous practitioner slept all day and night, and gained very high realization. Ignorance is defined as deep sleep, or sloth. But sleep itself is not a bad thing, especially if you know how to meditate during sleep.

So there are many means that can be used as a means for realization. Some people are very fond of games. Or instruments. One teacher who played a string instrument, like a violin, asked the Buddha, “How does one meditate?” Buddha answered, “When do you get the best sound? When the string is too loose or too tight?” The musician answered, “When the string has the right tension.” The prayer wheel is

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like the instrument. When it’s too loose, you fall asleep. When it’s too tight, you have more thoughts. When you have it just the right tension, then you have calm abiding.

As you’re playing your instrument, don’t get too fond of the sound you are making and get attached to it. Just simply play and maintain your mindful awareness.

So if one developed skillful means to spontaneously subdue negative emotions, then the moment something appeared, it would dissolve immediately. And the three examples of skillful means are: of being in an empty house, so the thief can’t steal anything. And the other is like making a drawing on the water; it immediately disappears. And the third is defined as how to tie a knot on a snake. It immediately uncoils by itself. This is the best method. Otherwise when negative emotions appear, just like weeds in the back yard; you know when you weed, how fast it grows. But if you can dissolve effortlessly, then it is just like an empty house. You don’t worry about a thief stealing something, because there’s nothing to steal.

So it’s the strength of our grasping, the thought that determines how conditioned we become to negative emotions. Some subtle things are easy to handle, but the big things are harder. But if we learn the method, the method of subduing, it is always the same. So if we get accustomed, habituated to handling small things, like the example of the person who can’t be generous, then he did the exercise of giving to his left hand from his right hand, until he had no problem. Then he could give to others. If we learn to develop by dealing with subtle thoughts, then we can deal with very strong ones. We develop how to handle subtle negative emotions, and then we can handle stronger negative emotions. When you ask questions, don’t concern yourself with external things. When you ask questions about your own nature of mind, look internally, and see what you . understand and what you don’t understand. This will be helpful, because when someone asks a good question that deals with inner being, then it benefits the rest of the group. So there’s no point discussing other things until we understand inwardly.

It’s important to subdue the coarse namthogs (negative thoughts and emotions). And also, if one contemplates too much on the nature of emptiness, without the unifying force of emptiness and compassion, then it leads to rebirth in the formless realm. There are three realms: The desire realm, form realm, and the formless realm. So that is the misunderstanding of emptiness.

So besides Buddhism, there are other schools of thought that deal with the idea of emptiness. But without compassion, emptiness can only lead to the concept of nothingness, so that one takes rebirth in the formless realm.

If there’s no compassion, and even though you are not grasping at namthogs or thoughts, one can be reborn in the desire realm.

Without grasping onto namthogs, or thoughts, and as you maintain certain clarity, yet without the compassion, you can still also take rebirth in the form realm. The three realms are desire, form and formless realms. You must have the union of compassion and the realization of a Bodhisattva; if one has only the understanding of emptiness without compassion, then it doesn’t lead to enlightenment.

This is very important to understand the complexity of the subtlety of what we mean by emptiness, with the occurrence of namthogs without grasping – and understanding the nature of emptiness. Sometimes

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it is confusing, but those subtleties can only be understood through experiential knowledge; only through experiencing it. Otherwise, it is a little difficult to comprehend the differences. We are not supposed to grasp at, not to try to understand it, through the thoughts. We are told not to take up thought. When the thoughts have no effect on us, yet we can still be reborn in the form realm and desire realm. So, conceptually, it is difficult to distinguish; but through experience, one can know the difference.

So whatever is natural, the mind, the primordial awareness, unborn, uncontrived, comes naturally, but you don’t assert yourself to realize. And what is pure, natural comes spontaneously. We can’t make something happen at will – all at once.

Once you gain the stabilization of the mind, and the mind is free from negative thoughts, then you begin to feel, ‘This is the state of mind that I’m supposed to maintain.’ This is a very subtle thought. So the minute you say this is it, then it isn’t. It’s another set of namthogs. But if you have doubt – not having thought at all and not recognizing ‘this is if, just leave it as it is. Don’t modify it, don’t change it, don’t interfere with it.

There’s another obstacle, or hindrance, in meditation, when you meditate a long time. Sometimes you become unaware that your mind has already gone somewhere else. Only when you realize you’ve been somewhere else, and realize that is a difficulty of maintaining the mindful awareness. Only when you’ve gone to Tibet, or the doctor, or world trip, and come back, then you say, ‘Oh, I went for a long trip.’ Then you realize there has been a chain of thought created in between. So that can also happen.

The best type of meditation is not the quantity, but the quality. Do a very short, short meditation and relax and be mindful; and then meditate again for a few minutes, and then relax. And always be mindful. That way you can maintain the quality of your thought. And then, slowly, you can increase your present moment.

The present moment is between two thoughts: the thought that just passed, and the future thought yet to come. There is a gap. When you are able to recognize the gap, that is the ‘state of mind you want to maintain. So meditate for short, short periods and more sessions, and always be mindful. So when you are taking this long trip you realize there has been ...

The other thing is just to be able to recognize the thoughts, just like an old friend. The minute you see it, you say, ‘Hey, dog, my old friend – and don’t pretend you don’t see me.’ The moment you see the namthog – the namthog can’t be your friend, so don’t go shake the hand, just recognize it. That’s very important. Eventually the negative emotion loses its power, its effect, on the mind. And eventually it becomes like writing on the water. The moment it appears, it disappears. It can’t stay longer than a moment. So namthog should become just like that – like writing on the water.

So there is a difference between the thoughts appearing and thoughts dissolving. When there’s no thought, that is the dissolution of thought. When there’s thought after thought, that means actually you are grasping the namthog. Without grasping, the chain of thought doesn’t occur. One thought comes and goes, one after another. We begin to see if you are running after namthogs, it means you’re not mindful.

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Not running after namthog and simply seeing it like the drawing on the water. Then the moment you see it, it has disappeared.

The other thing is not to recognize an old friend and make it a loose impact. Then it is like an empty room: there is nothing to steal.So there are many descriptions of the dissolution of thoughts. For example, drawing on water, thiefin empty house, tying knot in snake and it recoils by itself – these are to be able to recognize a namthog, and then namthog disappears immediately, without grasping on to it.

Eventually, working this way, your consciousness will become strong, like a big fire where you throw the thoughts on the burning wood. No matter how big the wood, it will bum immediately. Your consciousness can subdue it, no matter how big, or many thoughts you throw on, it can dissolve them immediately.

It takes a while to free your mind from namthogs. Eventually you see that if you have picture of emptiness, you need to practice more so that clarity can develop from it.

Question: If I have trouble disconnecting thought from breath, should I try to disconnect, or just wait for it to disconnect?

RINPOCHE: Like a relationship fighting for years, then when you get tired of fighting, then namthog says goodbye and goes away. But it takes a while to free one’s own mind from these thoughts. Eventually you see nothing to gain, nothing to fear. Just like if somebody made you king of the whole world, gives you dirty job and nobody wants to do it. When you become fearless, concemless – nothing to lose, nothing to gain, then namthog can’t do any harm. !f you unemployed, namthog can give no jobs. Namthog naturally relieved.

No matter how many years you have experience in meditation, if you cannot dissolve or subdue namthogs, then meditation is pointless. Even if you go on retreat in a cave like an animal all winter, if you are unable to, when you come out, you find yourself with the same old buddies, the same old namthogs.

Dzogchenpa said Rigpa is like the king of mindful awareness. Rigpa is the wisdom that sees the nature ofemptiness. Narigpa is the nature that doesn’t see, between ignorance ..... because king totally controls his kingdom. If our mind is totally in control of all the namthogs, then the kingdom becomes unshakeable.

The basic difference between mahamudra and Great Perfection is that both can dissolve, or subdue namthogs. But in the case of mahamudra, it is not explained how to dissolve. Whereas the Great Perfection, the method, explains the cutting off, but it is not applied in mahamudra.

So in the Great Perfection, the three methods used by other schools are not necessary, such as generating compassion toward all sentient beings. The five poisons is something totally unwanted. But in dzog chen, it is the direct introduction to the mind and cutting off from namthogs that generate compassion to all sentient beings. And you see and transform the poisons. So the most important thing in mabamudra is cutting off namthogs and maintaining the Buddha nature. The uniqueness of dzog chen

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is to maintain the view of the nature of emptiness; that is, the view is empty, its nature is clarity, and its characteristic is boundless. It is known as the quickest, or shortest path.

What is the benefit of this method of the dzog chen path? It gets rid of namthogs and transforms them into primordial wisdom. So in this case, one transforms all hindrances, and illnesses. Just like if you are making a big bonfire, so you take these obstacles and make them as your path. In dzog chen, you actually use all 84,000 negative emotions as meat.

Question: What’s the difference between dzog chen and mahamudra? One looks more directly at the nature of the mind, and mahamudra works with the negative emotions as they arise? RJnpocbe can you elaborate on this?

ANSWER: If you are able to remain the difference between – actually, there is no word for guilt in Tibetan. It is a western namthog. We use the word ‘remorse.’

Question: What is the difference between being mindful and stopping thoughts, which you said was not good to do?

ANSWER: If you have a glimpse of emptiness but lacking sincerity, it’s like polishing a mirror. The more you polish, it becomes clearer and you can meditate more ...

Question: I think dissolving namthogs on my own acceleration ... Should I try, or wait for breath, or wait for it to discennect itself?

ANSWER: (Rinpoche gives these two exercises) ..... Does hook to breath. Breath is like horse. And mind is like rider. So you ride in and ride out. He said some meditation is on the breath especially designed for this: Breathe in OHM AH HUNG (white, red, blue). Use that as an antidote.

Also you can visualize a small flame, like a small candle, and then OHM AH HUNG. So practice the AH. You breathe out if there is any kind of-some negative feeling, you breathe it out with the HUNG.

In the particular practice of dzog chen, great perfection, you maintain your mindful awareness, and don’t con.cem yourself with namtbogs going in and out. Just let it be. That way because like the example of the empty room, there’s nothing there, so there’s nothing to lose.

Sometimes breathe in through nose and then breathe out with your cheek slightly open, slowly. That prevents other thoughts from coming. Mind can only pay attention to one thing at a time. Namthogs can come one after another only ... main thing is to maintain mindful awareness, like sitting on a chair. When mindful awareness is occupying that chair, then namtbog can have no room to sit. So maintain mindful awareness; then namthog will not interfere. It will appear and dissolve by itself.

QUESTION: When I meditate, I see you sitting there on your throne with your smile and twinkle in your eye; would it be better if I see you sitting in meditation, or does it not matter?

RINPOCHE: The important thing to understand is there is no difference between mind of Buddhas and sentient beings. Buddha mind and mind of student is one and the same. So meditate on mindfulness from the lama being inseparable from yours, of student and one and the same.

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In Tibet an old man was dying and his teacher was also a local leader. When he was dying, his teacher said, ‘‘Now pay attention; you are about to die; have Amitaba on your head.” The dying man said, “I don’t remember what he looks like.” Then the teacher said, “Visualize me with Amitabha on top of your head.” So the dying man instead visualized himself sitting on lama’s head who was bald. He said it’s impossible to sit on your head, it’s so slippery.”

The most important thing is the teaching of the lama, and not description of lama. Mindfulness is more important. Essentially the mind of lama is the dharmakaya. The body of the lama is nirmanakaya. The teaching is sambokaya. But the mind of the lama is most important because it is dharmakaya.

So being mindful of lamas teaching, then one s mind always is automatically inseparable with the lama. So remembering the teaching becomes inseparable from the lamas dharmakaya mind. So be mindful of teaching of lama, then one is always with the lama. One is always with the teaching. The Buddhas of the three times and the lamas and all sentient beings have the same quality of mind and are the same.

In the beginning we only see our own suffering. In the end, when we develop more mindful awareness, then we become more aware of others. Not only to think of lower realms, just to think of human suffering. Every time he thought of it, it made him shiver. The cause of suffering, and suffering of suffering, just thinking of it eased his own suffering as well.

Because of our own ignorance of the propensity of the ocean of suffering, we don’t realize -we don’t know how much suffering there is in the world; we think it is ok to put off practicing and we put off things until tomorrow we could do today.

Because of our lack of knowing the depth of suffering, in order to eliminate, we have to purify all the propensities. The cause of suffering is negative emotions, such as anger. When we are angry it makes everybody uneasy. In a family, it makes everyone angry. And one’s perception changes. So this anger generates in a whole family and becomes a cause for suffering.

And there is tremendous suffering in samsara. Knowing that, human beings are suffering, one becomes very compassionate; simply not knowing that we are potential Buddhas – because that ignorance makes that suffering. So when speaking in anger, it causes one to be reborn in hell.

Miserliness causes rebirth as hungry ghost. It’s not a material thing. Never being satisfied, and always wanting more and more is a seed, which causes one to be reborn in the hungry ghost realm.

So knowing this is the cause of suffering, we begin to take the law of cause and effect more seriously, because everything is conditioned by the law of karma. Because of the law of karma, and countless lifetimes before, and samsara, and knowing this, one has to not only see his own deeds, but non-virtuous deeds, and the accumulation of merit and the conditions that determine the amount of suffering. And the karma conditions. One is very knowledgeable of non-virtuous actions. In the same way, one is able to help sentient beings, and one’s own enlightenment through the result of compassion and wisdom through emptiness.

The essence of dharmakaya is emptiness. When namthoogs lose their power and influence ... dharmakaya is when we maintain our pure mind, without afflictive thoughts. Then we are manifesting

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dharmakaya, our true thoughts. Our mind is intrinsically pure, and complete and perfect. However, due to accidental ... so when Rinpoche says, “make the mind perfect” ... so that mind becomes again perfect.

QUESTION: Does body, speech and mind have to be present, at the moment I try – making effort in order for transformation to take place?

RINPOCHE: You should develop compassion, and the nature of emptiness is the same. When you develop compassion, the bodhisattva nature begins to become manifest. In the beginning you develop, cultivate compassion; and eventually, when it becomes boundless compassion, -in the beginning, you learn to meditate and we call it relative bodhicitta. The ultimate bodhicitta is spontaneous. Then everything should be present. Reflect on the four thoughts that turn the mind to practice dharma. Yes, you use body speech and mind. Through the body you practice generosity; through speech. Compassion, and through mind, you cultivate the view. Through use of body, speech and mind, you develop more compassion. So compassion is something very precious out of which one gains enlightenment. And sentient beings are the object of compassion. So we should be kind toward sentient beings for making this possible.

QUESTION: What is the difference between form and formless?

ANSWER: Usually formless is absence of body and with body. So when we speak of deities, there are some forms with, but not necessarily substantial. Formless has no form except consciousness. Basically, for example, hungry ghosts, the hell realm, the desire realm, -we have all the negative emotions without the compassion, so there is no understanding of the nature of emptiness. Then there is no body.

QUESTION: When we get into these negative states of unawareness, how can we erase these past mistakes as to not make more karma for ourselves? Is it guilt or namthogs?

In dzog chen, you look directly into the nature of the mind, and burn it. Don’t mess around.

QUESTION: Without namthogs, would we be able to create namthogs?

ANSWER: Establish the View, because it is without namthogs, which are the cause of our suffering. Namthogs appear and disappear just like snake.

QUESTION: If someone has an experience of emptiness, ..... ?

ANSWER: If you are able to remain in the view, then all past karmas will be erased.

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