Relative Vajrayana & Absolute Dzogchen

books:


	• Dzogchen and Padmasambhava Sogyal Rinpoche Rigpa Fellowship, 1989 - 103 pages average customer review:based on 1 review
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Relative Vajrayana & Absolute Dzogchen

This book concisely delineates traditional Tibetan views & practices of the Nyingma school emphasizing Dzogchen (Dz) & Padmasambhava (or Guru Rinpoche, GR) who established Buddhism in Tibet. It includes delineation, translation, & symbolic explanation of the GR mantra; succinct descriptions of the 9 Nyingma yanas; a history of Nyingma; short bios of recent Nyingma leaders; & a Ngondro appendix (by Dudjom R.). I find it difficult to reconcile the relative truth practices (e.g. Guru Yoga) with absolute ones (Dz--e.g. Trekcho) since p. 83: H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche--"From the point of view of absolute truth even the Buddha, Dharma, & Sangha are within us" & p. 87: "The Lama dissolves into light & becomes one with me. Recognize--one's own Rigpa is the Absolute Lama." It seems to parallel Shamatha meditation with support (transitive=with an object) vs. w/o support (intransitive=no object). Traditionally GR has an exalted position in Nyingma--as its founder, but using impersonal Samantabhadra instead might avoid duality, projection, & transference. Indeed, p. 28: "According to the extraordinary path of Dz, Buddha is actually the true nature of our own mind, our inherent Rigpa or pure awareness...events such as his manifestation as the historical Buddha...are seen simply as an outer display...he manifests in a nirmanakaya form as the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. In reality though, he was no other than the Primordial Buddha Samantabhadra who is in our heart, our own Rigpa," p. 45: "Guru represents the luminosity or perfection of the nature of mind, & p. 51: "At the end you realize there is no Buddha outside you; the Buddha is nowhere but in the nature of your own mind. In the confidence of the non-duality, you simply rest & abide in it." Since p. 57: "Vajrayana is known as the `fruitional vehicle,' for it truly takes the fruition itself as the path of training," it seems one could avoid praying to/guru yoga on GR & do Dz or Rigpa yoga instead, taking the result/fruit for the path. But, the book makes the usual dogmatic hyperboles -e.g. stating one cannot be a Buddha w/o guru yoga, you can only do it "this way," etc. There is IMHO an inherent assumption that everyone is similar & that tradition rules over adaptation (statistics/science). IMHO this is only true for the absolute, not the relative--e.g. p. 8: Dudjom Rinpoche--"The Dharmakaya's efflorescence of whatever arises is neither good nor bad." Nevertheless, the author provides a good description of key points of the Dz view (with little information on actual practices of Trekcho or Togal), & I like the non-pejorative approach to other Buddhists-- p. 54: "Hinayana, often known in Dz as the Fundamental Vehicle." IMHO the best parts are the descriptions of the luminosity of Rigpa, the absolute view; per p. 37: Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche--"As you realize the true meaning of emptiness or Dzogchenpa, effortless compassion arises for all beings who have not realized." [it]

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