Wisdom Roads

Author(s): Lorrence G Muller
Publisher: Continumm New York

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TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE
T.W.: More as objects—you know, if the computer doesn't work, they don't know how to think. They depend on it; everything stops if the computer stops.
Dzogchen teachings, and specifically Dzogchen teachings within Bon, have very much to do with discovering the nature of mind in onself. There is a line in Dzogchen teachings where we say: self-arising wisdom is the base; all the negative emotions are manifested energy; seeing emotions as mistaken is an error; leaving them as they are—letting emotions be in their nature—is the method; and, going beyond hope and fear is the result. This is a summary of what Dzogchen teachings are. As things are means: we don't know how to see anymore-how to see the way things really are. Neither in ourself, nor in other things, nor with what we perceive in the world. We are always so dualistic and confusion-filtered in our mind, our whole senses, our eyes-our vision.
We cannot see things as things are. We say, I see this cup. But I don't just see a cup. I see my cup—I see it is not your cup—I see this need to protect it; and I see so many things which do not belong to the cup. All those dualistic aspects of oneself we reflect in the outside world. This obscures the nature of mind; all this obscures oneself—it obscures nature, also.
So then, Dzogchen is the way of overcoming one's own dualistic obscurations; and of discovering the wisdom inside oneself. In Tibet, Dzogchen teachings are mainly practiced in the Bon tradition; and in the Nyingma schoolthe early Tibetan Buddhist tradition; these are the two main schools that practice Dzogchen. In some ways, Dzogchen is very similar to Zen Buddhism, and to Chan in China. Though there are some differences between Zen and Dzogchen as well—in Zen, there is a very strong emphasis on sunyata.
L.M.: Emptiness.
T.W.: Emptiness—and, the aspect of working with what in Bon is called clarity is much less. In Dzogchen teaching, there is the inseparable quality of clarity and emptiness. This dual emphasis is very strong on the base level; and on the path level, it is also very different. With Zen practice, people sit for a long time; sitting practice is the main practice.
L.M.: They have very long sittings.
T.W.: Yes, Zen sitting means sitting in sunyata—reflecting on emptiness. Dzogchen practitioners perform all kinds of energy work, and practices in
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