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Self-Liberation Through Seeing With Naked Awareness

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The only thing to add would be that this is a new addition of previously published "Self-Liberation: Through Seeing with Naked Awareness". The work itself is a terma(treasure teaching) of Guru Padmasambhava discovered by master Karma Lingpa. Personally, I found this book of a great value for the reason of a very lucid INSTRUCTION rather than just theory, which is sufficiently expounded, too. It gives a clear explanation as to why and how the principle of a spiritual teaching can be misunderstood and points out directly on the right method of application of this knowledge. I would recommend this book to everybody!

Prospective readers of this work may wish to know that it has a descriptive subtitle -- "An Introduction to the Nature of One's Own Mind from *The Profound Teaching of Self-Liberation in the Primordial State of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities* A terma text of Guru Padmasambhava expounding the view of Dzogchen, rediscovered by Rigdzin Karma Lingpa." In other words, it offers itself as a "postponed revelation," a terma (treasure) re-discovered and offered to the world centuries after its composition. As such it is part of a large class of Tibetan Buddhist works.

The text had previously been translated into English at the instigation of W.Y. Evans-Wentz, who published that version in "The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation" which appeared in 1954 as the last of four volumes in the pioneering "Oxford Tibetan Series," which had begun in 1927 with another terma text, the "Tibetan Book of the Dead."

The "Self-Liberation" treatise there followed an abridged translation of one of the traditional biographies of Padmasambhava, the legendary "Apostle to the Tibetans," and one of their patron Bodhisattvas, who is regarded as the real author of this and other works. These texts were surrounded by commentaries by Evans-Wentz and C.G. Jung. The latter is probably important for students of Jung. Evans-Wentz's contributions generally reflect a lack of information about esoteric Buddhism, and a tendency to substitute material from Hindu and Theosophical sources.

Having compared the present translation (pages 9-28) with that offered by Evans-Wentz, I can say that it appears to be superior in clarity. Given the present, far more advanced state of Tibetan studies, it is certainly more likely to be accurate than the ad-hoc attempt provided by Evans-Wentz's translators. Additional features include the Tibetan text in transliteration, a glossary of Tibetan Buddhist terms, and an extended commentary. This is undoubtedly an advance on Evans-Wentz, although its devotional tone may seem cloying to some readers (including this one)

There are also extended discussions of the Evans-Wentz and Jung interpretations. The dismissal of Jung is particularly interesting; although I don't much care for Jung myself, I felt that he was not being given sufficient credit for trying to take Asian traditions as seriously as he took those closer to home. (Of course, given Jung's reductionist approach to religion, this may amount to 0 = 0.)

I discovered that upon reading this text, a part of my mind which was always seeking to understand this life had finally been satisfied! I do not consider myself a practicioner of buddhism, much less an expert, and yet what it had to say was clear and persuasive.(...)

John Reynolds (aka Vajranatha) exposed me to Dzogchen thru this book. He associated himself with Namkai Norbu (who wrote the foreword) and had the assistance for this translation on others who know Dzogchen, including Lama Tharchin who I had the great fortune to hear speak once.

If Dzogchen can be applied successfully, then it must be through reading books like this one that one "reaches" that understanding.

When I was new to Dzogchen, Vayranathra's commentary was helpful. It remains so, but to a lesser degree today, but that may be due to overfamiliarity with it on my part. The appendix, which discusses how Evan-Wentz and Jung viewed Dzogchen, was never very helpful to me and I am not clear that it would benefit anyone but scholars. My assumption is to ignore Evan-Wentz translation and go with Vayrarathra's, since it was the first I encountered, it was supported by some Dzogchen teachers, and it excited me about Dzogchen.

Since that time, having read "You aee the Eyes of the World" from Longchenpa, Self-Liberation is no longer my "favorite" Dzogchen text but it continues to seem to be one of the three most important I know of, these two and the other one being the Bon text "Heart Drops of the Dharmakaya". I confess that my practical understanding of these texts remains small after about 10 years of studying Dzogchen on and off, but it does seem to me to remain one of the more important possible ways of facing the world constructively.

Vajranathana has continued his studies of Dzogchen (both in Tibetan Buddhism and Bon) and remained closely associated with
Namkai Norbu. My impression is that he is one of the most, if not the most, reputable scholar/translator of Dzogchen. His other translations include "The Golden Letters" and "The Cycle of Day and Night". I'd suggest reading "You are the eyes of the world" postponing the introduction and commentary but rather reading first the main text of "Self-liberation through seeing with naked awareness", also postponing its commentary and seeing what effect they have on you. If they make sense, you may be on your way to being benefited by Dzogchen in a way you could never have anticipated either yourself or by what modern day writers try to tell you. My bias is to trust the modern translators and ancient text writers for the time being and see where that leads me, because the translators may be constrained by the ancient texts and the ancient text writers may be had less to gain in worldly ways then some modern teachers.

Well, that's just my two cents on how I have approached Dzogchen. It isn't certain to me yet that anyone at any time has really applied these teachings constructively: it may be a well-meaning comfort system and it may be a long-lived deception. That it means something to indicate I am conscious in a way that seems incredibly creative, without boundaries, and with staggering presence I won't argue with, but that may be natural aspects of what we find as our consciousness and being in the world, it doesn't mean that anyone is a master of it or that it is some great perfection that already exists but for which I should pay people to confirm. Be wary and enjoy this creative ride and be glad, as "Self-Liberation through seeing with naked awareness" points out that your present thoughts will liberate of their own accord and not clutter your mind for too long.

There are multiple viewpoints about the utility of including the Evans-Wetz controversy. However, reader, please be aware that this is actually an Apendix and not the main part of the book. Therefore, the author/scholar has no obligation to the reader, imo, as to whether to include or not. As an aside, I found the appendix quite interesting.

As to the main part of the book; ASTOUNDING. Some of the best, most lucid, crystal clear instruction on the topic.

After a year from reading this book I can honestly say that this book invited me to become a Buddhist. Even thought it is not an easy read, it is very direct, practical and profound. I had to read some sections several times to feel I understood.
Before reading this book, I didn't know anything about this philosophy or Guru Rinpoche. For me, this book was a life changing point. Beautiful "terma"
Thank you Mahasiddha Padmasambhava

Of all the myriad Dzogchen texts I've read, this is the very best. It is clear, the translation is understandable (he doesn't use weird made-up circumloqutions for terms like rigpa, yeshe, rigpai tsal, etc, like some translators do), and really and truly Self-Liberation is a text which is introduces the reader to the nature of mind every time it is read.

I haven't seen John since way back 1981, when at Lama Gonpo's I loaned him a text of the Hevajra Tantra before he left for India to receive the empowerments. He's gone on to bigger and better things since then, but this early translation of his will never be bettered.

This book is a commentary on the titled Terma text. The text is terrific (worth 5 stars), reminiscent of Norbu's "The Supreme Source" or Longchenpa's "Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena." While addressing Dzogchen's Trekchö view, it includes very interesting & refreshing statements. It uses "empty" differently than other books & Mr. Reynolds commentary--not signifying dependent-arising (or interdependent) but actual emptiness (page 13, stanza 8): "Since it is empty and not created anywhere whatsoever, it is the Dharmakaya" and (page 14, stanza 10) "It is certain that the nature of the mind is empty and without any foundation whatsoever. Your own mind is insubstantial like the empty sky...It is certain that self-originated primal awareness has been clear (and luminous) from the very beginning."

Per most Tibetan to English translations, it seems literal vs. figurative (i.e. concerned with an "accurate" translation rather than with reader understanding). Mr. Reynolds states (page 115) "what is important at this primary level is to discover what the masters of the Dzogchen tradition actually say about their own tradition." I disagree. The most important thing is for the reader to UNDERSTAND Dzogchen and be enabled to practice it. For example, "nature of the mind" and "mind" are intermixed in a confusing manner. The author's explanation of his choice (pages 47-8, stanza 6) is unconvincing vs. his alternative, "Mind Itself," Padmasambhava's term "intrinsic awareness," or the commonly used "ground of being." Per other texts, "meditate" is translated as meditate upon (transitive), so Mr. Reynolds uses "contemplate" in stanza 8. That's fine, but in English "meditate" is a dual verb, it can be either transitive or intransitive (check your dictionary). Indeed, Padmasambhava states (page 13, stanza 8) "you are meditating without finding anything there to meditate on" (inferring intransitive meditation).

In his commentary, appendix, and notes, Mr. Reynolds provides concise and precise explications of standard Dzogchen, Vajrayana, and Buddhist doctrines-though scattered in location and more like Apologetic vs. explanation-largely to justify extensive criticism of Evans-Wentz' (E-W) prior translation, in "The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation" with Jung's Introduction. Some criticisms are well-founded. Mr. Reynolds greatly details Evans-Wentz' life, Vedanta, & Theosophy. He seems to take a Sensate view (Myers-Briggs Type "S": preference for details, low level of abstraction, past vs. future). Strangely, several of Mr. Reynolds' criticisms appear to conflict with the Terma! The text is VERY interesting in that (page 12, stanza 6) Padmasambhava provides many synonyms for intrinsic awareness such as--the Self, the Mind, Alaya, etc. Yet, Mr. Reynolds criticizes E-W for using virtually the same terms.

But, Mr. Reynolds rightly criticizes some E-W excesses (e.g. implying that Rigpa as "the dew drop slips into the Shining Sea", poetic but not entirely accurate) and claims E-W inserts Hindu, Vedanta, and Theosophist views into Dzogchen (ignoring the possible influences of Western mysticism). But most Westerner readers must translate Eastern terms into understandable language-not just English, and analogy facilitates communication. Any differences (e.g. between Cosmic Consciousness and Rigpa, page 103) would need explication, but differences among Brahman (Upanishads), ground of being (Dzogchen), and Ein Sof (Kabbalah) seem elusive. IMHO, Mr. Reynolds overrates such differences due to his low level of abstraction viewpoint. He writes as an historian, not a scientist. He seems unable to comprehend that there are differing perspectives-like the colors coming from a prism or facets of a diamond (Vajra). A true master can step out of his/her culture to see the pristine truth sans bias. I'd recommend reading "Mind at Ease" a Mahamudra text by the English-speaking Tibetan Traleg Kyabgon.

Mr. Reynolds points out several real errors in Jung's Introduction (e.g. the asserted lack of Buddhist critical psychology & philosophy--page 148, note 53), but his grasp of Jungian psychology is deficient: he misinterprets Jung's mapping of Buddhist deities/Samboghakaya onto the unconscious when Jung clearly refers to their peaceful/wrathful duality (e.g. Manjushri/Yamantaka) vs. Mr. Reynolds realm-gods. Mr. Reynolds misunderstands active imagination and the difference between psychotherapy & individuation. Contemporary Tibetan masters (e.g. Thrangu Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche) admit such deities can be/are mental. Mr. Reynolds seems oblivious to the mythological, allegorical, symbolical, and sometimes anachronistic aspects of Tibetan Buddhism which are normal components of religions--Mt. Meru is not the center of 4 continents (page 106), whether the Buddha knew it or not (who knows?). Also, Mr. Reynolds strongly objects to Jung's "a slavish initiation of Buddhist practices by Westerners is bound to be fruitless, if not dangerous" which seems self-evident to me. What's oddest about this book is what's missing:
-- the differences between Christian Bhakti Yoga (of devotion) vs. Dzogchen Jnana Yoga (of wisdom)
--the connection between the "other shore" (pages 145-6, note 47) with the standard Buddhist simile of the Yanas as boats across the sea of Samsara, not to mention Jung's night-sea journey.
--the differences between Gelugpa (to which Mr. Reynolds seems to refer) and Kagyu Mahamudra.
--that the Buddha's era has been reevaluated into the 5th century BCE instead of the 6th or 7th
--the similarities of some of E-W's statements to Vipashyana meditation
--that E-W/Jung's use of "Alaya" could refer to Absolute Alaya (as in the Terma)-page 113.
--that symbols are psychological in both East and West-page 146.
--the openness of Vajrayana (e.g. the Lojong mind training a la Pema Chödrön's many books/tapes)
--the Maitri and compassion at the heart of Mahayana Buddhism-including Dzogchen
--the awesome mind-expanding view of Dzogchen vs. (page 113)-seeing the forest vs. the bark of a tree
--the simple beauty of Mr. Reynolds prior (wonderful) book, "The Golden Letters"

Terton Karma Lingpa is a highly respected authority in the Dzogchen Tradition. A present-day practitioner can not but appreciate the classics...