Sönam wrote:What is happening in that threat is quite classical, we found it many time in history, it's called "the fight between veterans and moderns" (La bataille d'Hernani).
It is so simple that veterans cannot see it ... they have invested so much, how can they give up all that ? It's their identity. And they fight strongly (harshly) to defend their certitude ... I won't fight with them, they are so proudly sure to be right ... They are veterans.
Let's surprize them once more ...
Dzogchen is rigpa.
When not rigpa, it's not Dzogchen.
Ngondrö, creation and completion, tantric practices and so on
are not rigpa, they are not Dzogchen.
They cannot lead to rigpa,
They cannot not lead to Dzogchen.
When not rigpa, then sem.
What do I do with sem, when not rigpa,
Madhyamaka non-reasonning is sem best occupation,
What else could I do ?
May all beings found freedom and the way to freedom
Sönam
"They cannot lead to rigpa,
They cannot not lead to Dzogchen."
Finger is not moon; sems is not rigpa; but if sems can't lead to rigpa, nothing can lead to rigpa. If only rigpa can lead to rigpa, then there is no hope for people who don't understand rigpa to realise it.
Remember, the devotion to guru is also sems, like accumulating merits and purifying karma are sems.
If you are not at rigpa state, or not firmly at rigpa state due to our countless previous lives habit, you need to train your mind with methods belong to sems. Devotion to guru is one of great methods, ngondro is also one. Theoritically, none of them is necessary as long as you can understand rigpa; however when you can't stay at rigpa state always, methods are necessary for you.
It's really not about old or new, it's about practical or fantastical.