Cycle of Day and Night, 2-3

Text (pp. 43-55) & Notes thereon (pp. 57-94)

	2. Text (pp. 43-55)		3. Notes thereon (pp. 57-94)
sec.	p.	text	p.	note
1	43	“homage … to all the Masters”	57	“salutation to the Masters”
2		“The Primordial Buddha … and the glorious Vajrasattva transmitted the method … of Atiyoga … . I entreat the D[.]akinis to grant me their permission.”	58	“the Primordial Buddha … transmitted … in a direct fashion mind-to-mind (dgongs brgyud) … . D[.]akinis (mkha>->groma-ma) … compiling ... Tantras.”
3	44	“mindful awareness … in the four moments”.	63	“The four moments … (dus bzhi) … are eating, walking, sitting, and sleeping.”
4		“The practice of the day which governs the activities of the three moments (of eating, sitting, and walking) is comprised of three topics : understanding, stabilizing, and progressing in the practice.”	64	“With respect to the practice of the day, there are three principal topics to be considered : understanding the practice (rtogs-pa), stabilizing the practice (brtan-pa), and progressing in the practice (bogs dbyung).”
5		“All phenomena … even though … very diverse … are merely a magical display of the mind.”		“all appearances (snang-ba) are understood to be the potency (rtsal) of the energy of … the primordial state.”
6		“The nature of the mind is … ultimate primal awareness of pure presence … . … this primal awareness is naturally and spontaneously self-perfected.”	65	“primal awareness of pure presence (rig-pa>i ye-shes) … is natural and spontaneously self-perfected (rang-bzhin lhun-grub) … because … beyond the limits of mind.”
7		“karmic traces are self-liberated into their own condition”.		“the karmic traces (bag-chags) refer to … inner experience.”
8	45	“thoughts which grasp at the duality of subject and object are self-liberated into their own condition”.	66	“self-liberation as such (rang grol) … is self-liberated … at the continuity of the state of Rig-pa.”
9		“uncreated (by causes) … This very condition … which transcends the limitations of both subject and object is the authentic self-originated primal awareness of pure presence.”		“not created or produced ... a condition of existence (de-bzhin-nyid) transcending the limitations of both subject and object (gzung >dzin mtha> las >das-pa)… is … natural or authentic”.
10		“With respect to this pure presence, the three aspects … are truly complete … : being devoid of any karmic traces, its Essence … is emptiness; being devoid of thoughts and concepts, its Nature … is clarity; being devoid of any desires or attachments, (its Energy) … is unobstructed.”	67	“Within this state … the three Aspects … are wholly present. ... With respect to the state of pure presence, its Essence (ngo-bo) … is emptiness (stong-pa-myid). … Rig-pa lies beyond the limited functioning of the mind. ... Its Nature (rang-bzhin) … is luminous clarity (gsal-ba). … Its Energy (thugs-rje) … is unobstructed and uninterrupted (>gags-med).”
11		“Appearances present themselves in the state of the real condition of existence.”	68	“appearances (snang-ba) are present or abide (gnas-pa) in the real condition of existence itself”.
12		“unconditional, natural, instantaneous awareness encounters the real condition of existence as its mother … in … the natural state of the Great Perfection.”	69	“this natural state of initial instantaneous awareness (skad-cig-ma yi shes-pa rnal-ma) encounters its own Mother as the real condition of existence (chos-nyid ma dang >phrad-pas)”.
13	46	“we integrate (our awareness) into the sky in front of ourselves.”	71	“it seems as if the sensation of our eyes vanishes into the openness of the sky.”
14		“It is … similar to a moment of surprised astonishment.”	72	“It is similar to a moment of surprised astonishment (had-de-ba)”.
15		“we find ourselves ... in profound lucidity and vividness.”		“we find ourselves ... in profound lucidity and vividness”.
16		“Experiences during meditation … like the rising of the light of the sun or of the moon.”	73	“There may occur experiences of visions, such as lights, colors, auras, etc., or experiences of sensations”.
17		“we may think we can engage in activities without making any mistakes.”	74	“it may seem that we practitioners have developed to a level where … we could make no mistakes.”
18	47	“we come to attain a pure awareness unsullied by discursive thoughts.”		“Realizing …, we attain the primal awareness of nondiscursiveness”.
19		“we find ourselves raised higher than all the realms of samsara, and we are known to belong to the family of the Exalted Ones (Arhats).”	75	“he does not suffer … and … has overcome transmigration … . Thus he or she belongs to the Family of … Exalted Ones (the Arhats).”
20		“whatever appearances arise, … as mere ornaments or embellishments of the primordial state itself.”		“whatever appearances arise … are seen as mere ornaments or embellishments of … the real condition … (chos-nyid).”
21		“With respect to the objects … : when they simply arise as ornaments …. in a lucid fashion, then they are entirely perfect as they are”.	77	“everything arises as an ornament of one's energy, and this presence is self-perfected (lhun-grub) … . … The whole … is spontaneously self-perfected”.
22		“a primal awareness will present itself which is based on one or another of the objects”.	78	“even when something concrete appears to the senses, it will seem as if it has no inherent reality or self-nature.”
23	48	“Whenever discursive thoughts … arise, we alertly relax in the face of them … . … . … the passions which arise on the path are self-liberated and a primal awareness is present.”	79	“the passion is governed by our awareness of presence (rig-pa). With this relaxed presence, our passions themselves become merely the inherent qualities of our primordial state manifesting themselves.”
24		“Thus, there may arise various conscious experiences of the presence of pleasurable sensation”.		“Thus, there may arise different kinds of conscious experiences of the presence (shes nyams) of pleasurable sensation (bde-ba)”.
25		“this uncorrect awareness of the state of existence as it is in itself is present like a perfect sphere which is uniform, whole, and without duality.”	80	“This non-dual self-perfected awareness is present like a perfect sphere (thig-le) which is whole, uniform, and without duality (gnyis-med mnyams rdzogs).”
26		“our passions and obscurations become purified. … And since we have become liberated from our … obscurations, we are known to belong to the family of the noble Bodhisattvas.”		“our passions and obscurations become purified (nyon grib dag). In this way, we … are liberated. … As the individual is liberated from his … obscurations, he or she is now said to belong to the Family of the noble Bodhisattvas.”
27	49	“present and unmodified. It is a nondiscursive pure presence which is lucid and vivid. Thus our continuity of awareness remains stable and undistracted.”	81	“It is a nondiscursive pure presence (mi rtog rig-pa) which is lucid and vivid (sal-le hrig-ge). … In this way, our continuity of awareness (shes rgyun) will remain stable and undistracted”.
28		“without being conditioned by thoughts, we should continue in the state of the nature of mind, just as it is in itself.”		“While continuing … in the genuine state of Rigpa there can be no defects. … Since this is the case, there exists a way to reintegrate our energy.”
29		“With respect to … meditation, … All appearances arise entirely as the manifestation of the energy of our contemplation.”	82	“Whatever appearances arise, whatever vision surrounds us, they will arise as an expression of the energy of the individual's contemplation (tin->dzin rol-pa).”
30		“we attain the supreme dimension of nonduality”.		“it is said that one attains the supreme dimension of nonduality”.
31		“we are known to belong to the family of the omniscient Tathagatas.”	83	“he or she is said to belong to the Family of the omniscient Tathagatas.”
32		“we should integrate our practice of concentration with our sleep.”		“into a state of contemplation … we must integrate this concentration with our sleep”.
33	50	“At the moment of falling asleep, we should visualize … a small sphere of five colored lights in the space between the eye brows.”		“Just before falling asleep, visualize … a small round bead (thig-le) of five-colored rainbow light in the space between our eyebrows. This is … the size of a pea.”
34		“When we fall asleep … the natural clear light appears.”	84	“When we fall asleep … the natural Clear Light (rang-bzhin >od-gsal) appears.”
35		“finding ourselves in a state of alert, vibrant presence, we … fall asleep.”	85	“finding ourselves in a state of alert vibrant presence (seng-nge-ba), we … fall asleep.”
36		“falling asleep is the cause of our entering into the clarity of the real condition of existence.”		“falling asleep (gnyid log) is itself the cause of our being able to enter into the clarity of the real condition of existence”.
37		“Thus, we will experience a certain degree of merging with the natural clear light.”	86	“we will experience a certain degree of merging with what is called the natural Clear Light”.
38	51	“(dreams) manifest in a helpful friendly fashion as our dimension and our primordial awareness.”	87	“dreams will arise as helpful friends to be manifesting our entire dimension of existence and its primordial awareness”.
39		“This is known as the state of the Guru Samantabhadra.”	88	“This is known as the state (dgongs-pa) of the supreme Guru Samantabhadra.”
40		“we observe with bare attention who it is that is meditating. Not finding anything recognizable … there, … awareness self-liberates”.		“we look with bare attention … into the face … to see what may be there. However, in this moment of being present, we do not find anything at all recognizable or confirmable”.
41		“Since there is no duality …, a primal awareness of pleasurable sensation becomes clearly manifest.”	89	“transcending all dualistic thoughts…, a primal awareness of pleasurable sensation (bde-ba>i ye-shes) becomes clearly manifest.”
42		“a primal awareness which is in no way mistaken becomes supremely manifest.”		“there arises a supreme primal awareness which is in no way mistaken (gol-ba med-pa>i ye-shes)”.
43		“Certainly we will attain the full measure of accomplishing the benefit of beings”.	90	“moreover, we will develop a certain measure of capacity to help others by way of the Trikaya”.
44	52	“recognize our dreams to be dreams while we are still asleep. … all appearances arise as friends”.		“recognizing our dreams to be dreams while still sleeping …, all appearances arise as friends … who can help one on the path.”
45		“the practitioner of Atiyoga … may realize Buddhahood even in the instant between two breaths.”	91	“Thus, Buddhahood (>tshang-rgya) may be realized even in the instant between two breaths.”
46		“With regard to the passions arising on the path …, we find them present in the real condition of existence. … we recognize delusion (itself as being nothing other than) nondiscursiveness.”		“the passions … we find … present in the state of the real condition of existence … . Thisis what is usually meant by ro-gcig, “of a single taste.” … we recognize the passion of delusion (gti-mug) itself as being nothing other than nondiscursiveness.”
47		“All phenomena which appear as objects of the six sense aggregates are present in luminous clarity and lacking in any inherent nature.”		“All phenomena which appear as objects to the six sense aggregates … are present in luminous clarity (gsal-ba) and lacking in any inherent nature (rang-bzhin med).”
48		“Because the sensation of great bliss … has the nature of Energy, we recognize desires to represent in actuality the potency of great bliss.”	92	“And because it has the nature of Energy or compassion ..., the passion of desire … is recognized to be in actuality the potency of great bliss (bde-chen rtsal du ngo-shes).”
49	53	“the three poisonous passions manifest themselves entirely as the dimension of our existence and its inherent primordial awareness.”		“Here the three poisonous passions … manifest themselves entirely as one's Dimension of Existence and one's inherent Primordial Awareness”.
50		“no further causes for transmigrating in samsara exist. … we … call this condition “nirvan.a,” … spontaneously manifesting”.		“one has transcended transmigrating in Sam[s]ara. One has arrived at that condition which is called Nirvan.a (myang->das) … “having gone beyond suffering.””
51		“we should know how to realize for ourselves the harmonious conditions for completing and perfecting”.	93	“we should set about to realize the harmonious conditions (mthun rkyen) for cultivating such capacity”.
52		“may … all other beings … who are linked to me … come quickly to attain the very status …!”	94	“wish that all who have contact … will come to realize for themselves … the primordial state of the individual.”

{In the oft-repeated (e.g., ##38 & 44) statement the “while we are still asleep … all appearances arise as friends” who “can help one on the path”, the “friends” referred to are supernatural entities (divinities) who accost one's self in a dream, while “the path” referred to is the process of receiving into one's self supernatural empowerments from such supernatural entities. Such supernatural empowerments, though awarded in the dream-world, can be used with impressive effect in the waking-world – telepathy, telekinesis, levitation, etc. etc.}

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Biographical Sketch of the Author

95 to 102

p. 95 parentage; praevious incarnation

The author …, Nam mkha>i Norbu Rinpoche, was born in the village of dGe>ug, in the lCong ra district of sDe dge in East Tibet … (1938). His father was sGrol ma Tshe ring …, and his mother was Ye shes Chos sgron.

When he was two years old, he was recognized … as the reincarnation of A>dzom >Brug pa. A>dzom >Brug pa … was the disciple of … leaders of the Ris med or non-sectarian movement in nineteenth-century eastern Tibet. … In turn, A>dzom >Brug pa became a gter ston, or discoverer of hidden treasure texts, having received visions directly from” [a dead saint who had lived in the 18^th century Chr.E.].

pp. 96-7 studies in Sa-skya lore

p. 96	“he received the transmissions from the rGyud sde kun btus, the famous Sa skya pa collection of tantric practices. … .
p. 97	… he received teachings … on the Sa skya>i zab chos lam >bras, the quitessential doctrine of the Sa skya pa school … . … Then … he studied … the Tshad ma rig gter of Sa skya Pan.d.ita. … . … he received the initiations for Vajrayogini according to the … traditions of the Sa skya.”

pp. 97-8 undergoing further initiations

p. 97	“Then his tutor advised him to seek out a woman … who was the living embodiment of Vajrayogini herself and take initiation from her. This woman …
p. 98	had been in a dark retreat {a Bon specialty} from some fifty-six years. … She also bestowed upon him her own mind-treasures … . … .
	… he came to meet his Root Master, … who … was a disciple … of Shar rdza Rinpoche, the famous Bon teacher of rDzogs chen who attained the Rainbow Body of Light.”

p. 99 authorship & professorship

“he worked in close collaboration with Professor Tucci, and wrote two appendices to Professor Tucci's Tibetan Folk Songs of Gyantse and Western Tibet (Rome, 1966) … .

From 1964 …, Norbu Rinpoche has been a professor at the Istituto Orientale, University of Naples”.

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Namkhai Norbu (transl. & ed. by John Myrdhin Reynolds) : The Cycle of Day and Night where one proceeds along the path of the primordial yoga. 2^nd edn (revised & expanded). Station Hill Pr, Barrytown (NY), 1987.