Integrating the Teachings of Dzogchen into our Society

There is a constant challenge out there for Dzogchen. That is how do you integrate Dzogchen into the West.

There are some that have abandoned the basic methods of Vajrayana Buddhism. There are others that have held steadfast to the traditions of Tibet. I am far from an expert on this matter.

But I can promise you that if we think that everyone needs to dress up like Tibetan monks and repeat practices in Tibetan, it will never take hold in the United States. I am certain that the day will never come when a large percentage of the US population will ever be doing this. I do pray that the day will come when the essence of the Buddha-Dharma is embraced by a large majority of westerners. That, in my opinion, is possible.

So I am supportive of blending the essence of Vajrayana teachings into our society. We need to embrace the culture of our homeland and work within the system as it exists.

Chogyal Namkhai Norbu in “Dzogchen – The Self-Perfected State” States:

“…the truth is that for a Western to practice a teaching that comes from Tibet there is NO NEED for that person to become like a Tibetan. On the contrary, it is of fundamental importance for him to know how to integrate that teaching with his own culture in order to be able to communicate it, in its essential form, to other Westerners.”

The trick is to have some Western teachers who can do just that. Until that time, we are probably stuck with importing some of culture with the Dharma.

Many Dharma Blessings,

Geoff