Have you ever pondered what happens when you read a book or attend a concert? Probably not, but then the following might be of interest.
Zhabkar, writing the Garuda drew from a millennium of Buddhist psychology and Dzogchen practice. We schould mind to that. This knowledge and experience can be seen as forms of energy, chi (Chinese), ki (Japanese) or kawsay (Quechua). Afterall, a powerful idea holds a lot of energy, as we all know. It is like hearing a musical performance. The performers literally recreate the composer energetically and, you listening draw on this energy. It must have been happened to you once in a while that you went to a concert, being fatigued and depressed, and came out refreshed and alive. Live music is a primal source of chi.
So a lot of energy from Dzogchen practice and Buddhist psychology and experience are packed into the Garuda. Zhabkar himself being an enlightened person and a accomplished poet understood how to repack this energy in a most effective way.One of the Dutch reviewers of the book wrote that such a high level of energy in a book is a rarity. I indeed have done the utmost to preserve this palpable enenergy in my adaptation.

But what is the meaning of this? First of all that when you read, study or practice the Garuda, you are relating to this energy, recreating it in a sense. And although filtered by your understanding and level of consciousness, you can draw from this energy. Being conscious of the phenomenon it will even be more operative for you. You could object that ostensibly Zhabkar also put Buddhist doctrine and Buddhism as such in the Garuda, and that you don’t need that too come with it. I would say then: “Well then, leave that aspect aside.” In an earlier blog I argued that there is nothing that is doing anything to you, but that you are the one that does something with
what is offered. So then, if you, – as I would advise you to do – only want to draw from the mind training and poetic energy, you can do that, leaving the Buddhist content out.
What would be the benefit of looking this way at the Garuda? I would say that this way the text easily may become a significant energetic whole that functions as a powerhouse. Thus you can much better connect to the way Zhabkar writes and organises his text, ask questions of it, and feel the answers.
This is not some esoteric stuff as it might seem to you. It is the way the monks in their caves themselves always have studied. In fact it is the way you look at a beautiful sunset, listen to your favourite music and read your most loved poems. You only were not aware of it. What will happen is that by making the relation conscious you can far more easily tap into it. Doing so the effect and enjoyment will be much greater and constant and permanent. This extends to the training of the mind. The effects will appear sooner and last longer.

PS A despacho is a shamanic device of transferring energy