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Approaching the Great Perfection

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Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, is the highest meditative practice of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. Approaching the Great Perfection looks at a seminal figure of this lineage, Jigme Lingpa, an eighteenth-century scholar and meditation master whose cycle of teachings, the Longchen Nyingtig, has been handed down through generations as a complete path to enlightenment.

Ten of Jigme Lingpa’s texts are presented here, along with extensive analysis by van Schaik of a core tension within Buddhism: Does enlightenment develop gradually, or does it come all at once? Though these two positions are often portrayed by modern scholars as entrenched polemical views, van Schaik explains that both tendencies are present within each of the Tibetan Buddhist schools. He demonstrates how Jigme Lingpa is a great illustration of this balancing act, using the rhetoric of both sides to propel his students along the path of the Great Perfection. (Source: Wisdom Publications)

Citation	Schaik, Sam van. Approaching the Great Perfection: Simultaneous and Gradual Approaches to Dzogchen Practice in Jigme Lingpa's Longchen Nyingtig. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2004.

Buddha-Nature in the Longchen Nyingtig

Book Excerpt

ContentsSources

• Prefacexi
• List of Abbreviationsxv
• Part I: Introduction1

• Chapter One: Approaches to Enlightenment3
  • The Great Perfection3
  • Simultaneous and Gradual11
• Chapter Two: Jigme Lingpa21
  • The Life and Education of Jigme Lingpa21
  • Jigme Lingpa's Works25
• Chapter Three: The Longchen Nyingtig31
  • 1. Treasure Texts31
  • 2. Revelation, Writing, and Publishing34
  • 3. The Contents of the Longchen Nyingtig40

• Part II: Simultaneous and Gradual49

• Chapter Four: Immanence and Distinction51
  • 1. Key Concepts of the Seminal Heart51
  • 2. Immanence54
  • 3. Distinction56
  • 4. Reconciling Immanence with Distinction: The Buddha Nature63
• Chapter Five: The Simultaneous Approach71
  • 1. Criticism of Causal Practice71
  • 2. Criticism of Inferior Approaches76
  • 3. The Rejection of Stages in Realization91
• Chapter Six: The Gradual Approach93
  • 1. Graduated Practice within the Longchen Nyingtig93
  • 2. Levels of Realization106
• Chapter Seven: Interpretation and Reconciliation115
  • 1. Simultaneous and Gradual Realization: The Levels of Ability115
  • 2. The Manifestation of Enlightenment: The Khyung Bird124
  • Chapter Eight: Conclusions129

• Part III: Translations133

• Technical note on the translations135

• Treasure Texts
  • 1. The Great Perfection Tantra of the Expanse of Samantabhadra's Wisdom
    (YLG)137
  • 2. The Subsequent Tantra of Great Perfection Instruction (GP)148
  • 3. Experiencing the Enlightened Mind of Samantabhadra (KGN)155
  • 4. Distinguishing the Three Essential Points of the
        Great Perfection (NSB)162

• Pure Visions
  • 5. An Aspirational Prayer for the Ground, Path, and Result(ML)167
  • 6. Vajra Verses on the Natural State (DTK)170

• Supporting Texts
  • 7. The White Lotus (PK)173
  • 8. The Words of the Omniscient One (KZL)208
  • 9. The Lion's Roar That Destroys the Deviations of Renunciants
    Meditating on the Seminal Heart (SN)225
  • 10. Seeing Nakedly the Natural State of the Great Perfection (NCT)235

• Part IV: Critical Editions239

• Technical note on the critical editions241
  • 1. rDzogs pa chen po kun tu bzang po ye shes klong gi rgyud243
  • 2. Man ngag rdzogs pa chen po rgyud phyi ma251
  • 3. Kun tu bzang po'i dgongs nyams255
  • 4. rDzogs pa chen po'i gnad gsum shan byed259
  • 5. gZhi lam bras bu'i smon lam261
  • 6. gNas lugs rdo rje tshig rkang263
  • 7. rGyab brten padma dkar po264
  • 8. Kun mkhyen zhal lung288
  • 9. Gol shor tshar gcod sengge ngar ro300
  • 10. rDzogs pa chen po gnas lugs cer mthong307

• Appendix I311
• Appendix II319
• Appendix III321
• Notes325
• Bibliography367
• Index383

1. 'jigs med gling pa. klong chen snying gi thig le las rdzogs pa chen po kun tu bzang po ye shes klong gi rgyud. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 355-368.
2. _____. klong chen snying gi thig le las man ngag rdzogs pa chen po'i rgyud phyi ma. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 369-376.
3. _____. klong chen snying gi thig le las kun tu bzang po'i dgongs nyams. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 377-384.
4. _____. klong chen snying gi thig le las rdzogs pa chen po'i gnad gsum shan 'byed. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 385-388.
5. _____. klong chen snying gi thig le las gzhi lam 'bres bu'i smon lam. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 27-28.
6. _____. gnas lugs rdo rje'i tshig rkang. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 659-662.
7. _____. klong chen snying gi thig le las rdo rje theg pa'i smin grol lam gyi rim pa las 'phro ba'i man ngag gi rgyab brten pad+ma dkar po. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 619-658.
8. _____. rig 'dzin mkha' 'gro dgyes pa'i gsang gtam yid dpyod grub mtha' 'jig pa'i tho lum snying phyung lag mthil bkram pa'i man ngag gsang bdag dga' bo'i thol glu kun mkhyen zhal lung bdud rtsi'i thigs pa. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 663-680.
9. _____. snying tig sgom pa'i bya bral gyi gol shor tshar gcod seng ge'i nga ro. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 681-692.
10. _____. rdzogs pa chen po gnas lugs cer mthong. In gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa, Vol.8. Gangtok: sde dge par khang, 1985: 693-698.

Dzogchen - Dzogchen is an advanced system of meditation techniques to reveal the innate state of perfection primarily, but not exclusively, espoused by the Nyingma Buddhist tradition and the Tibetan Bön tradition. Skt. महासन्धि Tib. རྫོགས་ཆེན།

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Dzogchen - Dzogchen is an advanced system of meditation techniques to reveal the innate state of perfection primarily, but not exclusively, espoused by the Nyingma Buddhist tradition and the Tibetan Bön tradition. Skt. महासन्धि Tib. རྫོགས་ཆེན།

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Nyingma - The Nyingma, which is often described as the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origin to Padmasambhava, who is said to have visited Tibet in the eighth century. Tib. རྙིང་མ་

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tantra - Tantra, when juxtaposed with Sūtra, generally refers to the scriptures and texts which discuss esoteric topics. While the term is used to refer to texts on other topics, it is mostly used to refer to the genre of scriptures and texts on themes and topics associated with Vajrayāna Buddhism. Skt. तन्त्र Tib. རྒྱུད། Ch. 密宗

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