Dzogchen Thogal

All quotes from Tibetan and other traditions since the starting of the
Dzogchen Thogal-FB-group (6/2013) until 7/2015.

Norbu Rinpoche:
--"the realization of the body of light means that one is no longer in the condition of a
person who is reflected in a mirror and who dualistically sees his or her own reflection in
it, but one has become established in the essential condition of the mirror so that one's
energy as a whole now manifests in the same way that the energy of a mirror does"

Is this a veiled reference to thogal phenomena experienced by Bodhidharma?

"At that time there was a monk of the Western Region named Bodhidharma, a Persian
Central Asian. He traveled from the wild borderlands to China.
Seeing the golden disks
reflecting in the sun, the rays of light illuminating the surface of the clouds, the jewel-bells
on the stupa blowing in the wind, the echoes reverberating beyond the heavens, he sang its
praises. He exclaimed: "Truly this is the work of spirits." He said: "I am 150 years old, and I
have passed through numerous countries. There is virtually no country I have not visited.
Even the distant Buddha-realms lack this." He chanted homage and placed his palms
together in salutation for days on end."
Bodhidharma hints at something that sounds like thogal in principle:
"If you can simply concentrate your mind’s Inner Light and behold its outer illumination,
you’ll dispel the three poisons and drive away the six thieves once and for all. And without
effort gain possession of an infinite number of virtues, perfections, and doors to the truth,
Seeing through the mundane and witnessing the sublime is less than an eye-blink away,
Realization is now. Why worry about gray hair? But the true door is hidden and can’t be
revealed. I have only touched upon beholding the mind."

From the Bon Text as taught by Lopon Tenzin Namdak:

"The Natural Clear Light is concentrated in the hollow cavity in our
physical heart and then it overflows up the Kati channel or smooth white
nerve that is like a hollow tube of crystal. Originating in the physical heart,
it passes up the membrane of the brain and dividing into two, it terminates
in the two eyeballs. This Kati channel and the eyeballs represent the third
and fourth lamps, whereas the heart is the second lamp and the Natural
Clear Light is the first. This inner light overflowing by way of the Kati,
emerges through the two doorways of the eyeballs. These doorways at the
end of the channel are shaped like the flowers of the flax plant (zar-ma).
This is not the usual vision apparatus of our optic nerves and retina, etc.
Although visions come through the Kati channel and appear to manifest in
front of us, they actually arise from our interior natural light. These visions
are not perceived with the normal physical eye. This is inner vision, but it
manifests to us as an external vision."
From the Dzogchen "Precious Heap Tantra": the 12 Great Vajra Laughs:
1.
"The view depends on self-originating primordial wisdom
and is beyond virtue and non-virtue, view and meditation,
amazing, the basis is never disturbed no matter what
actions the body may take, free from virtue and misdeeds,
benefit and harm,
ha ha!
2.
Look at the way things are, and without changing the pelt
or color of these appearances, amazing, no matter what
happiness or suffering there is, there is no change
in the ultimate,
ha ha!
3.
Look at the primordial wisdom of all-pervading
great emptiness and the diverse activities of thoughts
arose as play, amazing, no matter what is done,
it is liberated as non-arising in the ceaseless expanse,
ha ha!
4.
Look at the primordial wisdom of the all-pervading
dharmakaya, and abiding innately as primordially
non-arising, amazing, although a living being was
executed from weapons at one time, the mind
stream is free from benefit and harm,
ha ha!
5.
Look at the primordial wisdom of all appearances being
empty awareness, and whatever appears arising as one's
companion, amazing, whatever appears never moves from
one's own basis,
ha ha!
6.
Look at the vision of completely liberated empty awareness,
conceit as its own antidote is amazing, the afflictions
are naturally self-liberated,
ha ha!
7.
Look at the completely pure essence of primordially empty
awareness, and acquiring the result without any effort,
amazing, by seizing one, all samsara and nirvana
are pure in non-duality,
ha ha!
8.
Look at the natural essence of the all basis of the
empty essence and the six destinies appearing as the
three kayas, amazing, sentient beings are Buddhas
all at once without even an atom of meditation,
ha ha!
9.
Look at the primordially complete result of the empty
three kayas and the ultimate reality never united or
divided from the three times, amazing, the two
accumulations are completed at one time without
engaging in the six perfections,
ha ha!
10.
Look at uniform primordial wisdom resting directly
in awareness, and all agents and actions arising
as ornament, amazing, everything to give up
or accept is liberated by the view,
ha ha!
11.
Look at the great emptiness empty of emptiness,
and all buddhas remaining in an abyss, amazing,
samsara is not purified by an agent meditating,
ha ha!
12.
Look at empty things' non-emptiness and the
vehicles perceiving a self in the non-existent,
amazing, attaining the non-arising by the arisen
ha ha!"

From Longchenpa:
"Since all phenomena are timelessly free, nothing need be done to free them anew through
realization. [9ob] If they were not timelessly free, realization could not free them, and if
they are already free there is no need to make them so. Therefore, do not treat their
essence, which has nothing to do with whether or not there is realization, as a case of
bondage versus freedom.
Even the thought that freedom comes about through direct introduction is deluded. One
strives to free this essence from whatever binds it, but nothing need be done to free it, for
unobstructed awareness, which has never existed as anything whatsoever, does not entail
any duality of something to be realized and someone to realize it.
There is equalness,
because nothing is improved by realization or worsened by its absence, and so there is no
need for any adventitious realization. And because there has never existed anything to
realize-for the ultimate nature of phenomena is beyond ordinary consciousness-to speak of
"realization" on even the relative level is nothing but deluded. What can be
shown at this point is the transcendence of view and meditation, in which nothing need be
done regarding realization, nothing need be directly introduced, and no state of meditation
need be cultivated.
So there is the expression "it is irrelevant whether or not one has realization."
Longchenpa ~ A TREASURE TROVE OF SCRIPTURAL TRANSMISSION
Lama Shakbar:
"When you stop language games --
Wordless concentration starts,
Free flowing energy inside
Nerves of kati’s crystal hollow
Intensifies the light."

From transcript of commentary on Song of The Vajra:

Mandatory Study Text:
This text below is the best detailed explanation of Dzogchen practice and theory that I have
ever read. It covers the theory of both trekchod and thogal. I would read this through
several times and post questions regarding aspects that are not clear. I am considering this
"mandatory reading" for our Dzogchen groups. I have received these teaching directly from
Norbu several times but haven't found them put together in such a concise manner
before... Thanks to Chris Kroger for unearthing this gem! (I added pronunciation guides in
parenthesis after certain key Tibetan terms.)
"When you discover and you have that experience then what do you do? It means that it is
not sufficient only to have experience but you integrate, you are in that, in ordinary
language it means that you are applying contemplation, or you are in contemplation, but
how are you in contemplation?
In general, when we do meditation or practice, then we explain how to sit for doing
practice, or we ask. "How is the position of practice?" That means that since one of our
ways of existence is our physical body, for that reason then we must coordinate our body,
and therefore we have an explanation of the position. After that, we consider the existence
of our voice and for that reason we ask, "What is the method of breathing when we do
practice?" Or, if there is no particular explanation related to breathing then, "How do we
look with our eyes and how are the functions of the senses?" Finally we have an
explanation on how we must do visualization, thinking, meditating, because we have mind,
the existence of mind.
So it means that we control our body, speech and mind, and all three are coordinated in
the practice. So how do you integrate all these aspects in contemplation? This is explained
in the Dzogchen Upadesha teaching with the Four cog.bzhag; (pronounced "chozhag") cog
means "how it is", bzhag means "remain, being as it is." This means you don't change, you
don't modify, you should be as it is in your real nature. So then you can go through them
one by one: how should your body be when you do practice? You remain just as it is. Then
you continue with your voice and mind; so the cog.bzhag are for giving you the knowledge
of that principle. The first one is ri.bo(riwo) cog.bzhag, like a mountain; this does not mean
that you remain in a gigantic manner without moving. Sometimes you can find in the sutra
teachings some explanations referring to being like a mountain. For instance it is said that
many demons tried to distract Buddha, but he remained on contemplation like a
mountain. There the idea is of something that cannot be disturbed, some idea of stability.
But here, in this context, it does not have the same meaning. Also Dzogchen teachings
explain that the cog.bzhag of the mountain gives the idea that you are on a mountain. If
you are on the top of a mountain you can see everything, you do not feel limited as one in a
tomb or a cage; yet this explanation is relative, in that it is not the main meaning. The main
meaning of ri.bo cog.bzhag is that you remain as you are, just at that moment.
You see, there are millions and millions of different kinds of mountains in the world --
some are very sharp and high, some are very large, some are very low, some are very
extended, some are small. Why? because it depends on circumstances, on their condition.
For example, some mountains are formed with very strong rock and are covered by snow
all year like Kailash and Everest, so then of course they become very sharp and high. But
mountains formed by sand are never very sharp and high. In the same way we human
beings are living in different situations, and different circumstances. We live in time and
with different circumstances and they change every day. Sometimes we are standing,
sometimes lying down, sometimes doing something, so we then are being present at every
moment, whatever the condition of our body, just being in that position. Sometimes you
are lying down on a bed, so if you are present it doesn't mean that immediately you should
get up and sit in a meditation position. If, while you are walking, you have presence, or you
are in a state of contemplation, it doesn't mean that you immediately sit in a position for
meditating. If you are, for example, on a toilet, it could also be that you are in
contemplation, it doesn't mean you have to immediately go in the temple….in
contemplation there are no problems; you can contemplate and integrate everything, so
that is the real meaning of the cog.bzhag of the mountain.
The second cog.bzhag is called rgya.mtsho cog.bzhag; rgya.mtsho(gyatso) means "ocean".
There are explanations for this name: "ocean" refers to being in a state of contemplation,
and that state is like the ocean that reflects all the universe. That is an example of
developing clarity. But this explanation is relative, because it is more intellectual. In
practice that is not the meaning of ocean. Ocean is the secret name for the eyes. The eyes
are the first of the five sense organs, and by knowing the function of the eyes, you then
know the function of our other organs. So, it means to remain as it is, in that condition
without changing or modifying your vision. It does not mean, for example, that you should
concentrate in a one-pointed inner state, or do fixation on an object, or gaze at something
in a particular way.
In general, we have two eyes for looking and their nature is to be open and have contact
with objects, but sometimes we are lying down on a bed with closed eyes. In this case it
does not mean that when you are in contemplation, you immediately open your eyes, or as
in the sutra system, when you do meditation you immediately close your eyes. It just
means to be in the normal way with organs having normal contact with sense objects. The
same applies to breathing, because breath and the function of the senses are all related. So
this is the real meaning of the second cog.bzhag.
Then we have the third cog.bzhag; we call it rig.pa'i cog.bzhag, cog.bzhag of the state of
rigpa. Generally we ask, "How should our mind be, how do we concentrate or do
visualization?" The answer is the state of instant presence, and that is the state of rigpa,
without changing, modifying or creating anything. This means we are in the nature of the
mirror instead of being like reflections. We may have infinite reflections and have no
problems with them, since they are something like qualifications of our state. That is the
third cog.bzhag.
Then the last cog.bzhag is called snag.ba cog.bzhag, the cog.bzhag of vision, meaning
mainly the sense objects. Firstly there is the object of our eyes, that is the forms and colors
and all things; then through the ears we hear different kinds of sound, and so on with all
our senses, while for our mind we have all dharmas, all phenomena. So there is nothing
wrong or considered to be without value. It does not matter if it is pure or impure vision,
we say Kuntuzangpo, meaning everything is fine. If you are in the state of rigpa you don't
have any problem with vision, that is why in the Dzogchen teachings we say, "Visions are
ornaments of the primordial state." Ornaments create beauty for you, they don't create
problems. In the same way, even though it is a samsaric vision, if you are not conditioned,
if you are not distracted and you are in the state of rigpa, there is nothing wrong. You can
be in that and everything is your mandala of energy. That is the last cog.bzhag.
When we explain the four we do it one by one, but when they are applied in the state of
contemplation it does not mean there is a progressive order such as first you do this, then
second you do that. Your entire existence, how it must be in that moment, is called
cog.bzhag. The practice method for being in that state is called khregs.chod (pronounced
"trekcho") in Dzogchen Upadesha. Many translators today translate khregs.chod as
"breakthrough." I do not think that really does correspond to the meaning of khregs.chod
because "break" is done with effort. If you have effort it is not contemplation. One of the
most important points is "beyond effort," so how can you be beyond effort if you break
through something? However, you can learn the real meaning of it. It does't matter if you
don't get a precise word, as you cannot realize with words anyway, while you do realize
with meaning. So in the real sense khregs.chod in the Tibetan language has this meaning:
khregs means something bound together, a bundle, such as wood bound up with a rope for
fire. In Tibetan we say shing.khregs, shing is "wood", khregs is "bound." If we bind cut
grass together , then we say rtsa.khregs, if many clothes are bound together, then we say
gos.khregs. Any kind of thing that you bind together is called khregs. In general, we are
bound with our tension, emotions, and so on, all our existence, and that is the real
meaning of khregs.
So khregs (trek) means that we cut that tension by doing something and being liberated.
We are liberated from that binding, so that its called khregs.chod, chod meaning
"liberated." The root of the syllable chod comes from gcod, which means actively cutting
with a knife or something. But if there is someone who is not cutting, but is self-liberated
then that is called chod. Maybe you hear these two as the same word, but they are not the
same -- one is chod, the other is gcod. The word gcod means something like cutting, the
same word as that of the practice of the gcod; while the word chod means something which
is self-liberated. So khregs.chod means "totally self-relaxed" and this name refers to these
Four cog.bzhag. When you learn the Four cog.bzhag then you apply and integrate in your
daily life -- this is our practice, what we do.
Within the series of Upadesha we also have the most important secret teachings such as
thod.rgal (thogal) and Dzogchen yang.tig. Both methods are for developing contemplation.
This means that you already have such knowledge of contemplation but in order to realize
it, so that that knowledge becomes something concrete, you have particular methods. That
is why, for example, for doing practices like thod.rgal and yang.tig , the first thing that you
must try to have is a base. To have a precise base means that you have experience of
contemplation. When you start with the Four cog.bzhag, it means that you already have
something to develop and, in particular, the use of methods such as thod.rgal and yang.tig
implies that you are in a precise experience of contemplation, and you are using these
methods to develop rapidly. Why are there these important and special methods? That
principle is explained with the Four Visions, which are the principle of both Dzogchen
yang.tig and thod.rgal. It does not mean that we are only speaking of some kind of visions,
but how we can apply this method and have that experience. Remember, we learned
previously the Four Cog.bzhag in order to have knowledge of contemplation and
continuation, and how we integrate them in our existence.
The first vision is called cos.nyid mngon.sum. (cho nyi gon sum) You know chos is the
Tibetan translation of the sanskrit word dharma and it means all phenomena. In Sanskrit
we have two words: dharmadhatu and dharmata. Many people understand them as having
the same meaning. Dharmadhatu means the universal condition of all phenomena,
including sentient beings and their nature. It is somewhat related to dharmakaya, the
dimension of all phenomena. But dharmata means the nature or real condition,
particularly of an individual. Dharmadhatu means nature, the real condition of subject and
object, the whole, the complete; while dharmata, chos.nyid in Tibetan, means our
individual nature, our potentiality.
You see, each individual has infinite potentiality, in that the state of the individual is also
the center of the universe. For example, I have in my state infinite potentiality, and that
potentiality is the center of the universe, but it means that for me, not for you. You are
another individual, you have infinite potentiality and yours for you is the also the center of
the universe. Yet being the center of the universe is not for egotistic or selfish feelings, or a
feeling of being more important than others. Rather it refers to what is the real potentiality
of each individual, that is the real meaning of dharmata.
We can discover our potentiality, dharmata, with the method of the Four Visions. The First
Vision is chos.nyid mngon,sum. Chos.nyid means "dharmata", mngon.sum means "real",
meaning something we have contact with or we discover through our senses, not merely
imagination. For example we say, "Emptiness is our real nature," although that is a kind of
experience, yet it is not something we really see or experience concretely. By contrast
chos.nyid mngon.sum means something concrete. How can we have that concreteness? We
acquire that through visions. The First Vision we can have is the thigle. For example, you
are looking in empty space, then the thigle appears, particularly if there are secondary
causes like sun-rays, or other kinds of light. In that case you look into the rays of that light
with your eyes half closed and in a dimension of rays you can discover the apparition of the
thigle. It looks somehow like a peacock feather, and it is shining and sometimes when you
see it and look at it then it goes away and disappears. So even though we did not do much
practice we can have that experience, we can have that experience because everybody has
that potentiality in their nature. Our potentiality can manifest and we can easily discover it.
So what really is the manifestation of the thigle? A thigle is the form of our potentiality
manifesting in front of our eyes as something like a vision because there is a secondary
cause for its manifesting. For example the sun's rays are only a secondary cause. For
example, if you sit with your hand, or any part of the body near your eyes, you notice that
you have many hairs on your hand and if you look through this hair near the sun's ray it is
shining and many kinds of thigle manifest. Or if you lay down on the ground and you put a
piece of woolen or silken cloth on your face, looking at the sun-rays through this cloth you
can see many thigle. You might think that they are coming from the woolen cloth or from
the rays, but those are only the secondary causes; the thigle do not originate from them.
Let us take the example of a crystal rock. If you put it in the light when secondary causes,
such as sun rays, are present, then from this crystal rock infinite lights having rainbow
colors come out. They are not really manifesting from sun rays, which is only a secondary
cause. In reality that manifestation comes from the potentiality of the crystal rock, and in
the same way, the manifestation of thigle comes through our potentiality. You can discover
that when you are doing the dark retreat: in the dark you are only doing some specific
positions and gazing with the eyes and you can have infinite visions of thigle. How can you
have these visions when there are no sun rays? Even if you live in the dark you still have
your potentiality, only the secondary causes for manifesting it are not the sun rays; it could
be the position and the manner of gazing. There are many ways in which you can develop
that possibility , and that is called "the real vision of dharmata." You have that vision of
thigle; it means something like having the vision of your potentiality, because through that
you discover your potentiality. So this is the first stage of the vision; through this very
important method you can have possibility of that vision and discovering your potentiality.
So your vision of dharmata is very important for realizing and integrating your potentiality.
All the practices like thod.rgal and yang.tig start and develop from that point of thigle. You
always have the production of a karmic body -- your material body is the resultant product
of the potentiality of karma that you produce. You see, your real nature is pure from the
beginning, and has infinite potentiality which manifests through sound, light and rays. But
when we do not have that knowledge and we are distracted and enter into a dualistic
vision, that is the starting point of samsara. Someone may ask, "Who made, and who
created this samsara and when was it created?" Although you cannot trace a cosmological
map of its origin, yet whenever you enter in a dualistic vision, you are already in samsara
and that is the starting point.
For example, you have the five elements and in your potentiality they are like the five
colors if you manifest some pure manifestation or pure dimension. But when you produce
negative karma that characteristic of negative karma is associated with all your elements,
with all your potentiality, so your elements slowly, slowly become somewhat material,
more on a material level due to the production of karma, and the result of it is what we call
karmic vision.
The vision of the thigle and that of our physical existence are very distinct: the physical
body and all our human dimension is the production of karma, while what appears in the
thigle is our real potentiality.
When you have this knowledge then you have the possibility that your existence, this
karmic production is integrated in that thigle. If you totally succeed in integrating your
existence in that thigle, that is called "Great Transference" -- there is no death and even the
elements, all existence, is realized in its natural manifestation of the rainbow body. Even if
you do not have the capacity for that total integration in the thigle, but are on that path,
and you have the capacity of integrating, even if your material karmic body remains,
depending on the level of your capacity of contemplation when you die, still you can totally
integrate -- maybe it will take seven days, but then your physical body dissolves in its real
nature. Even if you have death, your realization manifests as the rainbow body. So the first
stage is seeing or having real experience of dharmata.
The second stage is called nyams.snang gong.'phel. Nyams means experience, snag means
"vision"; through experience you can have different kinds of visions. Visions do not only
refer to visions related to our eyes, but also mean the functions of all the senses. Gong.'phel
means "developing," "increasing," and it refers to the fact that you are using specific
positions. In general we have three main positions: Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and
Nirmanakaya. By using a particular position and by controlling your energy the result is
that specific aspect of manifestation. for example, you are gazing into space, or you are
looking in the sun rays and you have visions of thigle, one or many thigle. And when you
have that thigle you can also see a kind of light net; sometimes you can see silver strings,
and we call that vajrasattva chain. That too is a manifestation of the continuation of our
potentiality. When you observe the thigle all these chains move; then when you observe
this net of light, do not go after the thigle and these things, but remain in a state of
contemplation. In this way you can find these thigle and all other visions stop moving. And
slowly, slowly, day after day, you develop and you can find some stable thigle; then you fix
on that thigle and integrate your existence in that thigle. It does not mean very much if you
have many visions of thigle, that is only the manifestation of your potentiality, also you
must not only have curiosity and kind of play about with the visions, you should only
integrate, and be in that thigle.
Integrating means that whatever you see, you are just that, and that is in your existence. If
you do not remain in a dualistic vision you can develop your manifestations more and
more. When you develop visions you must not immediately create an attachment to them.
Some people, when they have some kinds of visions, such as nice things, feel very happy
and say, "I always want to have this vision." With this kind of attachment you block your
possibility of development. On the contrary, you have to relax in that state, in any kind of
vision, and integrate in that state in this way so that the vision of the thigle increases. You
can also experience the development of visions in a thigle, such as full or partial
manifestations of the Dhyani Buddhas or a half form, a partial form of it. So this is called
increasing your vision.
The Third Vision is called rig.pa tshad.phebs and means "maturing your knowledge," being
in a state of rigpa. When you are in that contemplation, you do not need any effort for
being or integrating; you easily, automatically get in that state of integration and remain
that way in this vision. Through applying integration in that way you have the vision of
how all that has matured and totally developed. Particularly in the dimension of the thigle
there are many different kinds of visions, some are pure and some are impure. So this is
the third stage.
Then you have the last stage which is called the stage of chos zad, chos means "dharma", or
phenomena, zad means "consuming"; thus consuming phenomena, principally in your
vision, in your consideration of subject and object. You see, you have a physical body,
which is the product of karma, and through this practice of integration with that capacity
you slowly, slowly consume your existence -- it means dissolving your physical body into
its real nature. So when you are entering in this stage, applying this practice and you die on
that path, your death and your realization is the rainbow body. If you succeed at that stage
then there is the great transference.
This is a vey important, essential method, so you must be very serious about this method
and its teaching.
It is important to realize how energy manifests. The characteristics of our energy are called
gdangs,(dang) rol.pa and rtsal (tsal). The energy of the state of rigpa is immutable, and
being in that energy itself, that is the state of contemplation of gdangs.(dang) How is the
gdangs energy itself? In general we learn about it with an example: gdangs energy is like a
crystal ball: it has no color, and its real nature is pure, limpid and clear, but if you put it on
a piece of collared cloth, for example, then it will appear to be the same color as the cloth.
In Dzogchen, when we give teachings with the symbolic transmission, we sometimes place
symbolic objects on a table, not merely speaking about them, so that the practitioners can
observe them and then discover what they mean by going into the experience concretely.
For example, you take a table and cover it with a piece of cloth which has four different
colors, one on each side of the four directions like a mandala: the mandala in the east is
white, the vajra family; in the south is yellow, the ratna family; the one in the west is red,
the padma family; while in the north it is green, the karma family; and the center is blue,
the position of vairocana, the buddha family. Then at the center of this mandala you place
a crystal ball; if you look at the ball from above it appears completely blue because in the
center the base is blue.
Then you go to the east side and you look in the crystal ball, and it appears white, then you
go and turn around a little and its aspect changes again and it becomes yellow, if you keep
on walking it will keep on changing into red and then green, because all directions have
their color, and so on according to the direction you are walking around. So what does this
mean? It means that whatever the situation and the circumstances are, the state of
contemplation manifests that, because in the real Dharmakaya state there are no colors, or
forms, or positions. All circumstances and positions are relative, so when you are in your
real nature nothing ever changes, even if you are seeing different colors. The nature of the
crystal is always clear, pure and limpid. So you are like that; this is your state, and in any
circumstances in which you integrate, and you find yourself in that integration -- that
condition of energy is called gdangs.
The energy of rol.pa is infinite manifestation beyond limitation. When you are in this,
beyond limitation, that is the state of rol.pa. For introducing that we use the example of the
mirror. In general, our ideas are very limited. For example, good is not bad, big is not
small, and so on; all are in conflict and different. So if someone says "big," you understand
"big," you never understand "small" -- that is our limitation of dualistic vision. If a
dimension is small , you cannot conceive of how to put something big inside it, that is
impossible. For that reason also the story of Milarepa in a yak horn seems strange. In the
biography of Milarepa, it is explained that one day Milarepa and his disciple Rechungpa
were walking when suddenly it started to rain. When they arrived at the place to which
they were going, Rechungpa noticed that his Master was not with him. Then he started to
look but could not find him, so he just waited for him. Later when the rain stopped he
heard Milarepa singing but he could not see him, though he continued to look for Milarepa
everywhere. Finally he noticed that the sound of Milarepa's voice was coming from a yak
horn, and he thought, "Oh, it is impossible!" But it seemed that sound was really coming
from there, so slowly, slowly he went towards the yak horn. A yak horn is not very big -- it
is like a big cow horn -- so then he looked inside and saw Milarepa sitting in his usual
position and singing. Rechungpa really saw him, it was not an illusion, so he was very
surprised. He said, "The yak horn did not become big because it is its normal size," while
he also saw that Milarepa was his normal size and had not become smaller. That is why he
was very surprised and thought it impossible. Yet he really saw that. Then Milarepa sang,
"You feel that is strange, but that is the real condition. That is what we mean by being
beyond limitation." That was the teaching he received from Milarepa. Although it seems
impossible, sometimes we have this kind of possibility. I also once had a personal
experience similar to that one when I was doing the practice of thod.rgal. I had a
manifestation of a thigle and it seemed like a mandala: in the center there was a thigle of
five colors, and in the four directions there were four thigle, all five thigle being within a
big thigle. So this was my experience. If during my practice I have some interesting
experiences, I usually try and draw them afterwards so that i remember them. So when I
finished my practiceI tried to draw it, but it never looked like what I saw. I really saw these
five thigle in one thigle, with no empty spaces in between them, but while I was drawing I
discovered that it was impossible. I tried to draw them again and again, but after three or
four pages of drawing I understood logically that it is impossible. Then I thought that it
might look like that , but in reality it couldn't be so. After two or three days, while I was
doing my practice, it appeared again and at that moment I knew it was impossible to draw
them. Even though I already knew it was impossible to do this, at that time I really saw
why. So I was a little surprised but that is real -- in nature there are things like that.
So when we take the example of the mirror, we can illustrate there the conflict of big and
small: the big cannot be put into the small; nevertheless, if you have a small sized mirror
you can see the whole countryside in it. You can see the whole countryside without its
changing size and becoming smaller -- you just see it in the normal way. That is a good
example for breaking the conflict of big and small. So rol.pa energy, in relation to our
dimension, means something like a mirror, then we have infinite potentiality of
manifestation. You can manifest the whole universe in your dimension. Also, when you are
doing a transformation method in tantric teaching, you are manifesting the whole universe
in a mandala like that of the Kalachakra, or you are transforming your existence into that
of a deity and your whole, total existence into that mandala. In the real sense it does not
mean that you are building a mandala outside somewhere, but you are just manifesting in
your dimension the characteristic of rol.pa energy, as we do in our practice of zhi.khro --
peaceful and wrathful manifestations which are related to our energy, movement and the
calm state. All these are manifesting in our dimension, just as in the example of the mirror.
The characteristic of this kind of energy is called rol.pa. It is very important that you know
that principle and how the energy manifests, especially if you do transformation and
realize the whole manifestation in your dimension.
Then we have the non-dual rtsal energy in the state of rigpa. What is rtsal energy?The rtsal
energy has the characteristic of manifesting in a different way from the gdangs and rol.pa
energies I explained before. You can learn about the rtsal energy with the example of a
crystal rock. The crystal rock is the symbol of your real nature, which is clear, pure and
limpid. It does not differ much from the crystal ball, but the crystal rock has many corners
and many shapes. In the same way rtsal energy is more related with our different
conditions, our characteristic functions of energy; also different kinds of elements are all
related with our physical body and energy. So that is the root of our pure and impure
vision.
To have an example of this we put the crystal rock in the sunshine, then, when the sun rays
strike the crystal rock, rainbow colors manifest everywhere. But in the absence of sunshine,
all these lights and their potentiality remain inside the crystal rock, because it is the source
of the manifestations of these colors. Of course, if there is no secondary cause -- sun rays --
there is no manifestation.
With the mirror, for example, the secondary cause is the presence of an object or some
people in front of it, if that cause is not present, then here is no reflection. It is similar with
the crystal rock -- its potentiality manifests only when there are secondary causes. Let us
take the manifestation of deities or mandalas. Their cause for manifesting is sound, light
and rays -- first sound, then light becomes rays of different colors, and from the five colors
different shapes form which are the manifestations. We call that a pure dimension, which
is part of our real energy.
When we are distracted, conditioned by subject and object, we produce a lot of karma and
the potentiality of karma. All potentiality of karma is associated with our energy, and then
instead of light, we have impure vision -- karmic vision -- and that becomes an obstacle for
having knowledge or being in real potentiality. So in that way we have samsara, and we say
then that we have the different visions of lokas, mainly the six lokas. What are the six lokas
in a practical sense? They are part of our rtsal energy. What does an enlightened being like
Kalachakra or some other Sambhogakaya manifestation display? That is rtsal energy. We
can speak of rtsal energy in a more detailed way, as it pervades our whole existence. Our
prana energy, for example, which is more related to our physical body, the kundalini
energy, or even ordinary physical energy force -- everything is related to tsal energy.
So rtsal energy is like the root of all, that is why we say our primordial state is the center of
the universe; the whole universe is our rtsal manifestation. Everybody has the same
condition. When you are in the state of rigpa, what is rtsal energy? It is your experience
and through experience you are in the rtsal energy, and this is called rig.rtsal. No longer do
you have a dualistic consideration such as, this is energy, this is my condition and so on,
because in that instant presence you are not in dualistic vision. that is the most important
point in contemplation. In this way we integrate all our existence -- body, voice, and mind
-- the whole universe and all circumstances, in a state of contemplation.
So, these three main manifestations of our energy are related with the three states of the
kayas: the gdangs energy never changes its real nature, which is primarily in the state of
the Dharmakaya. For demonstrating the rol.pa energy, we took the example of the mirror
and being integrated in that is the Sambhogakaya. And rtsal energy is more related with
our condition, both pure and impure dimensions, so it is linked with the Nirmanakaya
state. You can understand that it is not sufficient just to have knowledge of your nature and
energy, but there is something to do in your practice."

Bodhidharma shared:
"If, as in a dream, you see a light brighter than the sun, your remaining attachments will
suddenly come to an end and the nature of reality will be revealed. Such an occurrence
serves as the basis for enlightenment. But this is something only you know. You can’t
explain it to others. Or if, while you’re walking, standing, sitting, or lying in a quiet grove,
you see a light, regardless of whether it’s bright or dim, don’t tell others and don’t focus on
it. It’s the light of your own nature."
"Or if, while you’re walking, standing, sitting, or lying in the stillness and darkness of
night, everything appears as though in daylight, don’t be startled. It’s your own mind about
to reveal itself."
These phenomena are well known to practitioners of Dzogchen thogal and yang-ti.

Longchenpa on Thogal:
"In the approach of the vajra heart essence, the subtle energies settle into a natural state of
quiescence, and so need not be made to enter the central channel. When the subtle
energies in the individual radiating channels have been revealed as naturally pure, the
subtle energy of timeless awareness in the channels of light is also revealed as inherent
lucidity in this natural state. One perceives the pure visions of timeless awareness,
consisting of enlightened forms, light, pure realms, and so forth, rather than
manifestations of confusion. It is posited that here is "freedom" once this power of the
channel of light within the central channel has increased, gradually causing blockages in
the latter channel to dissolve into light. The qualities of enlightenment associated with the
spiritual levels are experienced as awareness's own manifestations.
With the first two blockages in the light channel being freed into light, one experiences
some twelve hundred pure buddha realms within a field of light which is perceived
externally (visions of thogal). One is able to send forth rays of light to these realms and
"reach" them by embracing them as awareness's own manifestations. IF one moves one's
body, one hundred pure realms quake and become vivid. Inwardly one can, for example,
enter and come out of one hundred nonconceptual states of meditative absorption in which
one experiences the true nature of phenomena. For these reasons, this approach is
remarkably superior to other ones. In fact, these other approaches seem to have a serious
limitation, for if one practices with samsaric mind, the result will still be samsaric mind,
because of the ineluctable connection between cause and result.
(Here it is noted that "this limitation lies in the fact that, in lower approaches, the spiritual
path is based on ordinary mind; only in the highest approach is the path based on timeless
awareness. So long as ordinary mind is the basis of the path, such a cause will produce a
like result"). -- continuing:
Awareness abides as the aspect which is aware under any and all circumstances, and so
occurs naturally, without transition or change. For this reason, this should be understood
to be ultimately abiding suchness."

From the Dzogchen Master, Gyatrul Rinpoche's teaching:

"Steadly fix your gaze in the space in front of you, into the vacuity at the level of the tip of
your nose, without any disorderliness or duplicity. This is the benefit of this gaze: in the
center of the hearts of all beings there is the hollow crystal kati channel, which is a channel
of primordial wisdom. If it points down and is closed off, primordial wisdom is obscured,
and delusion grows. Thus, in animals that channel faces downwards and is closed off, so
they are foolish and deluded. In humans that channel points horizontally and is slightly
open, so human intelligence is bright and our consciousness is clear. In people who have
attained siddhis and in bodhisattvas that channel is open and faces upwards, so there arise
unimaginable samadhis, primordial wisdom of knowledge, and vast extrasensory
peceptions. These occur due to the open quality of that channel of primordial wisdom.
Thus, when the eyes are closed, that channel is closed off and points down, so
consciousness is dimmed by the delusion of darkness. By steadily fixing the gaze, that
channel faces up and opens, which isolates "pure awareness from impure awareness" (the
authentic rushan).
Then clear, thought-free samadhi arises, and numerous pure visions appear. Thus, the gaze
is important..... the hollow crystal kati channel is kept secret, and there are no discussions
of this special channel of primordial wisdom. This channel is unlike the central channel,
the right channel, the left channel, or any of the channels of the five chakras; it is
absolutely not the same as any of them. Its shape is like that of a peppercorn that is just
about open, there is no blood or lymph inside it, and it is limpid and clear.
A special technique for opening this is hidden in the instructions on the natural liberation
pertaining to the lower orifice, great bliss, and desire. The lower yanas do not have even
the name of this channel. Thus, while steadily maintaining the gaze, place the awareness
unwaveringly, steadily, clearly, nakedly, and fixedly, without having anything on which to
meditate, in the sphere of space. When stability increases, examine the consciousness that
is stable. Then gently release and relax....."

**
Togel
Preliminaries, source unknown, possibly Thrangu Rinpoche
The second half of the Dzogchen is called Togel or "leap over". The
outlook of this practice is that the mental events of the mind's
cognitive lucidity, when experienced in their true or pure form, are
the peaceful and wrathful deities. The peaceful ones are in the heart,
the Vidyadharas in the throat and the wrathful deities in the mind.
They abide in the channels as body, speech and mind.
Because they are there if the right circumstances are created, they can
be seen. You create these circumstances through external and internal
conditions, such as gaze, as you will see. Initially, when you first
see them you see them as circles or spheres of light or rays of light.
When you see them within the context of the proper conscious
application of method; such as the use of light and the use of
darkness, then what you will see gradually ripens or develops and
gradually the circles become more distinct and brighter. Then the forms
of the deities with their ornaments and sceptors will appear. This
method is called Togel.
There are two situations in which you can see these deities, one is
within the Togel practice of meditation and the other when you
experience the bardo of death.
While alive these deities abide within your body, within the various
channels. They are not present physically in the form of deities, they
are present in the form of thoughts and the function of mind. When we
die the body and mind separate and these deities emerge from the
channels where they are present until this time. When they do so you
see them, sometimes as the peaceful deities, other times as the
wrathful deities and at other times as the Vidyadharas. If you are
unfamiliar with them, you will not recognize them. Either they will
appear so quickly that you will not notice their appearance, or you
will not recognize them at all, and be terrorized by them and run away
from them. The terror that you generate for the display of your own
nature is the immediate cause generating the mental body in the bardo.
The mental body is in turn the vehicle for the next cultivation of
attachment, craving, acceptance, which causes you to seek and
unfortunately find a rebirth. At that point once you are conceived in
your next life, the deities are withdrawn once again into the channels
in which you are starting to develop.
Now during this life you can see these deities using the technique of
light, either the sun or an electric light or darkness. If you perform
these techniques their appearances will arise as sound, light and as
rays of light. However, for this to be of any use you need to have
experience of your mind's nature. The nature of these deities is
spontaneous presence, they are the natural display of Dharmata itself.
But if you have no experience of that nature of mind Dharmata, you will
mistake them to be substantial which will in turn cause further
bewilderment.
The practice of Togel has two parts, the preliminary and the main
practice. The Togel preliminaries consist of the separation of samsara
from nirvana, and this is done in body, speech and mind, [the
separation of body, the separation of speech and the separation of
mind.]
We start the practice with the focus on samsara. Now samsara consists
of six realms or the six states; so there is a separate meditation for
each of these. In each case you meditate on the sensations of that
specific realm, and then on the emptiness of those sensations.
You do so by looking at the direct nature of your own mind, and thereby
experiencing the emptiness of the sensations.
So the first realm is the hell realm and among the two types of hell
realms, the hot hell. During these meditations you will be visualizing
yourself in your ordinary form, with the exception that you visualize
your body as hollow. So from the outside you will look as you look and
from the inside there are no bones or guts.
In the center of your right foot towards its heel, visualize a black
DUH syllable. You then think that all of the karma which is likely to
cause your rebirth anytime in hell, and all of the karma accumulated by
others which will cause their rebirth in hell, and all of the hellish
kleshas that afflict you and others, are drawn into that black DUH
syllable. The syllable in your foot is then transformed into the realm
of the hot hell, clearly like a image in a mirror. Then you imagine
that you, in the form of a little body are actually in that hot hell
inside your right foot. Try to image it as clearly as possible, the
inconceivable suffering of the hot hells. While you are doing so you
repeat the mantra Ram Naraka at least seven times. The first part while
doing this contemplation is to imagine yourself burning in the hot
hell, and then towards the end of it you look directly at the nature
your mind, which causes the appearance and the sensations of the hot
hell realm to dissolve into emptiness.
Next, in the same way you visualize in the corresponding place in your
left foot an identical black DUH syllable, and withdraw into that all
the karma and kleshas accumulated this life and in previous lives by
yourself and others, that causes rebirth in the cold hell. Again,
imagine that your stuck there and are experiencing all the
inconceivable suffering of extreme cold. While doing so, you recite the
mantra Kham Naraka seven times, and then you look at the nature of the
mind of the meditator, the person visualizing this, the experiencer,
the person who is experiencing the suffering and looking at the nature
of the mind. At this point of course is the return to the practice of
Mahamudra or Trekcho, and by doing so the appearances dissolve into
emptiness.
The purpose of these first two meditations, is through the direct
experience of emptiness, to purify the habit of the two hells. The
second realm from the bottom up is the preta or hungry ghost realm. The
corresponding meditation concerned with this realm begins by
visualizing a red PREH in your lower abdomen that is in the center of
your body at the level of the genitals. You think that all of the karma
accumulated by yourself and others, through greed and the klesha greed
itself, in short all wrong doings and obscurations that can cause birth
as a preta are withdrawn into this red syllable. At that point it is
transformed into the preta realm. You imagine after being born there
intense suffering of hunger, thirst and craving. You recite the mantra
Sarva Pretaka at least seven times and then again, you look at the
nature of the mind of the person meditating, the person experiencing,
and by doing so the contents of the meditation dissolves into
emptiness.
The third samsaric realm is the animal realm. For this, you visualize a
dark red colored syllable, at the level of the navel in the center of
your body; it's a dark red TRIH.
You think that all of the karma and kleshas that cause the rebirth as
an animal, principally the karma and kleshas associated with stupidity
and apathy, are drawn into this syllable which is transformed into the
habitat or realm of animals. You imagine yourself born in this realm
and as vivid as possible imagine the suffering you're experiencing
being born an animal, such as enslavement and being preyed upon. The
suffering that is fundamental to this realm is the suffering of
stupidity and the inability to communicate. You recite the mantra SARVA
TIRYAKA, at least seven times. And, then at the end, as before you look
at the nature of the mind of the meditator, the experiencer, causing
all the appearances of the meditation to dissolve into emptiness.
The fourth realm, the first of the so called fortunate or higher realms
is the human realm. Here you visualize the syllable at the center of
the heart and the syllable is NRIH, it is green. Then you think of all
of the causes of human rebirth, principally the klesha of desire and
the karma accumulated through desire, by yourself and others dissolves
into this green syllable which becomes the four continents of the human
world. Imagine yourself born there, and the sufferings most astigmatic
to the human realm are birth, aging, sickness and death. Try to imagine
these four as clear as possible. While doing so, the mantra that is
recited is SARVA ANUSE seven times. And then afterwards you look at the
nature of the mind, the meditator, the experiencer, and the appearances
dissolve into emptiness.
The second of the higher realms and the fifth realm in samsara is the
realm of the Asuras or non gods. Here the place is the center of the
throat, the syllable is SUH, and it is yellow. You visualize that and
you think, that all of the causes of rebirth, principally the klesha of
jealousy and the actions motivated by jealousy are drawn into that
syllable which is transformed into the Asura realm. You then imagine
that you are born in and stuck in this realm, and that you are
undergoing the suffering of an asura now because their nature is
jealousy, their principal suffering is unsuccessful warfare against the
gods, and you imagine all the experiences of being killed and wounded.
You recite the mantra SARVA ASURA seven times. And then, again you look
at the nature of the mind, the meditator, the experiencer, and the
appearances of the Asura realm dissolves into emptiness.
The sixth and highest realm within samsara is the god or deva realm.
You visualize the syllable AH, it is white in color, inside your head
toward the top. And, again you think that all of the causes for rebirth
in the deva realm are withdrawn into the syllable. Principal among
these are the klesha of pride and actions motivated by pride. All of
this dissolves into the syllable which is transformed into the god
realm, specifically the type of god realm which is called the deva
realm of desire. You imagine that you are born in that realm and
experience the suffering of a deva. Now generally speaking the devas
enjoy tremendous pleasure, comfort and prosperity, but since they are
still within samsara it ends and when it ends they experience
incredible suffering, the suffering of death and downfall. Because the
deva realm and life in the deva realm is so pleasant, when they see
signs of their impending death,[ they do sometime,] before it occurs,
they suffer terribly because of what they are losing. Now, because of
the contrast with the subsequent rebirth, which they can see; so
obviously if they know that they are going to be reborn in one of the
three lower realms they suffer. But, even if they are going to be
reborn as a human or as an Asura, they suffer because of not having
control or choice. Think that you are experiencing the suffering of a
deva, and repeat the mantra SARVA DEVA seven times. And as before you
look at the nature of the mind of the meditator, the experiencer, which
is the practice of Mahamudra or Trekcho, and the appearance of the
meditation of the deva realm dissolves.
In that way you eradicate or prevent the birth in, and experience of
the suffering of the six realms. At the end of all six phases of the
meditation you again look at the nature of your mind. The point is to
realize that the experience of suffering, such as the individual
sufferings of the six realms, the experience of suffering is mind, it
is not something other than mind. These sufferings occur, but they
occur as manifestations or display of mind, and mind is not anything,
it is empty of being anything. So by recognizing the emptiness of mind
and the emptiness of the experiences of mind, this is an instruction
for preventing rebirth in the six realms. This is also referred to
closing the door of rebirth in the six types of existence.
At that point at this phase of the contemplation you recite the six
syllable mantra of The Great Perfection, which prevents rebirth in the
six realms:
OM AH SAH SAH MAH HAH
Next in the same meditation, you visualize the embodiment of the wisdom
body speech and mind of all buddhas, as the three syllables in your
three places. So, inside your head you visualize a white OM, inside
your throat, a red AH, and in your heart, a blue HUM. You then think
that the blessing and wisdom of the body speech and minds of all the
buddhas are drawn into these three syllables. Once these blessing and
wisdom of the buddhas are drawn into these syllables, they blaze with
wisdom fire, the fire of five colors in each case.
Now, previously after visualizing each realm, you looked at the nature
of your mind, and the visualization of each realm dissolved, but you
didn't totally get rid of the realms. Here you are going to get rid of
them. So you think that the wisdom fire which comes from these three
syllable fills your whole body, burning up and away the six realms all
at once, and the seeds which cause the rebirth in them. While
visualizing that, you recite the mantra OM AH HUM. That's the samsara
part.
Now we come to the nirvana part. the nirvana part is the contemplation
of the three jewels, but starting from the bottom up. So first sangha,
the dharma and then the buddha. Now during the previous meditation you
visualized yourself in your ordinary form. Now you're going to change
that; first you're going to visualize yourself as the sangha. The
supreme member of the Mahayana sangha is the Bodhisattva Maitreya
because he is going to be the next buddha. He is the closest member of
the sangha to buddhahood. You visualize yourself as Maitreya and while
doing so you recite the mantra NAMO SANGHAYA.
Next is the contemplation of the jewel of the dharma. You think that
your body as the Bodhisattva Maitreya is transformed in an instant into
the embodiment of dharma. The realization of dharma is depicted as the
female deity. The cause of all awakening, the cause of all buddhahood
is the perfection of discernment, Prajnaparamita.
Although the perfection of discernment is truly the realization of the
nature of all things, because it is the cause of all awakening when it
is depicted as a deity, it is called the great mother Prajnaparamita. So
you visualize yourself as her because she is the embodiment of all
dharma. She is gold in color with four arms and so on. You recite the
mantra NAMO DHARMAYA, three times.
Then there is the jewel of the buddha. You think that you, as the form
of the great mother, are transformed in an instant into the Buddha
Sakayamuni, and visualizing yourself as the buddha you recite the
mantra NAMO BUDDHAYA, three times. Then having visualized yourself as
the buddha, you visualize yourself as the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
The reason you visualize yourself as Chenrezig at this point is, that
he is the embodiment of the compassion of all buddhas. So you think
that you the Buddha Sakayamuni, are transformed into the Bodhisattva
Avlalokiteshvara, and you visualize yourself as him in the usual
manner, white in color, with one face and four arms, and you recite the
mantra OM MANI PADME HUM, three times.
Then in order to reveal or enhance the power of compassion you think
that Avalokiteshvara is transformed into his ferocious or wrathful form
Hayagriva. Now Avalokiteshvara has these two aspects because compassion
itself is embodied in the peaceful form and the power or effectiveness
of compassion is in the wrathful form. So you visualize yourself as
Hayagriva, who is red in color and recite the mantra OM HAYAGRIVA HUM
PHAT, three times.
Now all of this is basically connected with the purification of the
body, and your body is composed of the five elements, earth, water,
fire, air, and space. Not only your body, but all of the external
phenomena are composed of the five elements as well. While reflecting
that the five elements do not exist independently, but that things
appear that way, as the display of mind. You recite the essence
syllable of the five elements, E YAM RAM BAM LAM, three times.
E, the essence of space, YAM, the essence of wind or air, RAM, the
essence of fire, BAM, the essence of water and LAM, the essence of
earth. That section is the purification of body.
The second section is the purification of speech. The purification of
speech is done through the use of the syllable HUM, by Mantra.
You sit in the same posture, except that you join the palms of the
hands above the top of the head and you visualize your body as a five
prong golden vajra, but in the center of the vajra you visualize your
mind as a blue HUM, and you think that from the bindu at the top of the
HUM, that lots of blue hums emerge and come out of your body, the
golden vajra, and fill the entire universe with HUM
syllables. Then you think that they return and come together into one
cubic size HUM, in the space in front of you. Then you think that from
the HUM in the center of the vajra, which is somewhat identified with
your heart, more hums come out and this time they fill your body. While
doing this recite three long HUMs, and then after that, for the rest of
the time you do short HUMs, recited in groups of three.
The final part of the preliminaries done after that is called the
natural settling of body, speech and mind. So after doing all of these
you then rest your mind without any contrivance or artifice in
primordial purity, which means you return to the Trekcho or break
through practice that you did earlier.

Jackson Peterson: The Purification of the Six Lokas is a primary rushen in all Trekchod
systems. I believe a Bon Lama wrote this or Thrangu. I lost the source. Norbu teaches a
system from Changchub Dorje. It involves the same locations, thigle names and colors, but
one purifies each thigle with chanting Om Ah Hung focusing and incinerating each thigle
one at a time. I have done this one many times. Its part of Dzogchen, the Khorde Rushen.
The impure prana kleshas or bagchags do exist and require transformation one way or an
other. Their continuing to exist is why relapse occurs. The masters who attained rainbow
body last century taught this as necessary.

**

As Tulku Urgyen points out in his book "As It Is Vol. 2", in Dzogchen the state of "non-
meditation" is taught first. Whereas in the standard Mahamudra tradition, the state of
"non-meditation" occurs as the last of the four yogas of Mahamudra.
So, in Dzogchen first we are introduced to the state of rigpa. Then we are taught to relax
into that realization again and again. In order to do that we are given the "non-meditation"
instructions:
We have been introduced to the empty quality of knowing presence. Now we allow that
empty knowing presence to become our basic condition in actuality, instead of the
conceptualizing mind. We do that by letting our body and mind be in a totally relaxed
condition. We are not grasping and fixating on any exterior phenomena and we are not
grasping and fixating on any interior phenomena of mind, nor are we fixating on anything
in the middle.
Our awareness is just open and clear with not the least trace of any conceptual framework.
We have no concept of practicing "non-meditation". We are not judging our condition. We
are relaxed, open and present. We have no goal or purpose. We aren't engaging thoughts
nor are we rejecting thoughts.
As we become settled in and as this empty presence, a stability and effortless ease just
arises. If we continue in this condition for a period of time, rigpa will arise automatically.
Rigpa is our true condition expressing its self-recognizing certainty. When the mind
becomes truly empty and clear without grasping of any kind, the right conditions have
been established for your intrinsic Buddha Nature to manifest its own Wisdom potential.
Any effort to make this happen will block it. Any effort to meditate will block it. Leaving
your mind like a two day old baby, the Wisdom will arise all on its own. When rigpa arises
its left as-is. Thinking "Oh, this is rigpa", will block its continuity. Thinking "Oh, I hope I
can maintain this!" will shut it down. Leave this state free of all evaluation and focus. Leave
it completely naked and open.
When rigpa fades, we come back to "non-meditation". Our eyes are open, our mouth is just
barely open and we breath through the mouth. We don't move our eyes. When correctly in
"non-meditation" thoughts will arise and release, arise and release, yet never crystallizing
into stories or mental distraction from the state of
"non-meditation".
When finished with our sitting session we get up but leave our "non-meditation" just as it
is. Then thoughts will arise and release, arise and release as we go through our day with no
stories or thoughts causing distraction, because they release upon the arising. Samsara
never gets a chance to get going again. If our thoughts don't crystallize, then suffering is
not possible. The arising and releasing of thoughts will continue until there is nothing left
to arise.
If we then become practitioners of thogal or yang-ti, we do so in the condition of "non-
meditation". Actually thogal and yang-ti will only work properly when the practice is
engaged while in the condition of "non-meditation". If the "direct introduction" to rigpa
was successful and one could relax into "non-meditation", then no other practice is more
powerful nor necessary other than just remaining in "non-meditation" continuously.
This is how we practice Dzogchen.

From the article: " Buddhaghosa’s The Path of Purification, once a nimitta arises, it is take
as a sign that an initial stage of meditative absorption has been reached. At that point, this
involuntary light experience can then replace the breath or an external object as the new
object of concentration (Ledi Sayadaw, 1999). Similarly, in Tibetan traditions, the
progressive sequence of signs that are thought to manifest on account of tantric practices,
including both discrete lightforms and diffuse lights such as shimmering, are interpreted
as positive signs that the clarity and luminosity of the mind is becoming apparent to the
practitioner.

So here we can trace thogal back to Buddhaghosa at least!

From Dante's classic:

"Fixing my gaze upon the Eternal Light I saw within its depths, Bound up with love
together in one volume, The scattered leaves of all the universe. Within the luminous
profound subsistence Of that Exalted Light saw I three circles Of three colors yet of one
dimension And by the second seemed the first reflected As rainbow is by rainbow, and the
third Seemed fire that equally from both is breathed."

Dzogchen Longde Quotes from the “Equal to Sky Tantra” (Nam-mkha 'dang
mnyam-pa):
"In the sphere of reality devoid of thought and focus,
one should settle with undistracted awareness of clear light
within the space of awareness of the inherent clarity of wisdom:
this is the Space of uncontrived Mind (dgongs-pa).
Since cyclic existence ('khor ba, samsara) is Buddha since the beginning,
there is no aim toward which to proceed;
therefore there is no progression along the levels and paths.
This is the Space of the ultimate path, mind-itself.
Both levels and paths are terms that refer to
stages of progression along the Buddhist path. In keeping with the immediacy of
enlightenment ever-present in oneself, the Great Perfection rejects the notion of gradual
progression towards enlightenment. Great Perfection is sometimes described as having a
single level, - that of Buddhahood, present as the true nature of one's own mind.
In the same way that a heap of jewels is illuminated,
the inherent clarity of awareness is spontaneous.
Not born from causes and conditions
is the Space of wisdom, the self-arising Fruition.
A very high wisdom is that all realities are established by thoughts, and that thoughts just
arise and dissolve belonging to no one. The sense of their being a central self is just an
experience of thoughts appearing in a contracted fashion. Thought are occurring to no one.
There is no self."

The light body is called tselem in Hebrew, meaning “the image of God as created in the
soul of man.” Here’s a quote from the fifteenth century by the Kabbalah master Rabbi
Moses Isserles of Cracow:
For in truth, it is fitting to describe Him by this parable and metaphor, for light is found
with Him, on Him all those who gaze see, and each one sees in Him like one gazing in a
mirror. For the coarse matter that is in man stands opposite…the one who contemplates,
behind the clear light that is in the soul, which I liken to a mirror for him, and he sees in it,
in an inner vision, his own form. For this reason the prophets compared the divine glory
(Kavod) to a human image, for they saw their own form. But Moses our teacher, because he
had removed from himself all corporeality and there is none of the dark matter from
without, left within him saw naught but the brilliant Light itself, and there was no
(reflected) image, but he saw only the clear aspect.

Sufi Master Najm Razi wrote in 1256:

If the Light rises in the Sky of the heart taking the form of one or more of several light-
giving moons, the two eyes are closed to this world and to the other. If this light rises and
the utterly pure inner man attains the brightness of the sun or of many suns, the mystic is
no longer aware of this world nor of the other, he sees only his own Lord under the veil of
the Spirit: then his heart is nothing but Light, his subtle body is Light, his material
covering is Light, his hearing, his sight, his hand, his exterior, his interior are nothing but
Light, his mouth and tongue also.

- Lopon Tenzin Namdak:

"This represents an important method: the Natural State (rig-pa) comes up out of the
heart, moves along the Kati nerve and goes out through the eyes. This Natural State (rigpa)
shines through the eyes, that is, it comes up through the channels and goes out through the
eyes, although actually the Natural State(rigpa) is immovable. Between our internal space
and external space beyond, we have a window or door."

The Dalai Lama wrote:

"Two years ago a Tibetan yogi who practiced the Great Perfection, Dzogchen, style of
meditation in the Nyingma tradition achieved a state of the complete disappearance of his
gross physical body, which we call “achieving a rainbow body.” His name was Achok, and
he was from Nyarong. He studied philosophy from time to time at a Geluk monastic
university near Lhasa called Sera, and he also received teachings from my junior tutor
Trijang Rinpochay, but his main teacher was the Nyingma lama, Dujom Rinpochay.
Although he practiced Tantra according to both the old and new schools of Tibetan
Buddhism, his main practice was the recitation of “om mani padme hum” and its
accompanying meditation.
Until about three years ago, he frequently said he hoped to have the opportunity of
meeting the Dalai Lama in this lifetime. Then, one day he called on his followers to
perform offerings for the sake of the Dalai Lama’s life. After they made offerings, he
surprised them by announcing that he would leave. He put on his saffron monastic robe
and told them to seal him inside his room for a week. His disciples followed his request
and after a week opened the room to find that he had completely disappeared except for
his robe. One of his disciples and a fellow practitioner came to Dharmsala, where they
related the story to me and gave me a piece of his robe.
Since he usually remained in retreat as a very simple monk with no pretensions, unlike
some lamas, he proved that he was a good practitioner and finally this occurred. You can
see the connection between cause and effect. There are others about whom miracles are
claimed, but without the proper causes…
Our aim is to manifest the fundamental innate mind of clear light, the most subtle level of
consciousness, and to remain within that level of mind without regressing to grosser levels.
However, this purified state is not just mental; it involves body, but a body fashioned from
prana, the prana that is the mount of the mind of clear light. The ultimate purpose of these
manifestations is to assist others in achieving the same freedom from suffering and
limitation.
The center of this process of purification is realization of the luminous and knowing nature
of mind—understanding that afflictive emotions such as lust, hatred, enmity, jealousy, and
belligerence do not reside in the very essence of mind but are peripheral to it. When the
mind knows its own nature and when this knowledge is teamed with powerful
concentration, it gradually becomes possible to reduce and finally to overcome the
afflictive states that drive the process of repeated suffering. This is the Tibetan view of the
intimate relationship between mind and matter, and how they work in the process of
altruistically directed purification.
(From Mind of Clear Light: Advice on Living Well and Dying Consciously by His Holiness
the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins.)

"As you progress further and further, then it is said that the eyes are the ‘gates of wisdom,’
of original wakefulness. This is a point which is especially important when you get to Tögal
practice later on."
Rinpoche, Tsoknyi (2013-12-15). Carefree Dignity (p. 100)

**

What is Dzogchen thogal?

Norbu Rinpoche explains:
" Within the series of Upadesha we also have the most important secret teachings such as
thod.rgal (thogal) and Dzogchen yang.tig. Both methods are for developing contemplation.
This means that you already have such knowledge of contemplation but in order to realize
it, so that that knowledge becomes something concrete, you have particular methods. That
is why, for example, for doing practices like thod.rgal and yang.tig , the first thing that you
must try to have is a base. To have a precise base means that you have experience of
contemplation. When you start with the Four cog.bzhag, it means that you already have
something to develop and, in particular, the use of methods such as thod.rgal and yang.tig
implies that you are in a precise experience of contemplation, and you are using these
methods to develop rapidly. Why are there these important and special methods? That
principle is explained with the Four Visions, which are the principle of both Dzogchen
yang.tig and thod.rgal. It does not mean that we are only speaking of some kind of visions,
but how we can apply this method and have that experience. Remember, we learned
previously the Four Cog.bzhag in order to have knowledge of contemplation and
continuation, and how we integrate them in our existence.
The first vision is called cos.nyid mngon.sum. (cho nyi gon sum) You know chos is the
Tibetan translation of the sanskrit word dharma and it means all phenomena. In Sanskrit
we have two words: dharmadhatu and dharmata. Many people understand them as having
the same meaning. Dharmadhatu means the universal condition of all phenomena,
including sentient beings and their nature. It is somewhat related to dharmakaya, the
dimension of all phenomena. But dharmata means the nature or real condition,
particularly of an individual. Dharmadhatu means nature, the real condition of subject and
object, the whole, the complete; while dharmata, chos.nyid in Tibetan, means our
individual nature, our potentiality.
You see, each individual has infinite potentiality, in that the state of the individual is also
the center of the universe. For example, I have in my state infinite potentiality, and that
potentiality is the center of the universe, but it means that for me, not for you. You are
another individual, you have infinite potentiality and yours for you is the also the center of
the universe. Yet being the center of the universe is not for egotistic or selfish feelings, or a
feeling of being more important than others. Rather it refers to what is the real potentiality
of each individual, that is the real meaning of dharmata.
We can discover our potentiality, dharmata, with the method of the Four Visions. The First
Vision is chos.nyid mngon,sum. Chos.nyid means "dharmata", mngon.sum means "real",
meaning something we have contact with or we discover through our senses, not merely
imagination. For example we say, "Emptiness is our real nature," although that is a kind of
experience, yet it is not something we really see or experience concretely. By contrast
chos.nyid mngon.sum means something concrete. How can we have that concreteness? We
acquire that through visions. The First Vision we can have is the thigle. For example, you
are looking in empty space, then the thigle appears, particularly if there are secondary
causes like sun-rays, or other kinds of light. In that case you look into the rays of that light
with your eyes half closed and in a dimension of rays you can discover the apparition of the
thigle. It looks somehow like a peacock feather, and it is shining and sometimes when you
see it and look at it then it goes away and disappears. So even though we did not do much
practice we can have that experience, we can have that experience because everybody has
that potentiality in their nature. Our potentiality can manifest and we can easily discover it.
So what really is the manifestation of the thigle? A thigle is the form of our potentiality
manifesting in front of our eyes as something like a vision because there is a secondary
cause for its manifesting. For example the sun's rays are only a secondary cause. For
example, if you sit with your hand, or any part of the body near your eyes, you notice that
you have many hairs on your hand and if you look through this hair near the sun's ray it is
shining and many kinds of thigle manifest. Or if you lay down on the ground and you put a
piece of woolen or silken cloth on your face, looking at the sun-rays through this cloth you
can see many thigle. You might think that they are coming from the woolen cloth or from
the rays, but those are only the secondary causes; the thigle do not originate from them.
Let us take the example of a crystal rock. If you put it in the light when secondary causes,
such as sun rays, are present, then from this crystal rock infinite lights having rainbow
colors come out. They are not really manifesting from sun rays, which is only a secondary
cause. In reality that manifestation comes from the potentiality of the crystal rock, and in
the same way, the manifestation of thigle comes through our potentiality. You can discover
that when you are doing the dark retreat: in the dark you are only doing some specific
positions and gazing with the eyes and you can have infinite visions of thigle. How can you
have these visions when there are no sun rays? Even if you live in the dark you still have
your potentiality, only the secondary causes for manifesting it are not the sun rays; it could
be the position and the manner of gazing. There are many ways in which you can develop
that possibility , and that is called "the real vision of dharmata." You have that vision of
thigle; it means something like having the vision of your potentiality, because through that
you discover your potentiality. So this is the first stage of the vision; through this very
important method you can have possibility of that vision and discovering your potentiality.
So your vision of dharmata is very important for realizing and integrating your potentiality.
All the practices like thod.rgal and yang.tig start and develop from that point of thigle. You
always have the production of a karmic body -- your material body is the resultant product
of the potentiality of karma that you produce. You see, your real nature is pure from the
beginning, and has infinite potentiality which manifests through sound, light and rays. But
when we do not have that knowledge and we are distracted and enter into a dualistic
vision, that is the starting point of samsara. Someone may ask, "Who made, and who
created this samsara and when was it created?" Although you cannot trace a cosmological
map of its origin, yet whenever you enter in a dualistic vision, you are already in samsara
and that is the starting point.
For example, you have the five elements and in your potentiality they are like the five
colors if you manifest some pure manifestation or pure dimension. But when you produce
negative karma that characteristic of negative karma is associated with all your elements,
with all your potentiality, so your elements slowly, slowly become somewhat material,
more on a material level due to the production of karma, and the result of it is what we call
karmic vision.
The vision of the thigle and that of our physical existence are very distinct: the physical
body and all our human dimension is the production of karma, while what appears in the
thigle is our real potentiality.
When you have this knowledge then you have the possibility that your existence, this
karmic production is integrated in that thigle. If you totally succeed in integrating your
existence in that thigle, that is called "Great Transference" -- there is no death and even the
elements, all existence, is realized in its natural manifestation of the rainbow body. Even if
you do not have the capacity for that total integration in the thigle, but are on that path,
and you have the capacity of integrating, even if your material karmic body remains,
depending on the level of your capacity of contemplation when you die, still you can totally
integrate -- maybe it will take seven days, but then your physical body dissolves in its real
nature. Even if you have death, your realization manifests as the rainbow body. So the first
stage is seeing or having real experience of dharmata.
The second stage is called nyams.snang gong.'phel. Nyams means experience, snag means
"vision"; through experience you can have different kinds of visions. Visions do not only
refer to visions related to our eyes, but also mean the functions of all the senses. Gong.'phel
means "developing," "increasing," and it refers to the fact that you are using specific
positions. In general we have three main positions: Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and
Nirmanakaya. By using a particular position and by controlling your energy the result is
that specific aspect of manifestation. for example, you are gazing into space, or you are
looking in the sun rays and you have visions of thigle, one or many thigle. And when you
have that thigle you can also see a kind of light net; sometimes you can see silver strings,
and we call that vajrasattva chain. That too is a manifestation of the continuation of our
potentiality. When you observe the thigle all these chains move; then when you observe
this net of light, do not go after the thigle and these things, but remain in a state of
contemplation. In this way you can find these thigle and all other visions stop moving. And
slowly, slowly, day after day, you develop and you can find some stable thigle; then you fix
on that thigle and integrate your existence in that thigle. It does not mean very much if you
have many visions of thigle, that is only the manifestation of your potentiality, also you
must not only have curiosity and kind of play about with the visions, you should only
integrate, and be in that thigle.
Integrating means that whatever you see, you are just that, and that is in your existence. If
you do not remain in a dualistic vision you can develop your manifestations more and
more. When you develop visions you must not immediately create an attachment to them.
Some people, when they have some kinds of visions, such as nice things, feel very happy
and say, "I always want to have this vision." With this kind of attachment you block your
possibility of development. On the contrary, you have to relax in that state, in any kind of
vision, and integrate in that state in this way so that the vision of the thigle increases. You
can also experience the development of visions in a thigle, such as full or partial
manifestations of the Dhyani Buddhas or a half form, a partial form of it. So this is called
increasing your vision.
The Third Vision is called rig.pa tshad.phebs and means "maturing your knowledge," being
in a state of rigpa. When you are in that contemplation, you do not need any effort for
being or integrating; you easily, automatically get in that state of integration and remain
that way in this vision. Through applying integration in that way you have the vision of
how all that has matured and totally developed. Particularly in the dimension of the thigle
there are many different kinds of visions, some are pure and some are impure. So this is
the third stage.
Then you have the last stage which is called the stage of chos zad, chos means "dharma", or
phenomena, zad means "consuming"; thus consuming phenomena, principally in your
vision, in your consideration of subject and object. You see, you have a physical body,
which is the product of karma, and through this practice of integration with that capacity
you slowly, slowly consume your existence -- it means dissolving your physical body into
its real nature. So when you are entering in this stage, applying this practice and you die on
that path, your death and your realization is the rainbow body. If you succeed at that stage
then there is the great transference.
This is a vey important, essential method, so you must be very serious about this method
and its teaching."

From the Yeshe Lama as translated by Lama Tony Duff

"Therefore, not to be separated from the expanse appearances—
the appearances of the vajra chains in the centre of the bindu—
is to be very highly cherished; the Studded Jewels Tantra says,
“If you wish to look at the enlightened mind of all
buddhas, look at the vajra chains’ kåya! If you
wish to develop fully the understanding of all the
buddhas, do not be separated from the vajra
chains! If you wish to know in sum and
extensively all the dharmas, look at how the vajra
chains sit! If you wish to be expert in all the
wisdoms of the secret, look at the vajra chains’
rays! If you wish to have threefold view,
meditation, and conduct without meeting and
parting, do not be distracted from the vajra chains’
kåya! If you wish to hold the immeasurable
mansion of all dharmas, fully know the fact of
expanse and rigpa! If you wish to hold the lineage
of Vajrasatva, do not be separated from the rigpa
vajra chains’ kåya!”

Non-Meditation as described in Longde Dorje Zampa:

"First, the brief statement of the meaning of non-meditation. As for ''nonmeditation", what
is not to be meditated upon? In the actual reality of mind, there is nothing to be
meditatively cultivated. In what way is there nothing to meditatively cultivate? The actual
reality of mind is the truth endowed with the four characteristics of lacking union and
separation, illumination and obscuration, coming and going, origination and cessation. It
is not the object of mind, attention, thought, or intellect. There is neither the object nor the
subject of meditative cultivation, there is not even a single truth, which is made into an
object of intellect and meditated upon. For this reason, it is non-meditation."
Translator's comments:
According to the above quote, non-meditation refers to awareness of the true nature of
mind. Meditative cultivation is not appropriate in this context because this nature has
always been present and does not need to be cultivated. Also, because the activity of
meditation would involve operation of mistaken intellect, the ultimate truth would remain
outside of its domain. At the level of the true nature of mind, there would be neither a
subject nor object of meditation. The statement that there is nothing to be meditated upon
is not uncommon in Tibetan Buddhism. It is found, for example, in the songs of the
mahasiddhas, Indian saints to
whom several Tibetan lineages trace their sources; one of them, Saraha, is actually quoted
by Kun-bzang rdo-Ije in his commentary. The Hevajra Tantra also states that "there is no
meditator and no meditation".Non-meditation is also the name of the
final stage of fourfold practice of Mahfunudra in the bKa' -brgyud school. The formulation
of the highest contemplative practice as non-meditation would, in itself, not be very
controversial in the Tibetan Buddhist milieu. Kun-bzang rdo-Ije is careful to rule out
possible nihilistic interpretations of non-meditation as not doing anything at all.
***********************
From the Dzogchen Longde Dorje Zampa:
"The present awareness is the state of clarity without grasping, the uncreated and
uncontrived reality without hope and fear, unchanging in the three times - this is the
sphere of reality. Abiding
without change, equipoising without wavering from this state is "focusing on the sphere."

- H.H. the 17th Karmapa:

De outro site: We need to give our mind a rest, to bring peace and joy to our mind. We
should make time every day to let our mind relax. Rest the mind for ten minutes every
three hours. Our mind is distracted and it needs to have some place to come back home.
Relax in Now. We need to feel we have achieved something and now we can relax.

Here is an obscure Chinese document on Dzogchen thogal. I found it yesterday among my

many diverse texts and translations, but I can't find its source. If I remember correctly it is
from the writings of a famous Chinese Dzogchen master in China, not Tibet. Its a from a
Chinese lineage of Dzogchen.
"This method mainly consists of contemplating the light (kanguang). Its purpose is to
make the Lamp of originally awakened Wisdom [Ch. benjue
zhiguang] —inherent in mind as such [Ch. zixin, Tib. sems nyid]—manifest
in space thanks to the support of five other kinds of lamps [Ch. guangming],[Tib. sgron
ma] in order to see one’s own original face [benzi mianmu, i.e.,[the nature of mind] and
round out the merits of the Fruit [guode], i.e., the merits of nirvana] of the Three Bodies.
This is what one can attain by following this method of cultivation. This [method] can
rectify [the erroneous view of regarding] the heart-mind (xin) [as separate from] wisdom
(zhihui), making them converge into one in order to let the primordial unity of the essence
(ti) of “heart-mind” and “wisdom” appear in its originally accomplished light (chengjiu
benming) In their essence (tixing) they are also originally one with breath-vital energy (qi)
as they are all manifestations of Reality [Ch. fa xing, Tib. chos nyid].
However, as the ordinary person is subject to conceptualization, they (heart-mind and
wisdom) cannot be one but are split into two. The heart-mind and wisdom cannot appear
[as they are]
Applying oneself hard on the breath-vital energy in the heart, one is
able to fix the abode (dingzhu) of the deluded mind and prevent the deluded breath-vital
energy from moving in disorder while leading back to the genuine mind ( fangui yu
zhenxin). This causes the Lamp of Wisdom (zhiguang), which is originally inside the
genuine mind, to follow the correct track (zheng gui) along the breath-vital energy vessel
(qimai), and to clearly manifest. This is what makes tuoga [thod rgal] unsurpassed
(shusheng).
至凡夫所以成佛者，乃因其能令真心不動，安住於肉團心之中，不被氣轉，不起妄念。
From the Jewel Palace of the Heart (xin baogong) to the Ocean of the Eyes [yanhai, i.e., the
pupils] there is a connecting vessel which is called in Tibetan “Kati.” It is opalescent,
transparent, and soft. Empty in its interior (neikong), it is not engendered by the mother’s
red blood and the father’s white semen ( fumu hongbai jingxue), which “some people call
sun and moon.” It is great wisdom (da zhihui), the dharmakåya ( fashen) that “freely
traverses it” (tong yuci): this is the principle on which the tuoga [thod rgal] method is
based.
由心寶宮通達眼海（即瞳人），有聯之脈，藏名曰「噶底」。細白透明而柔軟，內空此

**
Dzogchen Master, Namkhai Norbu wrote regarding "thogal":
"To use the metaphor of the mirror once again, the realization
of the Body of Light means that one is no longer in the condition
of a person who is reflected in a mirror and who dualistically sees
his or her own reflection in it, but one has become established
in the essential condition of the mirror so that one's energy
as a whole now manifests in the same way that the energy of
a mirror does. Knowing how one's own energy manifests as
Dang, Rolpa, and Tsal, one is able to integrate one's energy
completely right through to the level of actual material existence.
This is accomplished either through the visions of the Longde
that arise as a result of the practices of the four Da, or through
the practice of the Four Lights that bring about the arising of the
Four Visions of Thodgal, which develop in very much the same
way as the visions of the Longde develop.
The first of these Four Visions of Thodgal is called the
'Vision of Dharmata' (or 'nature of reality'), and the second
vision is the further development of the first. The third is the maturation of it, and the
fourth is the consummation of existence.
If, while alive, one has entered the third level of these visions,
and to say one has 'entered' means that there are certain signs
that this is so, then, when one dies, one's body slowly disappears
into light. Instead of decomposing into its constituent elements
in the usual way, it dissolves into the essence of its elements,
which is light. The process may take longer than seven days to
happen. All that remains of the physical body are the hair and
fingernails, which are considered to be its impurities. The rest
of the body has dissolved into the essence of its elements. This
is the realization that garab Dorje, and, more recently, many
other masters, a few of whom I have mentioned as examples,
achieved.
A practitioner who manifests this realization cannot really
be said to have 'died', at all, in the ordinary sense of the word
because he or she still remains spontaneously active as a principle
of being in a Body of Light. The spontaneous activity of such
an individual will be directed for the benefit of others, and he
or she is actually visible to someone in a physical body who
has sufficient clarity.
But a practitioner who perfects and completes the fourth
level of the Thodgal visions does not manifest death at all, but
while still living gradually becomes invisible to those who have
normal karmic vision. This level of realization is called the
'Great Transfer', and this is the realization that Padmasambhava
and Vimalamitra manifested. Essentially, the realizations of the
Great Transfer and the Body of Light are one and the same; the
only difference is that those who attain the Great Transfer do not
have to go through death in the clinical sense in order to move
from manifestation in the material plane to manifestation in the plane of the essence of
elements. These two modes of realization
are particular to the practice of Dzogchen."
**

THE METHOD OF PRESERVING THE FACE

OF RIGPA, THE ESSENCE OF WISDOM
by Ju Mipham Namgyal
Homage to the glorious, Primal Guardian
The training of rigpa comes in three steps: recognition,
training, and finalization.
First, using the guru’s oral instruction you home in on the
naked face of rigpa until it is seen clearly without mental
analysis. When that has been settled, you yourself training
in that essence is the only thing of importance. In other
words, just to recognize it is not sufficient—it must be trained
up fully.
Proceeding with that, you have initially recognized rigpa but,
when you begin resting in it, the hindrances of discursive
thought make it difficult for naked rigpa to shine forth. So
at that time, it is important to lengthen the period of staying
in the state of uncontrived rigpa by resting in it again and
again and without any suppression or furtherance of discursive
thoughts while doing it. By familiarizing yourself with
it like that again and again, the waves of discursive thought
will subside in strength and the rigpa will grow clearer.
When that has happened, stay equipoised on it as much as
you can and, in post-attainment, rely on mindfulness which
recalls the rigpa.
By familiarizing yourself with that, rigpa will be trained up
further and further. Initially, discursive thoughts will arise.
However, there is no need to rely on an antidote to stop them
other than they themselves; just by leaving them in their own
place, they will be self-liberated in a few moments, like a
coiled-up snake that by itself uncoils itself.
After further familiarization, discursive thoughts will arise as small disturbances but will
also immediately fade of themselves, like
a drawing on water. Even further familiarization with that
state will result in the discursive thoughts arising without
doing any harm at all.
The resulting lack of hope or fear over
whether discursive thoughts arise or not will come forth as an
experience in which they have no effect, being neither helpful
nor harmful, like a thief who enters an empty house.
By even further familiarization with that state, the process of
training comes to its conclusion: finally, discursive thoughts
and the alaya together with its movement-producing winds
dissolve into the uncontrived dharmakaya and rigpa has been
captured in its place.
Like ordinary earth and rocks cannot be
found on an island of gold even if you search for them, every
appearance and existence without exception now shines forth
as the realm of dharmakaya, having become universal purity.
This point is called, finalization. At this point, the hopes
and fears of samsara and nirvana, and of birth and death have
been destroyed from the root.
As with that progression in which daytime appearances and
discursive thoughts are gradually brought under the control
of rigpa, so the night-time equivalents—the apprehension of
dreams, finding clear luminosity in them, and so on—will
come along without needing to rely on any other type of
instruction. Having understood that, you absolutely must, for
as long as you have not finalized the practice, have unwavering
perseverance in it, a perseverance that is continuous, like
the flow of a river.
Instruction given by Mipham. May virtue and goodness increase.
Goodness!
Translated at Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s request after receiving instruction
on the text by Tony Duff of the Padma Karpo Translation Committee,
July 6, 1996, at Swayambunath, Kathmandu, Nepal.”

”I found an interesting quote by Namkhai Norbu today while reading his book on Yang Ti.
He describes a method of how to recognize rigpa through a meditation practice. Without
my going through all the steps: basically one closes one's eyes and imagines all the material
aspects of the universe return into the center of your heart, the space from which they
arose like beams of light manifesting as the forms we see. So you are now sitting in a space
of complete emptiness. Next you dissolve your body into that emptiness at your heart.
Then your mind dissolves into emptiness. Now you "notice" your condition. Norbu then
writes:
"Notice that you are in this dimension of infinite emptiness. This is called 'instant
presence' (rigpa). So there isn't only a sensation of emptiness, there is also 'someone' who
feels it, 'someone' who notices it. This instant presence is a presence without judgements
and without thoughts. If you don't discover it the first time you have the experience, repeat
it ten, twenty, and a hundred times . The important thing is to really discover instant
presence (rigpa). Instant presence (rigpa) isn't the experience of emptiness, but you enter
into instant presence though the experience of emptiness."
He then goes on to say that we can do this with various types of experiences, not just
"emptiness". Whatever the experience, we notice our aware knowing presence that is
always in the middle of any and all experiences. That is how one recognizes rigpa in all
experience without exception: its the vivid knowing that is always present.”

From the Dzogchen Tantra Rigpa Rang Shar:

"How could there be a nature of meditation in Atiyoga, Dzogpa Chenpo? The Dharma
without accepting and rejecting is beyond the extremes of meditation and nonmeditation.
Mind free of grasping is bound with stains; pure rigpa is free from stains. In the stainless
dharmakaya there no meditation and nothing upon which to meditate. Meditation will not
gain the perfect state, if it could gain it, one’s rigpa would not exist. Why? It is because
there is no distraction or nondistraction in the wisdom of one’s rigpa. Self-originated
wisdom does not exist in the one who is grasping onto something. If self-originated
wisdom were under the power of meditation, its premise would have been contradicted
from the beginning. Therefore, in Atiyoga, Dzogpa Chenpo, it is explained that the
meaning is not seen with meditation."
(translation by Malcolm Smith)

**

Principle Practice from Thrangu Rinpoche's commmentary on a text by Karma Chagme

The principle practice of The Great Perfection can be divided into two aspects Trekcho or
breakthrough and Togel or leap over, of these two, this section is concerned with the
practice of Togel. The practice of breakthrough or Trekcho is the basis for the teachings
and practice of the six lamps, which constitute the path of the leap over. The practice of
Togel in itself has two aspects, the preliminaries and the main practice.
Now we come to the presentation of the actual practice, which is called, the introduction of
the six lamps. The use of the term lamp or torch, connotes or denotes something that
dispels darkness. What we are trying to do in our practice is recognize in direct experience
the Dharmata, or nature of all dharmas or things. And this is of course the nature of our
own mind. Principally we recognize it by looking at our own mind. The first thing that you
can say about your own mind is that it is emptiness, because it is empty of any substantial
existence. But if that was all the mind was, just emptiness, and it was nothing, then we
could not call the mind or the nature of the mind a lamp. It would not have the capacity to
dispel darkness, in fact it would be darkness itself. While your mind's nature is emptiness
it is not obscurity or darkness, it is illumination. Along with the mind's emptiness, the
other character that defines the mind is cognitive lucidity or awareness. So here the first
use of the term lamp, is to refer to the nature of your mind which is like a lamp, in being
the unity of cognitive lucidity and emptiness.
There are six aspects to this lamp or the illuminating quality of ones basic nature. The first
is called the abiding lamp of the ground. And, this is what was pointed out in the chapter
which introduced Mahamudra and Trekcho or breakthrough. Any sentient being by
definition has a mind. Any being that has a mind possesses the same fundamental nature.
All minds are of the same nature and this nature is emptiness, not obscurity. It is an
emptiness that is an inseparability from lucidity. This lucidity which is the defining
characteristic of a mind, or of a cognition, is at the same time the innate ability to achieve
the perfect wisdom of buddhahood, the innate ability to realize the nature of all things.
Therefore, this lucidity which characterizes any and all minds is called Sugatagarba or the
seed or nature of those who have gone to bliss. Now, the term sugata refers to a buddha
and it means those who have gone to bliss, those who no longer are remaining in a state of
suffering. When its said that we all possess the basic nature of that, it means that we all
possess the ability to transcend suffering, the ability to achieve buddahood. So cognitive
lucidity in and of itself is the seed of the potential to achieve and the ability to achieve
awakening. And this is so because we always have this as our basic nature.
The first of the six lamps, the abiding lamp of the ground, is in a sense an explanation or
common to Togel and Trekcho. The others are uncommon, in that they are only explained
or pointed out in the contents of Togel instruction. Now Dharmata, the nature of things, if
you look at it from the point of view of its vastness in scope is literality the nature of all
things. Therefore, it is all pervasive. But the root of Dharmata is the mind and therefore the
primary observation of Dharmata is in one's own mind.
We saw before that the mind has two aspects, what it is or how it really is, and what it
appears to be, or how it appears. In terms of how the mind appears, the mind appears to
reside in the body. The way we experience is, our appearing to be a resident of our body.
Page 14

This means that while Dharmata is all pervasive, because it is the nature of mind, and
because the mind appears to reside within the body, Dharmata is most apparent within
your body. Now your mind pervades your whole body, but especially the mind itself
.
In the primordial wisdom of the sugatas, the principle mind is seated within the heart.
Therefore, the second lamp is called the citta flesh lamp. So the heart is the lamp made of
flesh or living tissue. The reason for this is, that as we saw earlier while you are alive the
fundamental seat of the eighth consciousness is your heart. Now when you die and your
mind leaves your body, that's a whole different thing. Your body becomes a corpse. But as
long as you are alive, your body and mind are interconnected. Therefore, the second lamp
is the heart which is the seat of mind.
The third lamp is called the smooth white channel lamp. This is the channel which
connects the heart to the eyes. The eyes are the fourth lamp and the third lamp is the
channel that connects these two. It is this channel that causes the appearances of
Dharmata, seated in the heart to be visible. In order to be visible obviously they have to
appear to the eyes and the connections between the heart and eyes is called the smooth
white channel lamp. Now, it is a channel, but it is a channel that does not contain either
blood or lymph. It is empty of everything except wind. For example in some Dzogchen
tantras it says, " it is in the white place of the brain that the appearances arise to the
senses." This refers to the vision of the eyes, because this channel passing from the heart,
the smooth white channel lamp passes via or through the brain.
The fourth lamp is called the distant lasso water lamp. This refers to something that is in
the center of the eyes. And, because you can see things that are distant, it's called the
distant lasso water; because of the composition of the eye. it refers not to the entire eye but
to the sense faculty within the eye that's at the end of the smooth white channel lamp. The
smooth white channel lamp starts at the heart and ends at the optic nerve.
The fourth lamp is the gate for the appearance of wisdom. And, the wisdom in this case
refers to the display of Dharmata, and the condition for its appearance is the use of the
eyes in a particular way or gaze, in connection with a source of light. Traditionally the sun
is given as the main example, but it can also be the light of the moon, an electric light, or a
light from a flame. Through the application of gaze you cause to appear to the fourth lamp,
or in the fourth lamp, the eyes, a rainbow like light phenomenon. And this embodies the
purity of the Dharmakaya and the five certainties of the Sambhogakaya, initially appearing
as multi colored light and circles of light. The gate for that appearance is the distant lasso
water lamp. When you do this and apply the gaze and make use of the four lamps
explained thus far, what you will see looks something like the tail of a peacock which
contains circles, which are often five different colors one surrounding another like circular
shields used in warfare.
What you are seeing with the fourth lamp is the fifth lamp which is called, the pure lamp of
the expanse. Here it's called the pure lamp of Dharmadhatu. Through the meeting of the
fifth and fourth lamps you experience the spontaneous display of the nature of all things.
Which means that what you are seeing is not a created or composite physical phenomenon.
Within the rays of light which are created by the gaze you see not only large circles or
spheres but lots of minute or little ones, like a net of pearls or little drops like fish eyes, and
sometimes they appear in moving patterns of lattice networks. That aspect of what your
seeing is the appearance of the unceasing activity of Nirmanakaya. Page 15
What you experience is called the display of the Trikaya in the form of rainbow light; they
are the unlimited display of the same nature the Dharmata. What you are seeing is the
three kayas as the unified appearances. Know that they appear in different ways; know that
in reality the different modes of appearances of the three embodiments are in essence
indivisible from reality itself.

**

”Concering Dzogchen, thogal and teachings concerning Light practices, there is much
discussed in the Shaivist sources of the Trika system of non-dual teachings from Kashmir.
Let's look at a few of these from the Vijnanabhairava that may be from as early as the 8th
century:
Verse 76:
Tejasa suryadipaderakese sabalikrte / Drstir nivesya tatraiva svatmarupam prakasate
One should fix one's gaze on a a portion of the space that appears variegated with rays of
the sun, or lamp, a light source. At that very place, the nature of one's essental self will
manifest itself.
Verse 77:
Karankinya... (excerpt)
Refers to Karankinya mudra... It views the physical body as dissolved in Space. It is the
mudra of of jnana siddhas, or those who have become perfect in jnana (rigpa or yeshe).
Verse 32:
Sikhipaksais citrarupair mandalaih sunyapancakam / Dhyayato mottare sunye praveso
hrdaye bhavet
The yogi should meditate in his heart on the five voids of the five senses which are like the
five voids appearing in the spheres (bindu, thigle) of multi-colored feathers of peacocks.
Thus will he be absorbed in the Absolute void.
Verse 36:
Kararuddhadrgastrena bhubhedad....
This lengthy verse describes a practice where one blocks off one's sensory organs with
one's hands... and then and descibes from the notes: " ... a point of of brilliant light is
perceived. This is the bindu (thigle)." "As soon as the bindu is perceived, the yogi has to
concentrate on it. When the concentration develops, the bindu (thigle) begins to disappear
until it vanishes in the highest Awareness... the yogi then realizes this highest state.
Verse 37:
Dhamantah-ksobhasambhutasuksmagnitilakartim / Bindhu sikhante hrdaye layante
dhyayato layah
This is an actual thogal and yang-ti preliminary practice where one puts gentle pressure on
their eyeballs with their fingers. Little bindus, spheres or thigles of light will appear. One
should then concentrate on those spheres... the result will be the ceasing of dualistic
thought and one will find themselves in their essential nature.
There are many more methods that are in the same Dzogchen style of practice like perfect
explanations of "sky gazing" as well.
Most interesting is the division of practices into several levels. The highest, is without any
practice at all and is called Anupaya or "no means of practice". This is conveyed through
'pointing out' or direct introduction to the highest State. This is like Ati. Then comes the
next lower level, with some practices etc.
This is a fascinating topic and deserves much deeper study...and research.”

**
”Dzogchen: Thodgal (Leap-Over) Instructions by Dudjom Lingpa
Now as for the stages of the main practice, at first you determine the ground by way of the
Breakthrough, then the initial moment of impure consciousness emerges in the aspect of
an object, a subsequent conceptualization fastens onto it, and delusion sets in. Now, in
contrast, in the Leap-over, the initial moment of consciousness is transformed into an
appearance of clear light, and by experiencing the very nature of consciousness, all impure
appearances dissolve into the absolute nature and vanish. Knowing how that occurs is the
indispensable, sublime point of the Leap-over, so recognize it!
If you do not recognize this vital point, however much you meditate, you will go astray on
the path of dualistic grasping, and you will not progress along the grounds and paths of
liberation. Thus, once you have truly realized the manner in which the whole of samsara
and nirvana is none other than your own appearances, finally all mental states and
appearances of the impure cycle of existence will forcefully be transformed into displays of
the clear light, reality itself. So this is the practical guidance on the great transference. By
truly recognizing the entrance to this path with the wisdom of realizing identitylessness,
originally pure reality-itself, beyond mental investigation, the absolute nature free of
conceptual elaboration, will be experienced with the eye of expansive wisdom. Unlike
nebulous, obscure meditations and intellectual fabrications, with the eye of wisdom you
directly see the precious, spontaneously present absolute nature, the reality-itself of the
expanse of clear light.
To practice these instructions, at the outset you must firm up your posture, for if this is not
done, the absolute nature, bindus, and the vital energies will be dispersed in all the
channels and elements of the body, and they will not manifest. As an analogy, if a snake is
not squeezed, its limbs will not become evident, but if it is, they appear. The posture is
accordingly of tremendous importance.
First, the lion's posture is as follows. Join the soles of your feet in front of you. Plant your
vajra-fists on the ground between your legs, and look up into the sky. That is the
dharmakaya posture and gaze. For the sambhogakaya posture, plant your knees and
elbows on the ground and support your cheeks with your palms. Point the soles of your feet
outward, and gaze directly in front of you. However, if appearances of the clear light do not
manifest, alternately run your gaze to the left and right and up and down. Rest your gaze
wherever those appearances are most clear. For the nirmanakaya posture plant the soles of
your feet on the ground, press your chest against your knees and clasp your knees with
both hands while interlacing your fingers. Straighten your spine, and gaze downwards.
Here is the significance of those postures. With the dharmakaya posture, the soles of the
feet are joined in order to constrain the afflictive vital energies in their own place. The
vajra-fists are placed on the ground to cut off the pathways of the afflictions.
The gaze is directed upwards to open the vision of primordial wisdom. With the
sambhogakaya posture, pointing the soles outward causes the vital energies to flow easily.
Pressing your knees against your chest balances the heat and cold elements of the body.
Pointing your knees and elbows at the ground blocks the impure apertures. Supporting
your cheeks with your palms balances bliss and emptiness. By directing your gaze straight
in front of you, primordial wisdom settles in its own luminosity.
With the nirmanakaya posture, the soles of your feet press on the air mandala in order to
suppress the power of the karmic vital energies. By pressing together the fire mandala of
the thighs and the fire mandala of the belly, the impure vital energies of samsara are
extinguished right where they are. By pressing together the water mandala of the knees
and the fire mandala of the palms, the heat and cold elements of the body are balanced. By
pressing together the fire mandala of the palms and the fire mandala of the armpits, cold
disorders are dispelled. By pressing together the water mandala of the backs of the hands
and the water mandala of the throat, heat disorders are dispelled.
By gazing downwards, the eye of omniscience is opened. Even if you look straight ahead or
turn your gaze upwards, the eye of omniscience is still opened, so there is no difference.
You may direct your gaze wherever you find the greatest clarity.
Moreover, it is not necessary to use all three postures. Rather, you may stay in any of the
postures that facilitates the arising of the clear light and that you find comfortable and
suitable. If you like variety, you may shift from one posture to the other and from time to
time apply yourself to other spiritual practices. If you want nothing complicated, strive in
meditation continuously throughout the day and night. Those who can meditate only
during the day and not through the night should constantly practice throughout the day.
The practice is to have three special sessions during the night and to intermittently train in
the dying process.
The important thing for the senses is that you look with eyes partially open and that you do
not suddenly open them wide, for that will dull your vision, and it will prevent the
appearances of the clear light from manifesting; so do not rigidly fix your gaze.
The important thing for the vital energies is that you practice breathing gently through
your mouth through a little opening between your lips and teeth; and pause for a moment
with the breath exhaled. As for the object of your gaze, in the beginning for about one
month, during the daytime direct your gaze one cubit( from the sun; then the [practice
during the] night will clear away any problems of heat increasing in the eyes due to the
sun. In order to achieve stability in the clear light, gaze at the moon in the same way.
At night if you gaze at a flame, by looking above it with your eyes half open, at first you will
see nothing more than something like an orange bale of hay. After awhile, the absolute
nature will appear and bindus will arise in the form of quivering lines. Finally, beautiful,
limpid visions of the absolute nature and bindus will appear clearly and extensively.
Remain with your body unmoving like a corpse in a charnel ground; keep your voice silent,
avoiding all articulation; and do not exhale through your nose but slowly breathe through
your mouth without impeding or forcing it. That is the reliance upon the crucial point of
letting the channels and vital energies be, without retention or manipulation. Remain
without moving from the state in which consciousness experientially emerges as the clear
light, without the mind being modified in any way. Wherever you are, by keeping the body
straight, all the channels and vital energies will be straight, and once the mind has
dissolved into empty awareness, you will be stabilized in that state.
The explanation of the channels and bindus of the path according to this yana is called Ati-
anu, so you should come to know them correctly. The mouth is the aperture through which
coarse, impure mental afflictions, vital energies, and mental states manifest, and the nose
is the subtle aperture for subtle afflictions, vital energies, and mental states. Here is the
way they move. In the lungs, channels having the width of a straw of wheat are filled with
that which is called the exhaled and inhaled breaths. If they increase, heat disorders arise,
if they decrease, cold disorders occur, and if the breath flows smoothly, there is a balance
of the heat and cold elements of the body. In one day, there are 21,600 breaths, which are
like mounts for mental ideation. Therefore, even though there are profound methods for
forcefully constraining the vital energies and mind by retaining and manipulating the
channels and breath, they may be enormously obstructive and misleading.
The six kinds of lamps of the ground of the nature of existence are the avenues by which
primordial wisdom arises, and the eyes are the evident apertures of primordial wisdom.
The ears are the hidden apertures of subtle primordial wisdom, and they are the pathways
by which consciousness apprehends appearances, so you train in their sounds. Through
the evident apertures of primordial wisdom, you train in the clear light that illuminates the
darkness. Dream appearances are the avenues to the manifestation of stainless vision, and
by familiarizing yourself with the clear light, emanation, and transformation, the
appearances in the transitional process of becoming can be emanated and transformed.
From that you can emanate a pristine nirmanakaya buddha-field and accustom yourself to
transforming the appearances of the intermediate state.
Here in order to experience the visions of the embodiments and primordial wisdoms there
are three kinds of lamps of the vessel. The quintessence of the body is the citta lamp of the
flesh at the heart, the inside of which is soft white. This is called the lamp of the channels,
the quintessence of the channels, and hollow crystal kati channel.
It is a single channel, one-eighth the width of a hair of a horse's tail, with two branches that
penetrate inside the heart like the horns of a wild ox. They curve around the back of the
ears and come to the pupils of the eyes. Their root is the heart, their trunk is the channels,
and their fruit is the eyes.
The quintessence of the apertures is called the fluid Lasso lamp. That consists of three
kinds of lamps of the vessel. Although the three kinds of lamps of the vessel are given three
names, in reality they refer to the same thing, like a root, trunk, and fruit. Thus, in the
context of the path, they are simply called the fluid lasso lamp.
As for the three kinds of lamps of the vital essence, the lamp of the pristine absolute nature
is the quintessence of the five outer elements. The transformation of impurities into the
five-colored lights of the empty essential nature of the quintessence is called the absolute
nature, and because of the purification of the reification of impurities, it is called pristine.
The element appearing as space, transformed into the quintessence, is blue and light blue.
The element appearing as water, transformed into the quintessence, is white and gray. The
element appearing as fire, transformed into the quintessence, is red and brown. The
element appearing as earth, transformed into the quintessence, is yellow, pale yellow, and
dark yellow. The element of air, transformed into the quintessence, appears as green, tan,
and light green.
At first, in whatever color the impure visions appear, when they are transformed into the
absolute nature, they still appear in that same color. As for the visions of the absolute
nature, at first they are of the nature of such things as the sun, moon, and a flame, bearing
all five colors, filled with rainbow patterns of the absolute nature, like brilliant brocade.
This rainbow weave arises as horizontal images.
Beginners may achieve stability in this by gazing for a month at the sun and a crystal
during the daytime, at the moon during the nighttime, and by gazing at a flame while
indoors. At the beginning, shimmering images arise, after awhile they become more stable,
and finally they remain motionless. At that time, look at a clear window, dispense with the
flaws of enjoying or not enjoying the beauty or lack of beauty of the light images. Then a
whitish blue emerges which is not that of the external sky, but know that it is important to
rest in a state without attraction or aversion to its qualities.
To transform the five inner elements into quintessences, the element of the quintessence of
the mind is transformed into blue and it appears as such; the element of the quintessence
of the blood transforms into the color white and appears as such; the element of the
quintessence of the flesh transforms into the color yellow and appears as such; the element
of the quintessence of warmth transforms into the color red and appears as such; and the
element of the quintessence of the breath transforms into the color green, and appears as
such.
As for the lamp of the empty bindu, the five quintessences appear in circular forms, so they
are called bindus. Although they are spherical, without corners, in your vision they appear
like concentric circles due to throwing a stone in a pond. The interior of the socalled hollow
crystal kati channel is filled with the lights of the five quintessences, and a form of an
indestructible bindu is present in that space. By gazing at that with the eye of wisdom, the
interior of that channel becomes evident and arises in the form of outer appearances.
Without grasping onto them, your own channels will illuminate themselves. If you grasp
onto the visions of the absolute nature as being external and onto awareness as being
internal, you will fall into the error of dualistic grasping.
In the domain of that pristine, absolute nature, the lusters of awareness called vajrastrands
appear like moving, floating threads of gold. That is the initial phase. After awhile they
appear like pearls threaded on a string, and finally they emerge in the form of full and half-
lattices. They are the basis from which the two kinds of lamps of vital essence arise, called
the lamp of self-arisen wisdom and the self-knowing sugatagarbha. The four lamps of the
path of appearances are the fluid lasso lamp, the lamp of the pristine absolute nature, the
lamp of the empty bindu, and the lamp of self-arisen wisdom.
The four lamps of the contemplative path are combined in one. Know that synthesizing
them, then applying yourself to practice is of the utmost importance. If you practice in that
way, unlike the mentally constructed, vague meditation as in the Breakthrough--the
reality-itself of the clear light will directly appear to your senses, so they are called the
direct visions of reality-itself. This is not like meditating on substantial, human- like deities
that are strenuously conjured up by the mind, as in the stage of generation.
This alone is the practical instruction for achieving stability in the great experiential
displays of the embodiments and primordial wisdoms, thereby liberating the actual three
embodiments within yourself. This is superior to the ordinary kinds of transference
involving the three recognitions, a path by which you visualize shapes and colors and
propel yourself aloft, as it were. This has the distinction of the great transference by which
you transform all appearances and mental states of samsara and nirvana into the absolute
nature of reality-itself.
Due to continuously practicing single-pointedly in that way, the potency of the vase
empowerment strikes the materiality of your body, so that you have no wish to move your
body; due to the potency of the secret empowerment permeating your speech patterns, you
have no wish to speak; and due to the potency of the wisdom empowerment striking your
mental continuum, your attention remains wherever you place it. This is real quiescence
that is devoid of signs.
Thus, since all coarse and subtle ideation is calmed in the ocean of the original ground, it is
quiescent; and since awareness remains without fluctuation in its own state, it is still.
By transforming appearances and mental states into displays of the embodiments and
primordial wisdoms, there is an exceptional vision of the clear-light appearances of reality-
itself, so this is called insight.
From the impure state of samsara, since you truly know the reality-itself of the
Breakthrough, the nature of existence of suchness, you see the truth of reality-itself. Due to
achieving a great, unprecedented vision of reality-itself, this is the Very Joyful [ground].
With the first visions of the Leap-over, you come to the confidence of never returning to
samsara, so you implicitly achieve the first ground of the sutra path.
On the mantra path, all delusive appearances and mental states come to maturation in the
nature of the clear light, reality-itself; ignorance is transformed into awareness, and you
implicitly achieve the ground in which awareness holds its own ground. At this time, even
if you die and are interrupted [in your practice], you will be reborn as a tulku, and you will
have embarked on the path of liberation. The outer signs are that the appearances of the
absolute nature are majestic and stable, as if the curtain on them had been opened; and
bindus appear, ranging from the size of fish eyes to thumb rings.”
**

"But when the prana is brought into the central channel, its essential nature-thigle, or
kundalini-is activated and enters the channels. Dualistic mind is then overcome, and
realization achieved."
Namkhai Norbu

**

Thogal
Preliminaries from a commentary by Thrangu Rinpoche upon a text by Karma Chagme

The second half of the Dzogchen is called Togel or leap over. The outlook of this practice is
that the mental events of the mind's cognitive lucidity, when experienced in their true or
pure form, they are the peaceful and wrathful deities. The peaceful ones are in the heart,
the Vidyadharas in the throat and the wrathful deities in the mind (brain). They abide in
the channels as body, speech and mind.
Because they are there if the right circumstances are created, they can be seen. You create
these circumstances through external and internal conditions, such as gaze, as you will see.
Initially, when you first see them you see them as circles or spheres of light or rays of light.
When you see them within the context of the proper conscious application of method; such
as the use of light and the use of darkness, then what you will see gradually ripens or
develops and gradually the circles become more distinct and brighter. Then the forms of
the deities with their ornaments and sceptors will appear. This method is called Togel.
There are two situations in which you can see these deities, one is within the Togel practice
of meditation and the other when you experience the bardo of death.
While alive these deities abide within your body, within the various channels. They are not
present physically in the form of deities, they are present in the form of thoughts and the
function of mind. When we die the body and mind separate and these deities emerge from
the channels where they are present until this time. When they do so you see them,
sometimes as the peaceful deities, other times as the wrathful deities and at other times as
the Vidyadharas. If you are unfamiliar with them, you will not recognize them. Either they
will appear so quickly that you will not notice their appearance, or you will not recognize
them at all, and be terrorized by them and run away from them. The terror that you
generate for the display of your own nature is the immediate cause generating the mental
body in the bardo. The mental body is in turn the vehicle for the next cultivation of
attachment, craving, acceptance, which causes you to seek and unfortunately find a
rebirth. At that point once you are conceived in your next life, the deities are withdrawn
once again into the channels in which you are starting to develop.
Now during this life you can see these deities using the technique of light, either the sun or
an electric light or darkness. If you perform these techniques their appearances will arise
as sound, light and as rays of light. However, for this to be of any use you need to have
experience of your mind's nature. The nature of these deities is spontaneous presence, they
are the natural display of Dharmata itself. But if you have no experience of that nature of
mind Dharmata, you will mistake them to be substantial which will in turn cause further
bewilderment.

The practice of Togel has two parts, the preliminary and the main practice. The Togel
preliminaries consist of the separation of samsara from nirvana, and this is done in body,
speech and mind, [the separation of body, the separation of speech and the separation of
mind.]

**
Togel
Principle Practice by Thrangu Rinpoche
The principle practice of The Great Perfection can be divided into two aspects Trekcho or
breakthrough and Togel or leap over. Of these two, this section is concerned with the
practice of Togel. The practice of breakthrough or Trekcho is the basis for the teachings
and practice of the six lamps, which constitute the path of the leap over. The practice of
Togel in itself has two aspects, the preliminaries and the main practice.
Now we come to the presentation of the actual practice, which is called, the introduction of
the six lamps. The use of the term lamp or torch, connotes or denotes something that
dispels darkness. What we are trying to do in our practice is recognize in direct experience
the Dharmata, or nature of all dharmas or things. And this is of course the nature of our
own mind. Principally we recognize it by looking at our own mind. The first thing that you
can say about your own mind is that it is emptiness, because it is empty of any substantial
existence. But if that was all the mind was, just emptiness, and it was nothing, then we
could not call the mind or the nature of the mind a lamp. It would not have the capacity to
dispel darkness, in fact it would be darkness itself. While your mind's nature is emptiness
it is not obscurity or darkness, it is illumination. Along with the mind's emptiness, the
other character that defines the mind is cognitive lucidity or awareness. So here the first
use of the term lamp, is to refer to the nature of your mind which is like a lamp, in being
the unity of cognitive lucidity and emptiness.
There are six aspects to this lamp or the illuminating quality of ones basic nature. The first
is called the abiding lamp of the ground. And, this is what was pointed out in the chapter
which introduced Mahamudra and Trekcho or breakthrough. Any sentient being by
definition has a mind. Any being that has a mind possesses the same fundamental nature.
All minds are of the same nature and this nature is emptiness, not obscurity. It is an
emptiness that is an inseparability from lucidity. This lucidity which is the defining
characteristic of a mind, or of a cognition, is at the same time the innate ability to achieve
the perfect wisdom of buddhahood, the innate ability to realize the nature of all things.
Therefore, this lucidity which characterizes any and all minds is called Sugatagarba or the
seed or nature of those who have gone to bliss. Now, the term sugata refers to a buddha
and it means those who have gone to bliss, those who no longer are remaining in a state of
suffering. When its said that we all possess the basic nature of that, it means that we all
possess the ability to transcend suffering, the ability to achieve buddahood. So cognitive
lucidity in and of itself is the seed of the potential to achieve and the ability to achieve
awakening. And this is so because we always have this as our basic nature.
The first of the six lamps, the abiding lamp of the ground, is in a sense an explanation or
common to Togel and Trekcho. The others are uncommon, in that they are only explained
or pointed out in the contents of Togel instruction. Now Dharmata, the nature of things, if
you look at it from the point of view of its vastness in scope is literality the nature of all
things. Therefore, it is all pervasive. But the root of Dharmata is the mind and therefore the
primary observation of Dharmata is in one's own mind.
We saw before that the mind has two aspects, what it is or how it really is, and what it
appears to be, or how it appears. In terms of how the mind appears, the mind appears to
reside in the body. The way we experience is, our appearing to be a resident of our body.
This means that while Dharmata is all pervasive, because it is the nature of mind, and
because the mind appears to reside within the body, Dharmata is most apparent within
your body. Now your mind pervades your whole body, but especially the mind itself.
In the primordial wisdom of the sugatas, the principle mind is seated within the heart.
Therefore, the second lamp is called the citta flesh lamp. So the heart is the lamp made of
flesh or living tissue. The reason for this is, that as we saw earlier while you are alive the
fundamental seat of the eighth consciousness is your heart. Now when you die and your
mind leaves your body, that's a whole different thing. Your body becomes a corpse. But as
long as you are alive, your body and mind are interconnected. Therefore, the second lamp
is the heart which is the seat of mind.
The third lamp is called the smooth white channel lamp. This is the channel which
connects the heart to the eyes. The eyes are the fourth lamp and the third lamp is the
channel that connects these two. It is this channel that causes the appearances of
Dharmata, seated in the heart to be visible. In order to be visible obviously they have to
appear to the eyes and the connections between the heart and eyes is called the smooth
white channel lamp. Now, it is a channel, but it is a channel that does not contain either
blood or lymph. It is empty of everything except wind (energy). For example in some
Dzogchen tantras it says, " it is in the white place of the brain that the appearances arise to
the senses." This refers to the vision of the eyes, because this channel passing from the
heart, the smooth white channel lamp passes via or through the brain.
The fourth lamp is called the distant lasso water lamp. This refers to something that is in
the center of the eyes. And, because you can see things that are distant, it's called the
distant lasso water; because of the composition of the eye. it refers not to the entire eye but
to the sense faculty within the eye that's at the end of the smooth white channel lamp. The
smooth white channel lamp starts at the heart and ends at the optic nerve.
The fourth lamp is the gate for the appearance of wisdom. And, the wisdom in this case
refers to the display of Dharmata, and the condition for its appearance is the use of the
eyes in a particular way or gaze, in connection with a source of light. Traditionally the sun
is given as the main example, but it can also be the light of the moon, an electric light, or a
light from a flame. Through the application of gaze you cause to appear to the fourth lamp,
or in the fourth lamp, the eyes, a rainbow like light phenomenon. And this embodies the
purity of the Dharmakaya and the five certainties of the Sambhogakaya, initially appearing
as multi colored light and circles of light. The gate for that appearance is the distant lasso
water lamp. When you do this and apply the gaze and make use of the four lamps
explained thus far, what you will see looks something like the tail of a peacock which
contains circles, that are often five different colors one surrounding another like circular
shields used in warfare.
What you are seeing with the fourth lamp is the fifth lamp which is called, the pure lamp of
the expanse. Here it's called the pure lamp of Dharmadhatu. Through the meeting of the
fifth and fourth lamps you experience the spontaneous display of the nature of all things.
Which means that what you are seeing is not a created or composite physical phenomenon.
Within the rays of light which are created by the gaze you see not only large circles or
spheres but lots of minute or little ones, like a net of pearls or little drops like fish eyes, and
sometimes they appear in moving patterns of lattice networks. That aspect of what your
seeing is the appearance of the unceasing activity of Nirmanakaya.
What you experience is called the display of the Trikaya in the form of rainbow light; they
are the unlimited display of the same nature the Dharmata. What you are seeing is the
three kayas as the unified appearances. Know that they appear in different ways; know that
in reality the different modes of appearances of the three embodiments are in essence
indivisible from reality itself.
The way you do this is by using a light source and in this text the example used is the sun.
Usually you use the sun as soon as it has arisen or as it sets. But, whenever you do it, it has
to be done in a certain way for this to work and for it to be safe.
First thing is, you do not look at the sun. Your not trying to get the direct light of the sun
into your eyes. Nor do you look at the rays of the sun in the usual sense, as the sun has rays
coming out of it. What you do is, you look one cubit below the sun, some distance from it,
and you cause the appearance of rays by squinting. By closing your eyes half way, you
adjust them exactly as to how much you close them, to what or how much you need to, in
order to generate the appearance of rays. When this happens, one of the things that
happens is, you cause the appearance of refractions of the light, so that it appears in
different colors. The squinting of the eyes causes the rays of light to appear like aligned
weapons, like parallel spears, which seem like a downpour of weapons shooting into
oneself at your heart.
This one aspect of this training and one benefit of this, is that you prepare yourself for the
appearances of the bardo. Because, in the bardo after death the light of wisdom appears in
part as brilliant rays of light that you perceive as threatening, as weapons, as something
that you have to be afraid of. So one thing that you are doing in this practice is learning to
recognize such phenomena as your own display, not as something coming from outside
yourself.
When you do this you see five colors of light. The five colors of light are considered the
display of emptiness. The reason that you see the five colors is because in the impure
context or form, we experience the five poisons, attachment, aversion, pride, jealously and
apathy. If they are recognized in their pure nature, these are the five wisdoms, which are
inseparable from the five buddhas. In the impure context we experience the five
aggregates, form, sensation, perception, mental formation and consciousness. In the pure
form they are the five buddhas, Varochana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha and
Amoghasiddhi. In the impure contents we experience the five elements. Blue light is the
element of space, white light of water, yellow light of earth, red light of fire and green light
of air. In their pure form they are the five female buddhas. The dark blue light is
Akasadhatvisvari; the white light is Buddhalocana; the yellow light is Mamaki; the red light
is Pandaravasini and the green light is Samayatara.
The five colors of light are the five families in nature, white sugata family; blue vajra
family; yellow ratna family; red padma; and green karma. But if they are unrecognized,
they are the five winds which give rise to the five physical elements. Again if unrecognized
they are the five directions, the center, south, west, east and north. If their nature is
recognized they are the five pure realms. If unrecognized they are the five maras; the mara
of the lord of death, means everyone is subject to death which of course interrupts their
practice. The mara of the aggregates, refers to the physical body, encased in this material
human body subject to its changes. The klesha mara or mara of disturbing emotions, is to
be caught up in these emotions, as all sentient beings are. The mara of the child of the gods
is the demon of seduction. It is our inner voice that whispers to oneself and gives wrong
advice like, there is something more interesting than practicing. Do it later, tomorrow, next
week or next month. If recognized they are the five wrathful deities, vajra heruka, ratna
heruka, and so forth.
The technique just presented using the creation of appearances of rays from a light source,
such as the sun, is called the 'introduction to rays'. The appearances are classified as light
rays and sound.
Another instruction that's given is called the 'introduction to squeezing the oceans'. The
word oceans is referring to the eyes and this is the technique where you squeeze or press
on your eyes with your fingers, and by doing so you see light. The light that you see is said
to be the display of the wisdom light of the peaceful deities in your heart. In order to see
this particular light you have to squeeze quite hard. So don't do it for very long.
The third one which is connected to sound is called 'the introduction to the waves of the
ocean.' This one, with your fingers you block the ears by pressing on them. First very
indistinct and then progressively louder and louder, you hear a hum or humming, that is
said to be the nature sound of Dharmata.
Now the point of all these techniques is to use the appearance as a means for realizing the
nature itself, or Dharmata. You can also do this by remaining in complete darkness.
Generally speaking the techniques that use light are called instructions or guidance in
brightness, and, the ones that depend on darkness are called the instruction in darkness.
These appearances can arise through meditation practice using these techniques or they
also happen after you die in the bardo. When these appearances arise in the bardo they
constitute the sixth lamp, which is called the 'bardo lamp of time.' Although in the bardo
the appearances of light and sound are far more intense then what you experience through
practice in this life. Nevertheless, through familiarization with these phenomena in this life
in practice, you gain the ability not to be intimidated by these appearances through your
recognition of them as empty display.
Now the part of the bardo or the phase of the bardo, in which these things appear is called
the 'bardo of Dharmata.' When you are dying, what's called the life wind is gradually
weakening. Now, it is the life wind that keeps you alive, and the life wind also keeps the
white element, that you have inherited from your father in place at the top of your body;
and the red element that you have inherited from your mother in place in the lower
abdomen. As the life wind becomes weaker and weakening, these two start to move. It's as
though the wind has a pressure that keeps these elements in place. As the life wind starts to
become more and more impaired the white element, inherited from your father, descends
from the top of your head downward through your body, you experience an all
encompassing whiteness. As the red element inherited from your mother begins to move
upward from the lower abdomen, you experience an all encompassing redness. When the
life wind is no longer functioning, then these two elements meet at the heart and
encapsulate the seed of the mind within the heart causing an experience of all
encompassing blackness, or darkness.
Immediately after that there is an experience of emptiness, an experience of the nature of
all things, just as it is, without any other appearances or other factors interfering with it.
That initial experience of emptiness and what happens immediately after that, is called the
'bardo Dharmata,' because it is the display or experience of the nature of things itself.
If you have become familiar with the nature of things through meditation, in the preceding
life, then there will be no difference between the Dharmata that you have experience and
the Dharmata that presents itself to you at that point and being able to recognize the
present Dharmata. Because of your experience with it in practice is called the 'meeting of
the mother and child Dharmatas'. The mother is what arises for everyone, and the child is
what you have cultivated and familiarized in practice.
So in that way through practice you are able to recognize the nature, then you remain in
that recognition in the state of samadhi for sometime. If you do not recognize it, then that
brief glimpse of emptiness ceases and you start to see the appearances of the clear light
such as the peaceful and wrathful deities, lights and sounds and so on. It is at that point
that familiarity with these, through meditating on the lights, circles and the forms of
deities will be of benefit.
In Trekcho and essence Mahamudra the main point is to be able to rest in and sustain the
continuity of the view. When practicing Togel while maintaining the view, one uses
whatever manifests as an adornment in the sense of acknowledging that all the different
experiences are actually the display or manifestation of innate wakefulness.
If you have the habit of meditating on this aspect of The Great Perfection, then you can
achieve liberation at that point in the bardo. So therefore, at this point Karma Chagmey
Rinpoche says, " in order to prepare for that aspect of the after death experience, you
should regularly gaze at light in this way." And he says, " if you do this assiduously you will
see truly wondrous things." He cautions us at this point. He says, " make no mistake what
you're seeing when you do this authentically is not like looking at a rainbow that appears in
the sky. It's not external light in that way, because it's the spontaneous display of the five
families. Therefore, when you see these five color rays of light, it is no different from seeing
the five Buddhas themselves." He concludes," if you have purified karma you will actually
see the forms of deities, peaceful deities like Avalokiteshvara, Amitabha and Guru
Rinpoche, wrathful deities, like Hayagriva," and so on.

**

”Dzogchen Sky Gazing Theory and Practice

Gyatrul quotes:
From the Dzogchen Master, Gyatrul Rinpoche’s teaching:
”Steadly fix your gaze in the space in front of you, into the
vacuity at the level of the tip of your nose, without any
disorderliness or duplicity. This is the benefit of this gaze:
in the center of the hearts of all beings there is the hollow
crystal kati channel, which is a channel of primordial wisdom. If it
points down and is closed off, primordial wisdom is obscured, and
delusion grows. Thus, in animals that channel faces downwards and is
closed off, so they are foolish and deluded. In humans that channel points horizontally and
is slightly open, so human intelligence is
bright and our consciousness is clear. In people who have attained
siddhis and in bodhisattvas that channel is open and faces upwards,
so there arise unimaginable samadhis, primordial wisdom of
knowledge, and vast extrasensory perceptions. These occur due to the
open quality of that channel of primordial wisdom. Thus, when the
eyes are closed, that channel is closed off and points down, so
consciousness is dimmed by the delusion of darkness. By steadily
fixing the gaze, that channel faces up and opens, which
isolates “pure awareness from impure awareness” (the authentic
rushan).
Then clear, thought-free samadhi arises, and numerous pure
visions appear. Thus, the gaze is important..... the hollow crystal
kati channel is kept secret, and there are no discussions of this
special channel of primordial wisdom. This channel is unlike the
central channel, the right channel, the left channel, or any of the
channels of the five chakras; it is absolutely not the same as any
of them. Its shape is like that of a peppercorn that is just about
open, there is no blood or lymph inside it, and it is limpid and
clear.
A special technique for opening this is hidden in the
instructions on the natural liberation pertaining to the lower
orifice, great bliss, and desire. The lower yanas do not have even
the name of this channel. Thus, while steadily maintaining the
gaze, place the awareness unwaveringly, steadily, clearly, nakedly,
and fixedly, without having anything on which to meditate, in the
sphere of space. When stability increases, examine the
consciousness that is stable. Then gently release and relax.....”

Clarity (gsal-ba) is the radiance of the Dharmakaya. It is the essential nature of Rigpa, the
essential and timeless aspect that arises in each moment. It is the non-conceptual
knowingness aspect of Rigpa also known as yeshe. Rigpa has essentially two components
in oneness: The emptiness aspect of the Dharmakaya and the arising of Presence as clarity
of gsal-ba. It is this arising aspect (nature, rang-zhin) that is the luminosity that arises
from the heart center that shines through the ka-ti channel out through the eyes. But it is
also the awareness that allows hearing, smell, taste and touch to function. It is in the aspect
or sense of touch that it is all pervasive throughout the body. But the main aspect for
practice is the visual aspect of clarity that is centered in the lamp of the eyes, the fluid lasso
lamp.
The Tantra of the Self-arising Buddha states:
Unimpeded primordial wisdom, which reveals itself in the embodiments of primordial
wisdom, has for its basis one’s own eyes. Its location is in the center of one pupils. Its
luminosity is the clarity of unimpeded vision. This infinite unimpededness in the center of
one’s pupils is the embodiment of the unimpeded primordial wisdom of the buddhas.
And:
This luminosity of the eyes seeing without impediment is called the fluid lasso lamp.

The Tantra of the Essential Meaning of Avalokitesvara states:

Thus, the basis of the experience of the clear light is the fluid lasso lamp.
(Quotes from A Spacious Path to Freedom and Naked Awareness, both by Karma Chagme,
17th century)
Lopon Tenzin Namdak says in his Bonpo Dzogchen Teachings, :
The word Sal-ba (gsal-ba) means clarity, but this is not a physical, visible light. Here clear
(gsal-ba) means present and aware.
Rigpa is a synonym for clarity. (gsal-ba) (pp. 85)
From Natural Liberation, Padma Sambhava teachings on the Six Bardos, as revealed by
Karma Lingpa, commentary by Gyatrul Rinpoche:
From the Tantra of the Three Phrases of Liberation by Observation:
Oh Lord of Mysteries, the revelation of the Dharmakaya exists in dependence upon your
body. Its locus is the core of your heart. Its clarity is the clarity issuing from your eyes. The
Buddha dwells inside your heart, and though it is enclosed by the body of flesh and blood,
it is not covered. Thus, unobscured by the body , it is clearly, unobsturctedly present in the
three times. That is the unborn and undying quality of your awareness.
Gyatrul Rinpoche comments:
The statement clarity (gsal-ba) issuing out from your eyes pertains to the channel that
connects the heart to the eyes. This clarity is a kind of luminosity, and since it is beyond the
three times of the past, present, and future, it is unborn and undying.
The Tantra continues:
Oh, Lord of Mysteries, there are the instructions for actualizing the Dharmakaya: external
space is this empty intervening space: internal space is the empty, hollow channel that
connects the eyes and the heart (ka-ti), and the secret space is the precious palace of your
own heart.
Direct your awareness to your eyes; direct your eyes to the intervening space, and by
leaving your gaze there, primordial wisdom freely arises. When consciousness is directed
to your eyes, nonconceptual awareness alone will appear, without being obscured by any
compulsive ideation. Pp. 176
Padma Sambhava continues:
The main practice of the meditation, called the meditation of the threefold space is to be
practiced while the body is in the posture of Vairocana with its seven attributes. (normal
sitting meditation posture) (or in a chair) Inwardly focus this empty mind-itself on the
inter-connecting pathway of the empty, hollow channel(ka-ti). Identifying the aperture
called the “fluid lasso lamp”directing your awareness to the eyes. Let the eyes gaze fixedly
at this fresh, external space, and also focus your awareness into the space in front of you.
Without meditating on anything, simply without wavering, let it be steady, luminous, and
even.
Gyatrul Rinpoche comments:
This practice is quite similar to the Leap-Over practice (thogal). You can learn the
significance of this practice only by experiencing it for yourself. Just as you must feed your
children for them to grow up, you need to feed your self through practice. By initially
reading these teachings, you may get some understanding, but that lone does not suffice.
Padma Sambhava continues:
First practice in short sessions, and as you become accustomed to it, practice in longer and
longer sessions. When you bring the session to an end, do not get up abruptly, but rise
slowly without losing the sense of meditating: and proceed without losing the sense of
awareness, without wavering, and without grasping. As you eat, drink, speak, and engage
in every activity, do without losing the sentry of unwavering mindfulness. If this happens
in meditative equipoise but not afterwards, by integrating this with your spiritual practice
and all activities of moving, walking, lying down, and sitting, whatever you do will appear
as meditation.
pp 177
Wonders of the Natural Mind) pp 119
It is of great importance to have the experiential, and not merely conceptual,
understanding of the inseparability of external surrounding space, the internal space with
objects, and the secret space in the mind. When the Dzogchen teachings talk about
integrating the mind with space through the practice of gazing into the sky, the practitioner
is trying to be present in the inseparability of these three spaces. The reason the practice is
performed by gazing is not to limit sense perception to the visual sense consciousness only.
It is possible to experience the inseparability of the three spaces through all the senses. The
eye sense organ is favored because it is the most important of the five sense
consciousnesses and because it is associated with the space element. It is through the eyes
that we see the base wisdom while gazing into space. Inner luminosity originates in the
heart and passes through two channels that connect the empty space of the heart with the
external empty space of the sky through the eyes, the water light doors of the inner light.
Thus it is through the eyes that the inner luminosity is projected into external space. In this
way the space element of the heart, the space element of the eye sense consciousness, and
the external surrounding space element of the sky are connected. This is integration with
space, and we no longer feel limited by our bodies to one specific location but are present
everywhere in space with no boundaries.
Continued: (pp 127)
“It can be said that when we experience the fruition of the sky gazing practice we are seeing
primordial awareness itself through our physical eyes, experiencing and realizing it while
the moving-mind awareness is continuously and undistractedly present through the eye
sense consciousness. In this way we develop the trekchod contemplation practice of
remaining in union with space.”
I hope the materials above have helped to clarify and explain the theory and practice of
“sky gazing” practice. I do have many additional textual sources that I could continue to
quote, but I feel these are some of the best. I have practiced sky gazing myself for many
years since receiving the transmissions and instructions from Norbu Rinpoche almost 30
years ago.
It would be a great benefit for all to put this practice to use. I have included many specific
instructions on earlier posts, regarding postures, gaze etc. Never face the sun when doing
this practice. You can actually do it in any space not just the sky. In a room, just focus on
the space in front of you, not the objects or walls.”
**

“Enlightenment is mind free of concepts and it is not achieved by following a gradual

path.”
The Core Root Tantra of Dzogchen,
the Kunje Gyalpo

Dzogchen Kunje Gyalpo Tantra:

Longchenpa says regarding the Kunje Gyalpo Tantra: “These teachings smash the huge
rocks of erroneous views of the lower vehicles, and at the same time they illuminate the
true meaning of the natural state, thus they can be compared to a diamond or to the
splendor of the sun.” “These teachings demonstrate that the “nature of mind” cannot be
altered, achieved, or eliminated: it is just like celestial space.”
From the root Dzogchen Semde text, the Kunje Gyalpo, Chapters 28,51, 53:
“Self-arising wisdom, the essence of Dharmakaya, is not realized through effort, but
conversely, by just remaining in the natural condition. It transcends all the aims of the
practices, for that which is called “aim” is only a name: in reality “enlightenment” itself is
only a name. Using the definition of “enlightenment” is a characteristic of the provisional
teachings and not of the definitive ones.”
“As the true nature transcends cause and effect, those desirous of the fruit should not
engage in its cause; It is realized by just remaining in the natural condition free of
concepts.”
“Enlightenment is mind free of concepts and it is not achieved by following a gradual
path.”
“The very word “realize” is not part of my language but of the language of those who base
themselves on cause and effect”.
“Likewise, the sky does not change: were the sky to seek to become “the sky” it could never
succeed. The nature of being does not change: were being to seek to become its own
nature, it could never succeed. The nature of mind does not change: were the nature of
mind to seek to realize itself it could not succeed. Meditation that seeks to transform that
which cannot change presupposes hope in some future time: as it is based on desire and
depends on time, it becomes a desperate meditation and is utterly not what I mean by the
“definitive teaching” (Chapter 28)

One of the earliest and greatest Dzogchen masters, Vairocana wrote regarding correct
Dzogchen practice:
"No matter what you do, don't think of anything at all!"
From his personal Upadesha called
"The Sun of My Heart" translated by Christopher Wilkinson.

"Samsara is mind turned outwardly, lost in its projections. Nirvana is mind turned
inwardly, recognizing its nature." - Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

”Pith Oral Instruction on Essence Mahamudra Direct Recognition

From:
By the matchless Drikungpa Kyobpa Jigten Gonpo (1147-1217)
"Removing the Darkness of Ignorance
Through the Ornament of Luminous Primordial Wisdom"
Superior insight:
Body posture and gazing are as before. Apart from that, with your gaze directed into the
space of the sky, slightly invigorated awareness and the mind established relaxed and at
ease in its natural state, stare at the essence of the luminous mind that remains in
complete clarity, so that the mind stares at itself: How is this essence of the mind?
By practicing in that way and gaining perfect certainty, a crystal clear, genuine, naked, and
vivid awareness of a luminous yet not definable mind unfolds.
Until you reach that state...(through practice)the mental processes subside of their own
accord and that relaxed one- pointed remaining of the mind in its own nature is “calm
abiding.” In that state, there exists no linguistic or intellectual expression for the nature of
the mind, but despite that, the luminous and unceasing crystal clear, genuine, naked, and
vivid awareness [of the nature of mind] is a thing to be seen that is not seen, a thing to be
experienced that is not experienced and a thing one becomes confident or certain about.
Nevertheless it is linguistically not expressible. This is “superior insight.””
Namkhai Norbu, Four Visions, From transcript of commentary on Song of the Vajra

We can discover our potentiality, dharmata, with the method of the Four Visions. The
First Vision is chos.nyid mngon,sum. Chos.nyid means "dharmata", mngon.sum means
"real", meaning something we have contact with or we discover through our senses,
not merely imagination. For example we say, "Emptiness is our real nature," although
that is a kind of experience, yet it is not something we really see or experience
concretely. By contrast chos.nyid mngon.sum means something concrete. How can we
have that concreteness? We acquire that through visions. The First Vision we can
have is the thigle. For example, you are looking in empty space, then the thigle
appears, particularly if there are secondary causes like sun-rays, or other kinds of
light. In that case you look into the rays of that light with your eyes half closed
and in a dimension of rays you can discover the apparition of the thigle. It looks
somehow like a peacock feather, and it is shining and sometimes when you see it and
look at it then it goes away and disappears. So even though we did not do much
practice we can have that experience, we can have that experience because everybody
has that potentiality in their nature. Our potentiality can manifest and we can
easily discover it.So what really is the manifestation of the thigle? A thigle is the form of
our potentiality manifesting in front of our eyes as something like a vision because
there is a secondary cause for its manifesting. For example the sun's rays are only
a secondary cause. For example, if you sit with your hand, or any part of the body
near your eyes, you notice that you have many hairs on your hand and if you look
through this hair near the sun's ray it is shining and many kinds of thigle
manifest. Or if you lay down on the ground and you put a piece of woolen or silken
cloth on your face, looking at the sun-rays through this cloth you can see many
thigle. You might think that they are coming from the woolen cloth or from the rays,
but those are only the secondary causes; the thigle do not originate from them.Let us take
the example of a crystal rock. If you put it in the light when secondary
causes, such as sun rays, are present, then from this crystal rock infinite lights
having rainbow colors come out. They are not really manifesting from sun rays, which
is only a secondary cause. In reality that manifestation comes from the potentiality
of the crystal rock, and in the same way, the manifestation of thigle comes through
our potentiality. You can discover that when you are doing the dark retreat: in the
dark you are only doing some specific positions and gazing with the eyes and you can
have infinite visions of thigle. How can you have these visions when there are no
sun rays? Even if you live in the dark you still have your potentiality, only the
secondary causes for manifesting it are not the sun rays; it could be the position
and the manner of gazing. There are many ways in which you can develop that
possibility , and that is called "the real vision of dharmata." You have that vision
of thigle; it means something like having the vision of your potentiality, because
through that you discover your potentiality. So this is the first stage of the
vision; through this very important method you can have possibility of that vision
and discovering your potentiality. So your vision of dharmata is very important for
realizing and integrating your potentiality.All the practices like thod.rgal and yang.tig start
and develop from that point of
thigle. You always have the production of a karmic body -- your material body is the
resultant product of the potentiality of karma that you produce. You see, your real
nature is pure from the beginning, and has infinite potentiality which manifests
through sound, light and rays. But when we do not have that knowledge and we are
distracted and enter into a dualistic vision, that is the starting point of samsara.
Someone may ask, "Who made, and who created this samsara and when was it created?"
Although you cannot trace a cosmological map of its origin, yet whenever you enter
in a dualistic vision, you are already in samsara and that is the starting point.For example,
you have the five elements and in your potentiality they are like the
five colors if you manifest some pure manifestation or pure dimension. But when you
produce negative karma that characteristic of negative karma is associated with all
your elements, with all your potentiality, so your elements slowly, slowly become
somewhat material, more on a material level due to the production of karma, and the
result of it is what we call karmic vision.
The vision of the thigle and that of our physical existence are very distinct: the
physical body and all our human dimension is the production of karma, while what
appears in the thigle is our real potentiality.When you have this knowledge then you have
the possibility that your existence, this
karmic production is integrated in that thigle. If you totally succeed in
integrating your existence in that thigle, that is called "Great Transference" --
there is no death and even the elements, all existence, is realized in its natural
manifestation of the rainbow body. Even if you do not have the capacity for that
total integration in the thigle, but are on that path, and you have the capacity of
integrating, even if your material karmic body remains, depending on the level of
your capacity of contemplation when you die, still you can totally integrate --
maybe it will take seven days, but then your physical body dissolves in its real
nature. Even if you have death, your realization manifests as the rainbow body. So
the first stage is seeing or having real experience of dharmata.The second stage is called
nyams.snang gong.'phel. Nyams means experience, snag
means "vision"; through experience you can have different kinds of visions. Visions
do not only refer to visions related to our eyes, but also mean the functions of all the
senses. Gong.'phel means "developing," "increasing," and it refers to the fact
that you are using specific positions. In general we have three main positions:
Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya. By using a particular position and by
controlling your energy the result is that specific aspect of manifestation. for
example, you are gazing into space, or you are looking in the sun rays and you have
visions of thigle, one or many thigle. And when you have that thigle you can also
see a kind of light net; sometimes you can see silver strings, and we call that
vajrasattva chain. That too is a manifestation of the continuation of our
potentiality. When you observe the thigle all these chains move; then when you
observe this net of light, do not go after the thigle and these things, but remain
in a state of contemplation. In this way you can find these thigle and all other
visions stop moving. And slowly, slowly, day after day, you develop and you can find
some stable thigle; then you fix on that thigle and integrate your existence in that
thigle. It does not mean very much if you have many visions of thigle, that is only
the manifestation of your potentiality, also you must not only have curiosity and
kind of play about with the visions, you should only integrate, and be in that
thigle.Integrating means that whatever you see, you are just that, and that is in your
existence. If you do not remain in a dualistic vision you can develop your
manifestations more and more. When you develop visions you must not immediately
create an attachment to them. Some people, when they have some kinds of visions,
such as nice things, feel very happy and say, "I always want to have this vision."
With this kind of attachment you block your possibility of development. On the
contrary, you have to relax in that state, in any kind of vision, and integrate in
that state in this way so that the vision of the thigle increases. You can also
experience the development of visions in a thigle, such as full or partial
manifestations of the Dhyani Buddhas or a half form, a partial form of it. So this
is called increasing your vision.
The Third Vision is called rig.pa tshad.phebs and means "maturing your knowledge,"
being in a state of rigpa. When you are in that contemplation, you do not need any
effort for being or integrating; you easily, automatically get in that state of
integration and remain that way in this vision. Through applying integration in that
way you have the vision of how all that has matured and totally developed.
Particularly in the dimension of the thigle there are many different kinds of
visions, some are pure and some are impure. So this is the third stage.
Then you have the last stage which is called the stage of chos zad, chos means
"dharma", or phenomena, zad means "consuming"; thus consuming phenomena,
principally
in your vision, in your consideration of subject and object. You see, you have a
physical body, which is the product of karma, and through this practice of
integration with that capacity you slowly, slowly consume your existence -- it means
dissolving your physical body into its real nature. So when you are entering in this
stage, applying this practice and you die on that path, your death and your
realization is the rainbow body. If you succeed at that stage then there is the
great transference.

This is a vey important, essential method, so you must be very serious about this
method and its teaching.It is important to realize how energy manifests. The
characteristics of our energy are called gdangs,(dang) rol.pa and rtsal (tsal). The energy of
the state of rigpa
is immutable, and being in that energy itself, that is the state of contemplation of
gdangs.(dang) How is the gdangs energy itself? In general we learn about it with an
example: gdangs energy is like a crystal ball: it has no color, and its real nature
is pure, limpid and clear, but if you put it on a piece of collared cloth, for
example, then it will appear to be the same color as the cloth.In Dzogchen, when we give
teachings with the symbolic transmission, we sometimes
place symbolic objects on a table, not merely speaking about them, so that the
practitioners can observe them and then discover what they mean by going into the
experience concretely. For example, you take a table and cover it with a piece of
cloth which has four different colors, one on each side of the four directions like
a mandala: the mandala in the east is white, the vajra family; in the south is yellow, the
ratna family; the one in the west is red, the padma family; while in the
north it is green, the karma family; and the center is blue, the position of
vairocana, the buddha family. Then at the center of this mandala you place a crystal
ball; if you look at the ball from above it appears completely blue because in the
center the base is blue.
Then you go to the east side and you look in the crystal ball, and it appears white,
then you go and turn around a little and its aspect changes again and it becomes
yellow, if you keep on walking it will keep on changing into red and then green,
because all directions have their color, and so on according to the direction you
are walking around. So what does this mean? It means that whatever the situation and
the circumstances are, the state of contemplation manifests that, because in the
real Dharmakaya state there are no colors, or forms, or positions. All circumstances
and positions are relative, so when you are in your real nature nothing ever
changes, even if you are seeing different colors. The nature of the crystal is
always clear, pure and limpid. So you are like that; this is your state, and in any
circumstances in which you integrate, and you find yourself in that integration --
that condition of energy is called gdangs... To have an example of this we put the crystal
rock in the sunshine, then, when the
sun rays strike the crystal rock, rainbow colors manifest everywhere. But in the
absence of sunshine, all these lights and their potentiality remain inside the
crystal rock, because it is the source of the manifestations of these colors. Of
course, if there is no secondary cause -- sun rays -- there is no manifestation.
With the mirror, for example, the secondary cause is the presence of an object or
some people in front of it, if that cause is not present, then here is no
reflection. It is similar with the crystal rock -- its potentiality manifests only
when there are secondary causes. Let us take the manifestation of deities or
mandalas. Their cause for manifesting is sound, light and rays -- first sound, then
light becomes rays of different colors, and from the five colors different shapes
form which are the manifestations. We call that a pure dimension, which is part of
our real energy.
When we are distracted, conditioned by subject and object, we produce a lot of karma
and the potentiality of karma. All potentiality of karma is associated with our
energy, and then instead of light, we have impure vision -- karmic vision -- and
that becomes an obstacle for having knowledge or being in real potentiality. So in
that way we have samsara, and we say then that we have the different visions of
lokas, mainly the six lokas. What are the six lokas in a practical sense? They are
part of our rtsal energy. What does an enlightened being like Kalachakra or some
other Sambhogakaya manifestation display? That is rtsal energy. We can speak of
rtsal energy in a more detailed way, as it pervades our whole existence. Our prana
energy, for example, which is more related to our physical body, the kundalini
energy, or even ordinary physical energy force -- everything is related to tsal
energy.So rtsal energy is like the root of all, that is why we say our primordial state is
the center of the universe; the whole universe is our rtsal manifestation. Everybody
has the same condition. When you are in the state of rigpa, what is rtsal energy? It
is your experience and through experience you are in the rtsal energy, and this is
called rig.rtsal. No longer do you have a dualistic consideration such as, this is
energy, this is my condition and so on, because in that instant presence you are not
in dualistic vision. that is the most important point in contemplation. In this way
we integrate all our existence -- body, voice, and mind -- the whole universe and
all circumstances, in a state of contemplation.So, these three main manifestations of our
energy are related with the three states
of the kayas: the gdangs energy never changes its real nature, which is primarily in the
state of the Dharmakaya. For demonstrating the rol.pa energy, we took the
example of the mirror and being integrated in that is the Sambhogakaya. And rtsal
energy is more related with our condition, both pure and impure dimensions, so it is
linked with the Nirmanakaya state. You can understand that it is not sufficient just
to have knowledge of your nature and energy, but there is something to do in your
practice."

If thoughts arise, remain present in that state; if no thoughts arise, remain present in that
state; there is no difference in the presence in either state. - Garab Dorje

Dzogchen master Longchenpa wrote:

"Mind itself - that is, the nature of awakened mind -
is pure like space, and so is without birth or death, pleasure or pain.
It has no substance to delimit it and is free of the phenomena of samsara
and nirvana.
It cannot be characterized as some "thing" and being infinitely spacious expanse, it is
unchanging, without transition, spontaneously present, and uncompounded.
Given that buddhahood lies within the vajra heart essence of utter lucidity,
everything is a naturally occurring realm of bliss -
the very context of sublime enlightenment, a state of spontaneous equalness."
"Channels of Light in the Great Perfection.

In the Great Perfection, the ordinary body contains a subtle “adamantine body” that
manages its growth, development, and functioning. The tradition describes this subtle
body in terms of three basic components: channels, winds, and seminal nuclei. The energy
channels here are much like those found in other Buddhist and Hindu tantric traditions,
consisting of a set of three vertical tubes that run from the genital area to the cranium,
passing through a series of horizontal “wheels.” The three basic channels then branch out
and spread throughout the body, creating a system of pathways much like the body’s
ordinary circulatory system.
Propelled by the energy “winds,” seminal nuclei (thigle) then circulate throughout the body
using these pathways and act as tiny organizing centers and matrices, producing the
energy for the body’s motion, guiding and organizing its growth and development,
contributing the energy for ordinary and transcendent mental functioning, and serving as
the basic seeds operative in conception.
In addition to this set of conventional channels, the Great Perfection describes a set of
luminous channels (’od rtsa) that branch out from the heart and also spread throughout
the body, like a circulation system that carries not blood or coarse sexual seminal nuclei
but light. Canonical texts do not all agree on the names and functions of the luminous
channels, but one standard way of presenting them is this set from the Nyingma 'Tantra of
the Blazing Lamps':
'At the center of all sentient beings’ bodies Emerging from the immeasurable mansion of
their precious citta-heart There are many thousands of channels.
But in particular, there are four great channels:
(1) The great golden kati channel, (2) The one that is like a silk thread, (3) The slender coil,
and (4) the crystal tube.'
These four “great” channels serve as the main pathways for awareness’ radiant energy,
directing it around the body where it serves as the deepest source of our vitality. The light
channels are generally correlated with (or even located within) the ordinary channels, so in
this way they can be seen as the high-energy foundations and sources of the ordinary
channels.
The luminous channels, however, are more than simple reduplications of the ordinary
energy channels. One major innovation here is the “slender coil” and “crystal tube”
channels, which run from the heart, vertically up the spine, over the crown of the head, and
connect to the eyes.
The main function of these is visionary: they serve as the pathway for luminous awareness,
which resides in the heart, to travel upward and project out of the eyes, and be seen in
vision.
These heart-to-eye channels are also described in Bön sources, though they appear under
different names. Thus despite slight variations in their descriptions of the light channels,
both the Bön and Nyingma traditions make the same claim: that the body is literally wired
for vision. So, while these traditions acknowledge that part of the human condition is being
imprisoned in a body, they also suggest how the body has physical structures that provide a
way out of that trap.
If the heart-to-eyes channels are a kind of soteriological dimension of the body, it should
come as no surprise that discussions of them frequently turn back to matters of ultimate
truth and emptiness. As we will see in more detail later, the Great Perfection’s light
channels are described as the “suchness” dimension of the visual system, indicating how
their function is to visually intuit, or self-recognize, the ultimate, much as if they are
composed of a dynamic emptiness whose nature it is to see itself.
Chris Hatchell: Naked Seeing

"Thig means “to create arrays,” [a function] that arises in conventional and ultimate ways.
Le means “to conceive and uphold.” Via the conventional [thig-le], cyclic existence is
perceived, and via the ultimate [thig-le], perceptions of transcendence are brought about.
Here the syllable thig (again playing on the meaning “line”) is said to indicate that thig-le
are entities that create patterns, organizations, or arrays : they array themselves in
geometric forms in the sky but also act as the deep organizing principles of the universe.
The syllable le is treated with a complex wordplay, which points to thig-le as functioning to
“create perception” (’dzin par byed), putting their contents on display so they can be
apprehended in the world. By the same token, they are not just displays waiting to be
perceived but are the very forces that “actively uphold” or “actively maintain” (’dzin par
byed) the world, indicating how they are fragments of the very awareness that underlies
both cyclic existence and transcendence."
Chris Hatchell

Thogal Thigles or Buddha Spheres

"Descriptions of these visionary lights are also some of the most evocative features of Great
Perfection literature; this passage from Drugyalwa’s Six Lamps commentary describes a
yogic encounter...
'Having unwaveringly trained awareness on those earlier visions and brought them into
your meditative experience, [now] crystal-colored thig-le of awareness, like little peas,
appear within the luminosity. And, there are appearances of larger formations, with two or
three [thig-le] connected together, or with many connected together, and so forth. As well,
there are nuclei of awareness called “necklaces of thig-le,” which are like silver threads or
white silk cords, on which thig-le, like peas or grains, are strung in the manner of garlands.
At the center of each of those thig-le dwells the tiny forms of a deitybody, just slightly
bulging out of its hollow.
At that time, those visions tumble like water falling from the face of the mountains, or like
mercury scattering and beading together: they are unstable, arising and stopping,
scattering and coming back together, wavering and quivering. Internally, your experience
of one-pointedness is insubstantial, and temporary. As they wax and wane, doubts appear.'
As these visions progress, the movement of the thig-le is said to calm, and they appear in a
variety of forms and aspects: clustering together in patterns, forming strings, congregating
in abstract maṇḍalas, appearing in varied colors, and containing abstract images or the
forms of deities. As is seen here, they often house buddhas, and thus are incipient
maṇḍalas or divine mansions, but are also described as “seeds of the Form Bodies and the
source of the buddhafields.”
Naked Awareness, Chris Hatchall
From "Naked Seeing: the Great Perfection"
"One of the main functions of visionary practice is to work out this issue of recognition.
The practices of dark-retreat and sky-gazing are based on the idea that pure awareness is
locked away in the body’s core, localized at the heart. A set of luminous energy channels
then run from the heart to the eyes, acting as pathways through which awareness can
travel and exit the body. Based on special yogic techniques, awareness can be induced to
emerge from the eyes and light up into visionary appearances. This provides an
opportunity for recognition: for the yogi to realize that the visionary appearances “out
there” are none other than presencings of an internal awareness, and thus to undo the
basic error of ignorance."
"Writings on dark-retreat and sky-gazing are thus not just about light in dark rooms or in
the distant sky but also about luminosity within the body: in its subtle channels, in its
energy-wheels, and at its heart.
These works even describe the body as lighting up in front of the eyes, a display of its
interior accompanying the visions that are seen in the sky.
Kālacakra’s Great Seal, for instance, is “indivisible in the external world and the body,” her
light illuminating the inside of the body just as she manifests in the sky.
The Bön commentator Drugyalwa also writes vividly about visions that light up the body:
'Practicing unwaveringly and continuously, the luminosity of awareness manifests directly:
. . .[externally] wheels of light—their natural glow brilliant and lustrous—become clearly
visible without obscuration. As for the body, its inside and outside—the flesh and blood,
channels and muscles, the sense faculties and their seats, the vital organs and vessels—
become clearly visible without obstruction."
Chris Hatchall; Naked Awareness
**
Sam Van Schaik writes:
"A slightly more specific identification of buddha nature with luminosity appears in the
fourth chapter of YLG, where it is identified with the luminosity that is apprehended in the
four visions of leapover as the son (bu) luminosity, as opposed to the ultimate state of
enlightenment, which is the mother (ma) luminosity. This luminosity is surrounded by the
samsaric elements of skandhas, sensory elements, and sense bases, and illustrated with the
simile of the space inside the vase, the samsaric elements being the vase itself."
The "son" light is the rigpa thigle in the skull. "You" are that rigpa thigle. When you engage
in conceptualizing, imagining and thinking; the karmic energy field surrounding the head
collapses or contracts upon the rigpa thigle. This is how clear rigpa becomes obscured and
cocooned in its own karmic prana or energy. The main contractor is activation of the "me"
self as subject through self-conscious mentation. When really in a clear awareness you can
sense the very subtle karmic energy masses around the skull and often feel them move
away upon an insightful realization. The karmic energy field, known as the "kunzhi nam
par shes pa" or alayavijnana, can be sensed sometimes extending several meters above and
surrounding the body. When activated or triggered it collapses tightly around and through
the rigpa thigle. Then the experience is fully a karmic self, contracted energy dullness.
Clear Light transparency is completely absent in experience.
"In this passage Jigme Lingpa discusses the experiential aspects of the ālaya and the
dharmakāya:
Furthermore, when [the meditator] has emerged from the ālayavijñāna, because of the
blazing lamp of the dharmakāya’s luminosity, his nature remains free from elaboration.
However, if he has not perfected his skill in the wisdom that shines out in vipaśyanā, then,
being enveloped in the ālaya as before, that lamp of luminosity will be extinguished and no
longer present."
Longchenpa:
"Though rigpa itself is without the stains of cognition, it becomes endowed with stains, and
through its becoming enveloped in the seal of mind, the gnosis of the everpure essence is
polluted by conceptualization. Chained by the sixfold manas (mind) it is covered with the
net of the body of partless atoms, and the luminosity becomes latent."
"Here the mind (sem)is conceived of as having an enveloping effect on nirvanic
awareness." (Sam's comment)
"A person who understands the meaning of this: Does no service, And maintains no
recitations or chants. He has no practice, And has no meditation. He has nothing to
protect, And nothing to think about, Nothing to give up, And nothing to take on." The
Tantra on Bodhicitta: Effulgent Vajra Light

”The Dzogchen teachings of Mengakde are also differentiated according to whether they
belong to the‘Shé Gyü’ or ‘Nyen Gyü,’ the explanatory Tantras or oral transmission. It is
sometimes said that the Shé Gyü mainly contains the instructions for enlightenment in this
lifetime and the Nyen Gyü for enlightenment in the intermediate state. Another way in
which this is explained is that the Outer,Inner and Secret cycles are Nyen Gyü, and the
Innermost Secret Cycle belongs to Shé Gyü.
The special fruition of the practice of the Innermost Secret Cycle, the Nyingtik teachings, is
to attain the ‘rainbow body.’ Through the perfection of the practice of Trekcho, the physical
body can be dissolved completely at death into particles, while through the Togal practice,
it is dissolved into a body of light or rainbow body.
There are two kinds of rainbow body: the general rainbow body, where the body dissolves
completely into light, and the ‘Rainbow Body of the Great Transference’, Jalu Phowa
Chenpo, where the ordinary body is transformed into a rainbow-like body and the
individual lives for centuries for as long as they can benefit beings, appearing to them from
time to time.
Such was the case with both Vimalamitra and Guru Rinpoche.A famous example: this
extraordinary accomplishment can be found in the lineage of Kathok. Kadampa Deshek
established the Kathok monastery in Kham in 1159, and his five principal disciples all
attained the rainbow body. From them down to Nyala Pema Dudul at the end of the last
century,one hundred thousand individuals associated with Kathok are said to have
attained the rainbow body.”
Written by Walker Sky
**
Teachings from the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche:
Pith Instructions in Dzogchen Trekchod

SEARCHING FOR THE MIND

Concerning these unique instructions, we have now arrived at the threefold mental
preliminary practice. On this topic, the Tantra of Penetrating Sound explains:
Where does the mind come from?
Where does it stay?
Where does it go?
If these three questions are investigated, The mind will be trained and its true nature
understood.
To start, investigate the mind’s point of origin. The factor that we refer to as “awareness”
and “mind” is in constant motion like the wind; it is this “mind” that experiences all forms
of happiness and suffering. Where does this shifting awareness first come from? Does the
mind come into being from a point of existence or nonexistence? Does it arise from
appearances or from emptiness? Does it originate from the external universe or the beings
that inhabit it?
You may wonder whether or not the mind arises from some particular thing made up of
the four external elements. If you look for such a thing, however, you will find that you can
break everything down into tiny parts . In the end, you won’t find anything. You may then
get the idea that it arises from inside your own body. Search through each part of your
body, through your head and each of your limbs. Can you find it anywhere? On the other
hand, if you think that it arises from a state of emptiness, can you find some place that it
arises from? Yet if it comes into existence from appearances, what do you actually observe?
In short, investigate the mind that you are searching for and then turn your attention back
to the mind that is doing the searching. You will then behold the mind in its’ original state,
and see that it has no identifiable essence at all. Until this has actually come to pass, you
should repeat this process of examination over and over again.
Second, investigate the mind’s presence. In this very moment, is the essence of this aware
consciousness present in the external universe or in the beings that inhabit it? What part:
of the body is it in? And if not there, where else might it be? What shape, color, function,
and essence indicate its presence?
Once you have examined and investigated in this manner, and determined that it does not
exist in any location whatsoever, turn your attention back to the consciousness that is
conducting the investigation.
***Continue this process until you have determined that consciousness lacks inherent
existence and has no basis or root, while it nevertheless knows and perceives.***
Third, look into the mind’s departure. Like the wind, this mindful awareness seems to
suddenly arise and then departs just as abruptly. Where does it go? Does it end up in the
external universe or in the beings that inhabit it? Does it end up in appearances or
emptiness, existence or nonexistence, or in some other condition? When you investigate
this matter, you will see that there is no place to which the mind goes.
***Likewise, the subjective
mind itself cannot be identified either. It has no essence that one can point
to and say, “This is it!” Hence, there is no place where the mind goes, nor
is there a mind that goes somewhere. As before, continue this process until
you have determined that empty awareness neither comes nor goes.***
Practicing these mental preliminaries serves an ordinary function, a supreme function, and
a sublime function. In an ordinary sense, it functions to reverse any intense clinging one
may have to the ordinary mind, as well as to purify mental negativity arid pacify obstacles.
Its supreme function is to keep the mind from becoming involved with samsara, and to
bring it to a state of liberation, inseparable from the dharmakaya.
Its sublime function results in the mind becoming inseparable from the enlightened mind
of all the Buddhas, which will bring about an infinite range of benefits for other sentient
beings.
The Tantra of Penetrating Sound explains:
Keeping both the ordinary and supreme functions of this practice in mind, apply yourself
assiduously to bringing these investigations to a state of culmination. In other words,
thoroughly investigate the mind’s points· of origin, presence, and departure.

RESTING IN THE NATURAL STATE

The teaching that concerns us here is resting in the natural state, which contains two
divisions. The first covers the main practice of resting in the natural state, and the second
addresses the process of revitalization. The main practice of resting in the natural state
contains two further divisions:
The purpose of resting in the natural state and the way to do so.
Concerning the first, the Clear Expanse states:
Disturbances in the body, speech, mind, and elements Are released by resting in the
natural state. As stated here, once you’ve become worn out by practicing the physical,
verbal, and mental preliminaries that were taught earlier, you should rest.
The siddha Kotalipa explains:
Let this weary traveler, the mind itself,
Rest in a state free of elaborations. The
great seal: fresh, innate,
Natural, and uncontrived.
At this point, you do not need to involve yourself in anything that disturbs the constitution
of the energetic channels and elements, and which thereby creates stress in the body,
speech, and mind, or with the virtuous practices that are ordinarily considered
appropriate. Instead, relax and let the three gates rest in their natural state.
The Last Testament explains:
Next, become adept in resting in the natural state
physically, verbally, and with the mind.
At this point, you should meditate by focusing your mind one-pointedly on whatever
manifests, regardless of whether it is a samsaric thought that would ordinarily be
eliminated or a virtuous thought that would function as a remedy. This will bring about a
fundamental transformation of these thoughts, turning the conceptual into the non-
conceptual, just as murky water becomes clear all on its own when left untouched. If you
forcibly block your thoughts, not only will it make your mind restless, it will hinder a state
of concentration from arising. It was with this understanding that the following passage
from the Ornament of the Sutras was taught:
Why? Because correctly engaging attachment
and other such factors themselves
brings complete liberation. Therefore,
doing so brings complete emergence from them.
The Two Segments teaches a similar skillful approach:
As attachment is what binds one to the world,
Attachment itself will bring liberation.
And from Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes:
Based on observation,
Nonobservation takes place.
And based on nonobservation,
Nonobservation occurs.
Therefore, observation is established
To be by its very nature unobservable.
Hence observation and nonobservation
Must be understood to be equal.
The separations of samsara and nirvana and the other practices taught earlier address the
coarse fixation-based perceptions associated with the ordinary appearances, habitual
tendencies, and so forth that arise so readily in the mind. Next, the inner separation,
sealing, advanced training, and other practices are used to rein in the more subtle
elements. This, in turn, keeps the sense consciousnesses from being distracted elsewhere,
at which point the mental consciousness merges with the six collections of consciousness
and the mind’s tendency to radiate out to other objects is put to rest. In the next step, the
conceptual mind is not directed towards the six objects that serve as focal points or the
unconditioned phenomena associated with them. Rather, one just settles in the natural
state, without forming any concepts concerning appearance and emptiness, certain things
that need to be eliminated, the remedies that eliminate them, or anything else.
“Natural state,” here, means uncontrived, while “resting” denotes simply letting be in this
state, hence the term “resting in the natural state.”
Explaining the actual practice of resting in the natural state, the Tantra of Penetrating
Sound explains:
At this time, the key point of body, speech, and mind is
for the practitioner to settle in the natural state.
To explain, begin by seating yourself on a comfortable cushion in either the cross-legged
posture of the bodhisattvas or in a squatting position, whichever you prefer. Just let your
body be; remain motionless, relaxed, and at ease. Let your breath flow naturally in a
relaxed manner and do not talk or say anything, neither good or bad. Without busying
yourself with recitations, chanting, and other verbal activities, keep silent and don’t alter
your breathing. Do not identify with any non virtuous or neutral thoughts. of the past,
present, or future. You can even let go of thoughts that are normally considered virtuous.
Just let be. This will bring about a state of basic lucidity in the three gates, just like water
left untouched clearing up all on its own. This is a wonderful way to bring about meditative
concentration and tranquility.
The signs of progress in this practice are as follows:
When you are physically resting in the natural state, you will have no desire to move; when
you are verbally resting in the natural state, you will not want to speak; and by letting your
mind rest in the natural state, all forms of discursive thinking will be purified on their own
and vanish. Until these signs actually occur, persevere in this practice.
On this topic, the Perfection of Knowledge states:
Engaging in the yogic practice of the perfection of knowledge is to engage in the yogic
practice of space.
Concerning the benefits of resting in the natural state, the Clear Expanse states:
For whoever rests in the natural state like this,
disturbances in the elements will be pacified,
as will circumstances that lead to illness,
and fixation will be self-liberated.
As stated here, resting in the natural state physically, verbally, and mentally serves both
temporal and ultimate functions. On a temporal level, one will rest in the natural state
physically, verbally, and mentally, and the elements will remain undisturbed. This, in turn,
will ensure that circumstances leading to illness do not occur and that one will rest
naturally in a state of meditative concentration. This practice also performs the function of
letting the aggregates, elements, and sense fields rest in their original condition, which
allows bodhichitta to develop. By verbally resting in the natural state, the words used to
communicate will be self-purified and the nature that defies description will dawn in one’s
mind stream. By letting one’s mind rest in the natural state, all thoughts will be liberated
on their own and one will be able to settle naturally into the natural Great Perfection, a
state that transcends thought and expression.
The ultimate, supreme function of this practice is to bring about the self-purification of
clinging related to ordinary body, speech, and mind. To elaborate, by physically resting in
the natural state, one will connect with the nirmanakaya. By verbally resting in the natural
state, one will connect with the sambhogakaya. And by letting the mind rest in the natural
state, one will connect with the dharmakaya. Hence, since body, speech, and mind are
indivisible, they neither meet nor part from the three kayas.
This is addressed in the Last Testament, where it is written:
Fortunate son, you will connect with the nirmanakaya by physically relaxing, you will
connect with the sambhogakaya by verbally relaxing, and you will connect with the
dharmakaya by letting your mind relax.
The problems associated with failing to rest in the natural state are the opposite of all the
excellent qualities just mentioned. You should persevere in this practice until the signs of
progress have actually manifested.
Text quotes are from:
GREAT PERFECTION
Volume 11· Separation and Breakthrough
by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche
Foreword by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Translated by Cortland Dahl

LOPON TENZIN NAMDAK:

”How do these visions arise? They come from inside us and not from
some external force, as is the case with normal vision. These visions are
manifestations of our own interior light, the Clear Light of Reality (bon nyid
'od gsal). The Natural State pervades our entire physical body, but is is
especially concentrated in the hollow cavity inside of our physical heart.
Thus the Dzogchen teachings speak of six lights known as the Six Lamps
(sgron-ma drug):
1. the Lamp of the Base which is the Natural State
(gnas-pa gzhi'i sgron-ma),
2. the Lamp of the fleshly Heart
(tsita'i sha'i sgron-ma),
3. the Lamp of the smooth white nerve
(dkar 'jam rtsa'i sgron-ma),
4. the Lamp of the water (filled eyeball) which lassoes at a distance
(rgyang zhags chu'i sgron-ma),
5. the Lamp that introduces the pure Buddha realms
(zhing-khams ngo-sprod kyi sgron-ma),
6. the Lamp of the time of the Bardo
(bar-do dus kyi sgron-ma).
(see the translation of the sGron-mn drug and its commentary by Vajranātha,
elsewhere.)

The Natural Clear Light is concentrated in the hollow cavity in our

physical heart and then it overflows up the Kati channel or smooth white
nerve that is like a hollow tube of crystal. Originating in the physical heart,
it passes up the membrane of the brain and dividing into two, it terminates
in the two eyeballs. This Kati channel and the eyeballs represent the third
and fourth lamps, whereas the heart is the second lamp and the Natural
Clear Light is the first. This inner light overflowing by way of the Kati,
emerges through the two doorways of the eyeballs. These doorways at the
end of the channel are shaped like the flowers of the flax plant (zar-ma).
This is not the usual vision apparatus of our optic nerves and retina, etc.
Although visions come through the Kati channel and appear to manifest in
front of us, they actually arise from our interior natural light. These visions
are not perceived with the normal physical eye. This is inner vision, but it
manifests to us as an external vision.
The visions usually come forth like the colors in a peacock's feather.
If we remain in the dark retreat and our vision develops, the visions will
emerge as visions of the realms of Clear Light. These visions are unlimited
and countless, but for beginners they might appear as smokey, like the
movement of smoke in the dark. Then after that there may arise signs of
the earth element or of the air element. Then after that there may come
mirages, or manifestations like fire-flies or like moonlight near at hand
or dawn. Depending on our health and the condition of our channels,
sometimes they may shine like sunlight. Or they may seem that everything
has become absorbed in the sky. This represents the beginning of the arising
of visions. When we perceive signs like smoke, for example, it means that
our state is stable and we will have little problem settling down. Then our
remaining in the Natural State will be very comfortable. But later thoughts
may become rough like the wind, and thus we will feel agitated. But finally
things will become clear. Our body may seem to be covered with a net.
It does not matter whether we are having visions in the dark retreat or in
sunlight practice, these visions have the same quality, although the base for
training may differ. When the visions come, we should not let ourselves
become excited. On the other hand, if they do not come, we should not feel
depressed or frustrated. We remain in the Natural State.
The purpose of the dark retreat practice is to stabilize our Rigpa of the
Natural State. Then we apply methods for developing the Thödgal visions.
Visions may come a bit more quickly with the sunlight practice, but generally
they develop much more by way of the dark retreat practice. This has been
a discussion in general of the dark retreat teaching. Customarily we do
the Thödgal practice in the dark retreat for forty nine days. Here we have
body posture, breathing, and visualizations for each seven day cycle of
this retreat. (See the translation of the 'Od-gsal bdun skor by Vajranātha,
elsewhere.) This completes the dark retreat teaching.
Next we must consider Thödgal teaching in the sunlight, in the moonlight
and in empty space. But we must ask what is the purpose of the dark
retreat and in seeking these visions in the dark? And where do these visions
which arise come from? They arise out of our Natural State which
is the Nature of Mind (sems nyid), and its inherent capacity for awareness
(rig-pa). These visions a rise from the Natural State and dissolve again into
the Natural State. We come to realize that our visions seen in the darkness
are empty of any inherent existence and that they are illusions. Because of
our practice, we experience this first hand for ourselves. This is not just
intellectual knowledge gained from reading some book, but direct personal
experience. And in this way we come to realize and understand that our
normal everyday vision during the waking state has precisely the same quality,
although we have not recognised this previously. Our normal everyday
waking state vision and our visions in the dark retreat, like the visions in
dreams, are equally insubstantial and unreal - although due to habit we
assume that waking state vision is real and solid. In this way, we overcome
our attachment to our visions and realize that everything is like an illusion.
Now with respect to Thödgal, we may consider three possibilities for
our practice: (1) first there is the dark retreat practice (mun mtsham) in a
dark retreat house (mun khang) as has been described above. Here we have
spoken in general, but the specific forty-nine day dark retreat is described
in the text "the Sevenfold Cycle of the Clear Light" ('od-gsal bdun skor).
Basically there are two systems for the dark retreat: first, that described in
the Zhang-zhung snyan-rgyud of which we speak here, and second, that
described by Shardza Rinpoche which is actually a mixture of Tantra and
Dzogchen. (2) Second there is the practice with space or the clear open
sky. (3) And third, there is practice with sunlight. However, there also exist
practices with moonlight and with candle light not described here in the
text.

Space practice:

But here, in the sky practice, it is necessary to unite and integrate the
three spaces (dbyings gsum). The external space (phyi dbyings) is the sky,
the internal space (nang dbyings) are the empty channels, and the secret
space (gsang dbyings) is the emptiness of the Natural State. How do we
unite and integrate these three? Gaze into the empty sky and keep the mind
in the Natural State. The Kati nerve is a tube like hollow channel. By means
of the wisdom winds (ye-shes kyi rlung), the Natural State (rig-pa) comes
up through the channel from the heart - but this is not ordinary psychic
energy (rlung). The eyes are kept fixed on empty space. We can no longer
distinguish external and internal space. We do not have to do anything
special, just keep in the Natural State and be stable in this. There is no
visualizing anything or thinking anything. By just keeping in the Natural
State we integrate internal and external space.
When we feel that our Natural State is stable, then recite or chant something.
We may even be able to do something with our thoughts and this will
not disturb the Natural State. But if we do these things before our Natural
State becomes stable, then we will lose our contemplation. When making
a retreat, divide the day into four sessions. In between sessions we should
do other practices such as mantra recitation and accumulating merit. This
is the way to proceed with the practice for integrating the three spaces.
Moreover, when we are gazing into the sky,
do not blink, but remain fixated in space. In this way, the visions will not
be impeded nor stopped and our Natural State blends with space and there
is no separation nor distinction between external and internal space. In this
situation it is much easier to recognize the Natural State. Keep the posture
and do not move overly much. If the body is unmoving, then the nādīs or
channels will not move. If the nādls do not move, then the winds or energies
(rlung, vāyu) will not shake and then the mind will be easier to control. Our
thoughts (rnam-rtog) are always linked with these internal winds (rlung).
This represents an important method: the Natural State (rig-pa) comes
up out of the heart, moves along the Kati nerve and goes out through the
eyes. This Natural State shines through the eyes, that is, it comes up through
the channels and goes out through the eyes, although actually the Natural
State is immovable. Between our internal space and external space beyond,
we have a window or door. If we did not have a door in our house, we
would not easily be able to go in or out. Space itself is immovable, but
there is a door which connects the exterior to the interior. Thus there is an
apparent contradiction in saying that the Natural State moves up through
the channels and comes out the eyes. The physical eye does not see the
Natural State which is like space - the eyes only see colors, shapes and so
on. The Kati is connected with the eyes, but it is not the ordinary optic nerve.
Sometimes we have to remember to keep in the Natural State, but when
we enter the Natural State, this memory dissolves. This memory cannot
see the Natural State because it is a thought. So memory or remembering
on its own cannot see the Natural State. When one attains Buddhahood
then one no longer possesses any reminder to keep in the Natural State -
and thoughts do not return. Buddhas do not have any discursive thoughts
(rnam-rtog); they have primal awareness or gnosis (ye-shes). Thoughts are
always mixed up with negativities and obscurations. Thoughts represent
obscuration. Thus we keep in a thoughtless state (mi rtog-pa). When we
keep in the Natural State and everything dissolves, then we do not need to
do or change anything. We just let things be, just let thoughts go. We let
everything remain just as it is.
What visions arise ('char tshul)? According to the text, "In space we
will find what is like a spider web or like a mountain." If we practice
continuously, these visions will develop. How they will develop and what
qualities they manifest will be discussed here. Due to secondary causes
such as the dark, empty space, sunlight and so on, from the Natural State
the visions arise spontaneously. Their source is the Natural State. They
come up through the Kati and they shine out through the eyes into space.
These visions will dissolve again into the Natural State and they cannot go
beyond the Natural State. Their source is the Natural State, they shine in
the Natural State and they will dissolve again into the Natural State. So
we should not get excited if we see strange and exotic landscapes, or other
delightful and pleasant sights.
Visions arise by themselves and they change by themselves. Why? Because
they are connected to the five elements. The five elements are also
linked to the Natural State. When we practice for a time, then signs will
come. Something like mist or clouds may arise in space. Then it may seem
like threads moving. Then like lightening, then like a mirror, or like bees
wings, or like eyes, or like smoke, or like a mirage, or like figures in the water
- like ripples. Such visions may arise. When we gaze into the sky, then
it may seem as if there is a mountain, a white dome may appear which is
completely dark in the center. This is in the foreground between the sky and
the horizon. In the gap between sky and earth there is this dome and this
gap is called the internal space and the external space is the dome. Visions
shine in the dark portion. Then according to the balance of the elements, we
see colors. If we have high blood pressure, then instead of a black space, it
will be red. Also this may change according to our body. Then in this dark
space, visions appear like rainbows, or like silk brocades, or like nets, or
as patterns of lines: square, triangular, semi-circle, etc. Even flowers, trees,
stupas, etc. may appear, or people and animals may shine there. These may
become deities. There may be a tiny sphere of awareness, (rig-pa'i thig-le) like mercury
or quicksilver. At first it is highly mobile, but then it becomes more stable.
It may have different colors, then rainbow colors. Then rays come out
like threads of silver which are long or short, and having different shapes
like iron bars, beads, umbrella spokes, or hairs thrown into space. Countless
visions may arise. But whatever visions arise, they are signs that the wisdom
winds (ye-shes rlung) are moving into the central channel. This method
gradually brings these energies of prāna into the central channel and they
gradually open up this channel. This makes for separation of thoughts and
the Natural State. These visions are all signs of this occurring, but we should
remember that not every vision is a sign of practice (sgrub rtags). So this is
the meaning of the Thödgal visions. Our Natural State begins to stabilize.
Our knowledge develops ever more quickly. Our defilements are removed.
At this time, diligence in practice is necessary. This is the teaching relating
to space practice.

Thödgal in sunlight:
We must consider the essential points of body or position
(lus gnad), of breathing (rlung gnad) and of mind (sems gnad). There are
five positions of the body:
1. the position of the dignified lion (seng-ge 'gying stabs)
2. the position of the sitting elephant (glang-chen rkyang thabs)
3. the position of the crouching Rishi or sage (dge-sbyor cog-bu)
4. the position of the waddling goose (ngang-mo'i zur gros)
5. the position of the crystal antelope climbing on the rock (shel gyi rna
pho brag la 'dzeg-pa'i tshul).
The position of the dignified lion: The balls of the feet are on the ground
and also the palms of the hands are on the ground. Crouch in this position,
and the arms are inside of the knees. The neck and the chin are up. One
can gaze high, medium or level. This sitting lion position is for the sunlight
practice, especially for the morning and for gazing through the east window.
The stomach is pulled in and the breathing is normal.
The position of the sitting elephant: Crouch with the elbows on the
ground and the chin supported by one's hands. But the knees do not
touch the ground. When we gaze to the south the window is low. The
45
northern window is lowest, while the west window is lower than the east
window. If we adopt the postures here, our prāna energy (rlung) will become
less disturbed and the central channel will be gradually opened. Thus the
visions will come quickly. The Natural State will soon reach the eyes - the
karmic winds, desires and attachments will all become less and our body
will become more healthy. Visions will become more quickly and be more
perfect. These visions may be of the Buddha realms and our Awareness
(rig-pa) will become stronger and develop.
The position of the crouching Rishi: We crouch in the same way as the
Indian sadhu. Bind the knees with the arms, the hands holding the arms.
Feet together. Dokumbhaka. The feet support the whole weight of the body
and are flat on the ground. We can use the high, medium or level gaze as
we choose. We develop head (drod) in this position. Thoughts are quickly
dissolved. Visions develop quickly, especially Nirmānakāya visions. This
position may be used in the morning or in the afternoon, but not at midday.
This is the normal position used in Thödgal practice, although we can use
the others on occasion, as we choose. Also a meditation belt (sgom-thag)
will be useful.
The position of the waddling goose: Lie down with the right side on
the ground. The right hand cradles the right side of the face. The legs are
straight. Support the head with the hand. The left hand rests on the thigh.
Gaze at the sunlight. This position is the same for both males and females.
Its quality is that the visions change much more quickly.
The position of the crystal antelope climbing the rock: It is similar to the
lion position. The arms are under the legs and hold the cars. Cup the hands.
Sit on the ground. This position opens the left channel.
Generally when we do the lion position, our gaze is the highest, with the
elephant position our gaze is medium, and with the crouching Rishi position
our gaze is level. But the eyelids are half closed in each case. With the goose
position we gaze to the right side. The sunlight comes from our right side
and the sun comes over the top of the head. In the antelope position we
gaze to the left side, the light coming from the left side.
During those times when we adopt these positions, the three lamps
unite. Always fixate the gaze on the target, whether sunlight or moonlight
or starlight or candle light. Do not look directly at the light source, but below
it or to the side. If we look directly at the light source, the visions will not
come. This includes gazing at a candle. Look to the side. As for the target
upon which we fix our gaze, whether sunlight or moonlight or candle light,
this represents the outer lamp. The eye which is fixed upon it is the inner
lamp. Always keeping in the Natural State (rig-pa), that is the secret lamp.
And we must keep our awareness sharp and acute, otherwise drowsiness
comes.
Thus there are three important matters considered here: First, there is
the correct body posture assumed because this keeps the psychic channels
and winds in the right position. Then the visions will come. Second, there is the gaze and
this is very important. When done in a certain way, the visions
will come spontaneously. And if done conscientiously, the visions will come
quickly. Third, there is the mind and this is also very important. Everything
depends on the mind. So keep in the Natural State and do not lose it.
What visions will arise? Our natural awareness arises spontaneously as
five colors. Our channels open and we keep gazing into the sunlight - these
two factors unite and visions arise. These visions may move and change.
The visions may become big enough to fill all of space or they may become
as small as a mustard seed. But no matter what appears, do not give way
to the arising of any thoughts or judgements, for that would bring the mind
into play. If there is no interference on the part of the mind, then everything
self liberates of its own accord. Our Natural State will become very clear and
very stable. We come to realize a true understanding. Both the dark retreat
and the space practice represent preparations for this Thödgal practice. We
can mix light and space in our practice. With the sunlight practice, the
visions come very quickly, but do not do this practice for too long because
it might damage the eyes. We can use these three practices - the dark, space
and sunlight - to reinforce and help each other. Use them according to our
own judgement, need and capacity.
Also we can use a blue cloth or curtain and put this over our head and
do the sunlight practice this way. We can see the sunlight through the holes
in the weave of the fabric and this may bring the visions more quickly. We
can also just gaze at the sunlight through a hanging blue curtain, keeping
our face close to this blue curtain. We can also do the space practice indoors,
by just gazing at a blank wall across the room, but this is not as satisfactory
as outdoor sky practice. But most of all it is important to remember never
to look directly at the orb of the sun, but below it or to the side.

SPECIAL METHODS FOR DEVELOPMENT

This section also relates to the Thödgal practice. We can do Thödgal
practice in the dark, with the empty sky, or with the sunlight. Now we
must consider some special points connected with the methods or Thödgal
(khyad-par gnad kyi gdams-pas bogs 'don-pa) - these are three:
1. Development by means of the essential point of the method (thabs lam
gnad gyis bogs 'don pa)
2. Development by means of purification of the vital energy and of the
mind (rlung sems kyi sbyong-basbogs 'don-pa)
3. Development by means of the instruction concerning the visions in the
night (mtshan snang gi gdams-pas bogs 'don-pa).

First, there are special methods for developing the dark retreat. In the
darkness there will arise lights and rays. The colors are mostly white and
the shapes round. This represents a manifestation of our vital energy, specifically
the energy of space (nam-mkha'i rlung) within our body. This energy
is entering into the vital channel and this vision is a sign of this. So in
this case, gaze as high as possible. When shapes are narrow and colors
are mostly red, this is a sign that we are starting to control the energy of
fire (me'i rlung) within our body. This energy is entering into the central
channel and we should lower our gaze. When shapes are square and colors
are mostly yellow, this is a sign that our earth energy (sa'i rlung) is coming
under control. Gaze to the right side. When shapes are round and colors
are green, it is a sign that our air energy (rlung gi rlung) is coming under
control. Gaze mainly to the left. When shapes are triangular and colors are
mainly blue, this means that our water energy (chu'i rlung) is coming under
control. Gaze straight ahead and level. When the rays and the thiglays are
equally all different colors and there is a mixture of shapes and equal in their
variety, this is a sign that at that time all five elements are coming under our
control. Then we can choose the level or our gaze, whether high, medium
or level. Here the reference is to the dark retreat practice and light practice,
but not to space practice.
Then, as for the practice of the thiglay: the purpose of the visualization,
breathing and posture is to insert the wisdom wind into the central channel.
If we bring the wisdom wind and the natural thiglay into the central channel,
this leads to the development of vision and the visions will come more
quickly and the meditation will be more powerful. This is the point of
Tsa-lung (rtsa lung) practice. If we do this correctly, it is of great benefit.
The Natural State resides in the heart and it comes and goes through the
Kati channel and through the doorways of the eyes. Here we can find the
unification of energy and awareness. Unification of these two exists equally
everywhere from the top of the head down to the feet, but normally this
situation is covered over with obscurations, and we do not see it clearly. But
it is clear in the Kati channel and here it is like the sky without clouds. This
is an indestructible gnosis or knowledge.