Good point.Simon E. wrote:" That remains somewhat unclear "Is what the present Dalai Lama actually said .
I suspect no one was consciously lying, and there are no indications of hallucination.
There are though extremely good reasons for any given group to see what it wants to see and hear what it wants to hear.
I have no premise. I have no opinion. I dont actually even think its a very serious question.
But I realise that it represents an emotional stance for some.
If Reincarnation could be shown to be true or false with no doubts at all, it would make no difference at all to my Dzogchen practice.
None.
What is perhaps more difficult to sieve out is whether statements made by Zen practitioners are always from the perspective of Zen, or contain elements of Shinto etc. I may bow and clap to the Kamiza before my Zazen. LOL
In the case of a Buddhist who practices Dzogchen, we must be careful to establish, as you clarified, whether they are speaking or writing from a Buddhist perspective or a Dzogchen perspective.
What may be deemed necessary for one may not be deemed necessary for the other. This would also hold true, of course, for Christians practising Dzogchen. If you only practise Dzogchen and do not feel that you are also a Buddhist then there is only the one perspective.
There is a good argument for stating that if you are a practitioner of Dzogchen then there is only the Dzogchen perspective; whatever else you may practise is done within that context. Would you agree?
The question whcih I fear will remain unanswered, is whether Dogen was giving exclusively a Zen perpective .