meepits wrote: ↑Fri Feb 16, 2018 9:08 am
From the introduction to Longchenpa’s Advice From the Heart: “In Dzogchen there are no limitations; one can do Guruyoga in a Vajrayana style or, in a simpler way, one can recognize the real undifferentiated state of one’s teachers and oneself. Then one remains five seconds, or one minute, or ten minutes, whichever is appropriate, in the state, permeated with the knowledge that all one’s teachers, all enlightened beings and oneself are not different: this is called Guruyoga.”
A few years later the beautiful Guruyoga book was compiled with its array of Vajrayana guruyoga styles and AFAIK no condoning of any simpler approach. Do you think this means anything, i.e. that he no longer recommends a pared down guruyoga option?
I ask just b/c there are certain busy moments in life when that quick, simple form seems useful.
Peace out
Meepits
I'm pretty new to Dzogchen and currently rereading
Guru Yoga specifically looking for ways to integrate Dzogchen practice within my daily activities. Here are some excerpts from pp.43-46 you might find interesting. (If it is inappropriate to post such quotes from ChNN's books, someone please let me know.)
Receiving many teachings or learning a lot of practices is not the principal point. … [M]any secondary practices exist that we can learn to do, but it is important to understand that this is not the main point. As I always repeat, the principal point of Dzogchen is Guruyoga.
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[Garab Dorje’s second statement, “do not remain in doubt”] means that it is only possible to overcome doubt with direct experience.
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All practices have to be connected with the transmission and with Guruyoga. There is no other way to come to know our real state, and this is why Guruyoga is indispensable. It is not necessary, though, to do complex Guruyoga practices, reciting many verses in Tibetan and doing complicated visualizations; you can apply Guruyoga in a very simple and essential way. It is enough to sound A and visualize a five colored thigle at the center of your body. The white A and the thigle is a symbol of our three primordial potentialities (sound, light, and rays). Then, in this clarity, we maintain presence in the primordial state.
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So it is extremely important that you do Guruyoga every time you remember it. There is no need for a particular place or a set time. You can do Guruyoga in every circumstance.