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 DZOGCHEN By Lama Kunzang Rinpoche 
It is now in the present century, that for the first time, the West
is beginning to learn something of the ancient mystical teachings of Tantra Yoga
and nondualist Dzogchen. More and more the term *Dzogchen* is becoming known
amongst various circles of spiritual Seekers of the Truth in Europe and America.
So, what is Dzogchen?
Dzogchen is a tantric teaching concerning the true nature of the human
mind. In the ancient Dzogchen Tantras, or secret treatises, it is revealed how
through meditation and insight one can learn the way of coming to know one's own
true nature. Indeed, Dzogchen in particular shows us that our own true nature or
ultimate identity is neither the body nor the consciousness, but rather, an
immaculate and absolute original Awareness, which in the Tantras is described as
being the Adi-Buddha, the Primordial Absolute itself. Original Awareness - the
very ground of being - is essentially nondual, self-luminous, and imbued with
blissful love. The yogi or yogini who, through the methods of Dzogchen
meditation, awakens to his or her true nature, likewise experiences this
profound state of absolute totality, luminosity and clarity, and boundless love.
To experience that is to make life meaningful. It is to know the ultimate divine
beauty of one's Essence. That knowing is perfect peace.
The purpose of the Dzogchen teacher or guru is to guide the spiritual
seeker towards a recognition of their own ultimate identity as primordial
Awareness and then teach them how to stabilize in the consciousness so that
liberation may unfold naturally. The uniqueness of Dzogchen is the way in which
it brings about a precise experience of the Enlightened state, which is the
direct experience of the Absolute, in this very lifetime.
An important step to understand Dzogchen is to distinguish between the
nature of relative consciousness (called *citta* in Sanskrit), and the
primordially pure, nondual Awareness (known as *vidya*) which is the essence of
mind. As Santideva says in the Bodhicaryavatara: *The Absolute is beyond
consciousness; that which is within the realm of consciousness is called the
relative.* It is this Awareness that the Dzogchen guru introduces to the
seeker, and recognizing that is what is called acquiring the Dzogchen View. As
the great Dzogchen master Patrul Rinpoche used to say:
*The essence of mind, the face of Awareness, is introduced [to the
seeker] at the very instant that conceptual consciousness is transcended.*
To approach the teachings of Dzogchen there are preliminary meditation
practices. Our late teacher Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche emphasized the importance of
these preliminaries when he said: *Without the preliminaries, or foundation
practices, the main practice [of Dzogchen] will not resist deluded thoughts, and
carried away by circumstances the mind will be unstable.* Therefore the Dzogchen
gurus introduce the teachings of Dzogchen step-by-step, normally beginning with
various preliminaries so as to lead devotees into the profound methods of
Buddhist tantra safely and carefully.
The Dzogchen teachings were first introduced to the world, it is said, by
nonhuman beings. The secret science was imparted to the Sage Vimalakirti and
codified in ancient times by King Dza of Uddiyana (in northern Pakistan) in the
form of the Guhyagarbha-tantra. The mysteries of the tantra was passed by the
yogi Kukkuraja to Sri Pramodavajra, the founder of the Dzogchen lineage. Sri
Pramodavajra was a Buddhist monk living in northern Pakistan in the seventh to
eighth century A.D. Becoming fully realized, he taught the Dzogchen teachings to
a famous pandit, the head of Nalanda University in central India, named
Manjusrimitra. The latter was instrumental in copying down Sri Pramodavajra*s
treasured insights and passing them on to later generations. Around the year 775
A.D. a highly enlightened guru of this tradition, known as Lord Padmasambhava,
was invited by Emperor Tri-song Detsan to promulgate his teachings in Tibet.
Deeply impressed by Lord Padmasambhava*s wisdom, the Emperor became his devoted
disciple, and near the end of his life turned his throne over to his son so that
he could spend the remainder of his days in retreat.
A Tibetan princess known as
Yeshe Tsogyal was also one of Padmasambhava*s leading disciples. Through her,
and through other disciples, the precious truths of Dzogchen and of the Holy
Tantras were disseminated in Tibet. The Nyingmapa School has passed these
teachings down to the present. In recent times some of the leading exponents of
this wonderful mystical tradition are or have been Jamyang Khentse Wangpo,
Mipham Namgyal Rinpoche, Patrul Rinpoche, Kontrul Rinpoche of Sechen, His
Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Khenpo Pema Rangdrol, Kunnu Rinpoche, Kyabje
Jatral Rinpoche, and Kyabje Palden Sherab Rinpoche.
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