Primordial Experience: An Introduction to Dzog-Chen Meditation

by Manjusrimitra

Book Overview

The Tibetan teaching of Dzog-chen (pronounced ZOAK-chen), also known as Ati yoga, is considered by its adherents to be the definitive and most secret teaching of the Buddha. Primordial Experience is a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157062898X
• ISBN13: 9781570628986
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Shambhala
• Length: 188 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Treasures Wrapped in an Old Felt Hat

Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche is a genuine treasure, and Manjusrimita's teaching is as well. My rating of five stars is a measure of my respect for Rinpoche, his students, his teaching, and his lineage. This text is extremely valuable and useful, and very precious, so the reader is recommended to dig right in and explore the Dzogchen landscape, starting here. The translation of this text has been a cause of some misgivings, and depending on the reader's attitude, may be a blight on the text or a blessing (as you can tell from the reviews below). Kennard Lipman's rather curmudgeonly preface on literary style and translation of Buddhist texts into English marks what may be a point of disagreement between Mr. Lipman and his late professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Herbert V. Guenther. I'm a great admirer of the Heidegerrian exceses in Guenther's prose (his text Matrix of Mystery is a masterpiece in this regard); Lipman says he prefers a meat-and-potatoes English of the Ezra Pound variety. The result feels constipated and Victorian to me but is perhaps all the more useful in refracting Dzogchen's lexicon of light through an alternate set of optics (if you will). As an example: "since everything is one's own dimension, and one's own dimension is oneself, and one's own dimension is everything, from the begining there is no obtaining of what has not been obtained previously" (p 95). Clearly something precise is going on in there, but this is hardly natural English usage. While I know I an learn (and have learned) from this prose, I would really rather read Pynchon or Deleuze and Guattari (also in translation), or Trungpa Rinpoche for that matter if style is the consideration. May the Dharma flourish!

A Must-Have for Your Atiyoga Library

This book contains the 157 verses by Manjusrimitra describing the experience of the state of pure and total presence which was revealed to him through the first human rDogs-chen master, Garab Dorje.But the commentary for some of the verses reveal that there is inadequate understanding. For example, verse 122 which reads:"The ways of overcoming (limitations), the facets (of pure and total presence), the four forms of ever-fresh awareness of the alikeness (of everything),, which are undisturbed (by negative conditions), are known in this (practice)."The commentary reads:"The four forms of ever-fresh awareness that thoroughly grasp teh fundamental alikeness (that characterizes) the ultimate content of what is and that are are conditioned by any obstacles; the thirty-seven facets of pure and total presence; the ten ways of overcoming (limitations), etc.; and that which is positive for an individual (relatively speaking), as well as all the positive qualities that belong to the level of the ultimate goal, are known quickly through the reflexive flash of knowing that gives awareness it quality, and brought together in the teaching of the true sense of cultivation".Another point which I would like to point out is that it is better to read the 157 verses, think about them before reading the commentary. Do not agree with the commentary blindly.Overall, this book provides good information about rDogs-chen philosophy.

Perhaps the Best Primer on rDzogs-chen Meditation

This book is the result of pain-staking efforts in converting a work of Manjusrimitra. The preface describes what was carefully thought of to make it a book in plain English.It shines from others in that it also points out misconceptions by so-called experts/practitioners. There is so much rubbish out there (especially on the Internet) that one would be easily be thought incorrect ideas.The book includes the edition of the Tibetan verse text at Appendix 1. This is good in that I think it shows confidence that it is a good translation.It also sheds some light on Yogacara and Madhyamaka philosophy and also pointing out differences in some key ideas.If you want a no-nonsense book on rDzogs-chen, this is it! Read this before you read any other rDzogs-chen book.

A "must" for serious students of Tibetan Buddhism.

Primordial Experience: An Introduction To rDzogs-chen Meditation is the first English translation of a sacred text of Tibetan Buddhism. Originally written by Manjusrimitra, an Indian disciple of the first teacher of Ati yoga, who learned from his master the state of pure and total presence. Primordial Experience examines the concepts of the enlightened mind and true meditation, and comes with a lengthy introduction, background, commentary, and glossary of technical terms. Primordial Experience is an absolute "must" for serious students and devotees of Tibetan Buddhism.