The Dzogchen Primer: Embracing the Spiritual Path According to the Great Perfection; Introductory Teachings by Ch'okyi Nyima Rinpoche and D

Book Overview

The Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice known as Dzogchen (pronounced ZOG-chen) is a practical method for accessing the pristine, clear awareness that lies beneath the chatter and confusion of our... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570628297
• ISBN13: 9781570628290
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Shambhala
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Dzogchen or Mahamudra?

The Dzogchen Primer is a nice collection of works compiled and edited by Marcia Binder Schmidt. The text compares Mahmudra, Dzogchen and Madhyamika as follows (pp. 175-176):"According too the Mahamudra system, the means aspect is the Six Doctrines of Naropa, while the knowledge aspect is Mahamudra practice itself. These two are called the path of means and the path of liberation. By unifying means and liberation, we attain true and complete enlightenment. In the Madhyamika system, the Middle Way, the means aspect is relative truth; the knowledge aspect is ultimate truth. It is by unifying these two truths that we attain true and complete enlightenment. Finally, in the Dzogchen teachings, the means aspect is called 'spontaneously present nature,' while the knowledge aspect is called 'primordially pure essence.' By unifying primordial purity and spontaneous presence, Trekcho and Togal, we attain complete enlightenment."This book takes the view that all three are the same in essence and nature, as do many sources. However, given the above comparison, the text is written from the Kagyu perspective with an emphasis on Mahamudra (rather than Dzogchen as one would expect from the title). In the Kagyu tradition, there is a heavy emphasis on the ngondro or preliminary practices, proceeding one step at a time. (In comparison, many Nyingma and Bon Dzogchen sources available in the West treat Dzogchen as a complete path in itself, although the preliminary practices are considered to be useful support activities.) Following the Kagyu outlook, the text begins with a few nice chapters on "the view" (basically the same in all three traditions) followed by many chapters on the preliminary practices. Authors include such noteworthy sources as Padmasambhava, Patrul Rinpoche, Shantideva, Milarepa, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, among others. It is a nice collection and shows some of the diversity of perspectives within the otherwise unified tradition.Still, for a book entitled The Dzogchen Primer, one should note that the title is quite misleading. There is virtually no discussion of the Trekcho or Togal practices of Dzogchen. Readers expecting to find a book on Dzogchen practices are likely be disappointed. Readers interested in the preliminary practices or the Kagyu Mahamudra perspective, on the other hand, will find it a very nice addition to their collection. Had it been entitled The Mahamudra Primer, I would have given it 5 stars!

Essential Sourcebook

For anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhism, especially the teachings of Dzogchen, this is THE book to read. The compiler, Marcia Schmidt, has done an incredible job in bringing together in one volume the essential teachings from both the masters of the past and those teaching today. It is also fortunate that some of the Dzogchen teachers featured in this book are currently teaching in the West -- Thrangu Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche -- so these teachings can also be approached in person. This book is a great gift to everyone who wants to understand the teachings of the Great Perfection.