Jackson Petersons Dzogchen Map and other handy guidance, from his Dzogchen practice

group: DzogchenPractice@yahoogroups.com
The Map
I want to share how the whole thing fits together from the Dzogchen point of view and my experience
regarding awareness, energy, mind, self and liberation. From engaging in various methods from several
different traditions, I have enough experience to write about the whole process from beginning to end. I am
not saying that one has to engage in meditation or energy practices. But I will teach whatever is necessary so
that what I am sharing below can be realized by anyone. There are many remedies for various "stuck points".
But we have to all be using the same map or at least be familiar with it. What I am sharing here I don't
believe you will be able to find very available on the open market. Most is considered to be the secret
teachings of Tibetan Dzogchen, not broadly known. If interested, we can work through specific Dzogchen
practices that trigger the Clear Light of Awareness to become revealed in consciousness.
Here's how it works: at first the person is seeking to find his enlightened nature within their own
consciousness. They may receive a pointing out instruction regarding the nature of "changeless awareness".
But they may only understand intellectually that their identity is not the body or mind. There was no total
shift in perspective. This gives them a certain degree of relaxation as though the intellect had acquired its
goal of understanding, it can now relax. But that intellectual insight does not drive deep enough into the
energy contraction remaining in the subtle body and physical body, hence it is short lived. There was just a
flash of insight but no total transformation of the self-contraction and mind. By recognizing that subtle flash
of insight again and again, and learning to rest as just being the naked "observingess" in all experience,
thoughts and mental engagement become more calm and less captivating. As a result our inner subtle body
of chakras, channels and subtle energy called chi or prana, all begin to relax and expand. It is the energy
contraction within the inner subtle body that gives the "feeling" of being a localized self within and as a
body. We're not talking about the concept of self now, we are talking about how its "feels" on a sensory
level. When the inner subtle body relaxes, because the mind relaxes, we experience a "feeling" of
expansiveness, greater clarity, and well-being.
Understanding gives us insight but may have no affect on the "feeling tone" of inner experience. We "get it"
but no bliss or stable joy. Hence meditation may help in bringing the mind into a more calm state, and that is
a good thing because the rest follows organically.
This would normally be a model of yoga where the goal is calming and clarification of the mind and a deep
relaxing of the body. In yoga when this is accomplished, the inner channels and chakras will expand and
open. If this relaxing process is allowed to continue, eventually subtle energies will begin to flow from the
bottom of the spine to the crown that may result in kundalini enlightenment. That is considered the end of the
path in yoga. However in Tibetan Dzogchen, that is where our practice begins.
When the chakras are fully relaxed, open and expansive, another more subtle energy body is revealed within.
It's the inner Body of Light or Clear Light. It's much more subtle than the chakras and subtle energy channels
of subtle body. Prana, chi or kundalini does not flow in these subtle light channels, only Clear Light. The
channels are themselves crystalline and transparent. The main crystal channel, called "Kati" in Tibetan, flows
from the innermost center of the heart chakra, up through the central channel into the brain. It arcs forward
and splits into two channels ending at the very center of the pupils. The Clear Light is centered in the heart
chakra, the seat of Being. Clear Light Awareness is "seated" in the brain. It is the innermost center of the
crown chakra. When the Light Channels are completely relaxed, the Clear Light in the heart will reflect
upward and shine out the eyes. Other Light Channels flow upward filling the entire area of the brain. As the
Clear Light is reflected into the brain through the microscopic network of Light Channels, consciousness is
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transformed into Clear Light Awareness. We feel utterly transparent and free of any sense of localization or
physical identity when this happens. Our Awareness seems poised within our eyes and our skull seems
transparent. The Self-Knowing Wisdom of Clear Light is suddenly revealed as the very nature of Clear Light
Itself. All doubts are absent and there is no self in Clear Light Awareness as the mind and consciousness
have been transformed into Clear Light as well. In Tibetan this state of being is called "Rigpa" which means
both awareness and its wisdom. This is our goal in practice.
By remaining relaxed completely, the Light Channels will remain open and our state will continue to be the
Beingness of Clear Light Awareness. As the Clear Light continues to flow into the Light Channels in the
brain, it will eventually begin to overflow downward into the entire body, revealing the body to be
transparent as well. The outer world will still be visible but clearly transparent like a giant crystal hologram
floating in space. "Inside and outside" well no longer apply, nor do center or fringe. So we simply rest as
what we are. When the mind begins to engage in thinking and conceptualizing again, that subtle mental
grasping is enough of a contraction to cause the very delicate Light Channels to close. When that happens the
lights go out, so to speak. Then we drop the concepts and mental grasping, and just deeply relax until the
Light Channels blossom again. Our goal is to find ourselves always fully relaxed as Clear Light Awareness.
We are simply relaxed in our Natural State, timelessly free, radiating intrinsic compassion, love and
spontaneous creativity within the Natural Bliss of our own Being. Remember we are only modifying our
energy, the Clear Light of Awareness is always unchanging, but its aura of energy can contract and give a
sense of localization. That contraction and localization is only an "experience" and in no way modifies our
Beingness. But I think we prefer the open state as opposed to the contracted but our essential Beingness
enjoys it all as pure play.
Not everyone has to engage in any type of practice in order to open the Light Channels. Many people already
see from their heart, as the Clear Light of Awareness. They respond really well to pointers to Awareness.
Also those whose Light Channels are somewhat open can really benefit from pointing out methods. But
those that are really contracted and "shut in", some work may need to be done first, like meditation, therapy
or chakra work. But once the full arising of Clear Light Awareness occurs, that occurrence becomes one's
reference of practice. It may first occur from just a simple pointing out as to the true nature of awareness. Or
it may take months or years of preliminary work to relieve the contraction. Its not that Awareness can be
obstacled by anything, but rather that its Wisdom and Self-Recognition does not occur in the contracted
state. That Wisdom Energy has transformed into mind and self. That's why when the self-mind-energy
dissolves, the Wisdom is automatically known. The Wisdom Energy was compressed and transformed into
dualistic mind by the intense gravity of the "I" concept. All the energy becomes contracted around the "I"
concept. No "I" concept, no contraction. No contraction, sheer bliss
Final Resolution and Total Relaxation in Dzogchen
by Jackson Peterson on Thursday, 10 November 2011
In the Dzogchen phase of practice known as Trekchod or "cutting through tension", there eventually comes a
sense of completion: no more practice, no searching and no effort to "stabilize a state". When it is
recognized that Awareness or Beingness is naked of any particular flavor or form or "feel", that Awareness is
then known to be the Knowing within all experience. All experience is equal in this case or sometimes
known as "same taste" in Dzogchen or Buddhist Mahamudra.
We have to be alert that we don't have a subtle definition of Awareness that colors its
empty, nakedness. That means we, by mistake, make Awareness into a particular state of experience. That
would be like: "Awareness is a clear openness that is spacious and serene" or "a sense of awakened-ness" or
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"transparency" or "bliss" or "love" etc. We then have defined Awareness and by doing so we have made it
possible to lose the "state of Awareness". When we aren't feeling that "clear openness that is spacious and
serene" we feel we have lost Awareness. But Awareness has no definition, all experience is the experience of
Awareness. Awareness has no form or state of its own. That then allows Awareness to be every state, every
feeling, every emotion, every thought, every identity sensation, every perception. That being so, what is there
left to achieve? Every experience, happy, sad or neutral is the appearance of Awareness. We give up
completely the notion that Awareness has to have some particular flavor or color. Oh my god, we can finally
really relax! Its over! Every experience is equal in Awareness! What could you possibly practice? You are
already aware, so you don't need to become aware. Everything is already happening however its happening,
so there is nothing special to do. No special "state" to attain! If you experience a special state, that's fine, but
it will never become stable. The only stability is your unchanging perceiving of whatever is experienced.
That unchanging perceivingness is Awareness, the heart of the Dharmakaya (Pure Primordial Being).
Our consciousness is like a little sphere of pure awareness that for a time takes on a temporary form
like a crystal sphere. Its seems like it is in the vast ocean of empty pure awareness as a little circular
"ice cube" sphere that crystallizes as a vibration, like a photon of light. When this bead of awareness
becomes aware of itself fully, it reverts to the non-local wave-state of vast Awareness. This is the work
we do in Tibetan Dzogchen. We reverse the "collapsed" wave state as a "particle" of Light Awareness,
back into "super position" non-locality. Then all of its elaborations like the body, energy and mind
revert to the status of Pure Light Awareness.

Direct Introduction:
From the Yeshe Lama by Jigmed Lingpa, translated by Lama Chonam and Sangye Khandro
This is an actual written Dzogchen Direct Introduction.
"Kye!
Do not contrive or elaborate the awareness (rigpa) of this very moment. Allow it to be just as it is. This is not
established as existing, not existing, or having a direction. It does not discern between emptiness and
appearances and does not have the characteristics of nihilism and eternalism. Within this state where nothing
exists, it is unnecessary to exert effort through view or mediation. The great primordial liberation is not like
being released from bondage. It is natural radiance uncontrived by the intellect, wisdom unsullied by
concepts. The nature of phenomena, not tainted by the view and meditation, is eveneness without
placement ...without premeditation. It is clarity without characteristics and vastness not lost to uniformity.
Although all sentient beings have never been separate from their own indwelling wisdom even for an instant,
by failing to recognize this, it becomes like a natural flow of water solidifying into ice. With the inner
grasping mind as the root cause and outer objective clinging as the contributing circumstance, beings wander
in samsara indefinitely. Now, with the guru's oral instructions, at the moment of encountering awareness-without any mental constructions-- rest in the way things truly are, without wavering from or meditating on
anything. This fully reveals the core wisdom intent of the primordial Buddha Kuntuzangpo."