"The Dzogchen teaching is a living knowledge that is transmitted and applied. It is not reserved for spiritual adepts. The teaching is useful for those who want to live agreeably. For someone with strong faith, it is extremely useful. Even those who do not believe in anything and think that nothing exists after death could find a more peaceful life through it. To enjoy tranquility, you must have experience of the state of knowledge and know how to relax. When you discover your true condition and actually find yourself in it, you finally understand the real meaning of relaxation. The Dzogchen teaching is a way of relaxing totally, so you can understand why the learning, application, and practice of Dzogchen is indispensable for every individual."
-- Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
This book is based on a teaching retreat on The Six Vajra Verses, an original Dzogchen text also known as Rigpai Khujug: The Cuckoo of Instant Presence, held at Merigar in Arcidosso, Italy, from December 23, 1985, to January 5, 1986, the first complete oral commentary he had given on this important text in the West.
The Six Vajra Verses is divided into three equal parts of two verses each, each explaining the base, the path, and the fruit of the Dzogchen teaching. Ultimately it becomes clear that all three are facets of the primordial state, our real condition as it is and always has been. The Rigpai Khujug teaching is presented here first in a concise explanation followed by a detailed one. An appendix titled A Brief Guide to the Methods and Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism follows, a teaching given by Rinpoche during a weekend retreat in London in the late 1980s. Our hope is that the Dzogchen teaching can thus be more clearly understood in the context of other Buddhist traditions.
The Cuckoo of Instant Presence: The Six Vajra Verses, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, Shang Shung Publications, Paperback, 2018, 139 pages $21.95
Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, born in Tibet in 1938, is one of the primary living masters of Dzogchen. After having taught for more than twenty years at the Istituto Universitario Orientale of Naples, Italy, he is at present fully dedicating his time to the transmission and preservation of Dzogchen teachings and Tibetan culture at large. He is the founder of the Dzogchen Community, whose centers of study and practice are found all over the world. He is the author of many books and scholarly articles not only on Dzogchen but on all the main branches of Tibetan culture including history, medicine, astrology, and Bon. His previous books on Dzogchen have become classics.
Preface
Guide to Pronunciation
The Lecture
Footnotes
A Biographical Sketch of the Author
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