Advice from Gongdzö Ritröpa Chenpo, founder of Athri Dzogchen
On this anniversary of Gongdzö Ritröpa Chenpo (Tib. rMe’u dGongs mdzod Ri khrod chen po / རྨེའུ་དགོངས་མཛོད་རི་ཁྲོད་ཆེན་པོ། (1036 – 1096), founder of Athri Dzogchen (Tib. A khrid Rdzogs chen / ཨ་ཁྲིད་རྫོགས་ཆེན།), here are a few words by him on how to practise Dzogchen taught by Kyabje Lungtog Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, the 33rd Menri Tridzin:
There are a few words of introduction by Gongdzö Ritröpa Chenpo who said that in order to achieve Enlightenment one must first meditate. In order to meditate so that we can achieve Buddhahood, we must realize the View. In order to recognize or realize the View, we must be introduced to it via the Mengag (Tib. man ngag / མན་ངག), the Pith Instructions. One should not be content to be merely introduced to it; one should also practise it. One should not be satisfied by merely practising it; one should manifest the experience of one’s Natural State in one’s own mind. One should not be satisfied by merely manifesting it; one should obtain the ‘signs of heat,’ the signs of realization. One should not be satisfied by merely obtaining the signs of realization; one should really accomplish the Fruit. One should not be content by merely accomplishing the Fruit; one should also accomplish vast activities for the sake of all beings.”
From: Kyabje Menri Tridzin Lungtog Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche; Orally translated, transcribed, compiled and edited by Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung, Carol Ermakova and Dmitry Ermakov Approaching Dzogchen according to the Athri Cycle, FPYB, UK, 2016, pp. 33-34.