Zernga

Series of Teachings 16E

This publication is intended for those who have already received transmission from the Master of the practices it contains. We strongly urge you not to circulate it outside that group of people and to treat it with the utmost respect.

Ackowledgements: to Barry Simmons and Andy Lukianowicz for their initial translation from Italian into English: to Elisabeth A. Stutchbury for editorial advice in the second edition.

Adapted mainly from teachings given at Norfolk, England 1982: Conway, U.S.A. 1982; Pomaia, Italy 1980; and Namgyalgar, Australia 2000.

Cover by Paolo f7assoli and f7ulvio f7errari

First published 1985- Shang Shung Editions, London (U.K.) Second Edition 2000- Shang Shung Edizioni, Merigar, Arcidosso

© 2000 Shang Shung Edizioni 58031 Arcidosso- Italy Tel: 0564966039 E-mail: [email protected] All rights of translation, reproduction and partial or total use in any form whatsoever are reserved in any countries.

IPC- IIOENOO- Approved by the International Publications Commit­ tee of the Dzogchen Community founded by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu

ZERNGA The Five Principal Points A Dzogchen Upadesha Practice explained by CHOGYALNAMKHAINORBU

Compiled and Edited by Goh Cheh-Ngee and Brian Bere�ford

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

P ART ONE Introduction

9

I. Title of the Practice

9

2. Purpose of the Practice

10

2.1. Reawakening Old Practitioners

10

2.2. Overcoming Fear and Attachment

II

2.3. Preparation for Reintegration

II

2.3.1. What is Realisation

1I

2.3.2. Meaning of Reintegration

13

2.3.2.1. The Semde Way of Reintegration

14

2.3.2.2. The Thodgal Way of Reintegration

14

2.3.2.3. Actual Reintegration

23

3. The Importance of Zernga

24

PART TWO The Practice

29

1. The Main Practice

31

2. The Practice of A

36

3. The Concluding Practice

36

4. Notes about the Practice

38

Index of Tibetan Terms

39

5

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. TITLE

Ol<

THE PRACTICE

In the Dzogchen Upadesha or Menngagde there is a form of practice which is usually called Trenpa Gyun Chodkyi Dampa. Trenpa in general means memory and that which is remembered. At times it's also used for awareness. On the one hand, it refers to the process of thoughts arising out of our traces of mental events; on the other, it refers to the 'memories' themselves. In this particular instance, it does not mean memory in general, but refers to the traces which are called pagchag and the thoughts which are linked to them. Gyun means their continuation. Chad is like the practice of the Chod, meaning to cut, or to block. Dampa means to re­ strain or control, to tie up or bind, to stop something. Alto­ gether it means a method to block or cut the continuation of thoughts, especially those which are linked to these memory traces, the pagchag. Thus the whole title can be translated as 'The (process of) Mental Control through Cutting the Flow of Memories or Thoughts'. This is the title usually given to this type of Upadesha practice. The method of practice itself, in terms of how it is used and applied, has another name. It is called Zernga, or the Five Principal Points. Zer means principal specific points. In modern Tibetan language zer usually means a nail. A nail is put into a precise point. Zer can also refer to a knot such as you find in wood. In wood these are the specific points where energy concentrates. This is what zer means gram­ matically and that idea comes into common usage. In our case, zer means principal points, and nga means five.

9

2. PURPOSE

OF THE

PRACTICE

2.1. Reawakening old practitioners

One vc1y important function of this practice is that it ena­ bles old practitioners to refresh their practice. When they first encounter the teachings, some people initially dedicate a

great deal of time to doing practices. After

a

while they

discover that the most important thing in Dzogchen is to be in the state of contemplation, not making effort doing for­ mal practice. Of course, if you have the capacity of integra­ tion, that is fine. However, for some 'seasoned' practition­ ers, a kind of defect called thorwa can develop. Thorwa refers to the condition when a mala or a necklace somehow breaks and all the pieces fall on the ground. There is this lack of coordination and connection among the beads. A practitioner in this condition will feel as if everything is

fine, and there seems to be nothing to do. Whether one does a practice or not, it seems like there is no particular problem. In reality, however, that person is passing time mostly in dualistic vision and distraction, without being really in in­ stant presence. Later on, even when a group of practitioners is doing something like a Ganapuja or a Thun, one doesn't like to take part, and instead pretends to be realised. When this kind of defect of practice happens, it is very important that we renew and refresh our practice. Otherwise we will not develop at all. The way to refresh our practice is to do fixation on sound, or with a white A, or do a fixation while sounding A at the same time, like a new practitioner. In particular, you can do the Zernga practice so that your sensation of practice is more alive. You see, some people have this kind of problem: at the beginning when they are following the teachings, they are 10

very sensitive. They feel something concrete immediately just by doing a visualisation. After two or three years, how­ ever, even if they are doing more important practices, they don't feel very much. Whether or not they do the practice is more or less the same. They gradually lose the sensation of the experience. If you encounter such a condition, it is very important that you refresh your practice by doing a practice like Zernga. This is similar to having a flat battery which needs recharging in order for things to work again.

2.2. Overcoming fear and attachment When we have too much attachment or tension, between periods of practice in ordinary life we feel afraid, or we are worried about various things. That is a characteristic which indicates that we are too conditioned by attachment. In this case, it is very important to do the practice of Zernga for discovering that in reality our fear has no basis.

2.3. Preparation for Reintegration 2.3.1. What is Realisation When we speak about realisation, we mean finding our­ selves in our condition as it is. This means the reintegration of our present dualistic situation. This dualistic concept of subject and object is called zungwa zinpa in Tibetan. This literally means the 'grasped' object and oneself, the 'grasper'. When we refer to a practice that involves the reintegration of subject and object, above all through working with en­ ergy, we have to understand clearly the functioning and char­ acteristics of energy. 11

In Dzogchen we have a very long and full explanation for the working of energy. First of all we explain that our whole vision, which represents the six senses and all that presents itself, including our karmic vision, is the mode of functioning of energy called tsal. This is explained through the metaphor of a crystal, which when struck by I ight, shoots forth light of various colours. Here the vision of all that presents itself is like the coloured light radiating from the crystal, whereas the crystal itself, the source of the light, represents our underlying condition: the primordial state. Normally when we speak of a vision of light, we are referring to a pure vision because it is a way in which the essence of the elements manifests. However with our attach­ ment and consideration, it is no longer a vision of the es­ sence. The light condenses into fully material manifestations, and we define that as karmic vision. If we examine ourselves, we find that an individual consists of body, voice and mind, the three aspects of existence. These aspects are linked to all of the elements. Through our attachment and our karmic traces, the whole of our karmic vision manifests to us as something concrete and apparently real, capable of giving pleasure or displeasure, exactly as in the example of water which under the appropriate conditions condenses into ice. In effect what we are saying is that the moment when the water is still water, it is like the light, the essence of the elements. It is through our attachment, consideration and judgement, that everything becomes solid and real for us. As the master Pha Tampa Sangye said: "It is not that man is

conditioned by his vision, by that which presents itself, but by his attachment to it." If one is to rediscover or re-experience one's natural con­

dition, then it is as if the ice must melt and become liquid water again. It is at this level that we find many ways of

12

seeing and perfonning the practice. If one understands this principle from the outset, that our vision is like the lights coming from the crystal, and that the crystal represents our underlying condition, then one has the capacity to under­ stand how energy works and how to work with it. We may know many principles in theory, but they don't give any practical result because our karmic traces are very solid and concrete obstacles for us. In order to overcome them, we engage in practices such as purification, and in the Dzogchen teaching in particular we speak about the reinte­ gration of energy. It is not enough to know in theory how it is, we have to do the practice which involves going through the five elements.

2.3.2. Meaning of reintegration Normally we say everything is the creation of our imagi­ nation and the representation of our karma. This means that all manifestations of our karma come from our mind. This is where they arise from, as if there is a crystal and from that crystal emerges and expands many lights. Although we know that those lights come from the crystal, we still have to go to their origin to discover the point from which they arise. It is only with this knowledge that we can resolve the problem of external vision which appears to us as ugly or beautiful. However, this leaves us with a consideration of a subject and that which spreads from it. Certainly we have to reinte­ grate everything manifested from the source into the source from which it comes. In other words, we reintegrate all of the light into the crystal from which it arises. The crystal has this capacity to shoot forth light when the cause is present. But nobody is saying, "Don't expand light. Avoid the cause.

13

Prevent this from happening." It is not that once you have reintegrated, the light will no longer present itself, or that the object will no longer emerge from it. The problem is that when the light comes forth, one might find oneself, once again, in a dualistic way of seeing the situation. It is at this level that there is

a

way of doing practice in order to reinte­

grate.

2.3.2.1. The Semde Way of Reintegration

If one has the consideration of the crystal as the place from which the light arises, the intention is not to avoid the lights coming from the crystal; instead, there is the possibil­ ity of integrating the crystal itself with these reflections of light which emerge from it, so that they are one. ln this case the reintegration actually makes use of the phenomena of the crystal manifesting light and colour. For example, in the Dzogchen Semde practice we find ourselves in the light of the crystal, and in it we see manifes­ tations of both pure and impure vision. We come to under­ stand that the light which emerges from the crystal must eventually be found in the very state of the crystal. In this case, the state of the individual is understood as the state of the mirror, or of the crystal. To enter into the state and to live in the state means not being conditioned by the reflections or by the light. In this way we arrive at the state of self­ perfection, or lhundrub.

2.3.2.2. T he Thodgal Way of Reintegration

There is another way of practising which is typical of the

14

Dzogchen Upadesha teaching and practice. In the Upade­ sha, the characteristic method is not that you integrate the light into the state of the crystal, but rather that you integrate the crystal into the state of the light, the reflections. In this regard, there are practices like Thodgal, and the detailed explanation of, the so called Four Lights, Dronma Zhi, or Four Visions, Nangwa Zhi, in the Upadesha teaching. Many people have asked me why 1 don't teach the Dzog­ chen Thodgal. When speaking of Thodgal, we imply that the practice ofTregchod preceeds it. In Dzogchen, there are these two levels of practice. It is said that one must perfect the practice ofTregchod first, before proceeding to the prac­ tice of Thadgal.

The principle of Tregchod Tregchod is for bringing oneself into a state where there is no distinction between subject and object. That is the state of rigpa, the primordial state which pervades both the calm state or nepa and the state of movement, gyuwa. This also includes the awareness of the base or ground, inTibetan zhi, of our existence: that which is called the essence, ngowo, the nature, rangzhin, and the energy, thugje. Finding your­ self in contemplation means finding yourself in the state of knowledge. In order to develop this and to make it real, there is the practice of Thadgal. Why is Thodgal so important for the development in our practice? In life, to come to a concrete realisation we have to reintegrate everything in our entire condition. It is not enough to believe just in theory. For example, if we put our finger in the fire, it burns. Why? Because for us fire is a material thing, as is our finger. The fire's function is to burn.

15

Logically that is what happens. It is not enough just to know that they have the same nature because we are still very at­ tached to the dualistic way of being and it does not corre­ spond to reality. It is not so easy to reintegrate and find our­ selves in the same condition as the elements. For this reason, first we must enter into the state of knowl­ edge. In this way we are no longer conditioned by concrete things. Instead, we find ourselves in the condition of the mirror or the crystal, for example. When we truly possesses this knowledge, we apply it concretely. This means that we have concrete knowledge of Tregchod. After that we prac­ tice Thodgal. Thodgal is something which very rapidly develops Tregchod. Zemga is a method which is applied to bring about this reintegration, and is the starting point ofThodgal. That is why Zemga is very important. If one has not got the direct experience of the state of rigpa, then through this practice one can arrive at a concrete experience, which is always called 'direct introduction' in the Dzogchen teaching. When a person discovers the experience and then enters into the knowledge at the end of the practice, then that is an integra­ tion of the material level into the wisdom level. As regarding Thodgal, however, one cannot simply do the practice; one must have a precise understanding of the principles involved and how to apply them.

The principle ojThiidgal Sometimes people think that doing the practice is like fixing a car, that somehow it only has to do with the position in which you sit, with how you gaze or breathe, and so on. That is not enough. You have to know why such procedures

16

function, and why you apply them. Many people try to prac­ tise Thodgal, even without having bothered to go to a mas­ ter to receive teaching. They have no idea why they are do­ ing it, or what principles are involved. This is no good. It is essential that one understands right from the beginning. The fundamental basis of Thadgal and that of Tregchod are different. The basis ofTregchod is a method that works on the level of contemplation emphasizing the aspect of emptiness. There is no method or way of saying, "This is like this and this and this," because we are beyond all con­ cepts. But the practice ofThadgal is developed through vi­ sion. What do we mean by vision? We mean our energy. In this case, the method is somewhat different. In this sense Thodgal seems like a practice that approaches a more con­ crete level. In the Dzogchen Upadesha there exists the explanation of the Four Lights. Where do these four lights come from? In effect, they come from the crystal which shoots forth the four lights externally. They are none other than the state which is symbolized by the crystal or by the mirror. In this way of manifesting, the inner dimension fully appears as if it were external. This means that when one is practising, a manifes­ tation of light appears before one's eyes. As an example, let us say that a thigle appears. In this thigle something may appear. This is not just imagination. This is not a visualisa­ tion, neither is it a dream. This can appear truly before one's eyes and be seen with the eyes. The eyes are normally spo­ ken of as the gateway of vision. But here what you are see­ ing is in some sense the subject made visible and seen out there as if it were an object. It is as if it were an external dimension outside. Here we have something quite different from our usual karmic vision or the manifestation of tsal energy. Now it is our inner dimension which is appearing as if it were external. 17

This is the same as in the case of a practitioner who has trained completely in the visualisation of a mandala. The practitioner realises that visualisation, and through the prac­ titioner's energy, the mandala appears. It is a vision, an ap­ pearance, which is concrete for the practitioner, but not for any one else. Energy manifested in this way is called rolpa. It is not something other than oneself, but it can appear as if objective, as if presenting itself externally. In the practice ofThodgal, there exist practices in the dark for developing this vision further. What is the meaning of practising in the dark? In the dark there is no light to help us see things. Whatever appears is inner nature appearing ex­ ternally. So we are sure it is not something dualistic, or out­ side. We are sure it is not a karmic vision. If one is in total darkness, one sees nothing, only black. But a practitioner of Thi.)dgal will not see 'black' in the dark. A kind of light will appear, but not the light of a lamp or something which ap­ pears and expands outside oneself. When a person has certain disturbances or sickness of the eyes, the person might see something outside. That means there is a sickness of the eyes; there is a specific cause, some­ thing to do with the eyes or the nerves. In the dark, however, this manifestation of light does not really depend on the eyes. In the Upadesha teaching, we call this way of manifesting externally- we know it comes from within- the dimen­ sion of the external ying. Usually ying means space or general condition. We can define all of this space or general situation as external ying, but in this case there is no particular need to speak about this as external or internal. However, when we specify "that is external ying," we mean that it is our inner dimension, our inner nature, that becomes outer, or appears as if outside. When our capacity in the practice develops, we are capable

IR

of manifesting these appearances. They appear as if they were obj ects. They appear regardless of our eyes. Even with our eyes shut we see the same things in the same way. The methods for developing such visions can be found in the Dzogchen Upadesha as well as in the Longde. These visions are not j ust for entertainment, for seeing some forms and manifestations or some extraordinary colours. There are other purposes. There is a principle involved. W hen we speak of the development of light in the Upa­ desha practices, first of all we speak of the development of the experience of vision. Slowly this vision develops to be­ come infinite. At the end of the fourth stage, we speak of the consumption of the whole experience of visions. The idea is that one has to develop the capacity for visions. We heighten the capacity for visions to the extreme, until it exhausts it­ self, and it is finished. Then there is no more vision. At that point we would have integrated all of the visions totally. In this moment, it is as if the crystal has been fully integrated into and consumed by the light. This is the typical mode of practice and kind of result of the Upadesha level of Dzogchen. It is through these prac­ tices that the body of light emerges. Individuals have a ma­ terial body, and manifest external ying. They then integrate their material body into the external ying. At a certain point of integrating their material body into the external ying, their material body disappears and simultaneously the body of light appears. This principle has to be understood, because it is very important. This is the principle of the teaching of Thodgal. So far nothing has been said about how the practice is done; only the meaning and principle of Thodgal has been spoken of. The method, how one actually does the practice, must be learnt and applied step by step.

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Why is Thiidgal secret

W hen we speak of the practice ofThodgal, we are refer­ ring to a practice which is very serious, very precise and very concrete. What does concrete mean? In general, if a teacher says, "If you do this and that well, you will develop awareness and something will happen", it is very difficult to have any proof. Usually there is not much practical demon­ stration of the effects of practice, and it is hard to make as­ sertions such as, "Do this for two months, this will happen and there will be some sign". Thodgal is not like that. Here is a practice where you get concrete results straight away. It cannot be denied. You can­ not deny it because there is a practical result. W hoever has done it can verify this. But a vision which appears as if it is extemal, which presents itself outwardly, can, because of your mental concepts, become an object. For example, if we have a pleasing dream, we will be delighted. "Oh, I had a marvellous dream", we say. We think, "Who knows, maybe I am really getting realised." It is very easy to develop at­

tachment. Ilow much more dangerously so if we have a Thodgal vision which is concretely appearing as real to us? We immediately get into this "Ah, well, everything is great now" attitude, because we don't have much experience with these things. We know perfectly well that somebody who is taking some kind of drug is capable of saying, "Oh, I see the fourth dimension," or something strange like that, and is re­ ally happy and thinks that things have really come together. That is the principle of how to create problems. Our habit and tendency is such that anything we see, we hear, or have contact with in our pratice, like a nyam or a vision, can re­ ally strike us. So it is not so simple to avoid creating prob­ lems if you lack the concrete basis, the preparation.

20

A Thodgal vision is something rather concrete. It is a manifestation. If you find yourself in the correct and appro­ priate state, then it develops. Otherwise you block yourself there, and then it is worse for you. This is why, normally, the people who practise it, and who teach it, are very prudent about it. It is very important that people know this principle and follow the right way of practice. For example, I did not practise Thodgal for many years after receiving the teaching. I have received this teaching a number of times, because when the teaching ofDzogchen is given, this is normally part of it. My master Changchub Dorje had told me to develop my Tregch()d perfectly before begin­ ning the practice ofThodgal. He insisted on this and I never felt that I had developed the Tregchod enough to start the Thodgal. I always felt I had to get the Tregchod very precise in order to develop towards Thodgal. One night, years after I went to Italy, I had a dream of my master and he told me to practise Thodgal. In the dream I said, "You told me to get the Tregchod perfect and that is why I have not practised Thodgal yet." He replied, "Now you have to practise Thodgal. Now it is important." Not only that, he gave me certain signs and indications as to why I had to do this. This is an example. Many people imagine that they have to do Thodgal and ask me for it. I have taught this a number of times, and to a number of people, but nothing got resolved. I know that the Thodgal has a precise function, a way of working and a purpose. I know it personally quite well. When I give a teaching that does not work for people, I am not pleased. I know when a person has to do Thodgal and whether the person is ready or not. I know when a person is really ready to take the leap. But it is much better that a person takes the leap and resolves something, instead of falling.

21

There is also another reason why the famous Tregchod and Thodgal are very reserved and secret. I don't think that you will get lessons on Thodgal from a master if you just go and ask for them. Very few masters will give this teaching. This is because of this principle: to practice Thodgal means that we are at the ultimate level, and that we are to reach the famous Great Transference. The Great Transference means that we don't manifest death. If we have not completely achieved this then instead we will attain jalii, the body of light, leaving no body when we die. This is the ultimate goal of the practice of Thodgal. Whoever practises Thodgal al­ ways aims at this degree of realisation. Before the master can teach it, he must be absolutely sure that he is guaranteed this realisation, otherwise he cannot give it. He must attain it first, before he can give it. Masters don't give this teaching easily, because they are conserving the value of the teaching, keeping it reserved and discreet. It does not mean that if I teach it to a person, I have ruined the secret. If a person is a real practitioner, and I give this high level of practice, it will do me good. If I had ten people here who were really in a fine condition of practice and I could transmit it to them, then this would be positive for all of us, not negative. But if among these people there was somebody who was just curious, who has heard others talking about it, who wants to know, who follows a little but jabbers with everybody, saying, "You know, Rinpoche gives this practice, blah blah blah," and who argues, debates and discusses it, then that is harmful to the teaching. It is hann­ ful to the transmission and negative for everyone's practice as a whole. Such action contaminates the practice. The re­ sult is that the realisation of whoever teaches and that per­ son's ability to help others, as well as the students' realisa­ tion, will all be harmed. This is ruinous and definitely nega­ tive. 22

This is why a master rarely teaches such practices. Even if you go to ask for Tregchod, I am a hundred percent sure that if the master is not absolutely sure of you as a person, it will not be given to you. Go to a Nyingma master, for exam­ ple, and ask about Tregchod. I bet he will not even tell a single word of the Four Chogzhag. Nobody will explain this teaching to you, not out of ill-will, but because of respect for the teaching and because of a desire to make the teaching flourish. The teacher himself must realise and then give value of his transmission to another person, through the conserva­ tion of the teaching. Likewise, you must conserve and pre­ serve the teaching. Things like the Four Chogzhag and all the rest are not to be talked about.

2.3.2.3. Actual reintegration

How can reintegration come about concretely? If you observe your own body a bit you will see how complicated it is. It is not enough to say that your practice has resulted in apparitions or fantastic visions. You have to go more concre­ tely into this. The masters who followed this practice made use of many methods. For example, my master's master, Nyagla Padma Diindul, who obtained the body of light, practised the Dharmakaya style of Chiidlen, or 'extracting essence', for three years. It means that he did not eat anything during that time. He had already practised the Sambhogakaya style Chiidlen by tak­ ing some minerals like calcium etc. for more than seven years. This is also a way of doing practice. Of course, that does not mean doing it to get thin in order to disappear slowly. If you just fast you too can nearly disappear! Everything in the relative condition manifests through the

23

five elements. So inTantrism, when we speak of a visualisa­ tion manifesting, it begins from shunyata, from empty space, out of which the first element, air, arises. From this, one manifests the whole dimension of transformation. But this is not only a fantasy. Our whole dimension manifests just like this. Zernga, the Five Principal Points, is a method of working with the five elements, one by one, in order to real­ ise them in their natural condition. Generally speaking, a manifestation, or a pure vision, means something manifests through light, and something which so manifests is also said to be manifesting through the elements. Therefore, when the elements return to their own condition, they manifest as coloured lights. When the lights vanish, we call that condition emptiness. Just as they arise from empty space, so they return to that state. Thus one begins the practice of the elements one by one. At the end, practising in this way will help to carry the practitioner into the primordial state of rigpa. Those who are not famil­ iar with the state of rigpa will at least find themselves in the condition of emptiness. Those who know the state of rigpa will find themselves in a more stable presence.

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF ZERNGA Zernga is a method for re-absorbing material things into their substance. It is considered as part of a secondary prac­ tice ofTregchod. If you are really interested in Thodgal, you should, to some degree, be a master of these things. Other­ wise it will not work. It will remain theoretical. With this general idea of the principle behind this method, you should now know why Zernga is considered to be very important at all levels. It also helps you to overcome your attachment to

24

the physical body, increase your clarity, and refresh your practice if it has become stale. We always say that Dzogchen is a method of self-libera­ tion and is applied directly through energy. But the concept of energy here does not correspond to the control of breath­ ing or of prana according to the principles in Tantrism. When we talk about energy in the Dzogchen teaching, we are re­ ferring to reintegration. When we speak of the dimension of dang, for example, in the Song of the Vajra, where we work through the dimension of sound, we reintegrate in sound. So the practice of Zernga is based on the same idea. The five elements in an individual are represented by the breath (air), the body heat (fire), all of the liquids (water), the flesh and bones (earth), and space, in which everything manifests. In Tibetan medicine, the same principles are also expressed.

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PART TWO

THE PRACTICE

In Zernga, we have to work extensively with our mind, using imagination and visualisation. At the end, we are brought into the state of contemplation. We might have some strange nyam. Some people might find this practice rather disturbing. For example, they may become agitated as soon as they close their eyes. If they have to think of something as strange and complicated as the following visualisations, they feel terrible. So, even though this practice can be a kind of medicine to help nervous people overcome their fear and nervousness, you must still be aware of your own reaction and collaborate with your condition. If you are nervous, when you enter into the state of knowledge, you can integrate the nervousness with this knowledge and hence overcome the problem. However, if you know that you have too severe a problem, you should not do this practice. There are many types of practices. You may do those that suit you, but you are not asked to do all of them. To illustrate this point, there is this stoty of a master called Drugpa Kunleg, known by many as the Crazy Yogi, though he said many things which convey much truth. Once he went to a place called Pembo, over the hills from Lhasa, and arrived at a household. In that family, there lived a very fine lady who had great faith in him. She invited him to stay, accommodating him and some of his disciples for a while. One day, after they had stayed there for some weeks, the lady said, "I have to go to Lhasa for a short while and there will be nobody at home apart from you. Could you, master, and your disciples, please give me some help?"

29

Drugpa Kunleg said, "Sure, but what can we do for you?" She replied, "As you know, I sell beer. Well, I have to supply my customers without interruption, otherwise they may go elsewhere for their drink, then my business would suffer. So, if any of you know how to make beer..." Drugpa Kunleg said, "Sure, sure. We know how to do it alright." She said, "Now, look, I will explain to you very clearly what to do." But he replied, "No, we don't need any explanation.lfl know all these complicated teachings and fantastic practices, why on earth would I need your instruction on beer mak­ ing?" Still, she insisted, "Do you really know?" He answered, "Very well, I shall explain to you the tech­ nique instead." To this she responded, "All right, just to be sure, go ahead." T hen Drugpa Kunleg gave a perfect, impeccably brilliant explanation for beer making. The lady was absolutely de­ lighted. She left some grain behind with them for the beer and went to Lhasa. Usually when making Tibetan beer, after three days of fermentation a certain smell is emitted indicating it is close to being ready. After three or four days the lady returned. She was very sure that when she entered the house she would smell the beer. But when she arrived home, she could not smell anything. She was very surprised and looked into the room where she left the grain. Drugpa Kunleg hadn't even touched it. She was furious. She went to him and shouted, "Look, you yogis are just a bunch of chatter boxes. You talk all the time but don't know how to do anything." But Drugpa Kunleg calmly responded, "Cool it, honey. To know the quality of a man you have to know something: 30

one does not always do all the things that one knows how to do. I may know how to do a whole lot of things with you, but I don't do them all." This is very typical explanation Drugpa Kunleg would give. He is right, in general. In practice, you learn what to do before putting it into use. Whether you do that practice or not, depends on your individual condition. You don't apply something when it doesn't fit. If you have problems with a practice, you should not persist, or there 'vvill be more prob­ lems.

1. THE MAIN PRACTICE Air Of the five elements, we always begin with the element

air. To start off, you imagine yourself contemplating some­ where such as on top of a beautiful mountain, where the sand is like jewels, and the surroundings are very pleasant. Slowly, the air around you begins to have some movement. After turning into a breeze, the air becomes more and more agi­ tated and stronger winds and gales begin to blow. The wind begins to destroy your surroundings. Then it becomes so strong that it destroys even the place where you are sitting. It is said that at the end of a kalpa, which is the time span of a world, the elements always become very violent. They destroy everything. So, you imagine this very strong wind blowing, capable of destroying all physical things, includ­ ing you in the middle of it. The air continues until it has destroyed everything. In this way, all the elements enter into the element air. So does your material body, your thoughts and all the karmic traces and causes linked to your exist­ ence. Finally, nothing except the primordial state remains

31

apart from the element air, because nothing can destroy the state. W hen we speak of the elements at a subtle level, we can say that they are at the atomic level. Because it is from the atoms of the elements that the elements themselves mani­ fest (i.e., they manifest from this material level), entering this subtle level is called entering into the condition of the element, or the dhatu of the element. In all the destruction in this practice, it is this essence of the element of wisdom which has this increased capacity for destruction beyond the el­ ement's material level, i.e. the capacity to destroy thoughts and kam1ic traces as well. At the end, you arrive at the condition of emptiness, and in this emptiness a green A manifests as the symbol of the element air. It is as if your subject and object have entered into the natural condition and manifest as this green A. The condition is not as if you are here and the green A is outside. It is not a visualisation nor is it working on a mental level. Everything is eliminated and integrated with the element air, which manifests as this green A. Enter into contemplation and remain in this presence and relax. This is the first phase, called lungjong. Lung means the element air, and jong, means to train and also to purify. It is a way of taking the elements to their origin, to their sub­ stance. We call it destruction, but really this destruction means reintegrating the elements into their condition. Remaining thus we are said to be in the state of the all-accomplishing wisdom, chadrub yeshe. Fire

In this case visualise yourself on a mountain, in a deep forest, with plenty of beautiful flowers and fragrant plants. Imagine yourself sitting under a big tree. It is not important

32

to establish anything in particular, but you must have a gen­ eral idea. At first remain in tranquil contemplation. Then around the beautiful trees, flames arise. They grow slowly in the same manner as the air element developed. Thus ini­ tially you feel the heat of the fire even though the flames have not yet reached you. At a certain moment they come so close that they begin to burn the tree under which you sit as well as your body. The flames also have the violence and the power of the fire at the end of a kalpa: they can destroy eve­ rything. So all of the external and internal phenomena based on your considerations are eliminated by fire. The element of fire burns up your physical body as well as your karmic traces etc. This fire also enters into its own condition, and your state at the end manifests as two red A's. As we go through these elements progressively, we in­ crease the number of A's. We have one A for the air element, so now we have two red A's for fire. You don 't feel a green and a red A this time; you feel two red A's together. You can have them one in front of the other, or one on top of the other, it does not matter. Remain in this presence a little, and remain in contemplation, if you know how. This is called mejong, training or purification by fire. In this case, you are in the state of the discriminating wisdom, sortog yeshe. Water

The third element is water. For this practice you can visu­ alise yourself on an island, full of fragrant flowers. It is said that the practitioner is in a men jong, a pleasant place full of medicinal plants and flowers, a bit like a botanical garden. There is nothing unpleasant. It is tranquil and peaceful. Con­ tinue in contemplation as before. Slowly, little by little the sea begins to be disturbed. At a certain point it becomes so turbulent that the tidal waves can

33

destroy even mountains. Finally, your body is also engulfed by the water, which is now really agitated. It wipes out your body and eliminates all of your karmic traces. It also returns to the natural condition of the water element itself. Now, three white A's appear, and with this presence you relax and continue in the state of contemplation. This practice is called chujong, water purification. You arrive at the state of mir­ ror-like wisdom, melong yeshe. Earth

Next comes the element of earth. Now you visualise your­ self on top of a beautiful, gigantic mountain. You can see everything freely in every direction. You remain in limitless contemplation, but then slowly the mountain begins to trem­ ble. A t a certain point it turns into an earthquake. It becomes more and more terrible, destroying the rocks, mountains, everything. Don't think of it as a normal earthquake, where homes collapse and you get buried under the rubble. Here, in this destruction, not only are your physical body and karmic traces destroyed, but even the element earth is being destroyed. Everything connected to the existence of our body becomes nothing. Now the elements enter into the natural condition of the element earth and four yellow A's arise. You remain in contemplation with the presence of these four yel­ low A's. This practice is called sajong, earth purification. Through this, it is considered that you reach the state of the wisdom of equanimity, nyamnyid yeshe. Space

Finally there is the element of space. Space is the base of all elements, the basis from which they arise and to which they return. When we speak of the condition of the indi­ vidual, that which is called consciousness, thought, is the

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condition of space. Usually the mind is said to be dependent upon space, because space is the fundamental basis of all the elements. The idea of space is something like the sky, for example. When the sky is clear, we look at its blueness and see space. With this idea, you visualise yourself in contemplation in space. You are tran<]uil, not falling from anything, because if everything is space there is nothing to fall from, is there? While in space, you visualise that all material vision dis­ solves and vanishes. Everything is dissolved into the colour of space, in the blue, like salt being dissolved in water. First you practise for a while with this visualisation. Then you inhale imagining that you breathe in all this blue space and your own dimension becomes blue. Through this you dissolve and get rid of your materiality, and you reintegrate yourself into the dimension of space. Nothing remains ex­ cept space, nothing remains in the dualistic concept. Recall that in the practice of Mitogpa Sewa we breathe in the blue dimension and remain in the blueness at the end. The same principle is at work here. There are two types of space, called chii namkha and bugai namkha. The former is the external space, while the latter is the limited space such as we find in our body, like the space in a bottle. For exam­ ple, when a bottle is broken, then the two namkha, or types of space, are integrated with each other. Similarly one con­ siders this as an integration of the outer space with the space of our body. Then with this integration, five blue A's appear like a rainbow, either back to back or one on top of another. This purification is called khajong. You arrive at the wis­ dom of Dhannadhatu, choying yeshe.

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2. THE PRACTICE

OF

A (�)

You do these visualisations, working with each of them for some time. You can train yourself and experiment with the practice a bit. You can observe, when repeating the visu­ alisation, how you feel at the different stages: at the begin­ ning of the destruction, in the middle of it, and at the end, when you are in the state of contemplation. You can then distinguish the difference between your reasoning mind and the state of rigpa. At the end of the practice of the space element, the five blue A's gradually dissolve into each other, one by one, from the bottom upwards into the top A. There is a way of training with this A. Visualise it shrink­ ing and becoming a very small tiny little A. Then expand it until it becomes enom1ous, as vast as the dimension of the universe. Then again bring it down to very small and repeat this sequence. After training yourself in this way and relaxing the pres­ ence of the A you carry yourself into the state of contempla­ tion. By this method, the A will arise somewhat spontane­ ously. You can practice this A like the HUM in the Rushen practice, doing practice like the Rushen of the voice, with the travelling HUM, beyond the limit of time and space. You can thus train without limit, and at the end always carry the five elements into the essence of their state.

3. THE CONCLUDING PRACTICE After you have become sufficiently familiar with this prac­ tice and obtained some results, you can use the method called Jungwa Sedsar Kyel. Jungwa means 'the elements', sedsar means 'to consume'; kyel means 'to carry'. Altogether it

36

means 'bringing the elements to their consumption'. In this case concentrate that from the blue A arise two other A's, above and below. Immediately above the blue A is a white A , above which is

a

red A. Below the blue A is a yellow A ,

below which is a green A. So in this manifestation of five coloured A, the colours from the top to the bottom are red, white, blue, yellow and green. There are other types of visu­ alisation, but this one is specifically from the Nyingthig tra­ dition. You visualise these five coloured A's for a long time. Then visualise your material body and your entire material dimension integrated into these five coloured A's. Follow­ ing that, unify them all into the central blue A , and vanish into space. Repeat this visualisation of the five coloured A's and the integration of your body and your dimension.

G\1

red

G\1

white

G\1

blue

G\1

yellow

G\1

green

This presence of the five coloured A's is a way of going into the essence of the elements. However it only works if you have trained in the first part of Zernga as I explained before; if you only do this last one, it probably won't work.

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4. NOTES ABOUT THE PRACTICE

(i) When you do this type of visualisation there are al­ ways nyam. If you are very nervous you may not be able to continue. There are some people who feel a sensation of fear as soon as they close their eyes. This is a kind of illness. It means that they don't find it easy to begin this practice. They should approach it very slowly. If you don't have any prob­ lems, you can proceed right to the end. Even if many nyam come, you are not disturbed. This is how this practice presents itself, and how it affects you. (ii) Any one element can be practised several times, if you feel the need. This depends very much upon the indi­ vidual. For instance, those people with too much earth ele­ ment can spend more time on the air element of which they need more, in order to balance everything. (iii) When I explained the practice of Longde, I also ex­ plained all the elements and the way to deal with them. Know­ ing how to work with the condition of your elements is ex­ tremely important. You can proceed well with this practice by also following the explanations given in the Longde. (iv) Each practice can be accompanied by the sounding of A to have a more vibrant presence. This is not indispensa­ ble, however. If you have to practice in a place where you cannot make any noise you can do it without sounding A, because both methods exist in the tradition. (v) If this practice is done in a retreat, it is better to alter­ nate it with other purification or visualisation practices. Oth­ erwise the practitioner may become rather nervous.

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INDEX OF TIBETAN TERMS bugai namkha

bu ga'i nam kha'

Changchub Dorje

byang chub rdo rjc 21

chadrub ycshc

bya grub ye shes 32

chii namkha

spyi'i nam mkha' 35

Chad

gcod 9

Chiidlen

bcudlcn 23

35

chujong

elm sbyong 34

Chogzhag

cog bzhag 23

chi.iying ycshc

chos dbyings ye shes 35

dampa

sdam pa 9

dang

gdangs 25

Dronma Zhi

sgron rna bzhi 15

Drugpa Kunleg

'brug pa kun legs 29, 30, 31

Dzogchcn

rdzogs chcn 9, 10, 12, 13,14, 15, 16, 17, 19,25

gyuwa

'gyu ba 15

jalii

'ja' Ius 22

jungwa

'byung ba 36

Jungwa Sedsar Kycl

'byung ba zad sar skyel 36

khajong

mkha' sbyong 35

lhundrub

limn grub 14

Longde

klong sde 19, 3R

lung

rlung 32

lungjong

rlung sbyong 32

mejong

me sbyong 33

melong yeshe

me long ye shes 34

men JOng

sman ljongs 33

Menngagde

man ngag sde 9

Mitogpa Sewa

mi rtog pa bsre ba 35

Nangwa Zhi

snang ba bzhi 15

nepa

gnas pa 15

ngowo

ngo bo 15

Nyagla Padma Diindul

nyag bla pad rna bdud 'dul 23

nyam

nyams 20,29,3R

nyamnyid ycshe

mnyam nyid ye shes 34

Nyingma

rnying ma 23

Nyingthig

snying thig 37

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pagchag

bag chags 9

Pha Tampa Sangye

pha dam pa sangs rgyas 12

rangzhin

rang bzhin I5

rigpa

rig pa 15,16,24,36

rolpa

rol pa 18

Rushen

ru shan 36

saJong

sa sbyong 34

Semde

sems sde 14

sortog yeshe

sor rtogs ye shes 33

thigle

thig le 17

T hodgal

thod rgal 15,16,17, 18,19, 20,21,

thorwa

'thor ba 10

thugje

thugs 1je 15

22,24

thun

thun 10

Tregchod

khregs chod 15, 16,17,21,22,23

trenpa

dran pa 9

Trcnpa Gyun Chodkyi Dampa

dran pa rgyun gcod kyi sdam pa 9

tsal

rtsal 12, 17

ymg

dbyings 18,19

Zernga

gzer lnga 10, II, 16,24,25, 37

zhi

gzhi 15

zungwa zmpa

gzung ba 'dzin pa II

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