Anyen - Journey to Certainty: The Quintessence of the Dzogchen View: An Exploration of Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty

J OURNEY TO C ERTAINTY

Wisdom Publications

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2012 Anyen Rinpoche

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Anyen Rinpoche.

Journey to certainty : the quintessence of the Dzogchen view : an exploration of Miphams Beacon of certainty / Anyen Rinpoche ; translated and edited by Allison Choying Zangmo.

pages cm

Includes translation from Tibetan.

Includes index.

ISBN 1-61429-009-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Mi-pham-rgya-mtsho, Jam-mgon Ju, 18461912. Nes ses sgron me. 2. Rin-ma-pa (Sect)Doctrines. 3. Rdzogs-chen. I. Graboski, Allison, 1974 translator, editor. II. Title.

BQ7662.4.M533A68 2012

294.3420423dc23

2011048870

ISBN 9781614290094

eBook ISBN 9781614290179

16 15 14 13 12

5 4 3 2 1

Cover design by Phil Pascuzzo. Interior design by Gopa&Ted2. Set in ITC Galliard Pro 10.3/14.4.

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I offer this book to all of the genuine Lineage Masters, and especially to the one whose kindness is unequalled, the mighty Dharma sovereign Kyabje Tsara Dharmakirti Rinpoche.

Publishers Acknowledgment

T HE PUBLISHER gratefully acknowledges the generous help of the Hershey Family Foundation in sponsoring the publication of this book.

Table of Contents

What Is Certainty?

T HE QUALITY CALLED CERTAINTY is an essential aspect of the Secret Mantrayana path, the pinnacle of which is the teachings of Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection. In fact, I would go so far as to call certainty the quintessence of Dzogchen. The difference between an authentic yogi who abides in the perfectly pure view of the uncontrived dharmakaya and the yogi who merely appears to abide in that view is whether his or her practice has been preceded by and developed upon the bedrock of certainty.

As with much of the language used in the Vajrayana teachings, certainty is a word that is not easily defined, because the meaning of certainty changes depending on the individual practitioner. Our understanding of the word certainty, like our actual experience of certainty, will evolve and deepen as we progress along the spiritual path. Accordingly, this book is organized and presented to lead a Vajrayana practitioner into the ever-deepening and evolving experience of certainty.

In the beginning, certainty is merely an intellectual idea that is further developed through listening, contemplation, and often debate. If a practitioner is then trained by an authentic master of the Secret Mantrayana, certainty will naturally transition from an intellectual notion to an ever-deepening experience. Once we gain some experience of certainty, we develop a feeling of conviction that helps us to cut through doubts about the meaning of the profound instructions and view presented in Madhyamaka (Skt.; Middle Way) philosophy, the Prajnaparamita texts, and the tantras. This is irreversible certainty. Finally, for the supreme yogi, certainty is imbued with the perfectly pure view itself. Thus we rest in certainty, and it becomes the experience of realization itself.

To perfect the ground, path, and result of Dzogchen, we must work on multiple levelsintellectual, experiential, and through resting in the view of meditationto develop personal insight into certainty. Training in meditation cannot help us if we do not gain certainty in the experience of the perfectly pure view, including conviction as to what the view is and what it is not. We will remain mired in wildness or dullness, and overpowered by our habitual tendencies.

The great master Longchenpa said, Until the state of duality sets into the vast expanse free of grasping, we must rely upon various methods of listening, contemplation, and meditation. This means that we should never stop refining our practice until we reach this ultimate state.

The Bridge Between Sutra and Tantra

Many Buddhists in the West are only interested in the most profound Tibetan Buddhist teachings of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. These practitioners mistakenly believe that the sutra teachings of the Causal Vehiclethe Buddhas teachings as presented in the first and second turnings of the Wheel of Dharmaare useless. They liken the study of the sutras to mere intellectualism that will not further their meditative experience. This is a mistaken way of thinking.

Many Westerners also undervalue the practice of tonglen, or sending and receiving; Oh, I know that practicethats just a breathing technique. Its a beginners practice. This is also mistaken. These practitioners are not grounded in the teachings, nor is their energy grounded in practice. They seem to float from here to there, from one teaching to the next, and do not make much progress.

Buddhism in the West wears a very different face than the Buddhism of traditional Tibet. In Tibet, we understand the holistic, interrelated nature of the entire path, and that which comes earlier provides the foundation for what comes later. Outside of Tibet, though, much of this understanding has not penetrated deeply. As a result, we find that Western practitioners are confused about the importance of the sutras, and especially of Madhyamaka philosophy. As I see it, developing certainty is the great antidote to this problem. Traditionally, Mipham Rinpoches Beacon of Certainty provides the bridge between sutra and tantra. In other words, by developing certainty from the coarsest level to the most profound conviction, we learn to bring the wisdom of the sutras to the teachings of Atiyoga Dzogchen, apply them, and to then abide in a more profound, perfect, and complete experience. This is the real meaning of Dzogchen: it is the all-inclusive, Great Perfection.