Through empowerment

We need to develop some workable sense of living the view before we can appreciate the nature of empowerment. In some sense living the view is a an advanced stance. It comes from deep experience of practice. But if you are open enough, empowerment can unlock this door. 

p212, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

Anything might lurch out from nothingness

In terms of the sensory fear of emptiness, such as fear of silence, the fear is not based on isolation but on what may be lurking in the silence. Remember that the root misconception of the air element is groundless anxiety. 

p217, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8 

Sensing

The fundamental genius of Tantra is that the sense fields are interconnected. You can feel with your mind and think with your nose.

p216, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8 

Capacity to perceive

Wherever you dedicate time to anything, the capacity to perceive in that area, evolves. It’s the same with all the sense perceptions. They can all open up if we allow them free attention.

p128, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

Not Art in the literal sense

The Arts lie behind everything we’ve ever done. We do not necessarily mean Arts in the literal sense. We mean that which lies beneath the Arts: the space from which the Arts arise. 

p124, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books Worldwide, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

Being human

Dzogchen is unique in that it deals with the fundamental experience of being human at the most essential level of perception.

p186, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books Worldwide, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4 

Visceral teachers and visceral students

I don’t really know how ‘online teaching’ would function, realistically. There could be no transmission. For transmission to occur there have to be visceral teachers and visceral students. One has to be able to see the eyes of those hearing the oral transmission.

p347, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

Every aspect of our existence

If we view all situations as opportunities to relate with the capacity of the Lama to show us our enlightenment and the patterns of our unenlightenment‚ then everything we do becomes inspiring. Every aspect of our existence is enlivened with the presence of the Lama. 

p215, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

No limit

With awareness and kindness there is no limit to the possibilities available in terms of being human.

p114, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8 

Into the sphere of Vajrayana

If you push any skill far enough‚ it takes you into the sphere of Vajrayana. It has to – because although Vajrayana is a religion‚ it’s also natural.

p268, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

Beyond social convention

So there are choices to be made when you go beyond social convention. To a certain extent—where it only affects you personally—any consequence of going beyond social convention is fine. But when it upsets other people‚ then it’s not really freedom any more – not in the sense of compassionate activity. 

p234, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

Our true condition

The Lama’s function is to mirror our intrinsic enlightenment. The Lama shows us the nature of what we actually are. If we have opened sufficiently‚ through following the methods as instructed by the Lama‚ we could catch a dazzling glimpse of our true condition. We could find ourselves‚ for a moment‚ outside the constraints of dualism. 

p145, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4

The death of any spiritual culture

Sectarianism and bigotry betoken the death of any spiritual culture; even if‚ ironically‚these activities are motivated by the wish to preserve these traditions. 

p113, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8

Laughing at oneself

Being able to laugh at oneself is crucial. One has to see one’s contradictions and find them amusing. Once the contradictions are amusing‚ they’re workable. They’re workable because one is not taking oneself entirely seriously. This depends on space – on the emptiness of silent sitting. 

p261, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books Worldwide, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

The conditioning is going to be stronger

For people who are not in the nondual state however – it might be more helpful to be at a retreat centre, by the ocean, or in a forest. As long as you are dualistically conditioned—if you’re in a place which evokes that conditioning—the conditioning is going to be stronger than in a place that doesn’t evoke conditioning.

p383, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

The ultimate acknowledgement

Kindness gives confidence to others. Kindness encourages self-respect and authentic dignity. Tantra is the hot blood of kindness. In essence – vajra commitment is the ultimate acknowledgement of that.

p67, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books Worldwide, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4 

Authentic practice

Craft is authentic practice when it is successful. Success necessitates the development of integrity, honesty, scrupulousness, accuracy, authenticity, genuineness, and reverence. These qualities are as important to meditation as they are to craft.

p64, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books Worldwide, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4 

It would be deranged

Why would you want to persuade anyone to do anything apart from what was going to be beneficial? It would be deranged. With the realised protectors‚ we have the example of terrific power being controlled in such a way as to serve practitioners. 

p246, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

History

History was composed of what happened and what was sensed – what was ordinary and what was extraordinary. The important factor to bear in mind about history—in the Vajrayana sense—was it’s subtle function in terms of perception. 

p164, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

Power

Anybody who wants power has a problem‚ immediately. Power is not something to want for itself. Unless it has a function and it’s operative in terms of helping somebody – there’s no point in having it.

p245, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680