Roaring Silence: Discovering the Mind of Dzogchen

Here is a book on a topic of increasing interest among American students of Buddhism. “Dzogchen”, the direct experience of enlightenment, is a practice from Tibetan Buddhism that is being explored by teachers of many different schools, from the Dalai Lama to best-selling author Lama Surya Das, to the popular leaders of the Insight Meditation Soceity such as Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein. Without claiming that dzogchen is easy to understand - much less to achieve - the authors present this seemingly esoteric idea in down-to-earth terms that anyone who is interest can understand. While remaining assiduously true to their Tibetan Lamas’ precise instructions, the authors present these ancient teachings with directness, humor, and gentleness. “Roaring Silence” walks the reader through the meditation techniques that “enable us to side-step the bureaucracy of intellectual processes and experience ourselves directly”. Surprisingly, the approach is very pragmatic. Offering an investigation of the necessary steps, the authors begin with how to prepare for the journey: the lama is essential, as is a sense of humour, inspiration, and determination. They continue by describing the path to realisation of dzogchen: from sitting meditation to the direct perception of reality. The chapters include exercises for exploring, for example, the presence of our awareness, a simple visualisation, the feeling of trying to “remain uninvolved” with mental activity for a period, with follow-up guidance on how to view our experiences - all with the caveat, “be kind to yourself, don’t push yourself beyond your limits.”