“Here’s to boredom!”

Apprentice You have often said that shi-nè is boring and that boredom is necessary in terms of experience. But what if the boredom seems to have no end, or gets oppressive?

Khandro Déchen It sounds as if you are onto a good thing. Until you get seriously bored, you will not give up the illusion that there is something to be gained apart from what you are.

Ngak’chang Rinpoche Boredom plays an extremely important rôle as the altimeter of emptiness. The spacious view of Dzogchen is only available once the dizzying heights of boredom have been recognised as freedom. Boredom then transmogrifies into an ethereal translucent boredom. It will still necessarily have an aspect of unease with it, but that is the key to an open dimension.

Apprentice Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche once said something about ‘cool boredom’ and that you could reach somewhere that was refreshing—a ‘boredom like a mountain stream’—but that seems quite remote to me at this point, and it seems as if I am just doing it all wrong.

Khandro Déchen I think it is the idea that it is possible to ‘do it wrong’ that is wrong. If you simply forget about right and wrong and simply sit—the whole deal will relax by itself. That is certainly refreshing.

Ngak’chang Rinpoche It is refreshing because we do not expect anything.

Khandro Déchen There must also be discipline. You have to be able to let go of the idea that you can substitute boredom with something more elevated.

Ngak’chang Rinpoche: The fact that ‘nothing happens’ is important, because when you realise that nothing happens, you also realise that there is a wholesome dignity in that. It might seem as if you had savoured an excellent repast and sipped a fine Barolo—as opposed to stuffing down an overcooked ‘meat and two veg’ with a tepid glass of Liebfraumilch. However, what might be more to the point is that if you are a Nyingma, you simply sit, because that is what we do. Then the whole thing works itself out without there having to be a big problem about where anything is going or why. I believe that Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche once raised a glass and offered the toast, “Here’s to boredom!”