Customer Reviews

The Crystal and the Way of Light; Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen: The Teachings of Namkhai Norbu (Arkana)

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There aren't that many good Dzogchen books available. One of the most prolific writers on the subject is Namkhai Norbu (I've read 9 of his books). His books are very readable and include important descriptions, insights, etc. They serve as, perhaps, the best introductory books (except for the wonderful "Supreme Source" which is more advanced). I also prefer "The Mirror" and "The Cycle of Day and Night" to "The Crystal and the Way of Light." Other books of his of similar value to this one include: "Dream Yoga & the Practice of Natural Light," "Dzogchen and Zen," "Dzogchen: the Self-Perfected State," "The Small Collection of Hidden Precepts" (Manjusrimitra), "and "Teachings of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu." However, I would also recommend the books of Tulku Urgyen which seem a bit more advanced than most of these (e.g. "Rainbow Painting" and "As It Is"). Also, the works of Tulku Urgyen's sons, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche ("The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen" and "Present Fresh Wakefulness") and Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche ("Fearless Simplicity" and "Carefree Dignity"). Also, try some Kagyu Mahamudra books such as Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche's or the wonderful commentaries on Karma Chagme's "The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen" (one is listed above) such as "Naked Awareness."

I recommend this book to anyone sincerely interested in Dzogchen teaching. The author, Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, is a worlwide renouned teacher, scholar and above all a Dzogchen practitioner. Not only he expounds the theoretical basis of the teaching, he gives us a lot of examples from his own life of practice. WARNING: THIS BOOK IS DANGEROUS FOR YOUR EGO!!!

John Shane compiles and edits The Crystal And The Way Of Light, considering the spiritual path from the viewpoint of Dzogchen. From the foundations of Dzogchen practices and the author's familiarity with its philosophy and spirituality to symbols of Tibetan meditation and photos of Buddhist masters, this is filled with insights.

Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche is a spiritual genius, representing a beautiful and potent spiritual tradition: Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection. This text is an approachable, concise introduction to Rinpoche's teaching and his person, and is valuable as such, even though there really isn't much room here for Rinpoche's genius to broadcast itself en masse.

This text has the advantage of being neither faux-new-age mush nor happy-doodle marketplace Dharma. It makes certain demands on the reader (such as holding a certain amount of precise terminology in mind), but also gives the reader plenty of help keeping it together and in perspective (charts, illustrations, and an index). So, it gives you as gentle an introduction to the Great Perfection one can without doing violence to it.

I just love this author and I am very grateful for his writings. May he live long and his work flourish!

As a practitioner of Dzogchen, following the traditional way of guidance and personal practice under a master of that practice, I found this book to be a tremendous help to me. With its concise presentation of the Buddhist paths of Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen and the similarities and differences between them, plus wonderfully helpful advice and explanations that will be extremely valuable to someone already having some experience with Dzogchen practice, this book is the best overview I've found yet. Dzogchen is a teaching that is neither magic nor mysticism nor within the domain of scholars - it is simply a teaching to show one how to discover one's true condition, which is the state of Dzogchen, or Great Perfection, itself from the very beginning. Our job is simply to apprehend that state and then, through the use of methods introduced to us by a master, remain in that condition until it is fully and permanently revealed. So, if you would like to know a little at least about what this Dzogchen business is even about, this book will give you a brilliantly concise-yet-thorough and accessible presentation of the most fundamental things you'd need to know before going any further, but its true import can only ever really be comprehended after receiving introduction, in person, from a master. Once you've had some personal experience and the ideas in this book are no longer just ideas, that's when the book's preciousness is actually evident. The Dzogchen path is a vastly profound yet very relaxed, lighthearted, vibrant, and non-dogmatic path concerned with actual experience above all, and Namkhai Norbu is a perfect embodiment of that.

This book is very helpful, not just more rhetoric, not a review of the Hinayan or Mahayana paths that many of us have studied for years, and not inaccesible because of its lofty verbage. This book provides an understandable, step by step review of the Supreme Path, Dzogchen. The author is careful to remind the reader that a description of the path does not equate to instruction in the path, for which he adamantly states one must be working with a teacher, a realized spiritual friend, however one cannot but catch glimmers of light and spaciousness as one incorporates some of the directions he provides for practice. Additionally, his words helped direct my next steps in study and practice. Chogyal Namkhai Norbu is indeed a spiritual friend, making these teaching available to even us.

A brilliant introduction to Dharma from the perspective of Dzogchen - the path of self-liberation - and one that is indispensable to anyone exploring Aro. Chögyal Namkhai Norbu discusses the base, path and result of Dzogchen practice in simple direct language. This book is an ideal first, second and third step in exploring the teachings of Dzogchen. It could easily be read annually and would offer more with each reading - if one immersed oneself in the initial practises discussed.

The teachings are interwoven with delightful stories from the life of Norbu Rinpoche - his upbringing, education, relationship with his teachers, and events which occurred to him in later years. The stories give a flavour of the nature of transmission between Lama and disciple and encourage us to step outside of our conceptual boxes in which spirituality only occurs in a formal ritual context. The power of these stories lies in their ability to set Dzogchen in its traditional context, and yet allow it to be completely relevant to our lives today.

Readers familiar with the various standard phonetic methods for transcribing Tibetan terms will need to accustom themselves to the different spellings found in The Crystal and the Way of Light; however this should not discourage anyone from reading this excellent book.

This book was a big influence on my life. It helped to start me on a path to self knowledge, which is, I believe, the reason for our existence on this planet. The 'ignorance' of which Buddhists speak is the lack of this self knowing. Learn to understand your own mirror and you will hopefully be a wiser and more compassionate person. I thank Norbu for his teachings both here in the UK and in Italy.

This is perhaps Norbu's best and most fun book. It has enough of the magical and wonderful in it to give hope to all who read it. We all have to live our own lives. It is great to be able to read a book of good tidings and hope such as Norbu has done here. Some people have great missions in life, and it seems that writing a great book such as this is Norbu's.

This is a well-written, well-organized book. It appears to be an attempt to make Dzogchen teaching more accessible, for example, via the episodes from early in Namkhai Norbu's life.

Direct, written teachings of Dzogchen seem to be highly concentrated and mind-blowing, for example "Self-Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness", an old text translated by John M. Reynolds and Norbu's own "The Mirror". Each of these texts is accompanied by less terse commentary. It seems to be the expectation that any student of Dzogchen would also receive instruction ("transmission") from a Dzogchen teacher, to account for individual differences between students and, presumably, to help clear up whatever confusion the written texts may have led to. Dzogchen seems to be a substantial challenge, said in not too many words but not unlikely leading to a wealth of questions. A book like this one, "The Crystal and the Way of Light", probably functions to lessen the intensity and make the teaching more comfortable, at least until one is ready to face the challenge of the core teaching.

Despite the formidable challenge of Dzogchen, it is a teaching that emphasizes relaxation and acceptance. I've had no personal instruction in Dzogchen and it may be for those who do it seems substantially less confusing and overwhelming than it has for me. Judging from the number of books by him and in which he has supplied commentary, Norbu seems to be doing a great deal to make Dzogchen more accessible. His Dzogchen Community has chapters around the world.

This book seems a good introduction to Dzogchen, which is a curious and perhaps contradictory mix of mindfulness (to the extreme) and magic (e.g. the rainbow body). The teaching seems well-packaged, with an emphasis on amazement. Dzogchen can be found within Buddhism but also within Bon, another Tibetan religion. It's unclear to what extent Dzogchen elements were brought from Buddhism into Bon (and vice versa). Nevertheless, Dzogchen talk of awareness seems to mostly map into Thervada talk of mindfulness, with some "enhancements" in positive imagery like the sky, rainbows, and crystals.

Whether any of Norbu's books or teachings or any other on Dzogchen can help get you to this "magnificent sameness" I don't know. It seems attractive but I seem to need a more step by step approach and wonder about this big wow approach. Although Dzogchen is supposedly beyond institutional and cultural barriers, Norbu's Dzogchen Community seems heavily attached to Tibetan forms.