Dzogchen Practice of Contemplation
The following is from the book AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRACTICE
OF CONTEMPLATION by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu 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 of Total Perfection so as to provide all the instruments that enable one to achieve perfect and complete Realization. This book is intended as a manual of contemplation that can be utilized by all practitioners of the Dzogchen Community. |
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. The first aspect concerns the body posture. 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 second aspect is the breathing. Before practising you should p erform a series of nine purification breaths2 as is done in Yantra Yoga. NB: There follows a description of the 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; before a Shine 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. |
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). The eyes must re main open, and the gaze must be fixed. It should now be clear that as you do not close your eyes, in order to start to practice 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 Tibetan alphabet, 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 object' or 'with a concept' at choice because, when a practitioner is gazing at the letter A or any other object her intention is to fix on the object, 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. |
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 practices, as the principal symbol of the primordial state of consciousness. It is used also because A is a neutral sound that 'rules' or 'generates' all other sounds. When you practise pronouncing 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 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 practice fixation all the sense functions 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 object as if you wanted to pierce it. You concentrate all your attention to focus on that object. This is also called 'triangular fixation': 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 of our 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 object in this way our thoughts block themselves; but 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. 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 disturbed by thoughts, you should relax more gradually, whereas if they no longer disturb you then you can relax more swiftly. If, after having relaxed, there are not too many thoughts present, or if the thoughts that arise do not disturb you, that is, if presence is found by means of fixing on the object (naturally when you practice fixation you should not follow the train of your thoughts), then you can pass immediately to fixation without the object. Practicing 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 recognize 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. |
Now there is much more detail about this first method, shine with object but I figured I would stop here for any questions.
Please notice he starts off this practice with a pranayama/energy practice and then teaches calm abiding/shine with object a meditation practice. That leads one ever deeper along the path of progression.. Once one is able to.. Quote:
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Before moving on to Shine without Object I wanted to give this last instruction for Shine with Object.
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 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 just 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'. |
They even cultivate belief in ghosts and advocate taking herbs as a method of their shamanistic causal path.
I am quite certain that people who believe in ghosts and shamanism also can believe in meditation as a means to effect what is already present. :wink: |
Quote:
Bodies of 'hungry ghosts ' are horizontal and therefore have channels for winds and cravings. I wonder if the cravings are for food and the wind caused because of the empty stomach :D |
So to summarize up to this point...
One does Shine with Object to experience the state of Nepa which is a state of no thought. One can stare at a rock, a candle or as described in the book the Tibetan letter A. After one has become stable with ones meditation of Shine with Object they are then able to move to Shine without Object. |
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