Choza Bonmo

How Choza Bönmo practiced great, unsurpassable Dzogchen

In the eighth century, Choza met the great Bonpo Dzogchen master Lishu Tagring from whom she received Dzogchen Dragpa Korsum in full, as well as teachings on both the provisional and ultimate meaning of Dzogpa Chenpo Yangtse Longchen. Lishu Tagring then gave her instructions and introduced her to the Natural State. This is what he said:

"Listen, Khandro, the emanation o f primordial wisdom!"

And he gave her the empowerment Gyaltheb Chyilug.

"Assume the mudra of the natural body posture with the gaze like that of a lion, and let your mind focus in space. This non-conceptual state is beyond elaboration, thought and words. Leave it just as it is, fresh, relaxed and uncorrected. This is the essence of Kuntu Zangpo. This is the direct introduction. Have confidence in it!" 

Such were his words.

Choza Bonmo practiced exactly as Lama Lishu had taught her and gained a direct realization of the Natural State. Then, from the top of Mount Hipori, she sang the following song of experience:

E MA HO!

Marvellous!

How wondrous! There, where there is neither day nor night, the sun of constant clarity shines.

I, the Lady of yoginis, warm myself with its heat! 

Introducing the doctrines to my mind - this is the great kindness of my master

Looking with my mind towards my mind - this is the great kindness to myself!

If you fail to sever the fetters of samsara, your determination to reach the Pure Land will never be realized

If you fail to liberate defiling thoughts, your determination to reach the Pure Land will never be realized

If you do not capture and jail the king, you will surely fail to subdue the soldiers. 

Firmly mount the beam of Lungdrug in the castle of the View of Great Perfection

Crown it with the battlement of the eight pith instructions.

Having readied the bow of the clear Nature of Mind, 

Let fly the arrow of the four short instructions, 

And having directly pierced the wooden shield of the five poisons,

Liberate the beings of the six samsaric realms 

And gain victory over the opponent, delusion.

If the enemies - desire and anger - are not eliminated, 

You will be powerless to protect the glorious child of the mind.

If you do not stop the great river of the three poisons, 

The fire of primordial wisdom will lack the power to blaze.

If you do not shun samsaric companions,

The horse of great happiness will lack the power to gallop.

If you do not separate yourself from attachment to children, relatives and friends,

The great vulture of your own mind will lack the power to soar in the sky.

If you do not fell the trunk of discursive thoughts, 

The leaves of samsara will proliferate.

If you do not separate yourself from the enemies, the five poisons,

They will lead you into the pit of darkness.

If you do not destroy even the subtlest attachment to your body,

You will remain integrated with this body of affliction.

If you do not set alight the lamp of primordial wisdom,

It will be smothered by the descending darkness of ignorance.

Since I have the castle of the Dzogchen View,

I do not fear the army of afflictive emotions! 

Since I have immutable, unfailing armour,

I do not fear the weapons of the five poisons!

Since I have Yeshe Sempas as my companions, I do not fear parting with loved ones!

Since all pleasures are encompassed within my mind, 

I do not fear relinquishing my possessions! 

Separating from everything is excellent happiness! 

Staying alone is excellent happiness!

Freedom from companions is excellent happiness! 

My great kind Masters introduced Bon to my mind!

My great kind Masters liberated me from the mire of samsara!

My great kind Masters utterly dried the lake of afflictive emotions!

My great kind Masters showed me how to achieve Buddhahood in my mind!

I am Choza Bonmo, the sole mother of the doctrine, she who has realized the Nature of her own m ind!

I watch the play of my own mind

I seek my life-companion within my mind

I am Choza Bonmo, she who enjoys the pleasures of her own mind!

My view is like space

My conduct is like the earth

My meditation is like a butter lamp

My instructions are like nectar;

All you beings suffering in samsara -

If you hanker after a lord, take the yidam as your lord.

If you hanker after a life-companion, take your own mind as your partner.

If you hanker after servants, take the Protectors as your servants.

If you hanker after enjoyment, take the melodies of Bon as your enjoyment.

If you want to watch something, watch your mind. 

If you want to make offerings, offer to the five Buddha families.

If you want to meditate, meditate on non-conceptual wisdom.

If you want to stay somewhere, stay in a place of solitude!

This is the song Choza Bonmo sang on top of Mount Hipori.

Then, arriving at the final stage of meditation, she achieved Buddhahood.

Thus it is said.

As mentioned above, Choza Bonmo also received Yetri Thasel and the Dzogchen cycle of instructions called Namkha Truldzo from Lachen Drenpa Namkha as well as the complete four initiations, and the direct introduction - Rigpa Tsalwang. She went on to practise these until her mind was fully ripened and she attained complete liberation. Although the main focus of her study was listening to and reflecting upon Dragpa Korsum, it was when she received the Dzogchen teachings of Namkha Truldzo that the experience of the Base of the primordial awareness of instant self-liberation arose in her. In addition, Lachen Drenpa Namkha also gave Choza Bonmo the instructions on the direct introduction called the three pith instructions of Gyunne, constant abiding.

This is, how he introduced her: 

Choza! Look in space!

Clouds appear by themselves and liberate by themselves.

Yesterday's cloud is not a cloud today;

The cloud of the morning is no longer a cloud now. 

Clouds are temporary and liberate by themselves. 

Therefore that which obstructs is devoid of essence. 

The vast sky does not reject clouds;

It remains constant, naturally free from obscurations.

Look at all the myriad external appearances - white, red or whatever they may be.

Whatever appears as an enemy is not an enemy; 

Whatever appears as a relative is not a relative; 

Enemies or relatives alike are but temporary, deluded apparitions.

When temporary appearances self-liberate, such visions are seen to be without essence,

Thus visions are great liberation.

Without renouncing deluded visions, the Natural State remains primordially free.

Look at the internal grasper and the thoughts it seizes!
Both grasper and thoughts are but temporary mind. 

When this temporary grasper self-liberates, it is recognized as being devoid of actual reality.

Thus the grasper is great liberation.

Without renouncing either the grasper or discursive thoughts, the Natural State remains primordially free.

As for the three absences:

The Natural State is beyond the body - it has neither colour nor substance;

The Natural State is beyond speech - it has never been the object of words;

The Natural State is beyond thought - it has never been either the apprehended or the indicative object.

Thus he instructed her.

All the impure thoughts and mental stains of Choza's mind were dissolved into great non-grasping self-liberation and the primordial wisdom of self-awareness arose clearly and nakedly.

Then herself Mount obtained and supreme siddhi. She attained the miraculous power of swift walking: with just three steps, she could circumambulate the entire mountain. She was also able to tie nine knots in the dried antler of a deer. Through the power of her contemplation, she was able to invite the Masters and they would come. Completely renouncing worldly food, she sustained herself on the elixir of contemplation and practiced unsurpassable Dzogchen. This is how she lived.

During this period, the Base of everything manifested directly in Choza's mind and merged inseparably with her awakened awareness of primordial wisdom. But in order to cultivate the final stage on the path of Trekcho and rip open the visions of the clear light of spontaneous perfection, she stayed in the dark practising unsurpassable Dzogpa Chenpo.

This is clear from the following instructions she received from Lama Lishu Tagring:

'These instructions on unifying the Clear Light with the Base are the powerful method by which you can achieve Buddhahood.

In the dark, visions of light appear from the dimension of the Natural State; the radiance of great primordial wisdom arises.

If you meditate and familiarize yourself with this state, there is no need to strive towards Buddhahood.'

Choza practiced in precisely this way and went on to achieve the final stage on the path of Trekcho.

Lishu Tagring then gave her the instructions on the spontaneous perfection of Clear Light, the practice of Thogal. She practiced this and achieved the fourth level of Thogal, the exhaustion of visions. Then Choza attained the Rainbow Body of the great transfer.

This is what he taught her: 

'O emanation of the Khandro of primordial wisdom, purify the visions of delusion by means of the five pure lands.

Liberate material aggregates by means of the five Buddha families.

Condense the objects of dualistic mind into the Natural State by means of the five lights.

Practise the absolute certainty that all this is none other than the five wisdoms.

As for the three deluded visions of sounds, lights and rays,

Have absolute confidence that the three bodies are within your own Nature of Mind.

In this life, practice and familiarize yourself with the Nature of your own Mind.

Chains of awareness, thigles, divinities and mandalas appear as the inner signs of accomplishment,

When the time comes for this apparent body of the five elements to disintegrate, leave behind this shell you have borrowed from the five elements.

The five Buddhas are the luminous essence of the five lights.

The self-luminous essence of the Nature of Mind is free from acceptance and rejection.

By the skillful means of drawing the chain of awareness of the five lights, lift the awareness-Hung in the pathway of the central channel.

Condense sounds, rays and lights in the swastika of Kuntu Zangpo's heart,

Thus the unimpeded wisdom awareness of truly awakened Buddhahood manifests.'

These were his instructions.

Then Choza Bonmo practiced exactly as she had been taught, and all the aggregates of her apparent physical body as well as all ordinary visions, both gross and subtle, were unequivocally liberated into the dimension of the essential nature of the Great Ancestor, the Base. Then Choza manifested the excellent body of unsullied wisdom.