Theos-Talk Archives (September 1999 Message tt00104)

In a message dated 9/8/99 11:57:07 AM, Peter writes:

<< do share something with us of what your Tibetan teachers are
expounding and its links with Theosophy, the SD & so on. I would be
interested to know more about that.>>

Here's just a snippet from Namhkai Norbu's latest book, THE SUPREME SOURCE, 
available from Snow Lion Books (online or call).  This is from the preface.  
As I sincerely do try to avoid boring the list by going ON and ON, please let 
me know if more snippets would be appreciated.

"The KUNJED GYALPO can be considered the fundamental tantra of Dzogchen, a 
teaching that according to tradition has been transmitted for over two 
thousand years from teacher to disciple.  Its aim is to awaken each 
individual to his or her true nature: the primordial state of enlightenment, 
which can be compared to a mirror on whose surface the multiplicity of the 
phenomena of existence is reflected.  Introducing this knowledge is the 
teacher's task, while understanding it deeply and integrating it into one's 
existence is the disciple's task: only when this has been accomplished do the 
traditional texts become living words, precious pointers along the timeless 
journey towards the supreme source.

"Dzogchen, in fact, can be deemed the pinnacle not only of all the Buddhist 
paths of realization, as has often been asserted by Tibetan teachers, but 
also of the various spiritual methods and teachings of other traditions.  The 
aim of each path, either directly or indirectly, is to overcome the dualistic 
condition in order to attain the ineffable dimension of the absolute: 
precisely this dimension is the primordial state to which the true Dzogchen 
teacher introduces the disciple.

"It was this fact that inspired me to make available, albeit not in its 
entirety ... a basic text of Dzogchen: the KUNJED GYALPO, or "ALL-CREATING 
KING."  Rendered "Supreme Source" in the present work, it is a tantra whose 
title comprises simultaneously the meanings of the teacher, of the primordial 
state communicated by the teacher to the disciple, and of the knowledge that 
blossoms in the latter.  The choice of this text, which in its present 
version derives from the eighth century but whose origin may be far more 
ancient, is also due to its universal message, which places it among the 
great spiritual scriptures of all the ages, comparable to classics such as 
the BHAGAVAD GITA...

"In all the gnostic traditions, the absolute is the equivalent of the 
ineffable, of that which transcends word and thought.  For example, a famous 
invocation by Jigmed Lingpa reads that "even the Buddha's tongue is weak to 
explain this point [i.e., the absolute condition]."  This does not mean, 
however, that words have no value.  Since ancient times, knowledge of 
Dzogchen has been communicated by means of three types of transmission: 
direct, that is, from mind to mind; symbolic, through the use of gestures, 
objects, or riddles; and oral, through spoken language.  Nubchen Sangye 
Yeshe, one of the first Tibetan teachers of Dzogchen, wrote, "Just as to look 
for gold in the dark we need a lamp, so to discover the true meaning [of the 
absolute] in one's mind and to cultivate recognition of it we need the lamp 
of words and scriptures to shed light for us ... 'The lamp of names and of 
words illuminates the gold of true meaning,' states the [text called] SUPREME 
PEAK."

"This work is dedicated to the spread of the Dzogchen teachings in the West, 
with the hope that future generations too might have the good fortune to meet 
a living source of knowledge such as the teacher Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, the 
true Kunjed Gyalpo, has been and still is for me.

[Translator] Adriano Clemente"

(I will point out for the list that the lama Namkhai Norbu, considered the 
foremost authority on Dzogchen in the world, was given a golden pen by the 
Dalai Lama to write as much as he could before he died.  Norbu is now getting 
well on in years, and has already been diagnosed with both cancer and 
leukemia.  He appears to have cured himself of these afflictions at least for 
the time being, but this will unlikely be the case for much longer.)

-- THEOSOPHY WORLD -- Theosophical Talk -- theos-talk@theosophy.com

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