The Circle of the Sun : Heart Essence of Dzogchen

In THE CIRCLE OF THE SUN, Traleg Rinpoche asks: What is the starting point on the spiritual journey? It is possible that it is seeing oneself as inadequate. It is heartening that the Dzogchen and Mahamudra approach says that what one wants to attain is already present. There is no gap between what one is and what one wants to attain. In Dzogchen, the starting point, which is also the end point of the spiritual journey is having an understanding of the nature of mind. Tsele Natsok Rangdrol's exposition of the Dzogchen path elucidates that the path rests on the practices of trekchö, which means "cutting through", and thögal, which means "leaping over". Trekchö practice entails settling the mind in its own natural state without effort and without the rejection of thoughts and emotions. Thögal practice makes use of images and visions to realize the innate wakefulness. Rinpoche explains there are many perspectives designed to help us uncover our authentic state, the ground-of-being, as it is often referred to in the Dzogchen tradition. A single perspective can never provide an all-encompassing view of the ground-of -being, because it is something that cannot be understood from any one perspective, in completeness. -- Susan Howes, Editor.