Blog - Culture and tradition
A galaxy of articles on the fundamentals of Dzogchen, its history and its relationship with other traditions. So many enlightening points of view for the connoisseur and the curious.Culture and tradition
Hammer Throw
In “Hammer throw”, Paul tells us that the first hammer throw in history reflects the practice of Dzogchen.
Nenikekamen!
With “Nenikekamen!” Grégoire compares the marathon, the flagship event of the Olympic Games, to the Dzogchen path.
Opening Ceremony
Nils compares the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony to the introduction in Dzogchen, kicking off the Great Perfection Summer Games series!
In the Translator’s Workinghouse 6
In “In the Translators Workinghouse 6”, Paul explains that all spiritual practice is based on intellectual erudition and yogic realization.
The City of My Fear
In this article “the city of my fear”, Nils talks about the way we can look at fear, and its value in revealing who we really are.
Mister Fear-All and Mister Nothing-to-Fear
In this article “Mister Fear-All and Mister Nothing-to-Fear”, Johanne tells us a story about karmic tendances, fishes… and primordial ocean.
The Reality of the Gesture
In “The Reality of the Gesture”, the latest post in the series on gesture, Mila Khyentse talks about the real nature of gesture, of action.
The dynamics of the gesture
Discover Johanne’s article on “the dynamics of the gesture” as an expression of the nature of mind… with a special dedication to Bhutan.
Why take the Path of Great Perfection ?
In “Why Take the Path of Great Perfection?” Vincent discusses the motivations that led him to embark on the Path of Great Perfection.
Cats and monkeys
In his biography of the tertön dzogchen master Jamyang Khyèntsé Wangpo, Jamgön Kongtrul compares spiritual practitioners to monkeys and cats.
The illusory dragon
In “The illusory dragon” Paul talks about the illusions of the pre-spiritual path or how the procrastination prevents from really starting.
The mountain is alive! 3
In “The mountain is alive! 3” Paul speaks of the mountain’s definite impact on human life and redefines its place among other forms of being.
The mountain is alive 2
In “The Mountain is Alive 2”, Paul speaks of the Yul lha as deities-regions as well as protectors of living beings and spiritual teachings.
The Enlightened Activity
In the last post of this action series, ‘The Enlightened Activity’, Mila Khyentse talks about the universal compassion, enlightened activity.
The Prom Reindeer
In this article, “The Prom Reindeer”, Mila Khyentse talks about the Dzogchen qualities of Santa Claus’ eight or nine She Reindeers.
The Mountain is alive! 1
In “The mountain is alive! 1” Paul evokes the traditional link between nature and the living considering earth and landscapes as alive as the beings they shelter.
The Friend of Good 4
In this final article “The Friend of Good 4”, Grégoire talks about Sufi Islam and its similarities with Dzogchen.
The Friend of Good 3
In ” The Friend of Good 3″, Grégoire talks about the place of the master in some traditions of the ancient near east.
The Friend of Good 2
In “The Friend of Good 2, Dzogchen and its relation to Western traditions”, Mila Khyentse talks about the figure of the master in the West.
The Friend of Good 1
In this article, “The Friend of Good part 1”, Mila Khyentse talks about the Asian cradle of the spiritual figure of the Friend of Good.
Karma and justice
In this article « Karma and justice » Grégoire asks whether justice is the same as karma, and if suffering and injustice are Great Perfection
The origin of the individual
The origin of the individual? In his article, Damien talks about how the Dzogchen approaches this question, notably through the example of Padmasambhava.
The lightning bolt of compassion
In his article “The lightning bolt of compassion”, Nils presents how the Friend of good can introduce the experience of the Great Perfection.
The Dzogchen Hero – 2
In this article, The Dzogchen Hero – 2, Johanne continues the exploration of the journey and how the hero turns to become a Friend of Good.
The Dzogchen Hero 1
THE DZOGCHEN HERO 1In "The Dzogchen Hero 1", Johanne recounts the beginning of the apprentice hero's journey, in the footsteps of the Friend of Good…The Dzogchen Hero - part 1 or "Pawo" “How to Follow a Friend of Good” Series A hero's journey always begins in...
The Green Dwarf Friend
In “The Green Dwarf Friend”, Mila Khyentse Rinpoche talks about a planet far, far away, and the relationship with the Master via the Force.
Vacations in the nature of the mind
In his article « Vacations in the nature of the mind”, Damien shows us that sensations are the luminous nature of our mind.
The Hermit Crab
In this article “The Hermit Crab”, Grégoire talks to us about Dzogchen retreat practice. The retreat we all carry with us, within us…
Making a Mountain out of a Molehill
In this article, “Making a Mountain out of a Molehill”, Paul the indoor yogi discovers the joys of solitude in a mountain retreat…or not.
The Hammock Swing
In “The Hammock Swing”, Johanne tackles the central existential question: is life a hammock? And what does the Dzogchen have to say about it?
Mr. Beans’ holidays
In this article “Mr. Beans’ holidays”, Nils draws a parallel between summer activities and the Three Series of the Path of Great Perfection.
Catching the wave in Dzogchen
In this article, “Catching the Wave in Dzogchen”, Mila Khyentse talks (a lot) about sand, surfing and the Dzogchen path.
The Loss of Meaning in Life
In this article “The loss of the meaning of existence”, Damien Brohon talks about the feeling of the loss of the meaning of existence and the possibility of openness it offers us.
Hello my pain
In this post “Hello my pain”, Paul tells us about his experience of degeneration and its integration through the practice of Dzogchen.
Death on the Move
In this article, “Death on the Move (with its luggage), Mila Khyentse tells the story of a baggage-carrying zombie and a Master from Golok.
The Butterfly and the Garuda
In this article “The Butterfly and the Garuda”, Nils Derboule talks about the chaos of life, control, and the way Dzgochen sees it.
Spring
In this article, “Spring”, spyid in Tibetan, Paul discusses the notion of renewal and beginning for Dzogchen.
Unstagrammable
In his article “Unstagrammable”, Paul depicts us our life between like(s) and dislike(s), between the extremes of existence and their end…
What is the Dzogchen “tradition”?
In this article, What is the Dzogchen “tradition”?, Damien Brohon talks about the reality of all traditions, and that of Dzogchen of course!
The Path that leads nowhere
In this article, “The Path that leads nowhere”, Grégoire explains in a condensed form the path of Dzogchen: literally a “no-path”.
The Origin of the World 3: Universal Phenomena
In this article “The Origin of the World 3: Universal Phenomena”, Mila Khyentse talks about the origin and death of universal phenomena.
The Origin of the World 2: The Display
In this article "The origin of the world 2: the display", Philippe Cornu addresses the notion of the display of reality for Dzogchen.The Origin of the World 2: The Display. About the deployment of the world from the luminous elements. Dzogchen has its little (or big?)...
The Origin of the World
In this article, “The Origin of the World”, Mila Khyentse talks about the origin of reality, the universe… according to Dzogchen.
The Transmission Lineage
In this article “The Transmission Lineage”, Mila Khyentse talks about one of the foundations of the Great Perfection: the lineage of teaching.
Death
In this article, “Death”, Damien evokes in a direct and profound way what the end of life means and what it is for Dzogchen..
The Old Age
In this article, “The Old Age”, the third on a series on existence, Johanne talks about old age, time flying and what it means for Dzogchen.
The Sickness as Remedy
In this article “The Sickness as Remedy”, the second in the series on existence, Nils discusses sickness and its reality for Dzogchen.
Birth
In this article, “Birth”, the first in a series on existence, Mila Khyentse tells us about birth from the Dzogchen point of view.
The “finger-pointing” Instruction
In this article, Johanne presents the direct transmission of Dzogchen, what she calls the “finger-pointing” Instruction of Garab Dorje.
What can a body do?
In this article “What can a body do?”, Gregoire writes about what the Dzogchen tradition calls “the precious human existence”.
The Jedi Master and the Friend of Basic Goodness
In this article, Paul draws a parallel between the Jedi Master and the Friend of Basic Goodness… May the Force be with us!
What an extraordinary freedom!
Mila Khyentse makes a direct commentary on one of the fundamental texts of the Dzogchen: The Small Hidden Seeds. What an extraordinary freedom!
The small hidden seeds
The Small Hidden Seeds is one of the fundamental texts of Dzogchen. Here is the translation by Paul Baffier & the Dzogchen Today! translation committee.
The Light of the Night
The Light of the Night – Christmas – In this article Mila Khyentse talks about the light of the night and the importance of celebrations.
The Peacock feathers radiant display
In the Peacock feathers radiant display, Johanne draws a beautiful parallel between emotions and the radiant display of a peacock’s feathers.
Karmic creations
In “Karmic creations”, Damien talks about karma and what this Sanskrit term means beyond the simplistic expression: it’s your karma, man!
Rare and precious 2
In this article, Rare and precious 2, Paul talks about a traditional text of the great Dzogchen master Patrul Rinpoche.
Dzogchen, the purity of the lineage of transmission
In “Dzogchen, the purity of the lineage of transmission”, Lama Kunsang Olivier emphasizes the remarkable purity of transmission in Dzogchen.
Rare and precious 1
In “Rare and Precious 1”, Paul talks about human life, the precious one for the Tradition, a crossroads for understanding cosmos.
The Toy Train
In this article Mila Khyentse makes a railway parallel between the ascent to Darjeeling with the toy train and the path of Dzogchen.
Life and death, Dzogchen Style
In this article, Johanne emphasizes that the practice of Dzogchen is always done with our living conditions.
Sharing Dzogchen
In this article Mila Khyentse talks about the importance to share the Dzogchen tradition and how to transmit it. This may help today!
Adapting Dzogchen
In this article, Mila Khyentse talks about the need to adapt the Dzogchen teachings to the thinking and cultures of today and tomorrow.
Preserving Dzogchen
In this article, Mila Khyentse addresses the issue of preserving the Dzogchen heritage today in the modern world.
The Mountain Yeti and the cup of tea
In this article, Johanne talks about the encounter with Dzogchen: how it can happen and what the introduction can look like. A bit like the mountain yeti with a cup of tea!
The Practice of Dzogchen?
There is a lot of talk about practice, but what is it really? Mila Khyentse talks about the basic steps and how one progresses towards the Great Perfection.
What is Dzogchen?
What is Dzogchen? It is the great perfection of our mind and the reality. It is our real nature, our path and our goal. It transcends illusion, impermanence and death…
A small overview of the Dzogchen Nyingmapa tradition
It all goes back to Garab Dorje (who, according to tradition, appeared 160 years after the Buddha’s parinirvana) who transmitted to his disciple, Manjushrimitra, the sum of his teachings in 6,400,000 verses (Doha), his spiritual testament.
Away from the world…
The Dzogchen tradition insists on the fact, from time to time and not necessarily for very long, to withdraw from the world in order to go deeper into the discovery of ourselves.
These are called solitary retreats and, whether in the mountains, in the countryside or by the sea, the most important thing is to be quiet and far from any human activity.
The Basis of Phenomena
For the Dzogchen, all phenomena have a fundamental basis. However, this base is in no way different from all phenomena; it constitutes, for each one, the foundation.