Yoga Of The Supreme Sound Of The Four Elements In Dzogchen

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In Tibetan Dzogchen, the ‘Yoga of the Supreme Sound of the Four Elements’ corresponds to the Inner path of the Great Responsiveness Meditation using Inner Spontaneous Sounds. The Dzogchen Yoga practice, though, was said to be a ‘preliminary’ practice done in preparation for something more important — that of the two practices of Trekchö and Tögal — in the Yeshe Lama, written by Jigme Lingpa in the 18th Century. 

It is stated that the Yeshe Lama “is the most important practice manual on the Dzogchen Great Perfection teachings,” by the Venerable Tülku Thondup Rinpoche. Unfortunately, it dismisses the ‘preliminary’ Yoga, asserting that since it is no longer used, there was no reason to discuss it. The name of the practice in the Yeshe Lama is “Practice of the Four Elements,” which leaves off the description of the sounds that are the support for the Yoga practice — the ‘supreme sound’ of each element, not the mundane sounds of the world. It also leaves off the most important characteristic of its attainment: the ‘supreme attainment’ which is enlightenment. This is discussed in the Drathalgyur, “All-Penetrating Sound Tantra,” which is the root tantric text of all the Upadesha vital teachings for spiritual practice series of Dzogchen teachings.