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A Journey to the West
A Journey to the West L52 The Profound Preliminaries of the Chetsun Dzogchen
In this teaching of A Journey to the West, Khenpo Sodargye recounts His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok's dharma turning in Napa Valley, focusing on the preliminary practices of the Chetsun Dzogchen. He contrasts the traditions of Padmasambhava and Vimalamitra regarding the cultivation of true renunciation, emphasizing that cutting ties to this life and the next is foundational to deep practice. Khenpo meticulously explains the First Mind Training: All compounded phenomena are impermanent like water bubbles. By sequentially observing the formation and destruction of the universe, the unsparing passing of great historical figures, and the changing of seasons, listeners are guided to see the impermanence in all things. Ultimately, Khenpo directs this contemplation inward, alerting practitioners to the stark reality that death is certain, its arrival is entirely unpredictable, and at that critical moment, all worldly wealth and status abandon us—only our karma and Dharma practice remain.