[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color_gradient_direction=”75deg” background_image=”https:\/\/dzogchentoday.org\/wp-dzogtodaychen-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/concreteBackground.png” height=”250px” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” locked=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ background_color=”#226fa3″ background_image=”https:\/\/dzogchentoday.org\/wp-dzogtodaychen-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DzT-Work-as-a-basis-for-practice-scaled.jpg” background_size=”contain” width=”80.9%” width_tablet=”72%” width_phone=”90%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”476px” custom_margin=”-100px||1px|18px|false|false” custom_padding=”1px|0px|111px|34px|false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″ da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.25.1″ background_enable_image=”off” width=”72%” max_width=”1277px” module_alignment=”right” custom_margin=”|-80px|-50px|98px|false|false” custom_padding=”2px|0px|2px|113px|true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” text_text_color=”#121516″ header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#121516″ header_font_size=”70px” background_color=”#ffffff” text_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”91px” custom_margin=”-75px|23px|30px|-625px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|false” header_font_size_tablet=”60px” header_font_size_phone=”50px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” module_alignment_tablet=”center” module_alignment_phone=”” module_alignment_last_edited=”on|tablet” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IjxoMT4iLCJhZnRlciI6IjwvaDE+IiwiZW5hYmxlX2h0bWwiOiJvZmYifX0=@[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Feature 14″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”2px||0px|||” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#d9c6a4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”column1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding_tablet=”||50px|” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” padding_tablet=”||50px|” padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding__hover=”|||” padding_phone=”||50px|”][et_pb_blurb title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJXcml0dGVuIEJ5ICIsImFmdGVyIjoiIiwibmFtZV9mb3JtYXQiOiJkaXNwbGF5X25hbWUiLCJsaW5rIjoib24iLCJsaW5rX2Rlc3RpbmF0aW9uIjoiYXV0aG9yX2FyY2hpdmUifX0=@” image=”https:\/\/dzogchentoday.org\/wp-dzogtodaychen-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/dzogchentoday-mk.jpg” alt=”dzogchentoday-mk” icon_placement=”left” image_icon_width=”39px” _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _dynamic_attributes=”title,content” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_font_size=”20px” custom_margin=”||-2px|||” header_font_size_tablet=”” header_font_size_phone=”18px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” icon_font_size=”33px” global_colors_info=”{}” icon_color__hover_enabled=”on|desktop” icon_color__hover=”#13204d”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3JfYmlvIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJlbmFibGVfaHRtbCI6Im9mZiJ9fQ==@[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”column2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9jYXRlZ29yaWVzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6ImNhdGVnb3J5IiwiZW5hYmxlX2h0bWwiOiJvZmYifX0=@” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”||divi||400″ icon_color=”#e2e2e2″ icon_placement=”left” image_icon_width=”33px” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _dynamic_attributes=”title” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_font_size=”20px” body_text_color=”#967b5d” custom_margin=”||0px|” custom_padding=”||26px|||” header_font_size_tablet=”” header_font_size_phone=”18px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” icon_font_size=”33px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” icon_color__hover=”#13204d” icon_color__hover_enabled=”on”]<\/p>\n
In “Work as a Basis for Practice”, Mila Khyentse talks about working and practicing Dzogchen at the same time in the same place.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Feature 14″ _builder_version=”4.16″ min_height=”695px” custom_margin=”-1px|||||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”|auto|-17px|auto||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ module_class=”column1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding_tablet=”||50px|” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” padding_tablet=”||50px|” padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding__hover=”|||” padding_phone=”||50px|”][et_pb_text quote_border_weight=”0px” quote_border_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” module_id=”up1″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”Montserrat|700||||||#BF9E77|” link_text_color=”#BF9E77″ link_font_size=”18px” link_line_height=”1.8em” quote_font=”Cormorant Garamond|700|||||||” quote_text_color=”#13204d” quote_line_height=”1.3em” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font=”Quattrocento Sans|700|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#13204d” header_2_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_font=”|700|||||||” header_3_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_letter_spacing=”12px” header_5_font=”|300|||||||” header_5_text_color=”#bfbfbf” header_5_letter_spacing=”12px” header_6_font=”|700|||||||” header_6_letter_spacing=”12px” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”845.7px” custom_margin=”||-4px|||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”2px||2px||true|” quote_font_size_tablet=”” quote_font_size_phone=”” quote_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the Great Perfection tradition, all situations in life can reveal to us how our mind works and show us who we fundamentally are\u2026 if we are truly present in them.<\/p>\n
A wonderful playing field and learning ground for this is our job\u2014our professional activity or activities. We spend the vast majority of our time working, whether in person or remotely.<\/p>\n
What if the work that allows us to make a living, pay the bills at the end of the month, and perhaps even achieve a certain degree of relative fulfillment in our lives, could also help us attain a more fundamental and far more lasting sense of achievement? This, at any rate, is what Dzogchen proposes, since its main practice focuses on being fully present to who we really are, regardless of what we\u2019re doing or where we are, day and night.<\/p>\n
As Khenpo Gangshar writes: \u201cEssentially then, at all times and in all situations, do not contrive with the mind, but allow it to settle naturally; knowing this means you will never be apart from the experience of the\u00a0dh\u0101tu<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0[1]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cAfter all, why limit the possibilities to the meditation cushion when, in a busy life, we have to admit that we don\u2019t spend much time on it compared to all our other activities?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/dzogchentoday.org\/wp-dzogtodaychen-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/developerGuy-1.jpg” alt=”dzogchentoday-work as a basis for practice.jpg @milakhyentse” title_text=”developerGuy” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” width=”73%” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”411px” custom_margin=”|139px||||” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text quote_border_weight=”0px” quote_border_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” module_id=”up2″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”Montserrat|700||||||#000000|” link_text_color=”#BF9E77″ link_font_size=”18px” link_line_height=”1.8em” quote_font=”Cormorant Garamond|700|||||||” quote_text_color=”#13204d” quote_line_height=”1.3em” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font=”Quattrocento Sans|700|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#13204d” header_2_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_font=”|700|||||||” header_3_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_letter_spacing=”12px” header_5_font=”|300|||||||” header_5_text_color=”#bfbfbf” header_5_letter_spacing=”12px” header_6_font=”|700|||||||” header_6_letter_spacing=”12px” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”29px|||||” quote_font_size_tablet=”” quote_font_size_phone=”” quote_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n So what could be better than being present\u2014being fully there\u2014in everything we do professionally? All I need to do is decide to make my professional activity a means of getting to know myself better, of discovering my limits through what I do and overcoming them, and, above all, of encountering what conditions and defines me in one way or another. How often, when we meet someone for the first time, do we highlight our job, our position, or our professional activity? In today\u2019s society, it\u2019s an essential part of what shapes and defines me\u2014even in my own eyes. It\u2019s therefore important to use work as a starting point to see how and to what extent it defines me, and also to use it to discover something else about myself beyond this simple social definition.<\/p>\n I remember a story someone shared with me quite some time ago: a person just beginning the preliminary practices of Dzogchen discovered that it was possible to focus at work\u2014both on the task at hand and on what was happening within oneself, and perhaps even more so\u2026 After a few days of practice\u2014focusing whenever she thought of it while at the computer, in meetings, while talking with her boss and coworkers, at the coffee machine, and so on\u2014she noticed a change in the way she behaved and perceived things. The more she remained present to what was happening inside her while also being present in her interactions, the more she was able to step back, and her state of being became increasingly expansive. Until one day, while answering her emails in this state of presence, she read the word \u201cspace,\u201d which triggered an \u201cunusual experience”, as she later described it. She was no longer present in the experience of her office in front of her computer, but had entered another form of experiencing reality: an extremely vast, luminous, primordially alive space. Of course, she interpreted this experience as a revelation of the nature of her mind. She was not wrong.<\/p>\n It has since opened up enormous new perspectives for her. She, who\u2014like many\u2014used to drag her feet on her way to work in the morning, found herself becoming increasingly enthusiastic about going back. Not necessarily because of her boss, her company, her colleagues, or the fleeting sense of accomplishment it might provide, but because she now knew she could truly discover herself there as well\u2014not just on her meditation cushion, comfortably settled at home. She discovered that her practice was dynamic, that she could apply it wherever her mind was. There was only one thing she lacked: the enthusiasm needed to embrace everything\u2014whether painful, tiring, or boring, as well as fulfilling\u2014as a revelation of her true nature.<\/p>\n After all, why limit the possibilities to the meditation cushion when, in a busy life, we have to admit that we don\u2019t spend much time on it compared to all our other activities? We just have to realize that it\u2019s possible. Practice, whether outside of the activity or within it, is still practice.<\/p>\n Work as a way to discover our true nature\u2014in addition to being able to pay the bills at the end of the month\u2026 that\u2019s not bad, is it?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#FFD62F” divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”3px” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” module_alignment=”left” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” border_width_left=”1px” border_color_left=”#f7f2e8″ border_width_left_tablet=”0px” border_width_left_phone=”” border_width_left_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_signup mailchimp_list=”Dzogchen Today!|d54422a3b4″ name_field=”on” title=”Sign up for Our Newsletter” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ form_field_focus_background_color=”#f7f2e8″ header_font=”||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_font_size=”32px” use_background_color=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/dzogchentoday.org\/wp-dzogtodaychen-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/concreteLight.png” background_layout=”light” width=”100%” custom_padding=”||||false|false” border_radii_fields=”on||||” border_width_bottom_fields=”1px” border_color_bottom_fields=”#d9c6a4″ box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_signup][et_pb_divider color=”#BF9E77″ divider_weight=”3px” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”50px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_sidebar area=”sidebar-1″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Quattrocento Sans||||||||” body_text_align=”left” body_text_color=”#13204D” body_font_size=”18px” body_letter_spacing=”1px” body_line_height=”1.8em” background_image=”https:\/\/dzogchentoday.org\/wp-dzogtodaychen-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/concreteBackground.png” text_orientation=”left” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”10px|10px||10px|false|false” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_sidebar][et_pb_sidebar show_border=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_orientation=”left” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_id=”down” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_orientation=”justified” width=”100%” module_alignment=”left” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [1]<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Khenpo Gangshar Wangpo, \u201cA Way of Settling\u201d (in the sense of simply abiding):\u00a0https:\/\/www.lotsawahouse.org\/fr\/tibetan-masters\/khenpo-gangshar\/a-way-of-settling<\/span><\/a>. The dh\u0101tu<\/span> is the primordial nature of our mind\u2014clear-light, natural primordial knowledge. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0BACK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_image=”https:\/\/dzogchentoday.org\/wp-dzogtodaychen-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/concreteBackground.png” parallax=”on” min_height=”709px” background_color_tablet=”#f7f2e8″ background_last_edited=”on|tablet” background_enable_color_tablet=”on” background_enable_image_tablet=”off” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”2″ excerpt_length=”150″ show_date=”off” offset_number=”1″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ border_width_all=”0px” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ box_shadow_blur=”31px” box_shadow_spread=”0px” box_shadow_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.2)” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In “Work as a Basis for Practice”, Mila Khyentse talks about working and practicing Dzogchen at the same time in the same place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-dzogchen-practice"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
More Posts<\/h2>\n