Natural Radiance: Awakening to Your Great Perfection [With CD] [Hardcover]

To those who are not familiar with Lama Surya's other writings, this book is a great way to get to know Dzogchen.

The CD which comes with the book will give you a glimpse of Surya's speaking and teaching style and is an excellent guide for Dzogchen practice!

For those already familiar with Surya, you will not be disappointed. Continue to further your Dzogchen study with this superbly accessible book and CD.

This is a clever combination of a 111 page small-format book & a 77+ minute CD. The CD has 7 practices/exercises on 7 tracks: (1) Morning Wake-up sky breath 4:13, (2) Rushen: subtle discernment 10:03, (3) Natural Meditation 13:58, (4) Trekchod: Seeing Thru 11:46, (5) Sky Gazing Meditation 15:52, (6) HUNG Mantra 10:12, & (7) Togal: Being There 11:24. The book also describes the exercises/meditations. They address 3 main Dzogchen practices, but are rather elementary: serving as a good introduction to Dzogchen practices. However, his description of Rushen seems quite ~ standard Vajrayana vipashyana insight meditation; "Natural Meditation" seems ~ std. Vajrayana Shamatha/shine or tranquil/calm abiding; the mantras are, of course, very Mantrayana; & (as usual) little is imparted on Togal. Nevertheless, p. 96: per Khenpo Ngawang Palzang--"Dzogchen is extremely simple, but not easy." So, there are some fine subtleties hidden herein. The Beatles "Let It Be" could be the motto of Dzogchen (& Taoism) while utilizing p. 35: "deep penetrating insight & discriminating awareness that discerns the true nature of things as they are." The simple, but elegant Dzogchen truth is that the grass is greener than you think--just where you are--p. 49: "the spiritual zone...one with everything; not thinking & without need to think. This is the sacred zone, in which everything just flows." In a practical vein, we are told to "fake it till you make it" on the CD; this is good psychological advice if one can internalize one's actions through investing one's efforts in relevant activities. First we do to "be" what we envision; then our "being" naturally manifests as doing--in the flow or groove---without attachment (p. 80 "like Velcro" without the rings to hook to).

I particularly liked p. 66/track 5: "Sky gazing: Mingle your gaze with this space; merge yourself & your mind with infinite, empty space. Dissolve into space until you become spacious awareness itself...experience the radiant transparency of free-flowing present awareness." His description is one of the best I've experienced--esp. the one on his video "Natural Meditation" (ASIN 1591793149). Overall, the CD is helpful & soothing with a bit of humor. This would be a nice gift to someone with some interest in the spiritual but without background in Dzogchen--a lot of breadth though not much depth. After this, read Namkhai Norbu (e.g. "The Mirror" or "Crystal & the Way of Light") or Tulku Urgyen (e.g. "Rainbow Painting" or "As It Is"). As a scientist, I found one of his quotes most intriguing: p. 4: "My last teacher Tulku Urgyen used to say, `Bring the scientists, they have the sharp capacity to be able to understand these naked teachings.'"

Lama Surya Das has a natural way of teaching a subject that could be new to many, and yet he does so with his normal straightforward, yet compassionate way.Add his humor to the mix, and you receive a gift. This is yet another excellent book of his and I cannot recommend it enough to all seekers of Buddhism. The CD is a wonderful addition and allows you to hear mantras as well as be led through guided meditation. It goes without saying that if this is new to you, it is a gift and to those who already are familiar with Lama Das and his teachings, then this only deepens one's practice. Thank you Lama Das and bless you.

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