There are indeed signs which occur as a result of having accomplished this practice. You should ask Rinpoche about them if they're not in his instruction books on this. Then also, there is the custom--at least in the Longchen Nyingthig tradition of this practice I'm familiar with--to do 100,000 repetitions of a certain ultra-short mantra for each loka, plus extra 100,000 to make up for an shortcomings in one's practice, making the total 700,000.padma norbu wrote:don't even understand how that's possible or what you mean by "thoroughly." how could one ever do such an abstract practice "thoroughly?" Is there some sign or result that is obvious and means you have thoroughly done it? I've done it before and, ummmm... well, it just reminded me of something like Israel Regardie's Middle Pillar Ritual. However it works would be utter mystery since it's abstract in the same way that I have no idea why intoning names of Jehovah while visualizing balls of light at various chakra centers would actually purify anything (this is a description of the Middle PIllar Ritual).Pema Rigdzin wrote: If you do the purification of the 6 lokas practice thoroughly, this won't even be an issue. You will not even have the possibility of being reborn in samsaric realms after that (by force of karma, that is, not precluding bodhisattva/buddha activity).
The difference between this Dzogchen-specific practice and any superficially similar practice you might think of is that in this one you are relying on your very own indwelling three kayas which you not only possess but have had introduced to you and about which you've received instruction... In other traditions' practices this is obviously not at all the case. Beyond that crucial point, no other traditions give the very specific instructions comprising this rushen practice, so they can't hope to accomplish its goals.
