Electrical SpiritualityHome About About Me About This Site Books Beyond the Power of Now: A Guide to, and Beyond, Eckhart’s Tolle’s Teachings Enlightenment and the Mind Light on Relationships What Eckhart Tolle Does Not Want You to Know: Slicing and Dicing the Oprah-Approved Pop Guru A “New Earth,” an Old Rant Time and the Timeless Now Electrical Christianity: A Revolutionary Guide to Jesus’ Teachings and Spiritual Enlightenment The “Electrical” Eucharist (The Radical Essence of Jesus’ Teachings) Holy Baptism (Spirit-Initiation) Super Jesus (tentative title) Books in the Pipeline Contact Videos Integral Spiritual Meditation Blog Dzogchen Thodgal (Togal): Namkhai Norbu’s POV Versus Mine by L. Ron Gardner [Note: This is a book review of “The Crystal and the Way of Light” that I posted at Amazon on December 12. A follow-up to this review, entitled, "The Demystification of Dzogchen Thodgal (Togal)" was posted at Integralspiritualmeditation.com on December 20.] There is not a single living Dzoghen master/teacher who really impresses me – but the best of the bunch, IMO, is Namkhai Norbu. I wasn’t looking to read another book by Norbu; I’d already read four (see my five-star review of “The Cycle of Day and Night” and four-star review of “The Supreme Source”), but when I recently read Jackson Peterson’s “The Natural Bliss of Liberation” (see my two-star Amazon review), which conflates the term “kundalini” with the Tibetan term “thigle” (which means “bindu, sphere, bead, drop, essence, sphere of light, spherical drop, spot, dot, droplet, seed-essence”) I was intrigued: I had not encountered this conflation before. I Googled “thigle and kundalini,” and sure enough I was led to excerpts from “The Crystal and the Way of Light” – and so I purchased the book The editor of the book writes that it took four years to complete the project of putting this book together and that he continually revised the manuscript before it took its present form. But despite all this effort, the book is just a disorganized jumble of talks intermixed with charts, plates and appendixes – and there are still plenty of sloppy grammatical errors. Before I get further into the negatives of this book, I’ll talk about its positives. It provides some interesting diagrams and charts detailing the constituent principles of the various groups and divisions of Dzogchen teachings. For example, there are three series of Dzogchen teachings – Semde (Mind), Longde (Space), and Mennagde (Special or Secret Instruction) – and the four “yogas” that enable one to enter into Dang. and the fourth is the consummation of existence. that describes the Sambhogakaya. stepped-down. Norbu describes the Four Visions. which. unmanifest. Thodgal is found only in the Dzogchen teachings. nadis.” which follows/complements Tregchod (Treckho) in the Mennagde. but the further breakdown of each of the series into four “yogas” was new to me. I have a real problem with “closed-fist” spiritual teachings. so my face puckered into a frown when I read the following from Norbu regarding Thodgal (Togal). and Tsal with the Nirmanakaya.’ This practice is genuinely secret. Norbu discourses on the three energies -.’’’ meaning all that obstructs the connection to Spirit. and working with the inseparability of vision and emptiness one proceeds until the realization of the Body of Light is attained. Upon this direct. This is not the same as an instruction for practice.contemplation in each series. pranas. “through the development of the Four Lights. and so he does after an amazing dream in which Jigmed Lingpa (the great self-proclaimed reincarnation of Longchen Rabjam). the mystic merges with and channels this Supernal Influx. Norbu tells us that Dang energy is limitless and formless. But as is typical with Norbu. Rolpa with the Sambhogakya. But one story is easy to believe. and as such is always outside of space-time. emanated energies. of Thodgal arise. but from my perspective.” According to Norbu (though he doesn’t elaborate beyond this). Norbu provides some provocative material correlating the Hindu tantric descriptions of subtle-body anatomy (chakras. you’re there. “Thodgal” means to “leap over” [to the “Other Side”]. I say that one cannot just begin practicing Thodgal in the manner described by Norbu. For example. the Blissing/Blessing Light-Energy Body. of Thodgal thus: “The first of the Four Visions of Thodgal is called the “Vision of Dharmata (or ‘nature of reality’) and the second vision is the further development of the first. ceaseless Blessing/Blissing Clear-Light-Energy of the Dharmakaya. Rolpa. I’m very familiar with the three series. or Baptism. or Sambhogakaya). etc. which is the Sambhogakaya. because it illustrates Norbu’s failure to understand Thodgal. the “highest Dzogchen practice. itself. which bypasses or supersedes Tregchod (the volitional attempt to “cut through’‘spiritual materialism. or Sambhogakaya. any description of kundalini. the highest Dzogchen series: “Continuing beyond Tregchod there is the practice of Thodgal. is incomplete and lacking – and Norbu’s doesn’t explain this interrelation. And he makes some statements that I found interesting (but don’t necessarily agree with). he conflates “kundalini” and “thigle. by the Spirit. For instance. correlate with the three Kayas: Dang with the Dharmakaya. in a Dzogchen context. along the lines of what one finds in Carlos Castaneda’s books about the Brujos/Brujas. as earlier stated.) with the Tibetan. meets him in a cave and reads him words about Thodgal.” I say that Norbu doesn’t fully grokThodgal. Through the practice of it one is able carry one’s state of being rapidly to the ultimate goal. the depth of his descriptions and analysis leaves much to be desired.” and tells us that this energy is more concentrated in the chakras. and many of them are hard to believe. Over half of this book consists of “magical-mystical” stories narrated by Norbu. which means ‘surpassing with the sense that ‘as soon as you’re here. But I don’t buy these correlations. as a young child. in contrast to him. the same Light-Energy as the Christian Holy Spirit and Hindu Anugraha Shakti. I don’t view as a “Wealth Body” of subtle.” . The third is the maturation of it. the Four Visions. and Tsal – that supposedly. the Sambhogakaya is the unborn. and it is not appropriate to give more than the most basic description of it here. The Sambhogakaya is this Body of Light (or Blessing/Blissing Light-Energy). Norbu’s master tells him to begin Thodgal practice. respectively. immediate connection. To my mind. One can only begin to practice it upon Initiation. that doesn’t explain its relation to the Sambhogakaya. ” I’ll be developing/elaborating the correlations between the various schools of Buddhism (and Christianity and Hinduism) further when I get around to writing my books on Buddhism and Dzogchen. which is the same Divine “Condition” as the Dharmata. the 7th to 10th stages of the 10 stages of a Bodhisattva’s en-Light-enment are simply the progressive intensification of the descent of the Dharmamegha (the Dharma Cloud). This is very laborious and thus most people just work on Trekchod. this is the level which all public texts teach at. The four lights are actual lights that one sees just beyond the visual field and can increase the intensity and area of effect of the Vajra Waves or Holy Spirit when “caught/realized” by gazing fixedly at the edge of vision. 3: Rigpa. I read somewhere once that Thodgal means to “leap-over the forehead”. I think the practice which you teach is closer to Trekchod which has four different “stabilisations” 1: Mountain-like which I think is merely getting past concepts to direct experience. there is Namkhai Norbu. or the Sambhokaya’s Clear-Light- Energy. I believe that the First Vision correlates with Baptism. and “mystified” it by “packaging” it as “secret Thodgal teachings. until consummating Divine Union. I can’t say. and the fourth with Divine Union/Beatitude. 4: Vision. 1: Right side 2: Left side 3:Bottom 4:Top (forehead) . probably the best of the current crop of Dzogchen masters/teachers. because the Sambhogakaya is the Light Body (or Dimension). Gardner. yields Bodhicitta. the second with Confirmation. Di-vine.” or unveils. and the union of the “vine” of one’s soul (or consciousness) with the “vine” of Spirit. which I’ll now do so regarding theFour Lights/Visions. Each of these Visions” is simply the intensification of the descent of the Holy Spirit. Correlates with Thodgal in some way that’s all I know. the Dharmata. or Sambhogakaya (which the great Buddhist scholar Christmas Humphreys defines as “Divine Power”). In some Yogacara schemas. the Third with Sancifying Grace. 2: Ocean-like which is what it feels like when you are abiding in the Vajra Waves ie Holy Spirit. haven’t gotten this far. “produces. You gently rock back and forth and it feels like you are on a boat in the ocean. I think Thodgal is a series of shortcuts through “Leaping-Over” the phenomenal visual field to the noumenal visual (indeed omni-sensorial) field (light-being in itself) which is projected through a channel from the Hridam to the eyes. { 10 comments… read them below or add one } Eliot December 18.I’ve long known that mystical Christianity and Dzogchen are virtual mirrors of each other – and I may be the only spiritual teacher who explicaties the correlations between the two mystical traditions. “Dharmata” is a synonym for Such-ness/Is-Ness/ Being-ness. is realized. or Supreme Beingness. Just resting non-conceptually. The final full descent of the Dharmamegha (or Sambhogakaya) into the Tathagatagarbha (or Sacred Heart-center). 2014 at 10:26 am Hi Mr. Until then. This is coincident with attaining a Light Body. or “Tathata” (Suchness or Beingness. or Supreme Beingness. My guess is that the Dzogchen tradition simply “borrowed” the final four stages of a Bodhisattva en-Light-enment. When one finally succeeds in “leaping over the forehead” the Rainbow Body is within reach. by passing [lit. “transcending from the level of the forehead or peak]…[instantaneous] passing over. nor visually perceived. The channel between the eyes/crown and Heart-center is called “Kati” in Dzogchen and Amrita (or Atma) Nadi by the Hindus. Reply L. I don’t care for “closed fist. passing over. I have never read any Dzogchen book where Togal is described as to “leap over forehead.” or secret teachings. ” That’s exactly what it is. Spain. If you can direct us to books or teachings that elaborate on what you’re saying. Gardner. which is tantamount to channeling the Holy Spirit. The Clear Light itself is Unmanifest. Hence. Hope it does no harm to share. Oct 3. so you really have to receive the teachings directly. The Clear Light is felt- intuited.” Spirit. Whatever is seen is manifestation. Also your frustration with Dzogchen authors is understandable.” To “leap over” is to immediately (or “spontaneously”) move from Treckho (attempting to “cut through spiritual materialism. Transcription of an oral teaching in Barcelona. to for the skull] overpass…bypass. This is just a theory from my experience and research.” The great Dzogchen master Longchen Rabjam described Togal as. Since it is “clear” there are no visions to be seen. rgal – transcending. “bypass gradual steps” Here is the link: http://rywiki. and yogis experience this wave-like motion. “resting in the continuum of the radiance of Awareness.php/thod_rgal So there is a sense of Leaping Over the Forehead which skips the gradual steps of attainment in some way. the Blessing/Blissing Clear-Light-Energy- current of the Dharmakaya.org/index. “to skip the grades”. 2014 at 11:37 am Eliot. Reply Eliot December 19. Ron Gardner December 18. 2014 at 9:31 am Mr. by passing. 2010. One channels “Clear-Light” Energy. because Light behaves like waves. please do so. one’s mind forms and attachments) to to a direct connection to the “Other Side. Togal is often defined as “spontaneous presence. From the Rangjung Yeshe Wiki entry on Togal: [Notes: str–thod – forehead. The Light has been described as Grace Waves. Chogyal Namkhai Norbu . but they have vows not to reveal certain things publicly such as the Vajra Waves and Thogal and so forth. not an official teaching. so. overpass.tsadra. The books are just to spark interest and draw in people for the most part. or the Sambhogakaya (the Clear-Light continuum). It is the Samhogakaya. com/gp/product/0199982910/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00? ie=UTF8&psc=1 Basically I think that the Dharma you teach is a bit biased towards the”One” and against the “Many”.com/gp/product/1502716224/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00? ie=UTF8&psc=1 Another book of interest would be “Naked Seeing: The Great Perfection. what does thogyal mean? Tho means forehead. . you can have these visions. But Dzing Dharmabodhi didn’t give teaching to just 2 or 3 people. From that period. they continued in that way for many generations.” The implicit reason being that when taught openly. This is illustrated by the modern “New Age” movement which began with some effective and authentic teachings on the chakras. there are four visions. We are crossing from here to there. kundalini. energy work.amazon.“In the Dzogchen teaching of thogyal. just like me…There were many generations after Dzing Dharmabodhi that did not manifest Rainbow Body. In that moment you have the realization of the Great Transference. He had hundreds and hundreds of students that he gave teaching to. It is also very important to understand this.amazon. Togal on the other hand emphasizes “Spontaneous Presence” which includes the ceaseless presencing of phenomenon. The Uncreated and so forth. Recently the “Yeshe Lama” Jigme Lingpa’s Dzogchen Atiyoga manual was made available on Amazon. and Visionary Buddhism in Renaissance Tibet” which is a western academic study of Togal and Kalachakra “Empty Forms” practise. How can we pass? When you learn Dzogchen teaching such as thogal. you need to do practice secretly. then you can have realization and you can also have Rainbow Body. crystals and so forth. and their integration back into “Primordial Purity” through the faculty of vision. Trekchod emphasizes “Primordial Purity” which is what you refer to as the Clear-light. Link: http://smile. That means you are integrating your existence in this thigle. not talking about it too much. the Unborn. This is the real meaning of thogal. with very precise instructions connected with your position.” “Gal means ‘passing’ and in Tibetan it is a verb. but by spreading this information without really grokking it the whole movement is degraded into ineffectual non-sense as you point out in your many book reviews (which I appreciate by the way). the Wheel of Time. you can feel them. the reason being that Dzing Dharmabodhi gave teaching in a public way.” And the reason for “closed-fist teachings” is explained also: “There was once this teacher of the Dzogchen lineage called Dzing Dharmabodhi who was a very famous teacher. we are crossing a river. We say chuwo gal. in succession. the way of gazing and the way of using your senses. in chonyi ngon sum. This was previously held secret and is regarded as the foremost practice manual for Trekchod and Togal. You no longer have death because in general it is our physical body that dies and in the Great Transference our physical body has already been transferred into the thigle. When you follow these instructions precisely. Your forehead is in front of you. The fourth stage means that you have completely succeeded in totally integrating your existence in this thigle. your potentiality of sound. …If you want to have something like the Rainbow Body. Heres the link: http://smile. many will not grok it but nonetheless teach it to others thereby corrupting the teachings. light and rays that manifests in front of you. personally. breathing. and I look forward to your response to it. Regarding the links. I see clearly stains of conceptualisations. I won’t get into elaborating my POV on Togal further in this comment. 2015 at 6:49 pm Hi. If you send me copies of these books. I will happily read and review them. the last thing I’m interested in is attracting individuals who blindly accept everything I say or write. and I’m not . Ron Gardner December 19. I was kicked out of two Dzogchen sites in a matter of a couple of days simply for posting POVs that were unorthodox. and I think it adds spice to this site to have people like you posting comments here. analyse it and make conceptual sense out of it. vision. he doesn’t write book to convince an describe analytically reality. True Dzogchen deals with Presence (Dharmakaya- Treckho). I’m that way myself. they are exclusive-reductive tantric-type practices. What an overpriced joke. I will be posting an article — “The Demystification of Dzogchen Togal” — at integralspiritualmeditation. If there is also a connection to the eyes.Namkhai Norbu is a realized master.com and at my Facebook page (L Ron Gardner) within a few days. and that’s what you might not quite grok about Togal. I have no interest in buying anything Keith Dowman translates (see my two- star review of “Natural Perfection”). I honestly not at all convinced that this will help in any way praticionners in any constructive way. I’m not like that.there is a lot of focus here on very analytic and conceptual elaboration on thodgal. the quickest way to realization is through the sense which deals with light. and Norbu’s Togal practice (described above) has nothing to do with the Great Perfection. and if I wasn’t that way. as I very much respect you and your teachings. He writes them because his great wisdom shows him that this will be the way to bring more students to the ultimate realisation (in this case). including Norbu. That being said. Just dropped on this interesting article. I hope you don’t find this too confrontational.Since the nature of reality is Light-Energy. In your teachings you speak of the Kati crystal channel and the Amrita nadi only in it’s connection from crown to heart. let me state my POV more bluntly: I don’t think that any of the Tibetans. 2014 at 7:41 pm Eliot. When I read the texts of this subject. I’m glad to say. Reply L. I do not find your post the least bit confrontational. two things came to me : 1. then might there be some practice that utilizes this avenue in addition to the crown/heart channel? I say yes. The practices you described aren’t true Dzogchen. Given that I will be posting that article. I think it’s really not good to go so far in such analytics. really understand Dzogchen. I just don’t see the point… 2. And the other book is $31 for a Kindle edition. Reply Louis January 13. I like people who question and consider everything. Power (Sambhogakaya-Togal) and Poverty (Nirmanakaya-self-emptying). I never would have figured out how it all comes together spiritually I appreciate your friendly and open attitude. Cheers Louis Reply L. 2015 at 11:56 am Overall. I don’t at all agree with your POV. A lot of perennial claims which he just blindly asserts and fails to rationally justify or demonstrate. or the Holy Spirit. “knowing” as nothing to do at this level. All the best to you both. 1/10. I don’t think Norbu is Self-realized. Reply efn April 5. 2015 at 11:48 pm Louis. would be funny as a “troll” and nothing more. likewise with Ron’s comments following. 2016 at 9:20 pm . Reply Rowan St John June 1. and all in all has given no reason for anyone to remotely suspect that he understands Dzogchen at all. and based on his apparent inability to actually argue his positions. On this. Ron Gardner January 13. not even provocative questions. and I will continue to deconstruct his teachings. but calling it Dzogchen seems wholly unjustified. 2015 at 3:00 pm efn. Reply L. which I believe serves a positive. and welcome anyone to argue that true Togal is anything other than conducting Clear-Light Energy. as he attempts to write with an air of authority (even smug authority). and a lot of far reaching claims about Dzogchen and redefinitions which he fails to justify historically or doctrinally. I don’t find this article illuminating or impressive. You might understand something. because he is using secondary off-hand attempts at translations to muddle to the discussion. although I really don’t see on a practical level how this could help someone progress on the path. Ron Gardner April 5. function. all this information is very interesting. but fails to live up to that insofar as the actual content he presents. It appears there is some arrogance to this man. or make clear his unfounded conjecture as distinct from fact. yet he just blindly asserts them as if blind assertions hold weight of some kind. it isn’t surprising he has been banned from forums. certain historical claims which no academic Buddhologist would agree with as there is no evidence for nor reason to think they are have any merit. I stand by my article.convinced at all. Or very very little usage… Experience and instructions are. Lastly. It seems quite clear he doesn’t know Tibetan very well. rather than a negative. Togal shows the phenomenon of thigles that exist in the eye where Dzogchen claims that we need to be stable. So Norbu may very well be at a point of dissolving his light body from what he understands…I’d say it would take time to know the truth for oneself of these types of things…How would we comprehend it until we experience it for ourselves? It cannot be conveyed through words. Norbu has never been clear to me in all the retreats I’ve done at his Tsegyelgar in Conway. In stabilizing the eyes one can experience a natural dissolving of any self entity or conceptual identity as a result and the light body is naturally purified of whatever obscurations have continually reified the notion of someone existing here or there…So maybe the jumping over relates to that cutting through to the body of light through any obscured selfing that happens…Unsure as of this moment. It seems the jumping over is reference to the most direct kind of cutting through the samsaric mind. He taught Ah Tri Dzogchen for the weekend in New Jersey. Anyone who proclaims to have reached a state of no ego is likely still working with one in my humble opinion. It deals with the light body surely and that body is relative to the solidity of the conceptual mind. First of all the name of Jackson Peterson’s book is “The Natural Bliss of Being” unless he has a few titles for the same book…I am closely following his work with a fairly open minded enthusiasm and skeptical attention. It’s worth contemplating… Reply Leave a Comment . It’s like the naming of the Thigles. I practice Togal as a result of a series of events that led me to the texts and teachings of that so called practice…I don’t know the technical names for every practice and I find it all quite fascinating and irrelevant in the end. We type words and talk about it all but we are wasting time because it is that very thing that we cannot describe that we are trying to point to. Ron Gardener – It seems all paths are the one path in the highest teachings of any traditions that end with this similar result of dissolving the notion of a self entity or a conceptual self. or is he? More about that later. It was very clearly translated text and his own words on Dzogchen and what I realized is no one could really follow it.but it seems we are trying to grasp something with the mind that is ungraspable. 2016 at 9:28 pm Right the story of Namkai Norbu that I wanted to further comment on was that I met him and shook his hand and I have studied with a student of his. It was so complex and difficult to comprehend from the mind perspective. The visions are empty appearances and not so relevant as to the state of one’s mind as a result of the eyes becoming stable. MA. Norbu is not a living Buddha as of the moment. which is just a way to point to the phenomenon we experience in common.” So maybe in a sense he is an enlightened being who is getting very close to experiencing the essence of these teaching for himself. The eye being stable will stabilize the mind. What is being pointed to is often something that can’t be conveyed anyway. that it will only make sense to those who are ripened and ready for that truth to appear to them. but I agree that N. I have also read his books and have attended his retreats and never really took in much of what he was saying due to the language barriers I experienced. But it is necessary to communicate it. Togal is not a visualization and it is not something we can conduct as clear light energy…I’m unsure what you mean by that statement and I’d like to hear more. It can’t be conceptually understood. Irrelevant. Call it magical thinking etc…. In a sense we are all expressions of “it” already and we have no where we need to reach to experience “it…. Dear L. I spent the weekend with the Bon tradition’s world leader Gwalya Menri Trizin the 33rd Abbott of the Menri Monastery which is the home of the living Bon Tradition. Also at the time I couldn’t comprehend it anyway. What I believe now is there is no way to conceptually get this stuff. The jump over is just a title. but it would seem that this type of answer comes naturally to those that sustain the mind of clear light by no effort of their own…Anyway Thanks for the article and your point of view… Reply Rowan St John June 1. Disintegral. Discombobulated Dzogchen Next post: Cosmic CON-Fusion: The Muddled Mysticism of Mantak Chia Available At Amazon Available At Amazon . Name * E-mail * Website Submit Previous post: Dumbed-Down. Krishnamurti Archives February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 . Available At Amazon Recent Posts The Exoteric Perennial Philosophy. 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