mandala wrote:Yes, I did notice the attached article.
Maybe i missed something though - it seemed to point at mindfulness to observe (and not react to) disturbing emotions - how, exactly, is this a specifically dzogchen practice?
Whether it is or isn't a Dzogchen-specific practice is beside the point, my friend. The issue is its effectiveness. Why is it effective? Because when one sits in mindfulness and observes thoughts, sensations, emotions--including destructive emotions like rage or depression or whatever--during the very moment they arise, mindfulness and simple observation puts us in the moment right before we get carried away, and into, these emotions, etc. and act upon them. It stops the domino effect of thoughts and emotions and actions that normally follow due to lack of mindfulness. Also, simply mindfully observing what arises without doing anything with these movements of mind, we can't help but notice their emptiness. And what are these emotions and thoughts and sensations, but mind? Therefore we see the illusory quality of mind. Then, if we've been directly introduced to natural instant essence, then we can even go beyond merely seeing mind's emptiness: we can also discover its oneness of emptiness and spontaneous presence. This latter stage is the point at which it becomes Dzogchen proper.*
*I don't say Dzogchen here in contradistinction to Mahamudra. I just happen to be speaking on Dzogchen, plus I don't know anything about Mahamudra.