Blue Sky, White Clouds

First off, they are clearly not identical. In particular, dzogchen has a specialized and unique vocabulary in which words like “base” or “bodhicitta” have meanings distinct from their meanings in other Tibetan Buddhist literature and teaching. When studying or practising either, it’s really important to know which is which! And yet, they do have a lot in common. It is widely accepted that the “space division” and “mind division”, along with the first part of the “instruction division” of dzogchen (trekcho) have close parallels with mahamudra, while the final part of the “instruction division” (thögal), with its use of dark retreat and focus on “photic” phenomena is really quite distinct. Karma Chagme’s text, The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, is very informative for those who want to go deeper. My point here is just to suggest an analogy: dzogchen and mahamudra are like a polka and a mazurka (not necessarily in that order). These are both European dances from similar musical cultures...

This is all a bit wordy. I was thinking to myself. Only worth reading if you've already been puzzled by this!  Ink gets spilt liberally in some corners of the internet about the importance of what is sometimes called "direct introduction" or DI (*1 below) . DI is also referred to elsewhere as "pointing out instruction". Some will tell us that receiving DI from Namkhai Norbu or his authorized representative is essential for dzogchen practice - that the necessary and fundamental insight, termed "rigpa", simply cannot be achieved in any other way. Rigpa is said to be knowledge of - or recognition of - the "base" or "ground", which is a pure empty consciousness that needs to be recognized to achieve awakening. DI cannot possibly be conveyed by, for instance, words in a book. You can't go to your local bookstore, get a book about dzogchen, read about the ground and start practicing. DI has to be obtained "live" from a livin...