Special Bon Dzogchen Teachings

“Sealed with the Heart”

This is the experiential guide called “Sealed With the Heart”, a manual of secret instructions intended to be kept close at hand by the practitioner that is easy to use.

1. Introduction to the Teachings

   This course offers a direct transmission into the profound path of Bön Dzogchen,
   rooted in the ancient oral lineage of Zhang Zhung and based on the experiential guide
   Sealed with the Heart composed by the great Rainbow Body master Shardza Tashi
   Gyaltsen Rinpoche. It is designed to guide practitioners step-by-step from intellectual
   study to the direct, experiential realization of the natural state of mind.

2. Teaching Method

   • Root Text Transmission: Detailed presentation of the original text of Sealed with
     the Heart.
   • In-Depth Commentary: Unpacking key structural points and philosophical
     nuances.
   • Practical Instructions: Step-by-step guidance on how to integrate these
     experiential points into daily meditation practice.

3. Core Topics Covered

   • The Foundation of the Path: Developing deep conviction in the difficulty of
     finding freedoms and advantages, impermanence, the defects of samsara, and
     karma—establishing a firm foundation of renunciation and the Mind of
     Enlightenment (Bodhicitta).
   • Calm Abiding and Special Insight (Zhin-gnay & Lhag-thong): Searching for
     the nature of the mind and training in single-pointed concentration using
     supportive objects (such as the sacred syllable "A" and statues) alongside
     analytical investigation.
   • Self-Liberation of Thoughts and Appearances: Learning how to directly cut
     through and naturally liberate internal afflictive emotions (the "five poisons")
     and external sensory perceptions the moment they arise, without blocking or
     rejecting them.
   • The Union of Meditative Equipoise and Post-Meditation: Integrating the
     sky-like state of formal meditation into daily life by viewing all appearances as
     magical, illusory displays, ensuring continuous mindfulness day and night.
   • Direct Introduction to Rigpa: Distinguishing between the ordinary discursive
     intellect (sems) and naked, self-arisen primordial wisdom (rigpa), leading to the
     direct recognition of the true nature of awareness.

4. Who Should Attend?

   These teachings will be deeply beneficial for:

   • Anyone with devotion to the unsurpassed path of Dzogchen.
   • Practitioners actively engaged in meditation seeking to deepen their experience.
   • Those seeking clear explanations and answers to doubts regarding the profound
     meaning of Dzogchen texts.
     
     Geshe Tenzin Gelek