Dzogchen
Dzogchen, also known as atiyoga, is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Bön aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. The goal of Dzogchen is the direct experience of this basis, called . There are spiritual practices taught in various Dzogchen systems for discovering.
Dzogchen emerged during the first dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet, around the 7th to 9th centuries CE. While it is considered a Tibetan development by some scholars, it draws upon key ideas from Indian sources. The earliest Dzogchen texts appeared in the 9th century, attributed to Indian masters. These texts, known as the Eighteen Great Scriptures, form the "Mind Series" and are attributed to figures like Śrī Siṅgha and Vimalamitra. Early Dzogchen was marked by a departure from normative Vajrayāna practices, focusing instead on simple calming contemplations leading to a direct immersion in awareness. During the Tibetan renaissance era, Dzogchen underwent significant development, incorporating new practices and teachings from India. This period saw the emergence of new Dzogchen traditions like the "Instruction Class series" and the "Seminal Heart".
Dzogchen is classified into three series: the Semdé, Longdé, and Menngaggidé. The Dzogchen path comprises the Base, the Path, and the Fruit. The Base represents the original state of existence, characterized by emptiness, clarity, and compassionate energy. The Path involves gaining a direct understanding of the mind's pure nature through meditation and specific Dzogchen methods. The Fruit is the realization of one's true nature, leading to complete non-dual awareness and the dissolution of dualities.
Dzogchen practitioners aim for self-liberation, where all experiences are integrated with awareness of one's true nature. This process may culminate in the attainment of a rainbow body at the moment of death, symbolizing full Buddhahood. Critics point to tensions between gradual and simultaneous practice within Dzogchen traditions, but practitioners argue these approaches cater to different levels of ability and understanding. Overall, Dzogchen offers a direct path to realizing the innate wisdom and compassion of the mind.
History
Dzogchen arose in the era of the first dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet during the Tibetan Empire and continued during the Era of Fragmentation. American Tibetologist David Germano argues that Dzogchen is likely a Tibetan Buddhist development. However, numerous ideas key to Dzogchen can be found in Indian sources, like the Buddhist tantras, buddha-nature literature and other Mahāyāna sources like the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. Furthermore, scholars like Sam van Schaik see Dzogchen as having arisen out of tantric Buddhist completion stage practices.The earliest Dzogchen sources appeared in the first half of the 9th century, with a series of short texts attributed to Indian saints. The most of important of these are the "Eighteen Great Scriptures", which are today known as the "Mind Series" and are attributed to Indian masters like Śrī Siṅgha, Vairotsana and Vimalamitra. The later Semdé compilation tantra titled the All-Creating King is one of the most important and widely quoted of all Dzogchen scriptures.
Germano sees the early Dzogchen of the Tibetan Empire period as characterized by the rejection of normative Vajrayana practice. Germano calls the early Dzogchen traditions "pristine Great Perfection" since it is marked "by the absence of presentations of detailed ritual and contemplative technique" as well as a lack of funerary, charnel ground and death imagery found in some Buddhist tantras. According to Germano, instead of tantric deity yoga methods, early Dzogchen mainly focused on simple calming contemplations leading to a "technique free immersion in the bare immediacy of one's own deepest levels of awareness". Similarly, Christopher Hatchell explains that since for early Dzogchen "all beings and all appearances are themselves the singular enlightened gnosis of the buddha All Good ", there is nothing to do but to recognize this inherent awakened mind, relax and let go.
During the Tibetan renaissance era many new Vajrayāna texts, teachings and practices were introduced from India. At this time, the Nyingma school and its Dzogchen traditions reinvented themselves, producing many new scriptures and developing new practices influenced by the Sarma traditions. These new influences were absorbed into Dzogchen through the practice of finding treasure texts that were discovered by "treasure revealers". These tantric elements included subtle body practices, visionary practices like dark retreat, and a focus on death-motifs and practices.
These new methods and teachings were part of several new traditions such as the "Secret Cycle", "Ultra Pith", "Brahmin's tradition", the "Space Class Series," and especially the "Instruction Class series", which culminated in the "Seminal Heart", which emerged in the late 11th and early 12th century. The most influential texts in this period are Seventeen Tantras. The most important scholarly figure in the systematization of these new traditions was Longchenpa Rabjampa.
Later figures who also revealed important treasure text cycles include Karma Lingpa,, Rigdzin Gödem, Jigme Lingpa, who revealed the influential Longchen Nyingthig and Dudjom Lingpa.
Etymology and concepts
Dzogchen is composed of two terms:- rdzogs – perfection, completion
- chen – great
The term initially referred to the "highest perfection" of Vajrayāna deity yoga. Specifically, it refers to the stage after the deity visualisation has been dissolved and one rests in the natural state of the innately luminous and pure mind. According to Sam van Schaik, in the 8th-century tantra Sarvabuddhasamāyoga, the term refers to "a realization of the nature of reality" which arises through the practice of tantric anuyoga practices which produce bliss.
In the 10th and 11th centuries, when Dzogchen emerged as a separate vehicle to liberation in the Nyingma tradition, the term was used synonymously with the Sanskrit term ati yoga.
''Rigpa'' (knowledge) and ''ma rigpa'' (delusion)
Rigpa is a central concept in Dzogchen. According to Ācārya Malcolm Smith:Ma rigpa is the opposite of rigpa or knowledge. Ma rigpa is ignorance, delusion, or unawareness, the failure to recognize the nature of the basis. An important theme in Dzogchen texts is explaining how ignorance arises from the basis or dharmatā, which is associated with ye shes or pristine consciousness. Automatically arising unawareness exists because the basis has a natural cognitive potentiality which gives rise to appearances. This is the ground for saṁsāra and nirvāṇa.
Traditional exegesis
The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva, a major Dzogchen tantra, explains the term Dzog as follows:The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva explains that Dzogchen is "great" because:
- It is the pinnacle of all vehicles, views, meditations, behaviors, goals.
- It is "never moving from the natural state."
- It functions "without obstacles in the realm beyond change."
- It manifests "beyond concepts in the realm beyond attachment."
- It manifests "without attachment in the realm beyond desire"
- It manifests "in great bliss in the realm beyond speech."
- It is "the source that pervades pure enlightenment."
- It is "non-substantial rigpa beyond action and effort."
- It remains "in equality without moving from the realm of total bliss" and "without moving from the essential meaning."
- It exists "everywhere without being a dimension of grasping."
- It is "the essence of everything without being established with words and syllables."
Three series
According to modern Tibetologists, this doxographic schema actually developed in the literature of the Instruction Series as a way to distinguish and categorize the various Dzogchen teachings at the time. According to Instruction Series texts, the Mind Series is based on understanding that one's own mind is the basis of all appearances and that this basis, called mind itself, is empty and luminous. The Space series meanwhile is focused on emptiness. Finally, the Instruction Series itself is seen as the most direct kind of realization, without the need to meditate on emptiness or mind. Over time, the Instruction Series came to dominate the Dzogchen tradition and it remains the series that is most widely practiced and taught while the other two series are rarely practiced today.
According to Namkhai Norbu, the three series are three modes of presenting and introducing the state of Dzogchen. Norbu states that Mennagde is a more direct form of introduction, Longde is closely associated with symbolic forms of introducing Dzogchen and Semde is more focused on oral forms of introduction. Germano writes that the Mind Series serves as a classification for the earlier texts and forms of Dzogchen "prior to the development of the Seminal Heart movements" which focused on meditations based on tantric understandings of bodhicitta. This referred to the ultimate nature of the mind, which is empty, luminous, and pure. According to Germano, the Space and Instruction Series are associated with later developments of Dzogchen "which increasingly experimented with re-incorporating tantric contemplative techniques centered on the body and vision, as well as the consequent philosophical shifts his became interwoven with."