Dzogchen Mandala - The Teachers

The least visible and thus least describable portion of the Dzogchen Mandala is the fourth level. This is the uppermost or central, core-heart level of the Mandala. Entry here is only through the invitation of Lama Surya Das as the Founding Teacher. Such individuals are Teachers of the Mandala who are authorized as “Dharma Teachers” and who also may be invested as “Lama.” Other such individuals are highly accomplished practitioners acknowledged as “Yogis.”

Of course, in its truest sense a “teacher” is one from whom one learns. Those who have authentically practiced and studied the Dharma extensively have much to offer those who are new to the path. There are many individuals that have studied and practiced intensely with Lama Surya Das and his associate teachers who are called upon to share their practice and understanding with local practice groups and others who are interested in the Dharma generally and the practice of Dzogchen specifically. Such individuals often self-identify as “senior students” or as those who “have studied extensively with the teachers of the Dzogchen Mandala.” All such individuals are encouraged to share their practices and understanding while always being in full integrity with themselves and others regarding the limits of their experience, realization and authorization. Such individuals generally continue their practice within the Dzogchen Mandala, occasionally at the level of the Dzogchen Student, but most frequently and appropriately as a Lineage Student, and therefore they are not engaged at the fourth level of the Mandala.

Another form of highly respected teaching role in connection with the Mandala is that of “guest teacher.” Such individuals are often invited to teach at Dzogchen Intensive Retreats and other such events. Generally they are highly recognized Teachers in their own right; whatever empowerments and authorizations to teach they possess are fully independent of any association with the Dzogchen Mandala and their interaction with the Mandala is generally limited. Therefore, while highly honored within the Mandala, these individuals are not actually engaged with the Mandala itself.

Those individuals who are engaged at the Teachers Level of the Mandala are known as Dharma Teachers, Lamas, and Yogi’s according to the nature of their preparation and participation. “Dharma Teachers” are individuals whose understanding, experience and realization are such that Lama Surya Das encourages students of all levels of the Mandala to rely on these individuals as teachers of the Dharma and fully qualified spiritual guides.

As such Lama Surya Das has authorized such individuals to teach within and to extend the Mandala.

Dharma Teachers who are sufficiently grounded in the Vajrayana through the language, literature, lineages, and rituals of Tibetan Buddhism are also invested by Lama Surya Das as “Lama” in the Lineage of the Dzogchen Mandala. In addition to their authorization to teach and guide the practices of others, Lamas may also be empowered in due course to themselves authorize new Dharma Teachers and invest Lamas in order that the Lineage of the Dzogchen Mandala will be preserved.

Individual practitioners also emerge as a Western equivalent to the “Yogi” as found among the Nyingmapa of Tibet. These individuals might best be described in Western terms as spiritual elders who are individuals of such commitment and accomplishment over time that their accomplishments on the path are generally recognized within the Mandala. In a few such instances, Lama Surya Das prevails upon such individuals to share their practice and provide guidance to students at all levels of the Mandala. These latter individuals then are known within the Mandala as “Yogis” who then function in their individual fashion along with the Dharma Teachers and Lamas at this fourth level of the Mandala.

Dharma Teachers, Lamas, and Yogis may sustain their own households as is traditional with the Nyingmapa (Ancient School) and the Lineage of the Dzogchen Mandala. Alternatively, they may be ordained and maintain full monastic vows.

Initially, Teachers and Yogis did not necessarily enter the Mandala through the gates of the first level; in some cases they still may enter the fourth level directly through means identified by Lama Surya Das. However, it is anticipated that entry through the gates and gradual progression into and upward in the Mandala will become the most usual path. This is true as the objective of securing the Lineage of the Mandala on this shore is best served through the advancement of those who have immersed themselves in the traditions, study and practice having received substantial spiritual direction from Surya Das and other teachers of the Mandala over some years. Accordingly, Dharma Teachers, Lamas, and Yogis who have emerged through this gradual progression within the Mandala are also recognized by Lama Surya Das as “Lineage Holders.”

Once one has been designated “Teacher” or “Yogi” in the Dzogchen Mandala, then the process occurring at the fourth level is one of continuing spiritual guidance through a process grounded in mutual support and complete collegiality rather than only formal programs of teachings, which can be described herein. Therefore, the Dzogchen Mandala at this core level consists only of “Teachers” and “Yogis,” who receive “spiritual guidance” and engage in “collegial process” at the fourth level – a deep and continuing relationship of indescribable dimension –

a unique “Teacher’s samaya” which provides the energy to sustain such a position in the Mandala and to serve as a conduit for the Dzogchen Lineage as it enters and infuses the entire Mandala with all its concentric circles and widening, broadening levels of involvement and commitment. This kind of internal spiritual collegiality and congruence among the teachers, traditional among members of the Rimé lineage, continues a timeless tradition of spiritual friendliness, mutual support and encouragement, synergy, and cross- fertilization, and also provides certain internal checks and balances which help protect and ensure the spiritual purity and integrity of the lineage transmission. Clearly, attention must be maintained to ensure proper development within this vital dimension.

Of course, one does continue to express deep commitment to the Dzogchen Mandala while remaining active at the fourth level. It is expected that all Dharma Teachers and Yogis who arise within the Mandala will be in close touch with Lama Surya Das and each other; participate in a minimum of two intensive retreats per year and such special invitational retreats as are scheduled; and that such participation will include teaching roles to the extent requested. Also, such individuals are expected to continue deepening their own practice through a regular program of personal retreat and to advance their skills through pursuing opportunities at teacher training, psychological work, leadership skills development and the like. Additional commitments of those at this level of the Mandala include: active coordination of individual schedules through the Dzogchen Center/Foundation; honoring the priorities established through the “Teachers Councils” or some such collegial process; active enrollment of one’s “own” students in the Dzogchen Intensive Retreats and involvement in other aspects of the Dzogchen Mandala, as well as personal Sangha-making; providing such financial and other support to the Foundation and associated programs as proves feasible over time; bringing Dharma values, ethics, teachings and practice into the mainstream of society, through one’s own field of expertise, vocation, and activities; and public acknowledgement and support of the work of the Dzogchen Mandala and all of its associated teachers at the fourth level of the Dzogchen Mandala.

Note: The student – teacher relationship is fundamental to all levels of the Dzogchen Mandala. The student of every level maintains a continuing obligation to receive the teachings as offered, commit to practice at the deepest possible level, and integrate the teachings and practices in their daily life. The teacher also maintains a continuing commitment to pointing the way in seeing things as they are, to introducing practices that facilitate shedding the obscurations to such seeing, and to challenging the student to recognize such obscurations-- thus supporting them in unmasking their true selves. Ultimately, in preserving the Lineage, the teacher also holds the responsibility for recognizing those students whose accomplishments on the path allow them to assume the mantle and responsibility of “teacher,” so that the lineage transmission and teachings will continue and the Buddha Dharma will be preserved, for the benefit of all beings. It is also important to note that at a certain stage of practice in Vajrayana traditions (including Dzogchen) it is deeply beneficial for the student to practice seeing the Buddha in all activities of his or her teacher. As was frequently taught in Tibet, even if one’s teacher is not a complete Buddha, if he or she has deep, authentic, knowledge of the path, and if the disciple cultivates the sacred outlook that perceives the Buddha in the teacher’s activity, there is inconceivable blessing and help on the path. At the same time, even as students cultivate such sacred outlook, teachers need to receive help and feedback from others as if they are human beings with cultural, personal, and physical limitations. As HH the Dalai Lama has made clear to us, the importance of honest input and feedback for teachers increases in importance during a period of cross-cultural transmission of the Dharma when teachers are often in some isolation from social structures of prior Buddhist cultures upon which they rely for sustenance, guidance, and oversight.

The Lineage and Core of the Mandala

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Page Version: 06-Jun-2003 05:39