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Namkhai Norbu

Namkhai Norbu Biography

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“The light of the sun is the manifestation of the clarity of the sky; and the sky is the basic condition necessary for the manifestation of the sun's light. So, too, in the sky two, three, four, or any number of suns could arise; but the sky always remains indivisibly one sky. Similarly, every individual's state of presence is unique and distinct, but the void nature of the individual is universal, and common to all beings.”

SunEnlightenmentMetaphorNirvanaTibetan BuddhismDzogchen1989
Book:Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State
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“But karma is not in fact a material accumulation, and does not depend on externals; rather its power to condition us depends on the obstacles that impede our knowledge. If we compare our karma and the ignorance that creates it to a dark room, knowledge of the primordial state would be like a lamp, which, when lit in the room, at once causes the darkness to disappear, enlightening everything. In the same way, if one has the presence of the primordial state, one can overcome all hindrances in an instant.”

IgnoranceEnlightenmentMetaphorKarmaTibetan BuddhismDzogchen1989
Book:Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State
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“Enlightenment, or Nirvana, is nothing other than the state beyond all obstacles, in the same way that from the peak of a very high mountain one always sees the sun. Nirvana is not a paradise or some special place of happiness, but is in fact the condition beyond all dualistic concepts, including those of happiness and suffering. When all our obstacles have been overcome, and we find ourselves in a state of total presence, the wisdom of enlightenment manifests spontaneously without limits, just like the infinite rays of the sun. The clouds have dissolved, and the sun is finally free to shine once again.”

SunEnlightenmentNirvanaTibetan BuddhismDzogchen1989
Book:Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State
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“Realization is not knowledge about the universe, but the living experience of the nature of the universe. Until we have such living experience, we remain dependent on examples, and subject to their limits.”

UniverseNatureKnowledgeSubjectsExampleLimitsExperienceRemainsRealizationBuddhistDependentLife ExperienceDeep Thought
Book:The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen
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“Controlling the position of one's body and keeping a straight back are not contemplation, but can in fact become an obstacle to contemplation. ...when leaving the body 'uncontrolled' is spoken of, what is meant is simply allowing the body to remain in an authentic, uncorrected condition, in which it is not necessary to modify or improve anything. This is because, since all our attempts at correcting the body come from the reasoning mind, they are all false and artificial.”

MindFactsBodyConditionsPositionLeavingObstaclesContemplationReasoningAllowingArtificialCorrecting
Author:Namkhai Norbu
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“Duality is the real root of our suffering and of all our conflicts. All our concepts and beliefs, no matter how profound they may seem, are like nets which trap us in dualism. When we discover our limits we have to try to overcome them, untying ourselves from whatever type of religious, political, or social conviction may contain us. We have to abandon such concepts as 'enlightenment', 'the nature of the mind', and so on, until we no longer neglect to integrate our knowledge with our actual existence.”

TryingMindMayRealMatterSeemsPoliticalSufferingBeliefSocialReligiousExistenceTypeConflictLimitsMindfulnessEnlightenmentConceptsRootsOvercomingProfoundConvictionInsightAbandonNeglectTrapsDualityIntegratingDualism
Author:Namkhai Norbu
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