The human condition

"The human condition is one in which we are simultaneously beginninglessly nondual and dualistically distorted"

p13, Moving Being, Khandro Déchen, Aro Books worldwide, 2009, 978-1-898185-05-5

Dzogchen approach

"Dzogchen approaches everything from the perspective of the primordial nondual state"

p12, Moving Being, Khandro Déchen, Aro Books worldwide, 2009, 978-1-898185-05-5

Authentication: Galvanising Time and Place

"Space is unconfined. Because space is limitless – even the limitations that we create, are simply expressions of limitlessness. When we create physical parameters—as venues for the realisation of nonduality—we need to recognise the nature of the delineated space as being inseparable from undelineated space of Mind. Because we understand the world symbolically—through language and other codifications—we employ symbolic activity to authenticate our purpose in establishing a meditation centre. The Nyingma lineages of Vajrayana Buddhism contain a wealth of methods which galvanise time and place—for the benefit of everyone and everything everywhere—and authentication is the portal to that possibility"

Authentication of Aro Ling, Ngakpa Chögyam, 17/09/2010

A good heart

"Having a good heart goes further than anything in terms of empathising with the nondual state"

p50, Rays of the Sun, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-06-2

Emptiness and form cross-dress

"We need to generate some sense of intangible voyeurism in order to apprehend the ways in which emptiness and form cross-dress"

p80, Entering the Heart of the Sun and Moon, Ngakpa Chogyam and Khandro Dechen, Aro Books Inc., 2010, 978-0965394833

Reflecting emptiness

"The end of the road always reflects emptiness, because at the end of a journey, there is nowhere else to go"

p55, Entering the Heart of the Sun and Moon, Ngakpa Chogyam and Khandro Dechen, Aro Books Inc., 2010, 978-0965394833

Prejudice

"Vajrayana begins with the premise that duality is a state of prejudice against nonduality"

p156, Entering the Heart of the Sun and Moon, Ngakpa Chogyam and Khandro Dechen, Aro Books Inc., 2010, 978-0965394833

Wanting more

"Wanting more is nowhere near as valuable as being continually prepared to give more"

p171, Entering the Heart of the Sun and Moon, Ngakpa Chogyam and Khandro Dechen, Aro Books Inc., 2010, 978-0965394833

Religion & Practice

"Practice is a pain in the arse - literally. Practice is a pain in the anatomy of your body, speech and mind, and you have to have something greater than yourself to keep you going through that frustration. There has to be some kind of energy there that is not primarily self-orientated, self-validating, or self-referencing.'"

 Interview 6th of June 1994, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, 06/06/1994

Bodhicitta

"If you practise, then chang-chub-sem naturally manifests; it is inherent in every being."

Interview 6th of June 1994, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, 06/06/1994

Integration

"To integrate practice into everyday life, you should allow the spaciousness you discover in your sitting to overflow into your ordinary life experience. "

p154, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Purification

"There is nothing to purify apart from the notion that there is something impure."

p126, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Generosity in silent sitting

"[G]enerosity is vital if we are to give ourselves time to sit and if we are to give all sentient beings our time of sitting. We are not sitting in silence for ourselves; that is crucial."

p124, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Our natural state

"Enlightenment is our natural state, and so it is not surprising that it manifests from time to time. Unenlightenment is the constant activity in which we engage. We have to work at it all the time."

p123, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Sparkling through

"Enlightenment continually sparkles through. It sparkles through the unenlightenment that we continually fabricate from the ground of being. Because enlightenment continually sparkles through, anyone with or without meditative experience can have flashes of lha-tong or nyi'mèd experience."

p122, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Inspiration

"Inspiration is the power of the enlightened state to make itself known: to itself, through itself, and of itself. A synapse can occur in which we glimpse, for a moment or an eternity, the manifest nakedness of being."

p120, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Enlightened from beginninglessness

"The perspective of Dzogchen is always that we are all enlightened from beginninglessness. Because of this, inspiration is possible."

p120, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Being referenceless

"Finding Mind to be a referenceless ocean of space allows the dualistic knot of panic to untie itself. Experiencing this space, we make a brilliant discovery: being referenceless is not death."

p64, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

No reference points

"When one sits, one discovers that the secondary function of thought is to prove that one exists. Without thoughts, one has no reference points. Without thoughts, there is nothing to prove that one is solid, permanent, separate, continuous, and defined. Shi-nè is getting used to that. Shi-nè simply letting go and letting be"

p63, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Getting used to is

"When it is said that getting used to is, what is signified is a practice in which one is simply getting used to being, one acclimatizes oneself to the undefined dimension of existence. We are unused to our own enlightenment, so meditation is a way of 'getting used to' it. In terms of deep-rooted attachment to thought, one is getting used to non-referentiality. One is getting used to being referenceless."

p46, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Meditation isn't

"When it is said that meditation isn't, what is signified is that meditation is not a method of doing. It is a method of not-doing. One does not involve oneself in doing anything. One does not instigate anything or impose anything. One does not add anything or elaborate anything. One simply remains. One simply maintains presence in motiveless observation."

p46, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Boredom

"Once we develop our experience of shi-nè, boredom is no longer 'boredom' but a wellspring of nourishment-a rolling wave of energy. So, from the point of view of shi-nè, boredom marks the beginning of realisation."

p23, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Experience directly

"Meditation enables us to sidestep the bureaucracy of rigid intellectual processes and experience ourselves directly. "

p2, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 978-1570629440

Invaded by Padmasambhava

"Vajrayana disciples in every place and time commit themselves to being spiritually invaded by Padmasambhava."

p66, Dangerous Friend, Rig’dzin Dorje, Shambhala, 2001, 978-1570628573

Natural Condition

"The natural condition of the individual is characterized by immediacy of presence within whatever is experienced."

p33, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Perception

"Our perception and field of perception are mutually self-creating. What we see incites a reaction which influences how we see it. How we view things changes how they are."

p31, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Culture

"As practitioners, Buddhism, in its essential nature, should be our culture. Beyond that—we should integrate with the creative, positive, and humanitarian aspects of the culture of wherever we happen to be living."

p11, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Awareness & Kindness

"The most important thing is that there is no rule apart from awareness and kindness"

p9, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Wealth and generosity

"Wealth and generosity go hand in hand-if they do not then we have neither."

p131, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Security

"The only truly stable ground we can find is emptiness. It is only possible to find security in insecurity - by establishing insecurity as security"

p130, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

The Illusion of Poverty

"If we cooperate with the sparkling through of our beginningless enlightenment and experience the nature of the energy from which territorialism arises, we can release ourselves from the illusion of poverty.'"

p128, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Symbolism & Enlightenment

"When symbolism and the state of enlightenment dissolve into each other, we recognise the primal purity of our own condition"

p110, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Primordial Goodness

"Primordial goodness is that which grins at the illusions of the dualistic predicament - so sit and learn to smile. "

p241, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Naturalness

"Naturalness is relaxing into the present moment"

p234, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Understand

"No one can understand themselves. All you can hope to achieve is to be transparent - and allow understanding to occur naturally."

p231, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Starting Over

"We imagine that we are the same person simply getting older. That is also a fantasy. Every moment is just like starting over."

p223, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Work

"Work and the demands of daily life are none other than the practice of Dzogchen"

p220, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Freedom

"Freedom is the absence of self-consciousness. The absence of self-consciousness allows generosity, transparence, decentralised desire, uninhibited action, and spaciousness"

p210, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Magic

"Seeing the magic of existence requires an open mind and a certain lack of rigid co-ordinates"

p209, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Unhappy

"Unhappy' is what we create by turning off the senses"

p179, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Samsara

"We live as much as we can in the Dzogchen view that there is no samsara beyond our own perception"

p168, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Respect

"Silent sitting is the greatest respect you can offer and the greatest influence you can have."

p162, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Joy

"Always put the possibility of joy before the need to be safe"

p135, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Openness to infinite pattern

"Compassion is openness to infinite pattern and to embodying any aspect of that pattern for the benefit of everyone and everything, everywhere"

p131, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Sudden enlightenment

"We have to embrace our situation before the gradual process becomes inevitable as suddenness"

p91, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

The hell of being a practitioner

"The hell of being a practitioner is the state in which we begin to see our neuroses and yet we continue to afflict ourselves with them"

p78, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

The grave of 'do'

"I really have nothing in the world that is better to do than sit by the grave of 'do', in order that I can 'be' - and be undefined"

p74, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Peace and Quiet

"We have to be the 'peace and quiet' rather than expecting the world to supply it"

p70, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

You have to sit

"The path is connected more to your buttocks than your heart - in terms of understanding the teachings at least. You have to sit"

p67, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Karma

"Karma evaporates as soon as we see the pattern"

p60, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7