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The Practice of Dzogchen

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The excerpt of this book provided on Amazon only has portions from the introductory material by Tulku Thondrup, none of the words of Longchempa are included. The following excerpts are all from chapter 7, the Sems-Nyid Rang-Grol, which is the heart of the volume. I have provided these for those who may be curious as to what this book is really about. My own views on this book are well known (q.v.).

"Phenomenal existences are unborn, of equal nature;
In which the originally liberated appearances and mind prevail evenly without apprehensions;
Concerning that marvelous sovereign, Naturally Liberated Mind,
Listen while I tell you what I have realized.

"All phenomena are primordially pure and enlightened, so it is unborn and unceasing, inconceivable and inexpressable.
In the ultimate sphere purity and impurity are naturally pure and
Phenomena are the great equal perfection, free from conception.

"There is no separate emptiness apart from apparent phenomena.
The notion of their distinctness is a division made by the mind.

"In the mind which has no essence, various things
Arise because of the objective conditions,
Like reflections appearing in a mirror or in the ocean.
The emptiness essence, unceasing nature, and
Variously appearing characteristic, the magical display, is
The dual projection of samsara and nirvana within a single Mind.

"The primordially empty Mind, which has no root,
Is not defiled by the phenomenal appearances of samsara and nirvana.

"The nature of samsara is the essence of the mind,
Which is primordially unborn and enlightened,
So by seeing the Mind, realization of the nature of existence is attained.

"For the Buddhahood which is totally and naturally pure,
Do not search anywhere but in your own mind.

"For people who want enlightenment, the meaning of the unmodified absolute
Is to let the mind be at ease without effort."

There are lots of introductory Dzogchen books (as there are for Mahamudra, Kabbalah, etc.). This is NOT one of them. There are also pure scholarly works with a small, fervent readership. This isn't one of those either, though scholars may certainly find it very valuable. The commentator/translator excerpts from many of Longchenpa's (Longchen Rabjam's) various texts which would be virtually impossible to access in English otherwise. Longchenpa is one of, if not THE, greatest Dzogchen masters of all time. Nevertheless, this is not an easy text to read. Furthermore, it is inconsistent in depth & style. However, this is a definitive Dzogchen text--quite advanced, not for the beginner, challenging, and enlightening. It grows with you and re-reading texts in an unfamiliar area can increase understanding and familiarity (the way Jung studied Alchemy). This is a GREAT book, not to be underrated, but not every book is for every one. There is also a new issue of the same text entitled "Buddha Mind." It might be better to read Longchenpa's "Kindly Bent to Ease Us" trilogy before attempting this one. It's a much easier read.

The Practice Of Dzogchen is an eye-opening anthology of the writings on Dzogpa Chenpo, or Dzogchen, by Longchen Rabjam (1308-1363), a widely renowned adept of the Nyingmapa School of Tibetan Buddhism. Meticulously translated into English by Tulku Thondup, this classic 466-page text cogently explains the nature of the three outer and three inner tantras, presents excerpts from the lives of Dzogpa Chenpo masters, offers paths to meditation, and a great deal more. Simply put, The Practice Of Dzogchen is a "must-have" addition for Tibetan Buddhist reference shelves and a strongly recommended entry for the supplemental reading lists of dedicated students of Tibetan Studies.

I am very disappointed about this book. I expected it would present the practice of dzogchen as indicated in the title, but it is not the case. It is just about the philosophy of dzogchen.

The lama who has translated says in the preface:
Page XViii: This book has 2 parts. The first part is an introduction on the whole scope of buddhism. (188 pages)
The second provides a complete structure of dzogpachenpo.
Page: XVi: I HAVE TRIED TO AVOID ANY INSTRUCTION ON THE STAGES OF EXPERIENTIAL MEDITATION!!!(so why this title?) since one should get them individualy from a true master.
Pages 189 to 406 of the second part are essentialy on the view of dzogchen, that is its metaphysics, but not on the practice as the lama said acurately!

There is only one practice text by Longchen Rabjan: p 356-374 Instructions on the meditation... It is a sumary of the text Naturaly liberated mind (not given in the book). And the lama introduces it by saying: As it is very brief and compact, in many places it is hard to comprehend. So why did he choosed it?
Furthermore the main part of the text is about the tantric preliminaries then 2 pages about the 4 yogas of dzogchen semde (presented in a full book elsewhere, see my review on Roaring silence), and only 2 criptic pages on dzogchen pith instructions, without notes nor explanations.

There is an other text, close to practice pages 303- 315: an abriged translation of Twenty seven courses. 27 courses on dzogchen abriged in 12 pages! Unusable. I wonder if Longchen Rabjan would approve?

As I said elsewhere dzogchen people are good marketers! In particular in the title of this book.

This book is for sons and daughters nearing, or on, the Path of Perfection.
The meaning cannot be understood intellectually.

Una joya,

Se compone de 2 partes. 1ra parte el libro expresa de manera clara y precisa toda la historia y la procedencia del budismo tibetano y como se mueve en los distintos yanas o caminos a la iluminación. 2da parte es pura poesía inspiradora y practica meditatíva. Inclulle desde como comenzar a meditar asta como hacer retiros.

The first part is very boring, and massive. Written in a style that makes it very very hard to follow the meaning. But, afterwards the book becomes very clear. Definetely a great book on dzogchen once you get past the first parts.