Rinpoche’s vision for the organization of the Dzogchen Community
Dzogchen Community Mandala
This is the diagram which represents all of the Dzogchen Community throughout the world. At the center of the mandala, inside a thigle of the five colors, there is a letter AH, the “unique golden syllable” which symbolizes the absolute condition. It radiates light. It represents the Rigdzin master of Dzogchen of all the Communities in the world, wherever one lives.
The eight Gakyils in the eight compass directions, each decorated with eight points, represent all the Gars in all of the countries and zones of the world. The fact that there are eight Gakyils decorated with eight points does not mean that the number of Gars should necessarily be eight; there could be more or less than eight Gars of the Community, depending on the different times and circumstances in the countries. Here eight Gars have been drawn to symbolize all the infinite directions, starting with the four cardinal points (N, S, E, and W), and the four intermediate directions (NE, SE, SW, NW).
The eight precious points that have been added to the Gakyil to make a symbol of a Gar show that a Gar, being a centre of the precious Dzogchen teachings, is precious, and that the basis of the teaching found in a Gar spreads to all of the Gakyils of the surrounding places and countries, and that all possible benefits to the Gakyils of the countries and the single individuals belonging to them derive from the different Gars.
Around these, in the different directions, there are Gakyils of three colours, representing all the Gakyils of the countries, regions and cities, found in all directions around the Gars of the Community. These Gakyils are indispensable to the members of the Community who live scattered in the countryside or in regions or cities far away from the Gar, so that they can collaborate together to develop their knowledge and experience of Dzogchen, or to give birth to such knowledge and to integrate it with their own three doors (body , voice and mind) relaxed, so that each person really becomes Dzogchen, and to cultivate the enthusiasm and capacity to practice.
Around these, in the different directions there are eight triads of yellow, red and blue thigles. These represent the organizations of private work co-ops within the Community. This means that the energy of these co-ops should be insolubly linked to one of the Gars or Gakyils of the country. Around these in the different directions there are sixteen little five-colored thigles. They represent the self-perfected state of the Community, conducting this praticular kind of life according to this place and time. The way the single practitioners are linked to the Gakyils of the different countries and the way the work co-ops of the people of the Communities are linked to the Gakyils or to the Gars of the different countries are represented by the lines joining them together.
The Symbol of the Dzogchen Community
In the centre there is a sky-blue basis, representing the primordial condition of original purity. Inside this dimension is the “unique golden syllable”, symbolising the ultimate condition. It represents the “Rigdzin” – the Knowledge-holder – of the Long-chen O-sal Nying-thig: the Knowledge-holder of the direct, oral and symbolic transmissions; the master of the whole Community, whoever he may be, the vital spirit of the Ati teachings. In the four main and the four intermediate directions are eight Gakyils decorated with eight points. These represent the Gars which have the following five qualifications. They are places where:
1. Dzogchen Knowledge-holders are masters and give teachings and instructions;
2. Members of the Community can obtain a concrete and particular knowledge of Dzogchen;
3. All members of the Community can study Dzogchen teachings;
4. They can meet to study subjects related to the teachings;
5. Where practitioners, vajra brothers and sisters, living in all directions, can meet together from time to time.
Global Gar
Dear World Wide Dzogchen Community.
As you already know, there is the project of creating a Global Gar in Tenerife.
The Global Gar should be a base for how our community can evolve and be stable in the future. How to better open to the world and become more active and responsible in maintaining the Teachings and the Community alive in the future.
We have always been saying how the Gars should not be seen as limited to the place where they are, but being just part of the world wide community, but in practice there has never been a real integration, never we could really manifest all the potentiality of our Dzogchen Community.
The Global gar should become where all this can be coordinated and made real.
A place where communication and collaboration become very concrete.
A place, where all the Gars of the Community can have a base, same as for SSI and Asia, all should be able to work together and enrich each other with different experiences and knowledge, we can develop different projects that can be realized together and become an example that can be then applied in different places by different people but with the same knowledge and principle of the teaching, simply adapted to the different circumstances. Different activities also to create an economical base for the future of the Community, a capacity or working together of creating different activities open to everyone who might be interested, not to condition but to create an opportunity for knowledge and collaboration.
We can finally really see the potentiality of our Community maturing and become more concrete.
The capacity to listen, to collaborate and open our mind will lead to better understanding and it is a real and only way to achieve mutual respect tolerance and concrete peace.
This is something very important for the future and future generations, not only for the Community but for the entire world.
Chögyal Namkhai Norbu
On International Gakyil
At the beginning of the Annual General Assembly of the IDC members in April, 2017, Rinpoche talked about His vision of the role of the International Gakyil: