We live in a world that is gripped by fear. Families and relatives are threatened with life by the COVID-19 pandemic. News of death strikes every day, also from close relatives and relatives. Every second, our lives feel like they are on the brink.
In addition to living healthy, we also need to stay sane. The two cannot be separated. Being sane means that we can still reasonably well, even though circumstances are constantly changing. We can remain calm and clear in the face of a crisis that continues to haunt us.
It is at this point that spirituality becomes important. Spirituality is not filled with unreasonable rules. nor is it filled with the threat of hell or unfounded hopes of heaven. On the other hand, spirituality offers the peace and clarity needed to overcome life's various challenges.
As far as my experience goes, Buddhism goes into detail about this spirituality. Close to my heart are the teachings of Zen. It aims to help people experience their true selves before conceptual thoughts and emotions arise. I am also close to the Yoga and Advaita Vedanta traditions of India.
Recently, I came across a meditation school of Tibetan Buddhism. His name is Dzogchen. The meaning of this word is "Great Perfection". This sect is widespread throughout the world, transcending religious, ethnic, and racial boundaries.
Dzogchen is a flow of meditation that touches the deepest and subtlest elements of the human mind. It is considered the highest meditation school in Tibetan Buddhism. It directly brings people to touch the pure consciousness (rigpa) within them. In the blink of an eye, people realize the Buddha within them.
Buddha is pure consciousness (rigpa). It is the basis of all human inner experience. All humans have it. However, because it is buried for a long time by thoughts and emotions, and has never been trained to be recognized, it is as if it does not exist.
By touching rigpa, good things will naturally flow, including wisdom, happiness, and compassion. In various Tibetan Buddhist schools, Dzogchen is often taught as the highest level of meditation. It is so simple, yet so difficult and subtle at the same time.
There are three characteristics of Rigpa. The first is empty. Rigpa has no object. It is silent and empty of all concepts.
Concepts are always dualistic. That is, there is a subject and an object. Rigpa can be recognized, when human consciousness is aware of itself. Here, dualistic knowledge is transcended, and we arrive at the experience of oneness, without objects.
The second is awareness. Even though it's empty, Rigpa is always conscious. He can know what is happening here and now (cognizant). It is alive and will never dim.
The third is infinite. Rigpa has no fixed space. It fulfills all that exists. It exists in man, as well as in various other places.
Dzogchen is a direct and natural process of recognizing the rigpa on an ongoing basis. We just need to be completely still, and completely natural. We are then open to pure awareness within ourselves, as well as around us. To know pure consciousness is to know life itself.
Rigpa never left. It is the eternal energy that is within everything. We just need to learn to see and recognize it. Then, we need to stay conscious with him, as often as possible.
Dzogchen does not teach any particular method of meditation. There are no techniques to learn. Dzogchen also does not teach mindfulness. All of these are human efforts that have kept him away from Rigpa.
Anything that takes effort is unnatural. Anything unnatural keeps man away from his pure consciousness, from rigpa. This is the danger of the practice of meditation and Yoga which becomes a new prison for humans. He is even further away from true inner liberation.
Becoming a Dzogchen practitioner means living in the rigpa at all times. We recognize pure consciousness within, without stopping. All activities, both mental and physical, are carried out in recognition of rigpa. We just need to be as quiet and natural as possible, then feel the life pulsating in our every vein.
In an era that is being torn by crises that are constantly changing, it is very important to live in this kind of clarity. Dzogchen is very simple, direct, and natural. It is the highest achievement in the human process of finding true freedom. In the rigpa, all the problems of the human mind seem distant, and no longer meaningful.
No book should be worshiped blindly. There are no rules to be scared to death. Just recognize the rigpa inside, and maintain that recognition for as long as possible, as natural as possible. Find wisdom, happiness, and compassion within you.
The lead image by: https://pixabay.com/photos/tibetan-letter-buddhism-lungta-red-734041/
