About Emptiness and Dzogchen
I think anyone who is familiar with buddhist vehicles agrees that dzogchen is based on emptiness and there is no dzogchen without the basis of emptiness. In fact, the first stage of buddhahood, also known as trekcho in trad dzogchen, is the realisation of complete emptiness. Realisation of emptiness means "all phenomena", mind as a whole. This is why it is said that sutra, tantra and dzogchen have the same goal.
Mix ups in teachings are not uncommon with dzogchen practitioners or teachers and I think this is because of the fact that dzogchen emphasizes recognition of "spacious awareness" that can be found "in between thoughts". However, this instruction or understanding alone inevitably ends up in dualistic positioning between awareness and mind as separate things. Actually I remember from retreat with Tsoknyi Rinpoche, him talking about dzogchen practitioners in Tibet and Nepal who have this problem. This indicates that there is further to go in emptiness meditation because according to tradition these are not separate but same. There is no mind "and" awareness. There is only mind that is empty or advancing insight into the emptiness of mind. When mind ceases altogether, when the five skandhas are seen to be empty of solid self, then clarity, wisdom and love of buddhanature shines out perfectly, without obstruction. Stage called One taste/Same taste is all about the sameness of "samsara" and "nirvana", or "mind" and "awareness", or "problem" and "solution". And it is from that entry where the last stage of Nonmeditation or dzogchen atiyoga reveals itself.
- Kim, 25.10.2020
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