The Seven Mirrors of Dzogchen....Dranpa Namkha (8th C.AD)

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"Dzogchen, also known as the “great perfection,” is considered the path of self-liberation and the highest form of teaching in the Yunddrung Bon tradition......The Seven Mirrors of Dzogchen is a powerful heart-essence teaching that offers a direct introduction to the clear, open awareness of the Dzogchen view as well as methods for maintaining this state......The Seven Mirrors was directly transmitted by the Bon master Dranpa Namkha to Lungton Lhanyen in the 12th century....... The Seven Mirrors is a short work of thirty pages, and thus it is ideal for a weekend teaching......In this brief work are taught seven mirrors that give quintessential instruction on the topics of: preliminaries, view, meditation, result, conduct, the teaching regarding the pure realms and the six migrations, and the ultimate summary of the teaching. As the Seven Mirrors states about its own teaching: This is the essence of the teachings: Like seeing your own face in a mirror, you will see the principle of the clear, innate self-awareness."

"The seven mirrors are:
1. The heart mirror of the view
2. The heart mirror of the meditation
3. The heart mirror of the result
4. The heart mirror of conduct
5. The heart mirror that explains the pure realms and lands of samsara
6. The heart mirror of six-fold consummation
7. The heart mirror that explains the benefit of meeting with this teaching
http://gyalshen.org/the-seven-mirrors-of-dzogchen/.......Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
http://www.ligmincha.org/en/programs/overviews-of-teaching-topics.html

".......This fourth major cycle of Dzogchen, together with the above three, is included within the four-year training program of study and practice in the Meditation School (sgrub-grwa) at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu. It is said that in the eleventh century, the Bonpo master Lungton Lhanyen (Lung-ston lhagnyan) actually met Tsewang Rigdzin (Tse-dbang rig-'dzin) in person in the guise of an Indian sadhu. The latter revealed to him the Dzogchen teachings he had received from his father Dranpa Namkha (Dran-pa nam-mkha', eighth century). Having acquired the power of long life (tshe dbang) by virtue of his yoga practice, Tsewang Rigdzin is said to have lived for centuries. Some of these texts, such as the Nam-mkha"phrul-mdzod present Dzogchen in a much more systematic and intellectual manner comparable to the Dzogchen Semde (sems-sde) class of the Nyingmapas......Having previously taught the A-khrid and Zhang-zhung snyan-rgyud extensively to Western students both in Nepal and in the West in recent years, Lopon Tenzin Namdak Yongdzin Rinpoche has been focusing on the teaching of the Ye-khri mtha'-sel, convinced that Western students are especially suited to the prac-tice of Dzogchen.".....In presenting the view and practice of Dzogchen here, we are following a collection of Bonpo Dzogchen texts known as the Nam-mkha' 'phrul mdzod, "the magical treasury of the sky." They are connected with the master Lung-ton Lha-nyen (Lungston Lha-gnyan, b.1088) and the teachings of this cycle were transmitted to him orally by Tsewang Rigdzin (Tshe-dbang rig 'dzin), an ancient sage who was disguised as an Indian sadhu. [2] The texts are from the Dzogchen teachings of the latter's father, Dranpa Namkha (Dran-pa nam-mkha'), and they present a more philosophical view of Dzogchen.....

Nam-mkha' 'phrul-mdzod, attributed to Dranpa Namkha (Root text with 7 folia).
Nam-mkha' 'phrul-mdzod 'grel-pa, attributed to Dranpa Namkha' (commentary).
Gab grel, attributed to Dranpa Namkha.
"The Seven Mirrors of Dzogchen with Lopon Tenzin Namdak......Yongdzin Rinpoche, Lopon Tenzin Namdak, the greatest living master of Dzogchen within the Bonpo tradition of Tibet, will teach a retreat in Germany on the ancient text entitled “The Seven Mirrors of Dzogchen,” from the cycle of the Namkha Thrul-dzöd, “the Magical Treasury of the Sky,” by the enlightened Dzogchen master Drenpa Namkha. Having been a master of Dzogchzen meditation practice in both the Bonpo and the Buddhist traditions, and completely rejecting all narrow sectarianism, Drenpa Namkha was among the Twenty-Five Disciples of Guru Padmasambhava in Central Tibet in the 8th century of our era. After having concealed many Terma texts himself dealing with the practice of Dzogchen, this master composed this short text distilling the very essence of all these teachings. Beginning with the qualities necessary in a master and in a student, the view, meditation, conduct, and result of Dzogchen practice is discussed in lucid detail, as well as providing descriptions of higher states of consciousness and practices in preparation for the Bardo experience after death. During the retreat and based on this text, Rinpoche will provide instructions for the practice of Dzogchen.".......http://www.vajranatha.com/schedule/98-fall-schedule-2012.html

"According to Lopon Tenzin Namdak..... sTang-chen dMu-tsha gyermed was a disciple of Dranpa Namkha, the prince of Zhang-zhung and not the later Tibetan Dranpa Namkha who lived in the eighth century as claimed by Karmay....( Treasury (1972), pp.xxxvii, xxxviii). This sage appeared to Lodan Nyingpo in a series of visions, dictating a number of texts which the latter wrote down. At this time, it is said, Lodan Nyingpo was 23 to 24 years old and these visions came to him spontaneously without his conscious control. Even though this process would be designated a Mind Treasure (dgongsgter) or a pure vision (dag-snang) by the Nyingmapas, the Bonpos classify such vision revelations as snyan-brgyud or oral transmissions, even though they do not represent a continuous oral trans-mission from the earliest time. In all, Lodan Nyingpo received four cycles of oral transmissions in visions from the Vidyadharas and the Dakinis. (See Karmay, Treasury (1972), pp. 183, 340)."

"Notes to Chapter Three: Four Essential Points for Un-derstanding Dzogchen......
1. The Nam-mkha' 'phrul mdzod, "The [Magical Treasury of the Sky], "attributed to Dranpa Namkha (eighth century), a contemporary of Guru Padmasambhava, belongs to one of the four principal cycles of Dzogchen teachings in Bon, the Ye-khri mtha'-sel, rediscovered by Lungton Lhanyen (Lung-stong lha-gnyan) in the eleventh century"....

"2. Lung-ston (var. Lung-bon) Lha-gnyan, b. 1088, is said to have met in person the sage Tsewang Rigdzin (Tshe-dbang reg-'dzin), who was disguised as a Hindu sadhu. Tsewang Rigdzin was the son of Dranpa Namkha (eighth century) and he was said to have realized the power of long life (tshe dbang) through his yoga practice and so he was still alive in the eleventh century. The cycle of Dzogchen teachings he transmitted to Lung-ton Lha-nyen is known as the Yekhri mtha' sel, the removing of extreme (views) with regard to the Primordial State."

"......... for Bonpos, it is the Srid-pa'i mdzodphug, the root text being attributed to Tonpa Shenrab and the commentary to Dranpa Namkha (eighth century)."

John Myrdhin Reynolds: Articles & publications

"Geshe Kelsang Gyatso was born in 1972 in Horpan Village in Amdo Ngwa, Eastern Tibet. In 1986, at the age of 14 he entered Nangzhig Monastery. There he received his monk vows from Gyawob Rinpoche.....In 1990, he continued his studies at the Menri Monastery in India. He received vows and initiations from His Holiness Menri Trizin Rinpoche and studied under the guidance of Menri Ponlob Rinpoche. In 1995 he moved to Triten Norbutse Monastery where he studied Dzogchen and Tantra under Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche and teachings on the Sutra from Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche. In 2003, Kalsang Gyatso received his Geshe degree and is one of the main teachers at Triten Norbutse Monastery teaching Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen

"Snan Rgyud Nam Mkha' 'Phrul Mdzod Dran Nes Skor and Zan Zun Snan Rgyud Skor: Texts From Two Cycles of Bon-Po Rdzogs-Chen Oral: Transmission Precepts Hardcover – January 1, 1972........by Sherab Wangyal (Author)......Publisher: Tibetan Bonpo Monastic Centre; Reproduction of the Original Manuscript edition (January 1, 1972).........ASIN: B0042LVTJY

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Email....dzogchenexplorations@gmail.com

Northern New Mexico.....April 2016

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