Ish wrote:With regards to the visualization of the white A in the rainbow thigle, Can one use the short A stroke (used in Tummo) instead of the full Tibetan A?
From the perspective of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu's Guru Yoga.
Thanks
to all and ALL,
Good and correct answers from heart and asthesunneversets, but, I add my own 2 cents.
I have never (in 33 years) heard ChNNR, or any other Master (in 46 years), speak of using the short ahtung (red upside down V) of Chod as a support for Guru Yoga.
That said, there is no reason that it shouldn't work just fine. If you have a resonance with that symbol, I think it is perfectly OK to try it, see if it works, and use it if it works.
You are not breaking any rules. The actual state of Guru Yoga is "pure (un-constructed) from the beginning" and "spontaneously arising."
The display, or show, of awareness can (and does) manifest in all forms.
This is independent of any cause.
Spontaneous, "co-emergent" and "non-dual" arising, does not imply, or necessitate, any framing, or modeling, of a "view" dependent on cause and effect.
Guru Yoga is totally beyond any characteristics whatsoever, yet everything manifests just as it should, self-perfected, in its own condition. The characteristics of bliss, emptiness, clarity, vastness, luminosity, etc. are just words used to point to, what is
beyond words.
The use of any support, (visualizing a long, short or very short Ah, in any language, or sounding mantra, or even visualizing the Guru), is secondary to being
in the state of Guru Yoga. You can have a vivid and precise visualization of the Ah / Tigle, in any of its forms, but if this is not "informed" by "instant presence," then it is
not Guru Yoga. If you maintain the awareness of "instant presence,"
without any visualization, or mantra, what-so-ever, or
with any visualization, or mantra, what-so-ever, it
is Guru Yoga.
Hence the heart advice to, "give up the sickness of striving," and the singular, key, point of taking the "direct introduction," "pointing out instruction" from a realized Master: then develop confidence and continue 24/7.
This is why "Guru Yoga" is
the primary practice.
That said, perhaps visualizing the Tibetan Ah / Tigle, including ChNNR's, newly revealed, long or short, Longsal Ah, is a way of a-tuning
your body/mind/speech continuum to that of the Master. So if you visualize, sharply, the luminous and three dimensional, Ah / Tigle, in your heart, and the Master's heart, at the same time and make them non-dual, maybe
, this will help you to get into the state of Guru Yoga, when you are not in that state.
This is difficult / impossible to talk about because, while the state of Guru Yoga is beyond cause and effect, from the point of view of conventional reality, it appears that the 84,000 (means a lot) Teachings of Lord Buddha, or the primary and secondary practices of Dzogchen, are employed to enable realization. From the point of view of the Buddha (Guru), realization is beyond cause and effect, and beyond any characteristic what so ever.
Lots of blah blah.
http://www.awakening.net/WVajra.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Hope this helps.
Long life to the Dzogchen Masters, in good health, and with success in all things.