Q: What is the difference between Mahamudra and Dzogchen?
A: I think there’s a difference in a relative level, there’s so many difference.
Like an example, like the Shangpa Kagyu tradition Mahamudra teaching, it’s very different, but yet at the same time, many Dzogchen practitioner they see the Niguma teaching as an equal to the Dzogchen practice, you know? They read the Niguma, like a Shangpa Kagyu tradition right? Which is nothing to do with the Drukpa Kagyu, Drikung Kagyu, Taklung Kagyu, Yasang Kagyu, Karma Kagyu, none of that.
Shangpa Kagyu is independent, it has a separate origin, like a Niguma, and then Niguma, Sukhasiddhi, Maitripa, Rahula Gupta, Shawaripa, Khyungpo Naljor, all of these great masters, and they have their own origin. So there was seven generations that the teachings were kept private, and only after seven generations, the Niguma, she said, the teaching, her teachings can be given publicly. Until then, it has to be kept privately. And so therefore, once it became public, it became very popular, you know?
So even Dzogchen practitioners, even Dzogchen masters, when they read the Niguma Mahamudra teachings, you know, they said this is equal to the, how do I say, equal to the Dzogchen teachings. So that’s that.
And so that’s in a relative level. In relative level, every different tradition has their own method, their own wording, their own skills, their own way of presenting it.
But in ultimate level, there is no such thing, you know? Like if you, if you’re an individual who genuinely recognized the nature of the mind, recognizing is one thing, maintaining is another, realisation is another. So there’s a three stages, not just recognizing, you know? So that’s that.
So those who have genuinely recognized, then they don’t see any distinction. Those who don’t recognize in ultimate level, then we have a lot of disagreements, temporarily, in a relative level.
So that’s, that’s my opinion.
Kalu Rinpoche
FB Livestream – 3 September 2022 (1h 06’ 18”)
Comments are closed.