NON-DUALITY
While there are many Western philosophers and mystics of nonduality, it is in the East that we find the real jewels of nondual teachings, teachers and practices. It will be helpful to have a brief historical introduction to the rich history of Nonduality in the east. While there are some gems of nonduality in Taoism, it is in Mahayana Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta that we find the highest expressions in the author's opinion. And in this book I want to focus on what has most inspired me and even given me some precious nondual glimpses. The main passion for writing this book is to share with you my love of nonduality and hopefully give you a glimpse as well. Let's begin with the history of buddhism and the revolutionary idea of Shunya or Shunyata. This idea more than ANY other, lies at the core of the nonduality of ultimate reality. The rough translation of "void" or "emptiness" is not entirely satisfactory as we'll see, but it is a good starting point in understanding the depth of its philosophical and experiential meaning.
Buddha said -Nothing has a real self identity (Nothing has a real self identity because we are not separate; everything is one). Nothing is not nothing, emptiness is not empty and void is not void.
Let's begin with Buddhism as it is unique among the world's religions in that it is open to expansion and continuing unfoldment and expansion of its own teachings. The idea is that the Buddhadharma (Buddhist Truth) has undergone four (or in some systems three) major evolutionary turnings, or revisions, improvements and additions to its own teachings.
The Four Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma in Buddhism
The Four Turnings of the Wheel (of Dharma) refers to a framework for understanding the teachings of the Buddhism originally devised by the Yogachara school. It later became prevalent in modified form in Tibetan Buddhism and related traditions.
The distinction is, on the one hand, a historic or quasi-historic scheme by which the Buddha's first sermons, as recorded in the Pali Canon and the tripitakas of other early schools, constitute the First Turning, and the later Mahayana sutras comprise the Second, Third turnings (and fourth).
Buddha said -Nothing has a real self identity (Nothing has a real self identity because we are not separate; everything is one). Nothing is not nothing, emptiness is not empty and void is not void.
Let's begin with Buddhism as it is unique among the world's religions in that it is open to expansion and continuing unfoldment and expansion of its own teachings. The idea is that the Buddhadharma (Buddhist Truth) has undergone four (or in some systems three) major evolutionary turnings, or revisions, improvements and additions to its own teachings.
The Four Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma in Buddhism
The Four Turnings of the Wheel (of Dharma) refers to a framework for understanding the teachings of the Buddhism originally devised by the Yogachara school. It later became prevalent in modified form in Tibetan Buddhism and related traditions.
The distinction is, on the one hand, a historic or quasi-historic scheme by which the Buddha's first sermons, as recorded in the Pali Canon and the tripitakas of other early schools, constitute the First Turning, and the later Mahayana sutras comprise the Second, Third turnings (and fourth).
![Picture](/uploads/4/5/1/6/4516117/published/jh0xb4-full.jpg?1643407779)
Theravada or Hinayana (Small/Deficient Vehicle) Buddhism
The First Turning
The First Turning began with the historical Gautama Buddha around the 6th century BCE, and is preserved and practiced to this day in traditions such as Theravada.
Original Buddhism was based loosely on four main ideas. The first was the difference between samsara (the source of suffering) and nirvana (source of enlightenment or liberation). The second idea was the 3 marks of samsara (dukkha or suffering, anicca or impermanence), and anatta or no self). The third idea is the famous 4 Noble Truths: 1-Life in samara is suffering, 2-the cause of suffering is desiring or craving, 3-to end desire or craving is to end suffering, 4-the way to do so is the eightfold way which is the fourth main idea. The eightfold way leading to nirvana is simply right view, right intention, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
Simply put the ultimate goal of early Buddhism is to escape samsara completely and attain nirvana. That is we need to get out of samsara which is the manifest realm of life, death, rebirth, and sickness, old age and suffering, etc. by following the eightfold path and attain Nirvana. Nirvana, or the liberation from cycles of rebirth, is the highest aim of the original Buddhist teachings and the Theravada tradition practiced to this day. The main problem with this original teaching is the strong dualism between Samsara and Nirvana. This was remedied 800 years later beginning with the second major "turning" in Buddhism.
Introduce 'no self' and 5 skandhas.
The First Turning
The First Turning began with the historical Gautama Buddha around the 6th century BCE, and is preserved and practiced to this day in traditions such as Theravada.
Original Buddhism was based loosely on four main ideas. The first was the difference between samsara (the source of suffering) and nirvana (source of enlightenment or liberation). The second idea was the 3 marks of samsara (dukkha or suffering, anicca or impermanence), and anatta or no self). The third idea is the famous 4 Noble Truths: 1-Life in samara is suffering, 2-the cause of suffering is desiring or craving, 3-to end desire or craving is to end suffering, 4-the way to do so is the eightfold way which is the fourth main idea. The eightfold way leading to nirvana is simply right view, right intention, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
Simply put the ultimate goal of early Buddhism is to escape samsara completely and attain nirvana. That is we need to get out of samsara which is the manifest realm of life, death, rebirth, and sickness, old age and suffering, etc. by following the eightfold path and attain Nirvana. Nirvana, or the liberation from cycles of rebirth, is the highest aim of the original Buddhist teachings and the Theravada tradition practiced to this day. The main problem with this original teaching is the strong dualism between Samsara and Nirvana. This was remedied 800 years later beginning with the second major "turning" in Buddhism.
Introduce 'no self' and 5 skandhas.
![Picture](/uploads/4/5/1/6/4516117/download_orig.jpg)
Mahayana (Large/Greater Vehicle) Buddhism
The Second Turning (Madhyamika)
The second turning was introduced by the great sage and Nagarjuna, around 200 AD. Until Nagarguna came along there was a strange duality in Buddhism. Nagarguna noticed a strange duality between Samsara and Nirvana (suffering in the world and the bliss of liberation). Note: In Hinduism this duality is known as maya (illusion) and moksha (liberation). Nargarguna was the first to point out in Buddhism that there is no ontological difference between samsara and nirvana, or maya and moksha. Reality looked at with the mind and concepts appears as samsara, while THE SAME reality free of mental concepts and acts of knowing is nirvana. So samsara and nirvana, maya and moksha, earthly hell and heaven are not-two or "nondual", they are two different aspects of the same ONE ultimate reality. This also equates to relative world and the absolute reality are not two or nondual.
The Second Turning (Madhyamika)
The second turning was introduced by the great sage and Nagarjuna, around 200 AD. Until Nagarguna came along there was a strange duality in Buddhism. Nagarguna noticed a strange duality between Samsara and Nirvana (suffering in the world and the bliss of liberation). Note: In Hinduism this duality is known as maya (illusion) and moksha (liberation). Nargarguna was the first to point out in Buddhism that there is no ontological difference between samsara and nirvana, or maya and moksha. Reality looked at with the mind and concepts appears as samsara, while THE SAME reality free of mental concepts and acts of knowing is nirvana. So samsara and nirvana, maya and moksha, earthly hell and heaven are not-two or "nondual", they are two different aspects of the same ONE ultimate reality. This also equates to relative world and the absolute reality are not two or nondual.
![Picture](/uploads/4/5/1/6/4516117/published/zen-525878-1280.png?1643408115)
Nargarguna uses the revolutionary idea of Shunya or Shunyata (emptiness) to connect the relative and the absolute or samsara to Nirvana. Shunya is not an idea or concept, rather it points to the radical emptiness and "unqualifiability" of the Ultimate Reality. It also points to the emptiness of concepts and ideas and philosophies that try to describe ultimate reality.
Nagarguna's main emphasis is that ultimate truth cannot be known conceptually, or categorized at all. Based on what are known as the "4 Inexpressibles", you cannot say the Ultimate Reality is being, nor not-Being, nor both nor neither. You cannot say it is Self (atman), nor no-self (anatman), nor both, nor neither. And so on for any category (like real & non-real, emptiness & form, nothing & everything, etc). The reason you cannot conceptualize UR is that any concept you come up with only makes sense in terms of its opposite (liberated vs bound, infinite vs finite, pain vs pleasure, etc.). But UR has no opposite, and therefore cannot be categorized AT ALL!
While Nagarguna calls ultimate reality Shunyata (void or emptiness), he is quick to point out that that UR is neither void, nor not void, nor both, nor neither. But some word must be used to "point out this mystery". He showed that shunya itself is not a concept but the emptiness of ALL concepts.
So what these absolute truth does mean is that Emptiness, Spirit, UR or whatever word you choose, is not separate from anything that is arising. Emptiness or void is a great choice because it is impossible to conceptualize emptiness. This is in alignment with the Buddhist and Hindu approach of Neti Neti, (not this , not that). By negation we constantly remind ourselves of everything Shunyata isn't, and then all that remains is the realization of what is. And this ultimate reality is not separate from anything that is arising. It is the emptiness behind everything that is arising since the relative and absolute are not 2.
Looked at free from conceptualization or categorization, everything that is arising is emptiness, the suchness or thusness of everything looked at directly as it is, not as it is named, judged or categorized. Looked at through concepts and categories, the universe exists as Samsara or Maya - built of radically separate and isolated things and events and grasping after those things and attachment to them (desire), or running from them (fear), causes suffering.
Nagarguna's main emphasis is that ultimate truth cannot be known conceptually, or categorized at all. Based on what are known as the "4 Inexpressibles", you cannot say the Ultimate Reality is being, nor not-Being, nor both nor neither. You cannot say it is Self (atman), nor no-self (anatman), nor both, nor neither. And so on for any category (like real & non-real, emptiness & form, nothing & everything, etc). The reason you cannot conceptualize UR is that any concept you come up with only makes sense in terms of its opposite (liberated vs bound, infinite vs finite, pain vs pleasure, etc.). But UR has no opposite, and therefore cannot be categorized AT ALL!
While Nagarguna calls ultimate reality Shunyata (void or emptiness), he is quick to point out that that UR is neither void, nor not void, nor both, nor neither. But some word must be used to "point out this mystery". He showed that shunya itself is not a concept but the emptiness of ALL concepts.
So what these absolute truth does mean is that Emptiness, Spirit, UR or whatever word you choose, is not separate from anything that is arising. Emptiness or void is a great choice because it is impossible to conceptualize emptiness. This is in alignment with the Buddhist and Hindu approach of Neti Neti, (not this , not that). By negation we constantly remind ourselves of everything Shunyata isn't, and then all that remains is the realization of what is. And this ultimate reality is not separate from anything that is arising. It is the emptiness behind everything that is arising since the relative and absolute are not 2.
Looked at free from conceptualization or categorization, everything that is arising is emptiness, the suchness or thusness of everything looked at directly as it is, not as it is named, judged or categorized. Looked at through concepts and categories, the universe exists as Samsara or Maya - built of radically separate and isolated things and events and grasping after those things and attachment to them (desire), or running from them (fear), causes suffering.
![Picture](/uploads/4/5/1/6/4516117/published/sunyata-584458-1280.jpg?1643408177)
But looked at with prajna or pro-gnosis (non-conceptual awareness), the world of samsara is actually self liberated Nirvana. Prajna is nondual and unqualified knowledge or awareness which brings enlightenment or awakening.
Awakening to what? The radical freedom or infinite Liberation of pure Emptiness, though those terms are at best metaphors.
The Heart Sutra nicely summarizes nonduality, "That which is Emptiness is not other than Form; that which is Form is not other than Emptiness". So liberating emptiness can be found everywhere in the world of form. One no longer has to retreat to cave or monastery away from the world of form or Samsara, in order to find Nirvana or enlightenment. Samsara and Nirvana, Maya and Moksha have been united, and brought together into a single or Nondual reality. This was a major revolution in not only Buddhism but world philosophy in general!
The Madhyamika notion of shunya or emptiness became the foundation and basis for all Mahayana and Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) teaching from then onward.
Awakening to what? The radical freedom or infinite Liberation of pure Emptiness, though those terms are at best metaphors.
The Heart Sutra nicely summarizes nonduality, "That which is Emptiness is not other than Form; that which is Form is not other than Emptiness". So liberating emptiness can be found everywhere in the world of form. One no longer has to retreat to cave or monastery away from the world of form or Samsara, in order to find Nirvana or enlightenment. Samsara and Nirvana, Maya and Moksha have been united, and brought together into a single or Nondual reality. This was a major revolution in not only Buddhism but world philosophy in general!
The Madhyamika notion of shunya or emptiness became the foundation and basis for all Mahayana and Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) teaching from then onward.
![Picture](/uploads/4/5/1/6/4516117/published/2022-01-28-17-22-19.png?1643408585)
The Third Turning (Yogachara or Vijnanavada)
Yogachara, (Sanskrit: “Practice of Yoga [Union]”) also called Vijnanavada (“Doctrine of Consciousness”)
This third turning was started by the half brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu, and is generally called the Yogachara school or Vijnanavada (Mind or Consciousnesss Only). Originating in the 2nd century CE, it had its greatest expression in the 4th century CE.
What all the schools of Yogachara have in common is some stance toward the relation of Emptiness and Consciousness (or Mind with a capital "M"). A great quote to drive this point how is a stanza from Tibetan Buddhism: "All is Mind, Mind is Empty. Empty is freely manifesting. Freely manifesting is self-liberating." Isn't that beautiful! That quote is one of the best short summaries of non-duality (keep in mind that Mind with a capital "M" is Big Mind, One Mind which is synonymous with a Universal Consciousness or Primordial nondual Awareness).
Given the fact that emptiness and form are nondual, then Emptiness itself is related to some everyday aspect of Form that the ordinary person is already aware of - in this case pure consciousness or unqualifiable everyday awareness. That is you are already in perfect nondual awareness!
It's important that for Yogachara, it's not phenomena of samsara that cause illusion and suffering, but rather viewing phenomena and everything within creation as objects, viewing them from a subject-object duality. Instead of viewing objects as one with the viewer, they are viewed as existing "out there", separate and isolated tearing Reality into two realms - a subject versus objects. This is a product of the dualistic self contraction, a contracted energy in the body-mind that converts the True Nondual Reality into an illusory, fragmented, and dualistic world which is the cause of all suffering and bondage. The Subject-Object duality, is the Primary Duality.
Here is how Yogachara improves upon Madhyamika:
For Madhyamika, non-duality is an utter blank, at least to the mind's conception, although that blankness is actually seeing Reality exactly as it is, in its Suchness or Thusness without names, concepts, categories, or prejudices. Yogachara more positively defines Emptiness and non-duality as "the absense of duality between perceiving subject and the perceived object".
So it is not phenomena that are illusory or suffering- inducing, but seeing phenomena as objects, as items set apart from consciousness or the subject, and existing as separate entities "out there". Once they are separated from us, then we can either desire them or fear them, both eventually causing suffering, alienation and bondage.
Now this more positive view of Emptiness along with its connection to connection, acted to unite Emptiness and Form in an even stronger way than Madhyamika's revolutionary nonduality. And this had a direct hand in the creation of Tantra and the closely related Vajrayana Buddhism which includes Dzogchen, which many consider as the fourth turning (or the real flowering of the third turning).
Yogachara, (Sanskrit: “Practice of Yoga [Union]”) also called Vijnanavada (“Doctrine of Consciousness”)
This third turning was started by the half brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu, and is generally called the Yogachara school or Vijnanavada (Mind or Consciousnesss Only). Originating in the 2nd century CE, it had its greatest expression in the 4th century CE.
What all the schools of Yogachara have in common is some stance toward the relation of Emptiness and Consciousness (or Mind with a capital "M"). A great quote to drive this point how is a stanza from Tibetan Buddhism: "All is Mind, Mind is Empty. Empty is freely manifesting. Freely manifesting is self-liberating." Isn't that beautiful! That quote is one of the best short summaries of non-duality (keep in mind that Mind with a capital "M" is Big Mind, One Mind which is synonymous with a Universal Consciousness or Primordial nondual Awareness).
Given the fact that emptiness and form are nondual, then Emptiness itself is related to some everyday aspect of Form that the ordinary person is already aware of - in this case pure consciousness or unqualifiable everyday awareness. That is you are already in perfect nondual awareness!
It's important that for Yogachara, it's not phenomena of samsara that cause illusion and suffering, but rather viewing phenomena and everything within creation as objects, viewing them from a subject-object duality. Instead of viewing objects as one with the viewer, they are viewed as existing "out there", separate and isolated tearing Reality into two realms - a subject versus objects. This is a product of the dualistic self contraction, a contracted energy in the body-mind that converts the True Nondual Reality into an illusory, fragmented, and dualistic world which is the cause of all suffering and bondage. The Subject-Object duality, is the Primary Duality.
Here is how Yogachara improves upon Madhyamika:
For Madhyamika, non-duality is an utter blank, at least to the mind's conception, although that blankness is actually seeing Reality exactly as it is, in its Suchness or Thusness without names, concepts, categories, or prejudices. Yogachara more positively defines Emptiness and non-duality as "the absense of duality between perceiving subject and the perceived object".
So it is not phenomena that are illusory or suffering- inducing, but seeing phenomena as objects, as items set apart from consciousness or the subject, and existing as separate entities "out there". Once they are separated from us, then we can either desire them or fear them, both eventually causing suffering, alienation and bondage.
Now this more positive view of Emptiness along with its connection to connection, acted to unite Emptiness and Form in an even stronger way than Madhyamika's revolutionary nonduality. And this had a direct hand in the creation of Tantra and the closely related Vajrayana Buddhism which includes Dzogchen, which many consider as the fourth turning (or the real flowering of the third turning).
![Picture](/uploads/4/5/1/6/4516117/published/vajradhara-l2012-81-03.jpg?1643414285)
Tantra and Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle)
The Fourth Turning (Tantra, Vajrayana, and Dzogchen)
Tantra was developed primarily at the great Nalanda University in India from the 8th to the 11th centuries.
Tantra and Vajrayana have a rich history with many aspects and practices too many to list here, but lets touch upon the major points.
For Tantra, what early Buddhism (and most religions) considered as sins, difilements and poison were actually because of their nondualty with emptiness, were in fact seeds of great transcendental wisdom. The sacred and profane are not two, verily both dirt and deity are connected in nonduality.
The motto of Tantric Practices was to "bring everything to the path", nothing need be excluded. Nothing, absolutely nothing is taboo - food , sex, alchol, drugs, sex, money, anger, etc are to be deeply befriended and lovingly embraced (within, of course sane limits that don't break laws). Instead of being label as sins, they are viewed by Tantric practitioners as ornaments of Spirit itself, direct manifestations of the ultimate Divine. For there is nothing else, there is ONLY GOD in EVERYTHING.
What there is is all there is, with the secrets of the Form side of Reality providing endless new revelations when directly recognized (prajna, rigpa. yeshe) as self -liberating Spirit (Svabhavikakaya or integrated body of Truth.
Unconditional Love means UNCONDITIONAL!
Here is the main point of Tantra: Every single phenomenon, when viewed and experienced apart from Spirit, was a source of pain and suffering (dukkha), while the same phenomena, seen with nondual perception is an ornament of Spirit and a source of potential wisdom, compassion and playful luminosity. The Maya or great illusion of Hinduism becomes Lila or sport or play for fun. It is a Lila, or sport, of Brahman. All that is is created out of Bliss, by Bliss and for Bliss. Lila indicates a spontaneous sportive activity of Brahman, Godhead, Tao, or whatever word you wish to use pointing to Ultimate Reality.
Bring everything to the Path!
This concludes our painfully abbreviated summary of the four main turnings of Buddhism.
It is like Luke in Star Wars that latter in his life mastered both the light and dark side of the force, for there is only one Force, even in Star Wars.
The Fourth Turning (Tantra, Vajrayana, and Dzogchen)
Tantra was developed primarily at the great Nalanda University in India from the 8th to the 11th centuries.
Tantra and Vajrayana have a rich history with many aspects and practices too many to list here, but lets touch upon the major points.
For Tantra, what early Buddhism (and most religions) considered as sins, difilements and poison were actually because of their nondualty with emptiness, were in fact seeds of great transcendental wisdom. The sacred and profane are not two, verily both dirt and deity are connected in nonduality.
The motto of Tantric Practices was to "bring everything to the path", nothing need be excluded. Nothing, absolutely nothing is taboo - food , sex, alchol, drugs, sex, money, anger, etc are to be deeply befriended and lovingly embraced (within, of course sane limits that don't break laws). Instead of being label as sins, they are viewed by Tantric practitioners as ornaments of Spirit itself, direct manifestations of the ultimate Divine. For there is nothing else, there is ONLY GOD in EVERYTHING.
What there is is all there is, with the secrets of the Form side of Reality providing endless new revelations when directly recognized (prajna, rigpa. yeshe) as self -liberating Spirit (Svabhavikakaya or integrated body of Truth.
Unconditional Love means UNCONDITIONAL!
Here is the main point of Tantra: Every single phenomenon, when viewed and experienced apart from Spirit, was a source of pain and suffering (dukkha), while the same phenomena, seen with nondual perception is an ornament of Spirit and a source of potential wisdom, compassion and playful luminosity. The Maya or great illusion of Hinduism becomes Lila or sport or play for fun. It is a Lila, or sport, of Brahman. All that is is created out of Bliss, by Bliss and for Bliss. Lila indicates a spontaneous sportive activity of Brahman, Godhead, Tao, or whatever word you wish to use pointing to Ultimate Reality.
Bring everything to the Path!
This concludes our painfully abbreviated summary of the four main turnings of Buddhism.
It is like Luke in Star Wars that latter in his life mastered both the light and dark side of the force, for there is only one Force, even in Star Wars.
Dzogchen - The Highest Perfection of Vajrayana/Tantra
(Dzogchen translates as the "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as atiyoga (utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. The primordial ground (ghzi, "basis") is said to have the qualities of purity (i.e. emptiness), spontaneity (lhun grub, associated with luminous clarity) and compassion (thugs rje). The goal of Dzogchen is knowledge of this basis, this knowledge is called rigpa, (also called prajna, vidyā or yeshe). There are numerous spiritual practices taught in the various Dzogchen systems for awakening rigpa.
The term initially referred to the "highest perfection" of Vajrayana deity yoga. Specifically it refers to the stage after the deity visualisation has been dissolved and one rests in the natural state of the innately luminous and pure mind.
The essence of Dzogchen (or maha-ati) is radically simple, and is in accord with the highest teachings of other of the world's great wisdom traditions, particularly Vedanta Hinduism and Ch'an (early Zen) Buddhism. In a nutshell:
If Spirit has any meaning, it must be omnipresent, or all-pervading and all-encompassing. There can't be a place Spirit is not, or it wouldn't be infinite. Therefore, Spirit has to be completely present, right here, right now, in your own awareness. That is, your own present awareness, precisely as it is, without changing it or altering it in any way, is perfectly and completely permeated by Spirit.
Furthermore, it is not that Spirit is present but you need to be enlightened in order to see it. It is not that you are one with Spirit but just don't know it yet. Because that would also imply that there is some place Spirit is not. No,according to Dzogchen, you are always already one with Spirit, and that awareness is always already fully present, right now. You are looking directly at Spirit, with Spirit, in every act of awareness. There is nowhere Spirit is not.
Further, if Spirit has any meaning at all, then it must be eternal, or without beginning or end. If Spirit had a beginning in time, then it would be strictly temporal, it would not be timeless and eternal. And this means, as regards your own awareness, that you cannot become enlightened. You cannot attain enlightenment. If you could attain enlightenment, then that state would have a beginning in time, and so it would not be true enlightenment.
Rather, Spirit, and enlightenment, has to be something that you are fully aware of right now. Something you are already looking at right now. As I was receiving these teachings, I thought of the old puzzles in the Sunday supplement section of the newspaper, where there is a landscape and the caption says, "The faces of twenty famous people are hidden in this landscape. Can you spot them?" The faces were maybe Walter Cronkite, John Kennedy, that kind of thing. The point is that you are looking right at the faces. You don't need to see anything more in order to be looking at the faces. They are completely entering your visual field already, you just don't recognize them. If you still can't find them, then somebody comes along and simply points them out.
It's the same way with Spirit or enlightenment, I thought. We are all already looking directly at Spirit, we just don't recognize it. We have all the necessary cognition, but not the recognition. This is why the Dzogchen teachings don't particularly recommend meditation, useful as that may be for other purposes. Because meditation is an attempt to change cognition, to change awareness, and that is unnecessary and beside the point. Spirit is already completely and fully present in the state of awareness that you have now; nothing needs to be changed or altered.
And, indeed, the attempt to change awareness is like trying to paint in the faces in the puzzle instead of simply recognizing them. And thus, in Dzogchen, the central teaching is not meditation, because meditation aims at a change of state, and enlightenment is not a change of state but the recognition of the nature of any present state. Indeed, much of the
teaching of Dzogchen centers on why meditation doesn't work, on why enlightenment can never be gained because it is always already present. Trying to get enlightenment would be like trying to attain your feet. The first rule in Dzogchen: There is nothing you can try to do, or try not to do, to get basic awareness, because it already and fully
is.
Instead of meditation, then, Dzogchen uses what are called "the pointing-out instructions." Here the Master simply talks to you, and points out that aspect of your awareness that is already one with Spirit and has always been one with Spirit, that part of your awareness that is timeless and eternal, that is beginningless, that has been with you even before your parents were born (as Zen would put it). In other words, it's just like pointing out the faces in the puzzle. You don't have to change the puzzle or rearrange it, you only have to recognize that which you are already looking at. Meditation rearranges the puzzle; Dzogchen doesn't touch a thing. Thus the pointing-out instructions usually begin, "Without correcting or modifying your present awareness in any way, notice that..."
I cannot give the actual instructions, as those are the special province of the Dzogchen Master. But I can give you the Vedantan Hindu version, since they are already in print, particularly in the writings of the illustrious Sri Ramana Maharshi. As I would word it:
The one thing we are always already aware of is . . . awareness itself. We already have basic awareness, in the form of the capacity to Witness whatever arises. As an old Zen Master used to say, "You hear the birds? You see the sun? Who is not enlightened?" None of us can even imagine a state where basic awareness is not, because we would still be aware of the imagining. Even in dreams we are aware. Moreover, these traditions maintain, there are not two different types of awareness, enlightened versus ignorant. There is only awareness. And this awareness, exactly and precisely as it is, without correction or modification at all, is itself Spirit, since there is nowhere Spirit is not.
The instructions, then, are to recognize awareness, recognize the Witness, recognize the Self, and abide as that.
Any attempt to get awareness is totally beside the point. "But I still don't see Spirit!" "You are aware of your not seeing Spirit, and that awareness is itself Spirit!" You can practice mindfulness, because there is forgetfulness; but you cannot practice awareness, because there is only awareness. In mindfulness, you pay attention to the present moment. You try to "be here now." But pure awareness is the present state of awareness before you try to do anything about it. Trying to "be here now" requires a future moment in which you will then be mindful; but pure awareness is this moment before you try anything. You are already aware; you are already enlightened. You might not be always already mindful, but you are always already enlightened.
The pointing-out instructions go on like this, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for a few days, until you "get" it, until you recognize your own True Face, the "face you had before your parents were born" (that is, timeless and eternal, prior to birth and death). And it is a recognition, not a cognition. It's like peering into the window of a department store, and seeing a vague figure staring back at you. You let the figure come into focus, and with a shock realize that it's your own reflection in the window. The entire world, according to these traditions, is nothing but the reflection of your own Self, reflected in the mirror of your own awareness.
See? You are already looking right at it. . . .
Thus, according to these traditions, basic awareness is not hard to reach, it's impossible to avoid, and the so-called "paths" to the Self are really obstacle courses. They prevent the recognition as long as they are engaged. There is only the Self, there is only God.
As Ramana Maharshi put it:
There is neither creation nor destruction,
Neither destiny nor free will;
Neither path nor achievement;
This is the final truth.
I should point out that although Dzogchen itself does not particularly recommend meditation, by the time you are introduced to the Dzogchen teachings, you are expected to have practiced to some degree most of the first eight stages of practice, which are all stages of meditation. And it is maintained that meditation is very important and very beneficial for increasing virtuous states of mind, powers of concentration, mindfulness, and insight, and meditation must be pursued vigorously as a training. It just has nothing to do with enlightenment per se. Any enlightenment that can be attained is not real enlightenment. Meditation is a training, and Dzogchen points out that training completely misses the point right in the first step, because it makes you try to move away from your
present and prior awareness.
A Dzogchen teacher might meet with students,
and [the students] would come in saying things like, "I just had the most amazing experience. My ego just disappeared and I was one with everything, and time evaporated and it was wonderful!"
And the Master would say, "That's nice. But tell me, did that experience have a beginning in time?"
"Yeah, it happened yesterday, I was just sitting there and all of a sudden ..."
"That which has a beginning in time is not real. Come back when you recognize that which is already present, that which is not an experience, that which does not have a beginning in time. It has to be something you are already aware of. Come back when you recognize that beginningless state. You are giving me beginnings."
"Oh."
But once recognition has taken place in the student, then meditation is used to stabilize the recognition and to help bring it to all aspects of life. And this, indeed, is the hard part. There's a saying in Dzogchen: "Recognizing your True Face is easy; living it is hard."
(Dzogchen translates as the "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as atiyoga (utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. The primordial ground (ghzi, "basis") is said to have the qualities of purity (i.e. emptiness), spontaneity (lhun grub, associated with luminous clarity) and compassion (thugs rje). The goal of Dzogchen is knowledge of this basis, this knowledge is called rigpa, (also called prajna, vidyā or yeshe). There are numerous spiritual practices taught in the various Dzogchen systems for awakening rigpa.
The term initially referred to the "highest perfection" of Vajrayana deity yoga. Specifically it refers to the stage after the deity visualisation has been dissolved and one rests in the natural state of the innately luminous and pure mind.
The essence of Dzogchen (or maha-ati) is radically simple, and is in accord with the highest teachings of other of the world's great wisdom traditions, particularly Vedanta Hinduism and Ch'an (early Zen) Buddhism. In a nutshell:
If Spirit has any meaning, it must be omnipresent, or all-pervading and all-encompassing. There can't be a place Spirit is not, or it wouldn't be infinite. Therefore, Spirit has to be completely present, right here, right now, in your own awareness. That is, your own present awareness, precisely as it is, without changing it or altering it in any way, is perfectly and completely permeated by Spirit.
Furthermore, it is not that Spirit is present but you need to be enlightened in order to see it. It is not that you are one with Spirit but just don't know it yet. Because that would also imply that there is some place Spirit is not. No,according to Dzogchen, you are always already one with Spirit, and that awareness is always already fully present, right now. You are looking directly at Spirit, with Spirit, in every act of awareness. There is nowhere Spirit is not.
Further, if Spirit has any meaning at all, then it must be eternal, or without beginning or end. If Spirit had a beginning in time, then it would be strictly temporal, it would not be timeless and eternal. And this means, as regards your own awareness, that you cannot become enlightened. You cannot attain enlightenment. If you could attain enlightenment, then that state would have a beginning in time, and so it would not be true enlightenment.
Rather, Spirit, and enlightenment, has to be something that you are fully aware of right now. Something you are already looking at right now. As I was receiving these teachings, I thought of the old puzzles in the Sunday supplement section of the newspaper, where there is a landscape and the caption says, "The faces of twenty famous people are hidden in this landscape. Can you spot them?" The faces were maybe Walter Cronkite, John Kennedy, that kind of thing. The point is that you are looking right at the faces. You don't need to see anything more in order to be looking at the faces. They are completely entering your visual field already, you just don't recognize them. If you still can't find them, then somebody comes along and simply points them out.
It's the same way with Spirit or enlightenment, I thought. We are all already looking directly at Spirit, we just don't recognize it. We have all the necessary cognition, but not the recognition. This is why the Dzogchen teachings don't particularly recommend meditation, useful as that may be for other purposes. Because meditation is an attempt to change cognition, to change awareness, and that is unnecessary and beside the point. Spirit is already completely and fully present in the state of awareness that you have now; nothing needs to be changed or altered.
And, indeed, the attempt to change awareness is like trying to paint in the faces in the puzzle instead of simply recognizing them. And thus, in Dzogchen, the central teaching is not meditation, because meditation aims at a change of state, and enlightenment is not a change of state but the recognition of the nature of any present state. Indeed, much of the
teaching of Dzogchen centers on why meditation doesn't work, on why enlightenment can never be gained because it is always already present. Trying to get enlightenment would be like trying to attain your feet. The first rule in Dzogchen: There is nothing you can try to do, or try not to do, to get basic awareness, because it already and fully
is.
Instead of meditation, then, Dzogchen uses what are called "the pointing-out instructions." Here the Master simply talks to you, and points out that aspect of your awareness that is already one with Spirit and has always been one with Spirit, that part of your awareness that is timeless and eternal, that is beginningless, that has been with you even before your parents were born (as Zen would put it). In other words, it's just like pointing out the faces in the puzzle. You don't have to change the puzzle or rearrange it, you only have to recognize that which you are already looking at. Meditation rearranges the puzzle; Dzogchen doesn't touch a thing. Thus the pointing-out instructions usually begin, "Without correcting or modifying your present awareness in any way, notice that..."
I cannot give the actual instructions, as those are the special province of the Dzogchen Master. But I can give you the Vedantan Hindu version, since they are already in print, particularly in the writings of the illustrious Sri Ramana Maharshi. As I would word it:
The one thing we are always already aware of is . . . awareness itself. We already have basic awareness, in the form of the capacity to Witness whatever arises. As an old Zen Master used to say, "You hear the birds? You see the sun? Who is not enlightened?" None of us can even imagine a state where basic awareness is not, because we would still be aware of the imagining. Even in dreams we are aware. Moreover, these traditions maintain, there are not two different types of awareness, enlightened versus ignorant. There is only awareness. And this awareness, exactly and precisely as it is, without correction or modification at all, is itself Spirit, since there is nowhere Spirit is not.
The instructions, then, are to recognize awareness, recognize the Witness, recognize the Self, and abide as that.
Any attempt to get awareness is totally beside the point. "But I still don't see Spirit!" "You are aware of your not seeing Spirit, and that awareness is itself Spirit!" You can practice mindfulness, because there is forgetfulness; but you cannot practice awareness, because there is only awareness. In mindfulness, you pay attention to the present moment. You try to "be here now." But pure awareness is the present state of awareness before you try to do anything about it. Trying to "be here now" requires a future moment in which you will then be mindful; but pure awareness is this moment before you try anything. You are already aware; you are already enlightened. You might not be always already mindful, but you are always already enlightened.
The pointing-out instructions go on like this, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for a few days, until you "get" it, until you recognize your own True Face, the "face you had before your parents were born" (that is, timeless and eternal, prior to birth and death). And it is a recognition, not a cognition. It's like peering into the window of a department store, and seeing a vague figure staring back at you. You let the figure come into focus, and with a shock realize that it's your own reflection in the window. The entire world, according to these traditions, is nothing but the reflection of your own Self, reflected in the mirror of your own awareness.
See? You are already looking right at it. . . .
Thus, according to these traditions, basic awareness is not hard to reach, it's impossible to avoid, and the so-called "paths" to the Self are really obstacle courses. They prevent the recognition as long as they are engaged. There is only the Self, there is only God.
As Ramana Maharshi put it:
There is neither creation nor destruction,
Neither destiny nor free will;
Neither path nor achievement;
This is the final truth.
I should point out that although Dzogchen itself does not particularly recommend meditation, by the time you are introduced to the Dzogchen teachings, you are expected to have practiced to some degree most of the first eight stages of practice, which are all stages of meditation. And it is maintained that meditation is very important and very beneficial for increasing virtuous states of mind, powers of concentration, mindfulness, and insight, and meditation must be pursued vigorously as a training. It just has nothing to do with enlightenment per se. Any enlightenment that can be attained is not real enlightenment. Meditation is a training, and Dzogchen points out that training completely misses the point right in the first step, because it makes you try to move away from your
present and prior awareness.
A Dzogchen teacher might meet with students,
and [the students] would come in saying things like, "I just had the most amazing experience. My ego just disappeared and I was one with everything, and time evaporated and it was wonderful!"
And the Master would say, "That's nice. But tell me, did that experience have a beginning in time?"
"Yeah, it happened yesterday, I was just sitting there and all of a sudden ..."
"That which has a beginning in time is not real. Come back when you recognize that which is already present, that which is not an experience, that which does not have a beginning in time. It has to be something you are already aware of. Come back when you recognize that beginningless state. You are giving me beginnings."
"Oh."
But once recognition has taken place in the student, then meditation is used to stabilize the recognition and to help bring it to all aspects of life. And this, indeed, is the hard part. There's a saying in Dzogchen: "Recognizing your True Face is easy; living it is hard."