Here is the explanation of the Rushan Exercises. This actually includes everything you need to attain the enlightenment. However, it should be noted, that Dzogchen is far more extensive. There are also Trekchö and Thögal, whereby the Trekchö containing further preparatory exercises.

 

Rushans: The preliminary practices of Dzogchen

Khorde Rushan: The Separation of Samsara and Nirvana

 

Here we will briefly introduce the Rushan practices of Dzogchen. The Rushans are the main preparation for entering into Dzogchen and for the discovering of the «nature of the mind» (sems-nyid) as opposed to the «mind» or thought process (REM). This distinction is very important for Dzogchen. The rushans represent the real Ngöndro (sngon-'gro) or the preliminary practices for Dzogchen.

 

The specific preliminary practices of Dzogchen consist of a first section, the «Separation between Samsara and Nirvana» and a second, the «Cultivation of the three doors». Both are said to be a part of Dzogchen, so you should practice them. The rest belongs in the domain of great Non-Action and the Natural State.

 

In fact, what these exercises propose is to arrive at the discovery of the natural state, and not to exercise it through the «exhaustion» of all our experiences. The goal of these practices is to prepare the mind for the discovery of the natural state. This is the actual Ngöndro of Dzogchen. In the Bön tradition, both types of Rushan are practiced in retreats of forty-nine days.

 

In these preliminary practices there are many visualization practices very much like the Tantra System. But these are not Dzogchen as such. The actual Rushans represent the real preliminary practices for Dzogchen, which introduce us to the nature of mind. Generally we speak of outer Rushans, inner Rushans and secret Rushans.

 

The outer Rushans aim to end the habitual tendencies to end the behaviors of extremes without mindfulness. This expresses or imitates the behavior of the living beings of the six realms, accumulated in the deeper layers of the mind.

 

With the preceding reflection on impermanence, taking refuge and developing the mind of awakening, the specific description of the practice is as follows:

 

First you need to train the behavior of the six classes of beings and the behavior of the three jewels.

 

 

The impermanence of life

 

For this, first we should say something about preparatory practices (sngon-'gro) in general. These preparations are, in Buddhism and Bön, very important and very necessary. These represent the beginning or entrance to the practice of Tantra and Dzogchen. These serve as a guide, guiding us in what to do and what to think when we doing the practice.

 

It is very important for practitioners to deeply realize the nature of impermanence (tse mi tagpa). The more we understand the nature of impermanence and become familiar with it through daily practice in life, the more we are encouraged to practice regularly without delay, and this will also deepen our understanding of the reality.

 

There are the following six different methods with which the impermanence can be better realized:

 

 

1. Meditating on the impermanence through reflection on the changing and evolving universe
   
   The universe is constructed on the collective merit of living beings in the form of mountains, lakes, oceans and so on. All of this seems very stable and permanent to the human eye, but actually everything is evolving. For example, erosion can alter bodies of water. Mountains can always be altered by landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and so on. Fire, wind, rain and other elements change the physical landscape.
   
   
   
2. Meditate on impermanence by reflecting on the state of beings in the universe and their birth, death and suffering
   
   In the same way that the universe evolves and will be destroyed, the living beings contained in this universe also evolve and perish through the three great crises of disease, famine and war. According to a quote from one of the Dho texts: «None of the sentient beings will remain forever without changing or dying».
   
   We agree that because we are born, the end of our life is the death. But we can't really recognize this in depth as an experience of impermanence. In the six realms of existence, none of our ancestors has lived forever from the beginning until now. They all followed the path of impermanence and died from various conditions, such as starvation, disease or war. Tönpa Shenrab and the great enlightened ones who have manifested in human form have shown us the path of death and transformation so that we can understand the true quality of the impermanence.
   
   
   
3. Meditate on the impermanence through reflection on the nature of the death and birth of the great enlightened ones and masters in the past
   
   The reason we take the great masters and enlightened ones as examples is to recognize that if they had to die, there is no chance for a normal sentient being to live forever. These great masters of Zhang Zhung and Tibet, who have empowered themselves to manifest at any time, also went through the process of death. They all followed the same path of dying, so we sentient beings should also be willing to follow the path of impermanence and give up our notion that life is permanent.
   
   
   
4. Meditate on the impermanence through reflection on the birth and death of living beings
   
   All beings, from the highest levels of the realm of the gods to the bottom of the hells, are impermanent. A quote from a Sang Ngag text says: «After birth there is no other way but to follow the path of death and there is no way of escaping the dominion of the lord of death».
   
   There are always lessons to be learned about impermanence. If we think about the period of our present life, from birth to now, many of our relatives, neighbors and friends, from childhood through adolescence to old age, have suffered illness and death. From the most powerful people in the world to the poorest, everyone must follow the same path and everyone is equally limited by the nature of impermanence.
   
   If we think about it, we can apply it to everyday life so that we will have a better understanding of the nature and quality of the impermanence. When the time comes for us to die, the death can be faced without regret or concern. We will be able to follow the path of wisdom and attain enlightenment more easily because of our experiences of the practice. When we are conscious, there are many aspects of daily life and the environment to enhance our realization of life's impermanence.
   
   
   
5. Meditating on the impermanence through reflection on various examples of transformations
   Let's think about the gradual changes in the seasons. Let's think about moments when we feel joy and how that same feeling can turn into sadness just because the way of the nature changes. We can also think about the changes in people's lives in this way.
   
   For example, good relationships between families and friends can suddenly turn to anger and violence. Maybe someone we don't like and see as an enemy will suddenly become a good friend. Our health can be suddenly transformed by an illness. There are endless examples in our daily life and environment that show the real impermanence of life.
   
   
   
6. Meditate on the impermanence through reflection on the experience of death
   
   We living beings expect to live for a long time, unaware that death can occur anytime, anywhere, and under many circumstances. Because we lack an understanding of the true nature of uncertainty, we have the notion that since we are young, healthy, and have a family history of long life, we will live for a long time.
   
   This conception is the main obstacle to realizing the true nature of impermanence. We may not have the same lifespan as other family members after all, because everyone has their own Karma and destiny. The death can come at any time and we have no choice but to follow the path.
   
   When death comes, there is no way for us or our family to save our lives or postpone our deaths. The only help available comes from our virtuous deeds, our trust and faith in the enlightened ones, our teachers and the teachings (and their blessings) and our practice. Everything else in our life are just material objects which hinder us and cause us to be attached to our life. These things will hinder our path to enlightenment.

 

It is important to meditate on impermanence in order to detach from the sufferings of this cyclical world and to develop the wisdom of realization. This enables us to attain the enlightenment. Just understanding impermanence is not enough to attain enlightenment. It is important to realize that every single moment of our lives can be affected by practice. Only in this way can selfishness and grasping be overcome.