‘Three minutes’ presents an opportunity to develop a meditation practice in three minutes a day. Linked to a free app, the book provides an explanation of what meditation is for, showing how the practice is based in physiological processes of perception, but using traditional techniques that have come down to us.
“Once we have reached the point where we are developing a calm state, one of the purposes of such a state is to separate ourselves from our reflexive reliance on internal guides and maps. They will still be there; they are not going to disappear, because they are a fundamental element of our mental operations. But what we can do is disconnect our reflexive reactivity so they do not dominate our lives. And the more we develop shamata, the more that capacity can grow.
By developing in this way, we’re exercising a faculty of mind that no one ever taught us. We were taught to be concentrated, but we were never taught to be calm. Yes, of course, an exasperated parent may have said, “Calm down, calm down!” But that is not the same thing at all. The ability to access map-free calmness is a unique capacity — and it is extremely valuable. It’s a way of living that transforms everything because, as we develop a calm center, our reactivity ceases to be reflexive. At that point, we can choose whether to react or not; it is not just a knee jerk.” P97
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We read a lot about going beyond concept, being non dual, engaging with the ultimate, but what do these words mean?
All of our attempts to communicate any insight or describe any state thrust us into conceptual duality, the very duality we wish to escape. This reveals the paradox of the spiritual path.
‘Preoccupied by this knower and its known, we are separated from our experience in a very profound way. Yet if we calm the mind down, we can get to a place of openness where we are not watching the mind. Rather than watching, we are the mind. We have entered experience. Once we have entered experience, it becomes infinite. Time stops. Instead of being a watcher in time as time ticks past us, we enter the timeless experience of openness. This is a fundamental experience upon which we can build a path.’ (Searcher pp 422-423)
Reviews of Searcher Reaches Lands Limits
Using the Mind to Study the Mind
This brilliant book by Richard Dixey is a western-oriented commentary on the Revelations of Mind by Tulku Tarthang Rinpoche. Dixey teases apart some of the deepest philosophical teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, making them accessible for those with no background (or interest) in Buddhism. The material is challenging but understandable and the writing is continually engaging. The book's chapters act as lessons and most of them have exercises that help realize the content in deeper ways. The material builds on itself in an orderly way, leaving you wondering what the next layer of reading will uncover. I highly recommend this to anyone curious to know their own inner workings better.
Indispensable to any practitioner, regardless of lineage or tradition.
I can’t emphasize enough how important this text and commentary are to modern day practitioners of meditation.
A Treasure Trove of Bon Dzogchen Practices
Why another review when this book was first published decades ago and already has numerous reviews? Perhaps by adding a recent review it will be clear that this is one of those foundational books that have withstood the test of time. It’s not an early translation that has been surpassed. It stands as one of the foremost in the practice of Dzogchen now as it did when first published in 1993. This book is a true treasure trove for those seeking a survey that will ground them in basic Bon Dzogchen practices and also instruct in the actual practices.
The introductory sections outline the likely history of Bon’s beginning in Tibet. It includes the alternate possibility that it was a practice imported from Persia rather than India. We are then warned that the practices are informational, that a guru is needed if we truly want to practice. The text then jumps into a detailed description of what are considered preliminary practices. The instructions are clear and easily followed but come with the caveat we need a guru. At page forty we complete reading the preliminary practices.
Books Two and Three are the heart drops of trekcho (cutting through) and togel (direct crossing), essential to the practice of Dzogchen. Togel presents the most rapid method for awakening, but trekcho is usually necessary for its success. If realization isn’t reached in this lifetime then the practices of phowa and bardo in Book Four come into play. The book concludes with three appendices; an eyewitness account of a rainbow body, a short history of Bon and a biography of Lopon Tenzin Namdak.
There’s a lot to digest and perhaps the best way to proceed is to read the book in its entirety, then use it as a practice manual, working through it slowly and methodically with the aid of a teacher if possible. Put this book high on your list if you intend to become a serious student of Dzogchen.