This famous seminal text of radical Dzogchen provides a profound yet simple poetic statement of how it is to immerse oneself in the matrix of the now and recognize buddha. It is the personal statement of a peerless yogin-adept. Certainly the magic of his poetry impresses us that way and surely this Treasury of the Dharmadhatu, the Choyingdzo, reveals the consummation of Dzogchen. In it we are assured that over and above all the yogas and dhyanas of Hindustan, all the ritual and magic of Tibet and all the quasi religious new-age therapies of the West there exists a simple, timeless manner of being, easy of access, requiring no onerous technique or renunciate lifestyle, that can give us some constant satisfaction in this vale of laughter and tears between birth and dying. With Longchenpa, Dzogchen Ati reaches its most complete revelation; the Choyingdzo is Longchenpa's most revealing statement about the vajra-heart, and Keith Dowman has made a fine translation. The pathless path of Dzogchen comes alive in this poetic exposition of the apex of Tibetan mysticism. The form of language, the translation, the use of poetic invention creates as atmosphere of understanding, as if a mahasiddha were writing in Oxford English with a touch of American slang. This is radical Dzogchen not only in the actual teaching itself, but also in the translation that strikes the flint of idiom to create sparks of wisdom that reveal the whole hologram.
About the Author: Keith Dowman, who has translated this text into English and spent his life in the Himalayas, is an initiate into the lineage of Longchenpa and now travels the world teaching the heart essence of Dzogchen. He is renowned for the precision, clarity and accessibility of his translations from Tibetan which include Sky Dancer, Old Man Basking in the Sun, Natural Perfection, and The Divine Madman.
