Aryjna wrote: ↑Tue Oct 23, 2018 10:56 amKarma Chagme was himself a Dzogchen/Mahamudra master, and in the beginning of this aspiration he says it is his 'root practice'. This does not make much sense, unless there is something being overlooked. Would he just prolong his time to buddhahood by an infinity rather than achieve it immediately?SonamTashi wrote: ↑Tue Oct 23, 2018 10:15 am Certainly if you practice the Namcho terma and make that particular aspiration it will take an infinite amount of time, because that's contained in the aspiration. However, Malcolm has said (in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=48&t=22568&start=40):
So for Dzogchen practitioners at least, Buddhahood can be attained in the Pure Lands in a remarkably shorter amount of time.There are actually 21 capacities discussed in the Dzogchen tantras, only the best of the best attain rainbow body in this life. The rest are liberated in the bardo, and the last four or so of the average take rebirth in nirmanakāya buddhafields
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These last few attain buddhahood in 500 years after taking birth for 125 years in each of the buddhafields of the four directions.
Maybe Malcolm or someone could address the 500 year thing and clear this all up. I can only think of one explanation, and I don't know how likely it is, in fact I kind of feel stupid writing it out because I just feel like I don't know enough about this at all. According to Tibetan Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara/Chenrezig is already a Buddha, and as such it seems Chenrezig's presence and actions in Dewachen are simply a display, including the future attainment of Buddhahood, since he is already a Buddha. I assume the same is true of Mahasthamaprapta/Vajrapani as well. So maybe a Dzogchen practitioner making that particular vow is simply vowing to follow in Chenrezig's footsteps, i.e. vowing to manifest as a Bodhisattva again after attaining Buddhahood, in order to be an attendant to the resident Buddha of that Pure Land, and to put on the display again of attaining Buddhahood once that Buddha passes into paranirvana. I have no idea.