The Dzogchen Primer

by Marcia Schmidt

  I go for refuge in that source of happiness

  That brings its very enemies to perfect bliss.

  From Shantideva, The Way of the Bodhisattva (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1997), “The Excellence of Bodhichitta.”

  a “Those who go in bliss” (Tib. bde gshegs; Skt. sugata): a title of the buddhas.

  b The word Dharma is here a translation of the Tibetan chos sku (Skt. dharmakaya), literally the “Dharma body.” According to the commentarial tradition, two interpretations are possible. The term may be taken to mean simply “the body of the teachings” (which is the interpretation of Khenpo Kunpel and Khenpo Shenga), with the result that the first line of the poem consists of a salutation to the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. On the other hand, it may be understood as referring to the dharmakaya or “truth body,” the absolute aspect of a buddha, i.e., one of the three bodies of a buddha, along with the sambhogakaya, or “body of divine enjoyment,” and the nirmanakaya, or “body of manifestation.”

  c The heirs of the buddhas are the bodhisattvas, those who aim to attain buddhahood for the sake of all beings. In this context, reference is actually being made to superior bodhisattvas, whose realization corresponds to the Mahayana path of seeing and beyond, in other words who are abiding on the bodhisattva bhumis or grounds, and who are therefore sublime objects of refuge.

  d In order to progress toward enlightenment, it is necessary to possess eight forms of ease, or freedom, and ten forms of wealth. The former are: the freedom of not being born (1) in one of the hells, (2) as a preta or hungry ghost, (3) as an animal, (4) in the realms of the gods of measureless life span, (5) among barbarians who are ignorant of the teachings and practices of the Buddha Dharma, (6) as one with wrong views concerning karma and so forth, (7) in a time and place where a buddha has not appeared, and (8) as mentally and physically handicapped.

  The ten forms of wealth or endowment are subdivided into five considered as intrinsic and five as extrinsic to the personality. The five intrinsic endowments are (1) to be born a human being, (2) to inhabit a “central land,” i.e., where the Dharma is proclaimed, (3) to be in possession of normal faculties, (4) to be one who is not karmically inclined to great negativity, and (5) to have faith in the Dharma. The five extrinsic endowments are the facts that (1) a buddha has appeared in the universe in which one is living, and at an accessible time, (2) that he has expounded the Doctrine, (3) that his Doctrine still persists, (4) that it is practiced, and (5) that one has been accepted by a spiritual master.

  e The Tibetan word chu shing (“water tree”) denotes a hollow plant that dies after bearing fruit. Often, when the latter characteristic is being emphasized, the word is translated as “plantain,” but when its hollowness is in question, the term is sometimes, as elsewhere in the present text, rendered as “banana tree.”

  f The reference is to Maitreya, the buddha of the future, as recounted in the Gandavyuha-sutra.

  g Tathagata (Tib. de bzhin gshegs pa): literally “one thus gone,” a title of the Buddha.

  h A reference to the Subahu-paripriccha-sutra, the Sutra of the Questions of Subahu. The Sanskrit original of this sutra has been lost, but is preserved in a Chinese translation.

  i According to Indian tradition, the rishis were sages who perceived the sound of the Vedas and transmitted them to the world. They form a class by themselves between gods and humans.

  j Brahma, the creator of the universe according to the Vedas.

  22

  DEVOTION AND COMPASSION

  Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

  The play of overwhelming compassion being unobstructed,

  In the moment of love the empty essence nakedly dawns.

  May we constantly practice, day and night,

  This supreme path of unity, devoid of errors.

  —LORD KARMAPA RANGJUNG DORJE

  The most perfect circumstance for realizing the correct view of emptiness is upwardly to generate devotion to all the enlightened ones and downwardly to cultivate compassion for all sentient beings. This is mentioned in The Aspiration of Mahamudra by the third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje. This incredibly profound song of realization expounds teachings on the ground, path, and fruition, as well as all the key points for Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and Madhyamika. One of the lines is: “In the moment of love the empty essence nakedly dawns.” “Love” here is to be understood as both devotion and compassion. In the moment of devotion we bring to mind the eminence of our master and lineage gurus, doing this sincerely, not just superficially. We think of their great qualities with such genuine admiration and devotion that the hairs of our body stand on end and our eyes are filled with tears. This heartfelt appreciation should be genuine, because it is only through the kindness of the guru that the mind essence can possibly be understood. From this gratitude, strong devotion is felt, stripping our minds bare. That very moment, we unmistakenly and unerringly recognize the natural face of rigpa.

  It is the same way when thinking with compassion of all sentient beings. Although they possess self-existing wisdom, they are unaware of it, remaining completely deluded life after life. Chasing after samsara’s illusory experiences, they undergo tremendous suffering. It is not like we, as Buddhist practitioners, have an enlightened essence of rigpa and they don’t. Everybody is totally equal; yet, not knowing their own nature, sentient beings suffer incessantly. Thinking in this way, we are overcome with great pity and compassion. At that instant of true compassion, as in the moment of true devotion, the empty essence dawns nakedly.

  In the Kagyü and Nyingma traditions it is said that devotion is the panacea, the medicine that can cure all sicknesses. If we just focus on devotion we do not need to spend years studying debate, philosophy, grammar, art, and so forth. In the past, thousands of practitioners attained accomplishment through the path of devotion combined with the paths of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. To ignore compassion, devotion, and renunciation is like a bird trying to fly without wings: it’s not possible. One should remember the famous statement: “Devotion is the head of meditation, revulsion is the foot of meditation, and nondistraction is the heart of meditation.” To take a similar example, consider a person: if we call the view of emptiness the heart, devotion the head, and compassion the feet, how can he travel anywhere using only the heart of emptiness? How can he walk without legs?

  Devotion and compassion are not mentioned here simply because we ought to feel them. There is a direct reason for cultivating them. The teachings mention that compassion and devotion should be unfabricated, but this doesn’t happen automatically in the beginning. We need to cultivate them, to use some effort to produce these feelings. In other words, in the beginning, we must rely on conceptual thought to make it possible to have compassion and devotion.

  Think of it this way: we wouldn’t know any Dharma teachings or how to attain liberation if it weren’t for the buddhas, their teachings, and their perfect followers. The buddhas are not like us; they have great qualities. Bringing this to mind naturally and unavoidably generates devotion. Similarly, to generate compassion, think of how it is a fact that all sentient beings have been our own parents. In that sense they are closely related to us. If we really think of how other beings suffer, what they go through, we cannot help but feel compassion. When we think of their suffering there is a real reason for pity.

  Having slowly cultivated devotion and compassion, we can use them as an aid to genuinely recognize rigpa. Gradually, the sequence is reversed. The natural quality of recognizing the naked state of rigpa is an unfabricated devotion and compassion that doesn’t need to be mustered.

  Devotion and compassion are enhancements to the practice of emptiness, of the view. Once all misdeeds and obscurations are purified through conditioned virtue, the unconditioned virtue increases. At first devotion and compassion are necessary to produce. They are important stepping-stones to recognizing rigpa. Unfabricated and natural devotion and compassion are the expression of rigpa, but not for a beginner. In the context of
Dzogchen, it is said that compassion and devotion naturally occur, without any effort. But frankly speaking, for a beginner it doesn’t happen like that. At first we have to cultivate devotion and compassion, to put some effort into developing them. Later on, as we become more stable in awareness, they become effortless and unfabricated. It is this way in Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and Madhyamika.

  The main practice of devotion is taking refuge, and the main practice of compassion is to generate bodhichitta. If we investigate, we will not find a single Vajrayana practice without those two, taking refuge and generating bodhichitta. Look at it this way: once we have a heavy investment in taking refuge and generating bodhichitta, we have the capital to be able to do the business of the higher practices and gain the profit of the development stage, the completion stage, and the three great practices—Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and Madhyamika. Without the capital, we won’t be able to do any business at all. Devotion and compassion are the basic capital for Buddhist practice.

  Unless we connect with the two types of precious bodhichitta, we will not approach enlightenment even in the slightest; this is certain. The two types of bodhichitta are relative bodhichitta, compassion, and ultimate bodhichitta, the insight into emptiness. Without these two, there is absolutely no way to take even one step closer toward buddhahood. Any Dharma practice devoid of these two kinds of bodhichitta will not bring the practitioner even one step toward enlightenment—I will swear to that.

  If we want to quickly awaken to buddhahood, it is essential to unite means and knowledge. Whatever conceptual practice we do should ideally be combined with the recognition of mind essence. Devotion and compassion are the heart of conceptual Dharma practice.

  The great masters of the Kagyü lineage state that it is delusion to count on any method for recognizing mind essence other than purifying obscurations, gathering the accumulations, and relying on the blessings of a realized master. This means that no matter how smart or strong we are, if we don’t follow a master and instead stubbornly push ourselves through years of meditation training without developing compassion and devotion, purifying obscurations, and gathering the accumulations, we will remain deluded.

  The essence of both devotion and compassion is actually the same: it is a kind of love. Whether that feeling is directed toward enlightened pure beings or ordinary impure beings, whether it is devotion or compassion, the essence remains the same: at the moment the mind is laid bare of thoughts, the empty essence dawns nakedly and can be directly perceived. In the Kagyü lineage, devotion is always said to be the main quality to focus on, and so the Kagyü lineage is called the lineage of devotion. But compassion or devotion are the same in facilitating the realization of mind essence.

  Our training in devotion, compassion, purifying the obscurations, and gathering the accumulations should be combined with recognizing our mind essence. Otherwise, to reach enlightenment using means without knowledge takes a tremendously long time—three aeons, according to the Sutra path. The Vajrayana path is much more swift.

  We attain complete enlightenment by unifying means and knowledge, prajña and upaya. The definitions of these two aspects vary according to the different vehicles. In the Sutra teachings, the means is compassion, while the knowledge is emptiness. By unifying compassion and emptiness, we attain true and complete enlightenment. Tantric teachings equate the means aspect with the development stage and the knowledge aspect with the completion stage. By unifying these two stages, we attain true and complete enlightenment.

  According to the Mahamudra system, the means aspect is the Six Doctrines of Naropa, while the knowledge aspect is Mahamudra practice itself. These two are called the path of means and the path of liberation. By unifying means and liberation, we attain true and complete enlightenment. In the Madhyamika system, the Middle Way, the means aspect is relative truth; the knowledge aspect is ultimate truth. It is by unifying these two truths that we attain true and complete enlightenment.

  Finally, in the Dzogchen teachings, the means aspect is called “spontaneously present nature,” while the knowledge aspect is called “primordially pure essence.” By unifying primordial purity and spontaneous presence, Trekchö and Tögal, we attain true and complete enlightenment.

  Previously, I mentioned that buddha nature has been present in all beings since beginningless time. It is not a new thing that we achieve through effort or meditation; rather, it is something that is primordially present as our very nature. This buddha nature has never for a single instant been apart from our mind. Only due to not acknowledging it have we strayed through samsaric existence. This straying about due to the ignorance of our nature has been going on not just for a few lifetimes but since beginningless time. Until now, our nature, the enlightened essence, has been veiled in thick layers of ignorance and disturbing emotions. Now we must recognize this nature as it is, free from all obscurations. But merely recognizing our nature is not enough. We must stabilize the recognition by applying it in practice, because if we do not familiarize ourselves with our buddha nature, we will inevitably fall under the power of disturbing emotions again and again. It is said, “You may recognize your essence, but if you do not grow familiar with it, your thoughts will arise as enemies and you will be as helpless as a baby on a battlefield.”

  Once more I think it is important to stress that apart from depending upon the gathering of the two accumulations and the blessings of a qualified guru, relying on other methods is delusion. The purpose of gathering the two accumulations is to purify our obscurations. And the method for realizing buddha nature requires devotion from the core of our hearts—not mere lip service or platitudes, but a true and genuine devotion to the Three Jewels. There is a lot of talk about emptiness in Buddhism. It is considered a very important and profound subject. However, unless we make it our personal experience and increasingly familiarize ourselves with it, our idea of emptiness may vary wildly from year to year, depending on our current intellectual fantasies, and we will not make much progress. So, how can we make genuine progress in our personal experience? Chiefly through devotion to the Three Jewels. The compassionate activity of the buddhas is like a hook that is just waiting to catch sentient beings who are ready and open and who are attuned to this compassion. If we have faith and devotion, we are like an iron ring that can be caught by the hook. But if we are closed and lack faith and devotion, we are like a solid iron ball. Not even the “hooks” of the buddhas can catch an iron ball.

  It is not that the buddhas are without compassion or disregard certain sentient beings. Their compassion and activity are impartial and all-pervasive, like the sun shining in the sky. But if we are like a cave that faces north, the sunshine will never reach inside us. We need to have faith and devotion in order to connect with the compassionate power of the buddhas. If we do not possess these qualities, we cannot open ourselves to this connection, and there is no way that the buddhas can help us.

  The state of enlightenment is totally beyond concepts. There is no joy or sorrow within it, such as being happy when one is pleased or feeling sad when one is treated badly. The state of buddhahood is beyond all these. Because of this, buddhas make no preferences between sentient beings; each one is like their only child. The compassionate “hook” of their enlightened activity is totally impartial and all-pervasive, like the sunshine radiating from the sun.

  The compassion of the awakened state is beyond both partiality and distance. It is like sunshine in that it is totally unbiased. It is not that the sun shines on some countries and not on others; the sun has no concept that “I will shine on that spot and leave this one in darkness.” The buddhas’ compassion transcends all distance as well. Imagine that you have positioned a mirror facing the sun: the moment you do so, the sun’s rays are instantly reflected. It is the same with the buddhas: the moment we think of them, they “gaze” on us; the rays of their compassion contact us.

  The state of enlightenment lies beyond time and space. Its capacity is such that an instant as brief as a snap
of the fingers can be transformed into an entire aeon, and an aeon can be transformed into a single moment. We are never excluded from the gaze of enlightened beings. We are never outside their vision. The enlightened state of all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, the dakas and dakinis, and so forth is the dharmadhatu itself. This state of realization is said to be of “one taste,” identical in its essential pure nature. All the various buddhas are like different butter lamps lit in one room. The individual flames are separate and distinct, but the nature of the light itself is indivisible.

  The state of mind of all the buddhas is dharmakaya itself. The nature of our mind is also dharmakaya. The fact that we have the same essence serves as a direct link between us and all awakened beings. Lacking faith and devotion, it is as though the dharmakaya nature of our mind is encased in obscurations. But the very moment we open up in devotion, we receive the blessings of the buddhas.

  The dharmakaya of enlightened beings is like a butter lamp where the flame is burning brightly. The dharmakaya nature of a sentient being’s mind is like a butter lamp where the wick has not yet been lit. Therefore, it is very important to allow the compassion and blessings of enlightened beings to enter us. The link between us and the state of enlightenment is faith and devotion. To simply think, “I will only worry about recognizing mind essence,” while not engendering any trust in the authentic enlightened state will not help us progress very much.

  To progress in the practice of recognizing mind essence, it’s exceedingly important to generate faith and devotion toward enlightened beings and compassion toward those who are not enlightened. One reason for compassion is that all sentient beings, without a single exception, have been our mothers in past lives. Imagine that we could somehow roll the entire world up into small pellets and count them. The number of these pellets would still be less than the number of mothers that we have had in our past lives. Among all the six classes of sentient beings, there is not a single one who has not been our mother. This is why we always hear repeated in the teachings, “All sentient beings, my mothers, . . .” or “my mother sentient beings. . . .” Actually, all sentient beings are our mothers from past lives.