Dzogchen for Smarties

Tibetan Dzogchen, over the past twenty-five years or so, has become a popular spiritual practice for Western Buddhists. Numerous Tibetan gurus who teach it have migrated to the West, and numerous translations/commentaries of canonical Dzogchen texts have been published. I have participated in a number of Dzogchen groups and have read at least a couple dozen Dzogchen texts. Although I really like a few of these Dzogchen texts –particularly ones by Longchen Rabjam (1308-1364) and Namkhai Norbu (currently teaching)--I do not believe any of them manages to fully elaborate Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. Consequently, just as I have upgraded Christian mysticism with my text Electrical Christianity, I likewise believe I can upgrade Dzogchen.

As Tibetan Dzogchen teachers themselves make clear, Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, is primordial; hence it existed prior to Buddhism (and Bon), which means that Tibetan Buddhism (and Bon) do not have exclusive claim to its Dharma. Nonetheless, as far I know, no one other than me has attempted to elaborate Dzogchen in a context beyond Buddhism (or Bon). I believe that my expertise and experience in multiple spiritual Dharmas (Advaita Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism, Christian Hermeticism, Zen, and Daism) and ability to think outside of a single Dharma “box,” uniquely qualifies me to upgrade Dzogchen by considering and presenting it in a trans-Tibetan context.

Because this is just an article and not a book, I cannot present the full version of my elaboration of Dzogchen; but I can, and now will, present a brief outline of it.

Dzogchen, as I understand and teach it, is the same spiritual practice as the mystical Eucharist, only from a nondual perspective. There are just two fundamental practices in Dzogchen –Trekcho (“cutting through”) and Togal (“leaping over”), and it couldn’t be clearer to me that Trekcho equates with the practice of Divine Communion (Plugged-in-Presence) and Togal with the practice of receiving or conducting Divine Power (or Clear-Light Energy). When one practices Trekcho (Divine Communion), one attempts to “cut through” one’s “spiritual materialism” (one’s grasping after thoughts and objects) and “break on through” to the “Other Side” (Divine Power, the Clear-Light continuum). And once one is “initiated” (or baptized) by this Divine Power (the Holy Spirit), one thereafter can (at times) directly “leap over” (or bypass) one’s “spiritual materialism” and directly connect to and channel the Spirit-current (or Clear-Light Continuum). Consequently, Tibetan gurus generally rate Togal a higher (or more advanced) practice than Trekcho. But in reality, the two practices are complementary, and together constitute the mystical Eucharist (connecting to the Holy Spirit and receiving its Blessing Power, or Light-Energy).

I could in this article continue to elaborate Dzogchen from other Dharma perspectives (such as Hindu Sat-Chit-Ananda), but I will leave that for another day and another post. Meanwhile, if you are in interested in a more in-depth “translation” of Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen into the true, or mystical, Christian Eucharist, I suggest you check out my book Electrical Christianity, in which I not only compare the two practices, but also provide a paradigm—the Electrical Spiritual Paradigm (ESP)—that radically, spiritual-energetically, explains how they “work,” or en-Light-en disciples.