From Anam Thubten Rinpoche's facebook post:

Our minds have many self-constructed limitations—ideas of what is good, what is bad; what is sacred, what is not sacred. But if you can see a limitation in your mind, you can actually transcend it.

Sometimes our compassion is limited, isn’t it? Even a wholesome state like love can be very limited. We have love and compassion for people we know, people we are close to. But if we realize that we can't find the mind—that it has no ground and no root—then we can transcend these limitations. We are able to hold everyone in our hearts; we are able to see the divinity in everyone.

Recently, a friend told me that she asked her Buddhist teacher, “What do you see in us?” The teacher replied, “I see you all as stars.” [As in https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/universe-uncovered/hubble-star-clusters/ ]

That’s amazing, isn’t it? Imagine if we could see everyone as stars. Normally, we see them through the narrow lens of dualism. We see them through their personality; we see people we love, people we have aversion towards, and even some that we despise. Sometimes, we may even dehumanize them unconsciously. It's hard for us to see everyone as stars.

This is election season here in the United States, so it's a good time to try to see everyone as stars. That would be very nice! So this is my homework for all of you: please practice seeing everyone as stars.

Hello all,

I'm in a bit of an existential crisis in my life and am in need of assistance.

In my teens I began having panic attacks where I felt immensely trapped. The perception was of being trapped inside of reality itself, enmeshed within 3D reality. With these panic attacks came a realization - that I am not a separate entity outside of reality, but am rather *inside* of it. I'm inseparable from reality and reality is inseparable from me. I'm really not sure if the realization caused the terror, or the heightened state of the panic caused the realization. But for my entire life the thought "I'm inside reality" and terror have been linked. Thinking about this makes me feel overwhelmingly trapped and can start a panic attack.

For years I was able to avoid/ignore this truth. I'm in my early 30s now and lately I'm seeing this in everything. Every time I orient towards the visual field, I'm reminded of my relationship to it. Every object I look at, I notice that it is in relation to all of reality around it, and to me. Every time I think of anything in this reality, I'm reminded of the inseparability of everything in this reality from the rest, including myself. Everything seems to be brining me back to this realization - "I'm trapped inside of reality".

Over the years I've practiced many things: avoidance, acceptance, challenging the thought ("maybe it's not true?"), trying to see the emptiness of the thought, trying to see the emptiness of the self that thinks the thought and feels the fear. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be working. Best case scenario when this thought comes up I don't engage with the content and just go back to doing what I'm doing (i.e. ignore it). Worst case scenario this thought seems unavoidable and I have a perception of being trapped and experience terror. Because this issue appears unsolvable I'm trying to avoid thinking about it but at the same time my mind is obsessing over it and keeps digging at it. I'm losing sleep, am in a constant state of anxiety and on the verge of panic attacks. It feels like this existential fact that is simultaneously true, pervasive, inescapable and unacceptable.

I'd always thought this was simply derealization and symptoms of panic attacks/anxiety, and I am sure that those things are occurring right now. But at the same time, there is some truth in this way of thinking/perceiving. I *am* a part of reality. Because this issue edges towards insights into no-self and non-separateness, lately I've been thinking that perhaps this isn't simply an issue of generalized anxiety/panic, but is actually a spiritual/ontological issue? What do you think, does this sound like an insight? Perhaps an incomplete one?

Please, I welcome all advice on how to proceed. Does this sound like a spiritual insight? Or is this simply panic/anxiety/DPDR? I really feel stuck and at a dead end with this issue. I have for years tried to practice acceptance of both panic attacks and this thought, but I haven't been able to budge this apparent crisis. I don't know what to do. Can anyone relate to this?? Whenever I mention this type of thought to family, friends, even others who suffer from anxiety, nobody seems to know what I'm talking about. Because of that I feel quite alone in this.

I'm posting here because Dzogchen was the practice that I was engaging with over the past year. In this Lame Lena lecture, she says "Literally, nyam means meditative experience. And there are a few that are extremely unpleasant. Such as, you are having a panic attack every time you go into relaxation. That panic attack is a nyam". From a practice perspective, I have found that I'm able to rest into present awareness without experiencing this panic. It's when going about my day interacting with daily life that I'm obsessing about this idea of "being inside reality".

is daytime dream yoga different from holding the view ??

In the former case, is it one or many (one per Buddha). If it is one, how is it different from Vedanta Brahman and thus a cosmic self? If there are many, how is it different from many selves?

Hello everyone, do you know if in Europe there are Nyingma centers related to Dilgo Kyentse (I looked at Shechen site of Rabjam Rinpoche but i didn't find centers with resident Lamas). I did't find any center realated to Mindrolling Trichen Rinpoche, to Penor Rinpoche and to Dudjom Rinpoche. Do you know centers related to this great Masters of Nyingma?

this is something i only noticed post recognition that almost over 90% of daily thoughts are completely useless and bring nothing but suffering.. that is an insane fact and i wish every human being could recognize this.

(Dalai Lama, Dzogchen, p.47)

I watched and interview with Daniel p brown describing that after 7-8 years and releasing all karmic memory traces ..negative emotions disappear completely ...and 80-85 positive State arise in the mind

have you ever met someone like that ? is this really achievable in one lifetime ??

I've got lung after a wonderful retreat last week. Not sleeping well, a bit wired, and my chi feels all jangle-y. When I feel what's usually the nice warm smooth flow of chi it feels kind of... jagged? I tried doing some tai chi to smooth it out but I couldn't "root". If I remember right, the energy is rooted in the feet, developed by the legs, directed by the waist and manifested in the fingers. But it all feels kind of disconnected and static-y.

LL talked about lung during the retreat and the basics of caring for it. If I understood her correctly, they were to relax the intensity of practice, slack off a bit, skip the dream yoga so you sleep more deeply, eat heavy fatty food with meat (vegan makes it worse), and take meds. I'm doing all of that. And I'm trying to give up caffeine.

It's not too bad. I would gladly feel this way for a year to have been able to do that retreat, it was so good. But it would be nice if it faded out quicker. Anybody got any good ideas? Yes, I have an email in to the lama, but she gets buried under emails. By the time she can get to mine I'll probably feel all better. Anybody got any helpful suggestions in the meanwhile? Thanks!

Hello friends! The purpose of this post is to share something I have been reflecting on recently to see if other novices such as myself may have any thoughts on it, but more importantly to be corrected by the more experienced where I may be getting things wrong. 

On suffering: In my practice, and in my life in general, I am constantly reflecting on the truth of suffering, and the truth that it is optional. This has been incredibly helpful to me in becoming a more lighthearted, happier, kinder person. Since I began practicing, I have seen a steady, (mostly) one-directional change year on year as my existing relationships improve, I form new wonderfully meaningful relationships, find new ways to help others, enjoy more while being bothered less, and just generally have a hell of a lot of fun with great people. The Four Noble Truths are so simple to understand, yet when one really integrates them into their daily life, they have a profoundly positive impact on ourselves and others. 

Buddhism broadly: When it comes to the dharma, I also find that the Four Noble Truths are a useful lens to apply when people get into heated debates on various perceived philosophical differences, discussions on metaphysics, the more technical aspects of meditation, psychology, ethics or whatever else falls under the various forms of Buddhism. If we always come back to the Four Noble Truths, it helps us to identify “is this helpful or not?” If it leads to less suffering and/or more happiness, great. If the answer is uncertain, we can move on. It has long been my view that for a 2,600 year old tradition, with such a breadth and diversity in its various forms across the world, it is quite helpful that the different ‘Buddhisms’ have at their core this single, simple starting point they all fall back upon and can agree on as the basis for our practice and our lives, as well as to more accurately understand reality and who we really are. 

Dzogchen: Now Dzogchen is obviously a part of Buddhism. It stems from Mahayana and most teachers describe it as the culmination of the Vajrayana vehicle. The bodhicitta motivation is central to Dzogchen. However, I have been wondering whether Dzogchen really takes the Four Noble Truths as its starting point? 

To me, an argument could be made that the answer to this is both yes and no, or even that it does not really matter. One could argue Dzogchen does not need to start with the Four Noble Truths as it has - in a sense - found a more efficient path to them. Instead of starting with the cessation of suffering, Dzogchen begins (and ends) with the ultimate nature of mind/reality. Receiving direct introduction to the nature of mind from a qualified lineage holder is necessary before one even begins their practice. 

However, once we have had this direct experience of our pristine, awake awareness, and have developed a serious motivation to stabilise this in our moment to moment existence through sustained practice, dharmakaya inevitably and spontaneously shines through more and more in all our thoughts, speech and actions. This leads us to be more open and accepting, unperturbed by whatever so-called afflictive emotions or ‘negative’ events may occur, and crucially coincides with a natural upwelling of genuine care and compassion for others. 

So in this sense, it could be said that cessation of suffering is a natural byproduct of awakened mind, even if we were to not take cessation of suffering as the original goal itself. Phrased in the reverse, if realising the true nature of our minds and reality is taken as the starting point - and provided we have a qualified teacher and the appropriate motivation in our practice - we will inevitably achieve realisation of the Four Noble Truths and cessation of suffering along the way. 

So it is a kind of chicken and egg thing. Whether one starts with ending suffering or realising the nature of mind as the goal, an awakened mind ends up getting both at once anyway. 

Inflammatory title yes, but how have we verified that anyone has really reached full awakening? Where are the documented miraculous accounts that can’t be tricked/faked? What’s with the exclusivist claims of rainbow body? How do you know you aren’t being lapsed into a sort of psychosis? How about the inconsistencies of no-self/sunyata teachings and karma and rebirth regarding the mindstream, and with the cosmologies that nobody seems to have experienced as told. If the premise is to end suffering, how has it been working out when a lot of ‘high teachers’ have been getting exposed more and more?

I am one in Reality and suchness, and pertinent to [this truth] there are six bases (gzhi madrug) which are methods you ought to understand: {p. 140} .
(1) As to making doctrinal view a basis for cognizing Reality [you ought to know that] it is just a means to let you see [Reality]. As the unborn is not an object which you can perceive, you will never gaze at suchness by means of a doctrinal view.
(2) As to making vows a base for purging one’s own faults, [you ought to know that] it is just ameans for removing the hindrances. As suchness is not an object which you should observe, suchness will never be mastered by means of observing [any vows].
(3) As to making rites a base for spiritual realization, [you ought to know that] they are just a means for letting you make this realization through striving [for it]. As suchness is not an object which you could strive for, suchness can never be realized through striving.
(4) As to making the path a base for progress by means of proceeding [on it, you ought to know that] it is just a means for progressing towards the goal. As suchness is not a path on which you may proceed, suchness will not be reached through proceeding.
(5) As to making the bodhisattva stages a base for abiding [in them, you ought to know that] they are just an unnecessary means of religious practice. As suchness exists in everything and all, there is no stage to be practised so that you could abide [in them].
(6) As to making the pristine awareness a base for understanding, [you ought to know that] it is just a means to understand Reality. As suchness is never an object of cognition, the self-originated pristine awareness cannot be cognized as an object.

The Sovereign All-Creating Mind, the Motherly Buddha: A Translation of the Kun Byed Rgyal Po’i Mdo, 1992 (Eva Neumaier-Dargyay)

*please keep in mind this is an early translation and the text itself is allegorical.

i know you must have a teacher to learn it but what is it exactly? what does it serve?

how close is headlessness to the Dzogchen view??

https://preview.redd.it/rxmcomf4tqtd1.jpg?width=767&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91794bb713a0ec9bcbd66f7b1c18c0b550e48124

Dear friends,

As a Hindu who has long been dedicated to the practice of Yoga, I have finally started my journey towards Vajrayana Buddhism after considering it for some time. I want to express my deep gratitude to those of you who guided me here on this subreddit, helping me find my way. (Both r/Dzogchen and r/Vajrayana).

I recently joined Tergar and have begun the Ngondro course. As I delve into the teachings, I find myself even more drawn to Guru Padmasambhava than ever before. His presence feels powerful and transformative, guiding me through this new chapter of my spiritual journey.

One of the most impactful aspects so far has been learning about Dharmakaya in the foundational course. It has deepened my understanding of how all faiths, in essence, speak to the same truth, but, what resonates with me in Vajrayana Buddhism is how it communicates that truth so directly, without the need for stories or layers—it goes straight to the heart of the lesson.

While I honor my Hindu roots and do not wish to lose that connection, I am eager to strongly establish my faith in Vajrayana, feeling that this path speaks to me in a way that aligns with where I am spiritually.

I’m so blessed to be on this journey and grateful to be part of this community that has helped me take this first step.

In reverence to Padmasambhava:
Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum.

Gratitude and lots of Love ♥🙏

any resources on how to fall asleep lucidly??

Lately, I have found myself in great difficulty after many years of, in my view, intense practice and study. After giving it some thought, I realized that there are at least two issues:

1. Being always the nice guy (loving kindess, I am surrounded by gelugs and I have absorbed that way of thinking) led me to have problems. Unfortunately teachers tend to forget to specify when it is advisable to be loving and kind and when being loving and kind can have very very unpleasant results.

2. Mind Body Dichotomy

This post is about number two. Most of us, practicioners and teachers, take for granted and laugh at the absurdity that the mind is not, in fact, a product of the body. Yet, nobody has any compelling arguments which we can all use to verify (past lives here don't count, as they are unverifiable for the common man, which I am) that the mind is not a byproduct of the body. Neither are there any practices in this regard.

Does anybody of you know of any practice, or any compelling argument/book to read (even if unrelated to Buddhism), that the mind is, in fact, not a byproduct of the body?

what is trekcho exactly?? awarness of thoughtless rigpa or being open to everything??

I discovered people really hear a voice in their head all day a few years before this became a hot topic in recent years. I was watching the Netflix show called You and the main character is always thinking and so there's a constant voiceover throughout the show of him talking to himself. I mentioned to my wife that I like the show and I get whey they have to do that, but it's so silly how he's always talking to himself like that. Her response was, "What do you mean?" That's when I realized she actually does that all day.

So, then I asked several friends and pretty much everybody said they had an internal monologue, too. I did some Googling and found out that I was the oddball for not having one.

I can think full conversations in my head if I want to create a comic strip or comedy sketch or something, but I never talk to myself in my head throughout the day and, frankly, it seems weird that people do—especially since every single person always says the same thing: they wish they could turn it off sometimes.

But, it got me thinking and I really don't know if I've always been this way or if maybe it was a result of Dzogchen practice, which I started almost 20 years ago now. It's certainly possible I used to talk to myself in my head all day long everyday without let up, but I don't ever remember doing that.

So, it just got me curious if maybe internal monologue stops as a result of this sort of practice? Before Dzogchen, I spent about 5 years doing other meditation practices. I definitely remember my mind used to be way more chaotic when I began meditating, but I don't ever remember just talking to myself throughout the day. Even thoughts intruding on meditation were never sentences as if I was speaking to myself (as far as I can remember, at least).

I wrote a whole big thing here, but I can't expect strangers to read a lot and care enough to carefully consider all the details of my life.

I'm asking because after about 10 minutes of chanting the main deity mantra, I feel like I'm spent and continuing is only going to lead to mental distraction and take me out of the practice. When I do Green Tara, the SoV comes after and I am always happy to get to that. When I am doing a Short Tun, the SoV comes before the main deity mantra, so I still naturally stop after around 10 minutes and just rest in that state before finishing up. Combined with the rest of the practice, such as the SoV, etc., a whole Tun takes about 30-40 minutes overall.

I previously did a 3 or 4 day Green Tara retreat with five 3-hour practice sessions per day, if I remember correctly. It was interesting, but I remember thinking by the end of it that if I had to do it for 7 days, it would probably become very challenging and then, maybe, hopefully, it would get very easy in the last day or two (the way people always talk about Vipassana retreats putting them through the ringer). I've recently received some handwritten instructions from Namkhai Norbu about a 7-day retreat that is nowhere near that hardcore, though, so at some point I will probably do that if I can ever get 7 days where I'll be left alone 3x a day.

Hello everyone, can someone indicate me where can I find Buddhist monasteries in Europe, with resident Lamas? I refer to tibetan Buddhism, so Bon, Gelugpa, Kagyugpa, Nyingmapa or Sakya. Thanks so much 🙏🏻

I’m not an expert on Dzogchen by any means (or any religion, really) but I’ve determined that the place I’ve landed is at least somewhat related to Dzogchen teachings.

Recently, my path has unfolded to show me that enlightenment does not exist and is already here. That all we have is the present moment and that’s all that can be known on any level if not completely.

I now “perk up” whenever concepts arise in myself or the speech of others and examine whether or not they are beliefs, kind of like when I first awakened and was always saying to myself, “that’s just a thought” whenever thoughts arose.

However, this has lead me to a places that are experienced as troubling. I would like some input if anyone is willing to

For example, even though I have had some so-called mystical experiences, they are not happening right now so the so called fact that I had them is a belief

Even though I have experienced past lives in visions, I am not currently living them so any knowledge of past lives is a belief as is the thought that I have lived any other lives than this one

A thought of balance in the universe, feminine and masculine polarities, the existence of anything higher (God, divine mother, a “way” etc) is a belief since none of that can be verified at this moment

I have experiences of connection, of course, but those are just sensations and not proof of anything

This is all somewhat saddening to me, although I see that the sadness is empty too so whatever…

However, the most troubling for me is the idea of compassion. I am clinging extremely hard to the importance of compassion (I think). However is the idea that compassion is important also just a belief? What would prioritize compassion over being a dick or whatever? Yes, arguably life is better if one is compassionate, etc, but I don’t see God here in front of my face telling me that I need to be compassionate. I just “know” I need to be, despite the unknowability, so am I simply falling into an empty belief of the importance of compassion? What makes this different than any other belief?

Also, I have heard of people “seeing” the rainbow body or subtle fibers of connections between people, the light body, etc. I do experience energetic sensations but nothing visual. so conviction of the existence of those is also a belief… right?

What am I missing here? What does Dzogchen say about this, especially the issue of compassion?

Thank you 💜