Questions and Answers 1-5

Questions and Answers. Zoom Sessions 1-5. 

James Low

Prepared by Stuart Zinski

(Simply Being, UK, June 2023) Kindle ebook ASIN: B0C7QQ3GPM

During the lockdown of COVID-19 James Low began a series of Question and Answer sessions on Zoom. His students sent in questions about their meditation practice, and about their understanding of Dzogchen and Buddhism, in particular Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. Their questions and his responses are in this book.

Stuart Zinski came up with the proposal to prepare these Q&A sessions in a series of EPUB files, grouping 5 Q&A Zoom sessions together in date order.

Thinking that other Buddhist practitioners may have similar questions these Zoom sessions are made accessible on Youtube, with the help of Pedro Gomes. They include translations into some or all of these languages: German, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian and can be watched on Youtube here. (https://www.youtube.com/@jameslow/search?query=Q%26A).

Questions

[1.1] ARE THE NGÖNDRO PREPARATORY PRACTICES NECESSARY IN DZOGCHEN?. 4

[1.2] HOW LONG AND HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO PRACTICE?. 5

[1.3] CAN I TRUST THE MEDITATION EXPERIENCES WHICH ARISE?. 7

[1.4] DO I NEED TO HAVE A TEACHER OR ACCESS TO A TEACHER TO BE ABLE TO TALK WITH SOMEONE?  9

[1.5] CAN A STABLE RESULT BE ACHIEVED,  GIVEN THAT CONFUSION CAN ARISE?. 9

[1.6] THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE NATURE OF OBSCURATION.. 10

[1.7] HOW TO DEAL WITH THE AFFLICTIVE EMOTIONS, THE KLESHAS?. 12

[2.1] ENERGY CHANNELS, CHAKRAS & DZOGCHEN.. 15

[2.2] IF SUBJECT & OBJECT OPERATE THROUGH LANGUAGE AND THIS MEDIATES OUR EXPERIENCE, HOW IS IT FOR ANIMALS & BEINGS IN OTHER REALMS? HOW WAS IT BEFORE LANGUAGE DEVELOPED?. 15

[2.3] IF EVERYTHING IS THE PLAY OF THE MIND, HOW DOES THE EGO FABRICATE THINGS? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT STOPS?  17

[2.4] IS IT HELPFUL TO CONSIDER KADAG AS ABSOLUTE TRUTH & LHÜNDRUP AS RELATIVE TRUTH?  18

[2.5] HOW TO KEEP DEEPENING DIRECT EXPERIENCE SO THAT WE MOVE FROM INTELLECTUAL COMPREHENSION TO LIVED PRESENCE?  18

[2.6]  VIPASHYANA PRACTICE WAS TAUGHT BY GOENKA. WHAT IS ITS RELATION WITH DZOGCHEN?  20

[2.7] ARE THERE ASPECTS OF DZOGCHEN COMPATIBLE WITH OTHER PRACTICES OF DIFFERENT VEHICLES?  21

[3.1] TREKCHÖ & TÖGAL. 25

[3.2] DO WE HAVE TO TAME OUR MIND?  WHO IS THE TAMER?. 25

[3.3] IF I EXPERIENCE ALL THIS AS ME, WILL I GET OVERWHELMED?. 26

[3.4] I CAN’T FIND MY OWN NATURE. HOW DO I FIND IT?. 27

[3.5] HOW DO I FACE THE STRONG WAVES OF FEAR WHICH CAN ARISE WHEN I OPEN MYSELF TO THE SPACIOUSNESS OF THE GROUND?  28

[3.6] HOW SHOULD YOU BEHAVE WHEN YOU ARE SICK OR DYING OR YOUR MIND IS VERY DISTURBED? ?  29

[3.7] IS THE WORLD INDEPENDENT OF THE MIND? WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE WORLD, AM I THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN MY MIND?. 30

[3.8] WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DHARMADHATU, DHARMATA & DHARMAKAYA. 31

[4.1] SINCE WE CAN EASILY DISTURB EACH OTHER, HOW SHOULD DHARMA PRACTITIONERS COMMINICATE?  34

[4.2] A QUESTION ABOUT THE THREE LEVELS OF TRANSMISSION, ESPECIALLY THIS SYMBOLIC TRANSMISSION   36

[4.3] HOW DO WE MAKE PROGRESS IF WE HAVE NO TIME TO BE WITH TEACHERS AND GO ON LONG RETREATS? WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS CAN I EXPECT TO MAKE? CAN I TRUST NON-MEDITATION?. 39

[4.4] WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS CAN I EXPECT TO MAKE?. 40

[4.5] CAN I TRUST NON-MEDITATION?. 41

[4.6] KINDNESS AND TONGLEN AND NON-DUALITY. 41

[5.1] LACK OF DIGNITY IN PRACTICE, LIFE AND SELF-CARE; LOSS OF SENSE OF VALUE. 45

[5.2] HOW CAN I OPEN TO MY MIND AND NOT RELY ON THOUGHTS?. 46

[5.3] HOW CAN I KNOW IF A TEACHER IS AUTHENTIC?  IS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM NECESSARY?  48

[5.4] CAN WE GET TRANSMISSION THROUGH ZOOM?. 49

[5.5] DO WE NEED PRELIMINARY PRACTICE (NGONDRO)?. 50

[5.6] ARE WE AUTHORISED TO STUDY THE TEACHINGS?. 52

[5.7] I FEEL AN OUTSIDER IN RELATION TO DHARMA. WHAT TO DO?. 52

[5.8] WHAT IS NON-SELF?. 53

[5.9] WHAT IS BUDDHA NATURE?. 54

[5.10] WOULD THERAPY HELP MY  PRACTICE AND DEALING WITH THE DEMANDS AND PROVOCATIONS OF EVERYDAY LIFE?  54