Roaring Silence: Discovering the Mind of Dzogchen

by Ngakpa Chögyam, Khandro Dechen

According to the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, Dzogchen is the direct experience of enlightenment. In Roaring Silence, Vajrayana teachers Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen walk the reader through the meditation techniques that "enable us to side-step the bureaucracy of intellectual processes and experience ourselves directly"—to discover this direct experience of enlightenment that is the mind of Dzogchen.

Surprisingly, the approach is very pragmatic. Offering an investigation of the necessary steps, the authors begin with how to prepare for the journey: the lama is essential; as are a sense of humor, inspiration, and determination. They continue by describing the path of Dzogchen from sitting meditation to the direct perception of reality.

The chapters include exercises for sharpening the presence of our awareness, for simple visualizations, and for investigating how to "remain uninvolved" with mental activity for a period—with follow-up guidance on how to view our experiences. Both practical and inspirational, the authors' exquisitely precise guidance is all presented with the caveat, "be kind to yourself, don't push yourself beyond your limits."

Genres: Buddhism, Meditation, Philosophy, Spirituality

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2002

Reviews

[Jig-zèd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good, I loaned it to someone and have never seen it back. It might be time for me to restock. I've read this book countless times and it never fails to astound me with how clearly Dzogchen is explained.

[Clive F · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes in some detail the path of Dzogchen meditation, one of the traditional variants of Buddhist meditation. I would regard myself as an intermediate meditator: I've been meditating for several years, and have been on one silent retreat, but I've definitely still got a long way to go in my practice. In that quest, to improve my practice, I found the book definitely did help. It has a number of practical exercises with a clear progression, and the discussion - in the form of lots of question and answer sessions with the authors.

For me, the path was not complete, though. The initial stages were clear and well guided, but after that the way forward was more or less left as an exercise for the reader. I also found the use of the original Tibetan words for many of the terms to be of mixed value: it was sometimes hard to hold them all in your head, especially as they are used precisely because there are no directly equivalent terms in English, so you are having to hold a whole subtle set of meanings in your head, not just a direct translation.

Ultimately, though, no book about a subject that is so difficult to describe in concrete terms is going to solve your problems for you. It can be a guide book on your journey, and in that regard I found Roaring Silence to be useful, with a lot of the Q&A-style discussion in particular gave you metaphor and allusions which helped in my understanding.

[Brodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most inspiring dharma books I’ve ever come across. It makes the (non-)path of dzogchen seem intelligible and accessible in the midst of ordinary life.

[diwili · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, works for me, but results may vary. Very clear, concise, and while not “complete,” thorough and so solidly written, I have been able to use this as a guide to furthering my integration of meditation and life. The authors are good meditation teachers, imho.

[Ikkyu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide on meditation.