Neither Trekchö nor Tögal is a formal meditation practice. Trekchö means simply acknowledging that your basic essence is empty, and Tögal is the natural display of what is spontaneously present. The essence and its displays are not our creation; we do not fabricate them by practicing. In both Trekchö and Tögal, you do not create anything with your imagination but merely rest in the natural state.
To express it slightly differently, Trekchö is recognizing that our natural state or basic essence is primordially pure. Tögal is recognizing that the natural displays of this primordial purity are spontaneously present. And recognizing that this natural display is insubstantial—that the natural manifestations of the five wisdoms as five-colored light are not something you can take hold of—is the unity of primordial purity and spontaneous presence. These two aspects, primordial purity and spontaneous presence, are not separate and distinct, like your two arms. They are an indivisible unity, because the empty quality of mind-essence is primordial purity, while the cognizant quality is spontaneous presence. Hence, they are totally indivisible; therefore, Trekchö and Tögal are fundamentally indivisible.
You wouldn’t describe Tögal as a meditation practice, but you could say it is a training, because we apply key points. I would like to stress again that Tögal is not a matter of imagining or meditating upon anything; the displays that appear are the expressions of natural purity. If you train properly and apply the key points, all the Tögal displays evolve naturally.
Many Dzogchen teachings are connected to a sadhana involving the peaceful and wrathful deities, like Kunzang Tuktig, because the displays include these deities. The practice lets whatever is already present within you become visible; nothing else manifests. Since the peaceful and wrathful deities are already present within your body, they become visible during Tögal practice. The deities in Tögal are the same ones that will appear in the bardo. So, if the complete mandala has manifested during your life, no second mandala needs to appear in the bardo state—it doesn’t manifest twice. This is why many Dzogchen teachings emphasize the mandala of the peaceful and wrathful deities.
We can practice the peaceful and wrathful deities on many levels, such as in Mahayoga, Anu Yoga, and Ati Yoga. Chokgyur Lingpa, for instance, revealed sadhanas for all three vehicles. For Ati Yoga, he revealed the Kunzang Tuktig, as well as one belonging to the Dzogchen Desum. You can also base your Dzogchen practice on the guru principle, since the enlightened master embodies everything. For example, the mind treasure of Jigmey Lingpa, called Tigle Gyachen, is based on the single figure of Longchenpa. Thus, there are various approaches, and it is really good to do such practices. Whether you are sitting down or moving about, whatever situation you are in, always remember Trekchö—recognizing the nature of mind. It is the very core, the very heart of Dzogchen practice.
The first experiences we will have at the moment of death are the sounds, colors, and lights; however, these will not be vague, feeble, or limited, as they are now, but intense and overwhelming. The colors then are iridescent hues, while the lights are sharp like needle points, similar to looking directly into the sun. The colors indicate enlightened body, the sounds indicate enlightened speech, and the lights indicate enlightened mind. That is why The Tibetan Book of the Dead reminds the dying person, “Do not be afraid of these lights. Do not fear the sounds. Do not be terrified by the colors.”
In the bardo, yogis who grew somewhat familiar with Tögal practice during their lives can remain unafraid, free of terror or dread, because they know that the colors, sounds, and lights are their own manifestations—the natural displays of their buddha-nature’s body, speech, and mind. These initial manifestations are a prelude to the rest of the bardo. Ordinary people, however, become totally overwhelmed by the immensity of the displays.
The sounds in the bardo are not small noises—they roar like 100,000 simultaneous thunderclaps—and the lights and colors shine with the brilliance of 100,000 suns. Later, when the deities begin to appear, the largest are the size of Mount Sumeru, while the smallest are no bigger than a mustard seed. The deities are vibrantly alive and dance about. Faced with this spectacle, you have two options: either you panic with fright or you recognize them as your natural displays. This is why it is incredibly beneficial to practice in this life, so you grow familiar with your natural displays. Otherwise, facing them in the bardo will result in deep confusion and bewilderment.
Even if you are an accomplished Buddhist scholar who knows a lot of dharma, can debate, and all the rest, without this familiarity you will still become terrified and panic at the awesome display in the bardo. You can’t debate with these deities; you can’t explain them away. But if you follow the Vajrayana path and grow familiar with the unified path of development and completion, you will surely recognize all this to be your own manifestation—which will be of real benefit.
That is why The Tibetan Book of the Dead emphasizes, “Do not be afraid of your own displays.” There is no reason to be afraid of yourself, no need to be overwhelmed by your own sounds, colors, and lights. You can also cross the bardo successfully if you have become fully trained in Mahamudra and the six doctrines, but success is guaranteed if you have attained stability in Trekchö and Tögal. Trekchö is recognizing that the dharmata of mind and the colors and lights are all dharmata’s natural displays and that the sounds are the self-resounding of dharmata. We must recognize that these manifestations, visible yet insubstantial, come from nowhere else. Understand this, truly, and the Lord of Death will have no hold upon you.
It is incredibly important to grow familiar with these displays during this lifetime, by practicing the unity of Trekchö and Tögal, because sooner or later everybody ends up in the bardo and these manifestations will definitely appear. These intense bardo experiences are not exclusive to just a few people or to Buddhists, nor does it help to say, “I don’t have to worry about those bardo experiences, because I don’t believe in anything after death.” The bardo experiences don’t care what you think. They appear to everyone. Avoid the sorry fate of most people, who get completely overwhelmed believing the displays of their own buddha-nature to be devils coming to torture them and carry them off to hell. What a pity that would be!
Background
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
During the last century, there was a great master named Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, who was like a replica stamped from the same mold as his predecessor, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. He possessed perfect realization and perfect learning and activity. At one point, in Kham, he was renowned as the greatest master. He passed away in Sikkim after fleeing Tibet, where I met him during a visit there. At that time, Chökyi Lodrö was living quietly and not receiving any visitors, except I was able to see him every day and receive teachings. I would ask Chökyi Lodrö questions during these visits.
One day I asked Dzongsar Khyentse what teaching I should practice. “The Great Perfection will blaze like a wildfire during this coming age,” he replied, paraphrasing the famous prophesy, “When the flames of the Dark Age rage rampantly, the teachings of Vajrayana will blaze like wildfire.”
Dzongsar Khyentse explained that during the early days of Buddhism in Tibet, when the Dharma was just beginning to spread, three masters—Padmasambhava,