11-05-2010, 11:43 PM
Rigpa is not the "lightbody" (the buddhists call that by another name - the dharmakaya or rainbow body).
Another concept related to rigpa (some may equate them) is "clear light". The metaphor (although it is really quite literal) often used is that of gazing into a clear blue sky. You don't see anything but you are aware of seeing. This is actually a useful meditation practice, something to do on a nice summer day in the park lying on ones back.
In my experience I didn't understand buddhism (especially zen), and I probably still don't, until I realized that there really is something, which is nothing at all but it really is there. It is so obvious, yet so marvelous and you wonder why you hadn't realized it before. This is the result of meditation, but after that all that is left is "contemplation" (of rigpa). Dzogchen teaches this approach (as does zen, but from a different direction).
The Dalai Lama wrote an excellent book on dzogchen, which I wholly recommend. He combines the wisdom of dzogchen with the Tibetan buddhist emphasis on compassion, which seems to me to be a pure 6-D approach.
Another concept related to rigpa (some may equate them) is "clear light". The metaphor (although it is really quite literal) often used is that of gazing into a clear blue sky. You don't see anything but you are aware of seeing. This is actually a useful meditation practice, something to do on a nice summer day in the park lying on ones back.
In my experience I didn't understand buddhism (especially zen), and I probably still don't, until I realized that there really is something, which is nothing at all but it really is there. It is so obvious, yet so marvelous and you wonder why you hadn't realized it before. This is the result of meditation, but after that all that is left is "contemplation" (of rigpa). Dzogchen teaches this approach (as does zen, but from a different direction).
The Dalai Lama wrote an excellent book on dzogchen, which I wholly recommend. He combines the wisdom of dzogchen with the Tibetan buddhist emphasis on compassion, which seems to me to be a pure 6-D approach.