Oral transmission.
There is magic in the hearing transmission.
Words and sound have power: in fact,
words are magical.
They cast a spell, and this may have a
positive or negative effect. There is power
in listening and hearing.
When one goes to a Tibetan teaching,
one can receive a reading and hearing transmission.
In fact, some are so long that the toilet issue
has to be timed… 😉
Reading a text on one’s own has a little power,
but when it is read aloud by an authentic teacher,
in an authentic unbroken lineage, it carries a blessing.
The reading in Tibetan is extremely rapid: one
does not have to understand the language.
Later, when it comes to reading or reflecting
on the text oneself, in English, something strange
happens…the spell works…spooky!
BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. We are all Buddhas in the mud of concepts. 
Hello Tony
While reading this, I began wondering whether the oral transmission sort of prepares the way, perhaps sowing a seed. Following the transmission, there is then the intellectual exercise of studying the text, discussing it, reflecting on it, analysing it.
So we attack on two approaches – the heart and the head – and with the inextricable blending of these two, we come to understand.
What do you think?
Daisy
Dear Daisy
Exactly right! The heart needs clarity, as well as the mind so that we can translate experiences more precisely, without ego-contamination.
When it happens, it feels like a blessing, and one has to be disciplined about this in order to not claim it in any way whatsoever. It is not without its challenges. Just let it flow.
Tony