Dzogchen/Awareness

[Ground]

The state of rest is the ground of being and the ground of being is not inherently different from lucent intelligence, because lucid intelligence is an aspect of the ground of being as original mode of consciousness.

Similes are the perfect expression of the view due to their vagueness which makes them less accessible for the intellect but appeals to intuition. Intuition is on a lower energetic level than intellectual knowledge and therefore is more likely to be dissolved by pure information as such.

Basically the view is perfectly expressed with four similes: ocean, mirror, crystal and space. All of them are indispensable. It is not that each of these similes would cover the meanings of the other similes and it is not that each of these similes would perfectly represent the view, but each of these similes represents an aspect, a connotation, of the view and all similes together, i.e. the totality of their aspects and connotations do represent the view.

If it is appropriate to speak of 'practice' at all then the expression of the view is the ultimate pith instruction for practice since it is the essential pure information about the meaning of ever-present self-liberation (called 'nirvana' in buddhist context).

[smewii]

I read a whole book about Dzogchen... I highly recommend it to anyone who's not yet very fluent in Buddhism: The Awakening of the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das. It's a fantastic read... helped me a lot when I was down.

[Ground]

Originally Posted by Ground

Basically the view is perfectly expressed with four similes: ocean, mirror, crystal and space. All of them are indispensable. It is not that each of these similes would cover the meanings of the other similes and it is not that each of these similes would perfectly represent the view, but each of these similes represents an aspect, a connotation, of the view and all similes together, i.e. the totality of their aspects and connotations do represent the view.

1. Ocean
Regardless of whether there being turbulence on its surface or not the depth of the ocean does not move and is timelessly present.

2. Mirror
When the surface of the ocean becomes calm it is like a mirror. A mirror equally reflects everything that presents itself to it and is not affected by its reflections. A mirror does not recognize its reflections. That is why the mirror's potentiality to reflect is unobstructed and perfect.

3. Crystal
A crystal is clear and transparent and its nature is to refract light and to emit colored lights. So what appears as if arising 'outside' actually mirrors its own potentiality.

4. Space
Everthing may arise in space or dissolve into space. Whatever moves, space does not move. Whatever changes, space does not change. Space does neither come nor go and does have neither center nor periphery.

These are the four essential aspects of the view. So the view has the four dimensions ocean, mirror, crystal and space and it would be incomplete without any of its dimensions. The view is perfect due to the simultaneous presence of all its dimensions.

[naturesflow]

Originally Posted by Ground

1. Ocean
Regardless of whether there being turbulence on its surface or not the depth of the ocean does not move and is timelessly present.

2. Mirror
When the surface of the ocean becomes calm it is like a mirror. A mirror equally reflects everything that presents itself to it and is not affected by its reflections. A mirror does not recognize its reflections. That is why the mirror's potentiality to reflect is unobstructed and perfect.

3. Crystal
A crystal is clear and transparent and its nature is to refract light and to emit colored lights. So what appears as if arising 'outside' actually mirrors its own potentiality.

4. Space
Everthing may arise in space or dissolve into space. Whatever moves, space does not move. Whatever changes, space does not change. Space does neither come nor go and does have neither center nor periphery.

These are the four essential aspects of the view. So the view has the four dimensions ocean, mirror, crystal and space and it would be incomplete without any of its dimensions. The view is perfect due to the simultaneous presence of all its dimensions.

I like the symbolism and the relationship it holds to my awareness in me.

why cant there be more than four?

[Ground]

Originally Posted by naturesflow

I like the symbolism and the relationship it holds to my awareness in me.

why cant there be more than four?

you may find even more similes in Dzogchen texts. I picked those four since they cover all aspects of information necessary from my perspective.

View, path and fruition are not separate. So the information of the view actually is practice instruction and practicing the view is not inherently different from fruition.

From my perspective ocean is kind of basis and the mirror - its surface not being inherently different from its reflections - discloses the dimensions of crystal and space.
The fact that a mirror does neither know nor recognize nor feel but merely reflects prevents not only full-fledged conceptuality but even 'low level' conceptuality like all kinds of intuitions and imaginations. Then the ground of being manifests itself as the seeing which does not see anything because 'the door' is the eyes.

[naturesflow]

Originally Posted by Ground

you may find even more similes in Dzogchen texts. I picked those four since they cover all aspects of information necessary from my perspective.

View, path and fruition are not separate. So the information of the view actually is practice instruction and practicing the view is not inherently different from fruition.

From my perspective ocean is kind of basis and the mirror - its surface not being inherently different from its reflections - discloses the dimensions of crystal and space.
The fact that a mirror does neither know nor recognize nor feel but merely reflects prevents not only full-fledged conceptuality but even 'low level' conceptuality like all kinds of intuitions and imaginations. Then the ground of being manifests itself as the seeing because 'the door' is the eyes.[/QUOTE]

Ok that makes so much sense. The D awareness seems to make more sense to me than anything else as you get deeper into its context and understandings.. Even though you delve deep into the knowledge, that sometimes goes over my head, I sense intuitively, the relationship to something moving in me aware.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Ground

1. Ocean
Regardless of whether there being turbulence on its surface or not the depth of the ocean does not move and is timelessly present.

2. Mirror
When the surface of the ocean becomes calm it is like a mirror. A mirror equally reflects everything that presents itself to it and is not affected by its reflections. A mirror does not recognize its reflections. That is why the mirror's potentiality to reflect is unobstructed and perfect.

3. Crystal
A crystal is clear and transparent and its nature is to refract light and to emit colored lights. So what appears as if arising 'outside' actually mirrors its own potentiality.

4. Space
Everthing may arise in space or dissolve into space. Whatever moves, space does not move. Whatever changes, space does not change. Space does neither come nor go and does have neither center nor periphery.

These are the four essential aspects of the view. So the view has the four dimensions ocean, mirror, crystal and space and it would be incomplete without any of its dimensions. The view is perfect due to the simultaneous presence of all its dimensions.

Good to contemplate, thanks for that Ground

[Ground]

Originally Posted by naturesflow

Ok that makes so much sense. The D awareness seems to make more sense to me than anything else as you get deeper into its context and understandings.. Even though you delve deep into the knowledge, that sometimes goes over my head, I sense intuitively, the relationship to something moving in me aware.

The point is that decoding linguistic expressions, similes or other, is actually unfolding the intelligence (rigpa) which is one's spontaneously present and prefect nature. It may be that different individuals being conditioned differently resonate with different linguistic expressions although the nature of the ground of being, intelligence, is the same.

[Ground]

Originally Posted by Ground

... ocean is kind of basis and the mirror - its surface not being inherently different from its reflections - discloses the dimensions of crystal and space.
The fact that a mirror does neither know nor recognize nor feel but merely reflects prevents not only full-fledged conceptuality but even 'low level' conceptuality like all kinds of intuitions and imaginations. Then the ground of being manifests itself as the seeing which does not see anything because 'the door' is the eyes.

The 'seeing which does not see anything' arises when conceptuality, intuitions, feelings etc. subside and are re-absorbed into the ground of being which is like lucent space and which is located in the heart and connected with the eyes by a light channel. Utterly pure empty space of the ground manifests where the channel penetrates the eyes as 'not seeing anything' and the lucency of spontaneously perfect nature manifests as lucent seeing itself. Then due to dynamic energy of the ground pixels of light may manifest and may immediately conflate into visible phenomena like contours, shapes, etc. These lights are manifestations of the crystal and are enclosed in space.

This shows how mirror, crystal and space are dimensions of conscious being.

[naturesflow]

Originally Posted by Ground

The point is that decoding linguistic expressions, similes or other, is actually unfolding the intelligence (rigpa) which is one's spontaneously present and prefect nature. It may be that different individuals being conditioned differently resonate with different linguistic expressions although the nature of the ground of being, intelligence, is the same.

Yes I sensed that this was the correlation in me occurring, as I read your words, without the full realization of the text itself. Its like the mad hatters world of intellectual madness for me at times, but obviously it is much simpler..hehe

What goes over my head actually
OPENS in me, in some form, into my ground of being with a kind of awareness dance that signals, "ok that makes sense and resonates in me, without need to know fully what it all means. My ground of being knows and that is enough.

I wonder if in the context of all the D awareness shown by you, whether someone trying to decipher through their mind, whether in fact, they would eventually have to be awakened deeper through that "ground of being" to actually understand it deeper..The mind would in some way try to make it fit something, yet the opening to your own ground of being would just feel or sense it as something already known. Like a switch on auto, doing the "ta da" drum roll and Boom! There it is. Full immersion, full knowing, the full realization of you as all that..