Tsoknyi Rinpoche - Carefree Dignity

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PADMASAMBHAVA Treasures from Juniper Ridge Advice from the Lotus-Born Dakini Teachings

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TSELE NATSOK RANGDRL Mirror of Mindfulness Empowerment Heart Lamp

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ORGYEN TOBGYAL RINPOCHE Life & Teachings of Chokgyur Lingpa

DZIGAR KONGTRL RINPOCHE Uncommon Happiness

TSOKNYI RINPOCHE Fearless Simplicity Carefree Dignity

DZOGCHEN TRILOGY COMPILED BY MARCIA BINDER SCHMIDT Dzogchen Primer Dzogchen Essentials Quintessential Dzogchen

ERIK PEMA KUNSANG Wellsprings of the Great Perfection A Tibetan Buddhist Companion The Rangjung Yeshe Tibetan-English Dictionary of Buddhist Culture

MARCIA DECHEN WANGMO Confessions of a Gypsy Yogini

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Publication Data:

Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche. Translated from the Tibetan by Erik Pema Kunsang (Erik Hein Schmidt) and Marcia Binder Schmidt. Edited by Kerry Moran.

eISBN: 978-962-7341-72-7
1. C AREFREE D IGNITY . Eastern philosophy Buddhism. 3.
Vajrayana Dzogchen. I. Title.

Cover art: Rolf A. Kluenter

v3.1

C ONTENTS

A lot of energy in the form of teaching, translating, editing and sponsoring has gone into the making of this book. I would like to dedicate this energy so that the precious bodhichitta which is naturally present in us all will be expressed through carefree dignity in our thoughts, words and deeds, for the benefit of all beings, and to bring forth the basis for peace and happiness.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche

F OREWORD

This book is a compilation of talks given by Tsoknyi Rinpoche in 1996 at the retreat center Rangjung Yeshe Gomd, Denmark, and at Nagi Gompa, Nepal. We have tried to present as closely as possible, while being encumbered by the written word, the vividness and humor of Rinpoches teaching style. Wherever possible we left in the play between Rinpoche and his audience. To highlight his directness we included gestures and examples. Sometimes Rinpoches way of speaking had a poetical quality, sentences filled with beautiful profundity. To retain some of that flavor, we have phrased it in the style of poetry. This book also includes a guided meditation, which is meant to be used as an enhancement to the readers practice session.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche was recognized by His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa as a reincarnation of Drubwang Tsoknyi, a renowned master of the Drukpa Kagy and Nyingma traditions. He was brought up by the great master Khamtrl Rinpoche. Among his other teachers are Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, his late father Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Adhi Rinpoche of Nangchen, and Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche. Rinpoche is the head of the Drukpa Heritage Project which works to preserve the literature of the Drukpa Kagy lineage. He is also the abbot of Ngedn sel Ling in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, and of Gechak Gompa, one of the largest nunneries in Tibet. He has been teaching students from around the world since 1991.

Carefree Dignity came into being as a unified effort with Rinpoche, the translators and the editor Kerry Moran. In addition to thanking her, we would like to thank the transcribers, Dell OConner and Jennifer Appave, the proofreader Shirley Blair, the cover artist, Rolf A. Kluenter, and the printing sponsor, Richard Gere.

For those readers who have received the pointing-out instruction, please use these teachings as a reminder for what you have already recognized. For those readers who have not received the pointing-out instruction, please use these teachings as an inspiration to encourage you to find a qualified master and request the pointing-out instruction in person.

May the freshness offered here be the cause for beings to awaken to the great perfection in actuality.

Erik and Marcia Schmidt

O PEN AND F REE

W HEN WE RECEIVE TEACHINGS , we need to have a pure attitude. There is a lot to say about this pure frame of mind. Basically it means to embrace the act of listening and teaching with bodhichitta, with the wish that it may bring benefit to all beings. Its possible you could have some kind of preconceived idea, some kind of personalized version of the view that you want to solidify and prove by means of the teachings. You must realize, though, that anything built on such a close-minded foundation automatically becomes impure. When listening to or reading teachings, its best to set aside any version or concepts that you may already possess. Whether they might be correct or incorrect doesnt really matter. Just set them aside for now and carefully listen to or read what is being presented.

Some people say, after listening to a spiritual discourse, that the teacher was really good that how he taught and what he said was excellent. Often what inspires them to say this is that what they heard fit in exactly with their preconceived ideas. The teachings simply reaffirmed the way they thought things fit together. But all this proves is that they had some preconceived ideas some notion of how things are that they considered very special. Someone may also comment after receiving teachings that the way the teacher taught and what he said didnt make sense, or that it wasnt very important. All this means is that the teachings didnt fit with the preconceived ideas that he already had. Which says more about his attitude than about the teachings!

There is another possibility here, based on the sense of total certainty that comes from having recognized the view and faced ones own nature in actuality. Such a person has resolved that this is really so in his or her own experience. Possessing this kind of real confidence in liberation, or even being on the verge of such confidence, creates a kind of unshakable certainty within oneself. This type of confidence based on actual experience remains unshaken, no matter what kind of Dharma talk one may hear.