In both Dzogchen and Chan Buddhism, practice after awakening is actually very simple. Opening one’s eyes, raising one’s gaze, every gesture, every movement, eating, or sleeping—all of these become practice. At that stage, one’s cultivation truly advances by leaps and bounds, and new changes can be felt every day. A person who has awakened can remain in a state of practice anytime and anywhere.
In the advanced stages of Dzogchen practice, one criterion for judging whether a person’s practice is good or poor is the state of their dreams—the practitioner does not lose their realization even while dreaming. In other words, during dreams at night, the practitioner is still able to recollect what was realized during the day and continue practicing within the dream state itself.
Before awakening, this is impossible to accomplish, because prior to awakening people remain completely confused and obscured. We may engage in many foundational practices—making prostrations, cultivating meditative concentration (samādhi), studying and contemplating the Dharma, worshipping Buddhas, praying to deities, even forming cliques and engaging in idle talk. We waste enormous effort, yet still fail to understand the essence. We often refer to such people as “cannon fodder.”
Out of compassion, after we have completed many virtuous practices, the guru may grant us empowerment or directly point out mind-nature. But what use is that? Before receiving such instruction, we may still hold some hope; yet once the instruction is actually given, we are completely unable to receive it.
There is more than one method for pointing out mind-nature. Chan Buddhism has its methods, and Dzogchen possesses many even more refined approaches. These methods gradually bring the mind to stillness and guide the practitioner upward step by step. Dzogchen also includes experiential and perceptual guidance , yet many people still fail to attain realization after going through these processes. Why? Because their spiritual faculties are insufficient.
As mentioned earlier, insufficient spiritual faculties mean that we fundamentally do not understand our own minds, nor do we train them. Our mental continuum—the movement and flow of mind—is completely beyond our control and has not been softened or tamed. Under such conditions, how could we possibly realize the essence of mind? We are entirely ravaged and driven along by our habitual tendencies. Therefore, in order for our spiritual faculties to mature sufficiently to receive the pith instructions of Dzogchen or the direct pointing to mind-nature in Chan Buddhism, we must engage in study, contemplation, and practice.
—Excerpted and adapted from The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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