Quintessential Dzogchen: Confusion Dawns as Wisdom

300 Pages·2006·1.26 MB·English

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DZOGCHEN TRILOGY COMPILED BY MARCIA BINDER SCHMIDT • Dzogchen Primer • Dzogchen Essentials •
Quintessential Dzogchen
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Publication Data:
Schmidt, Marcia Binder. Erik Pema Kunsang,
Quintessential Dzogchen: Confusion Dawns as Wisdom.
Introductory Teachings by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche.
eISBN: 978-962-7341-73-4
1. Eastern philosophy—Buddhism. 3. Vajrayana—Dzogchen
(Nyingma).
I. Title.
Cover art detail: oil painting by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
Design: Rafael Ortet
v3.1
Contents
Cover
Rangjung Yeshe Books
Title Page
Copyright
Epigraph
Preface
I T
NTRODUCTORY EACHINGS
A M R M E , Longchen Rabjam
IRROR TO EFLECT THE OST SSENTIAL
D K P , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
ZOGCHEN EY OINTS
T V E , Shakya Shri Jñana
HE ITAL SSENCE
P O B
ART NE • ACKGROUND
1. T W N I I , Vimalamitra
HE RITTEN ARRATION: N NDIA
2. T S V & V , Yeshe Tsogyal
HE TORY OF IMALAMITRA AIROTSANA
3. T H H E D , Padmasambhava
HE ISTORY OF THE EART SSENCE OF THE AKINIS
4. H B , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
ISTORICAL ACKGROUND
5. G M , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
UIDANCE ANUALS
6. S E R S T , Paltrul Rinpoche
ONG OF NCOURAGEMENT TO EAD THE EVEN REASURIES
7. T A A W G O O , Khenpo
HE SPIRATION FOR LL THE RITINGS OF THE REAT MNISCIENT NE
Ngakchung, Ngawang Palzang
8. T D S , Khenpo Ngakchung, Ngawang Palzang
HE ZOGCHEN CRIPTURES
P T T G
ART WO • HE ROUND
9. T P K , Samantabhadra
HE RAYER OF UNTUZANGPO
10. A Y , Padmasambhava & Jamgön Kongtrül
TI OGA
11. T S V M A & E , Jamgön
HE PONTANEOUS AJRA ANIFESTATION OF WARENESS MPTINESS
Mipham Rinpoche
12. T F D G , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
HE OURTH HARMA OF AMPOPA
P T T P
ART HREE • HE ATH
13. P S O M , Padmasambhava
OINTING THE TAFF AT THE LD AN
14. A D T D D , Dudjom Rinpoche
EAR REASURE FOR ESTINED ISCIPLES
15. T P P E A , Shri Singha
EN ROFOUND OINTS OF SSENTIAL DVICE
16. T I , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
HE NHERITANCE
17. T D P , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
HE ZOGCHEN RELIMINARIES
18. S E , Lama Shabkar
ONGS OF XAMINING
19. T D P P , Thrangu Rinpoche
AKING IRECT ERCEPTION AS THE ATH
20. S & V , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
HAMATHA IPASHYANA
21. T A V T , Tsele Natsok Rangdröl
HE CTUAL IEW OF REKCHÖ
22. B N E , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
UDDHA OWHERE LSE
23. T M E P , Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
HE IRROR OF SSENTIAL OINTS
24. T W , Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche
HREE ORDS
25. S , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
PACE
26. F , Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche
AMILIARIZATION
27. A C B M & D , Tsele Natsok Rangdröl
OMPARISON ETWEEN AHAMUDRA ZOGCHEN
28. C M & D , Trulshik Adeu Rinpoche
ORRELATING AHAMUDRA ZOGCHEN
29. M , Tsoknyi Rinpoche
AINTENANCE
30. S C E , Longchen Rabjam
PACE WITHOUT ENTER OR DGE
31. C , Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
ONDUCT
32. E , Tsele Natsok Rangdröl
NHANCEMENT
33. T , Tsele Natsok Rangdröl
ÖGAL
P F T F
ART OUR • HE RUITION
34. T F F , Padmasambhava & Jamgön Kongtrül
HE INAL RUITION
35. S L P , Padmasambhava
IGNS AND EVELS OF ROGRESS
36. S F , Lama Shabkar
ONG OF RUITION
37. F , Tsele Natsok Rangdröl
RUITION
A C
USPICIOUS OMPLETION
B A , Longchen Rabjam
ARDO SPIRATION
Notes
Contributors
Credits
The door of the Great Perfection has been opened by noble beings and the fortune of enjoying its
wealth is within reach of ordinary disciples. It is, by all means, of vital importance to attain
complete liberation through practice to make having met this profound path meaningful.
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche1
Preface
How amazing to be able to connect with the rich, awe-inspiring tradition
of Dzogchen!
How propitious to live in a time when we can meet these instructions and
the lineage masters who propagate them!
How unbelievably fortunate to be able to actually practice and realize the
teachings!
We rejoice in being able to have the opportunity to share some of this
precious wisdom
And aspire that such an undertaking will bring immeasurable benefit!
The teachings in Quintessential Dzogchen fall under the fourth Dharma of
Longchenpa and Gampopa, “confusion dawns as wisdom,” which
involves acknowledging and training in our intrinsic buddha nature.
“When our confusion is purified, the wisdom that is our basic
wakefulness becomes apparent.”2 Once we have been introduced to this
basic wakefulness and have managed—through the combined power of
our devotion and prior training—to recognize it directly and definitively,
then, through training in basic wakefulness (rigpa), we enter the ranks of
true practitioners of the Great Perfection. Looking back, we then realize
that all the previous spiritual practices we were engaged in—though
earnestly undertaken and immensely beneficial as stepping-stones—were
based on only a theoretical understanding.
To enter the Vajrayana path, we need to mature our being through
empowerments. The essentials for practice are the ripening
empowerments, the liberating instructions, and the supportive reading
transmissions. If we start practice without ripening our body, speech,
and mind through receiving empowerments, the blessings will not enter
our stream-of-being. The four empowerments are the vase
empowerment, the secret empowerment, the knowledge empowerment,
and the word empowerment. Quintessential Dzogchen covers the section
of the Dzogchen path that is connected with the fourth empowerment:
the precious word empowerment.
On the Dzogchen path, we practice in close association with and under
the guidance of a genuine lineage holder of this tradition. Such a teacher
must possess the ripening empowerments, reading transmissions, and
liberating instructions, as well as accomplishment in these practices. For
the blessings of realization to arise within our own experience, our
master needs to be authentic and qualified. Quintessential Dzogchen is
offered as a handbook of teachings to request from such masters, as well
as an encouragement in carrying them out by providing source materials
for practitioners to use when seeking pith instructions.
As was done with the previous books in this series (The Dzogchen
Primer and Dzogchen Essentials), the teachings in Quintessential Dzogchen
are arranged in the sequence used in Padmasambhava’s and Jamgön
Kongtrül’s Light of Wisdom: an explanation of the ground and how
sentient beings become deluded, ways to practice the path, and how the
final fruition is accomplished. This structure is designed to assist
practitioners in carrying out these practices in a traditional order.
To help engender confidence in your practice, we begin with three
introductory teachings to give an overview of the entire path. We
continue with the historical background as well as sources of the
Dzogchen teachings. It is crucial to take the support of genuine texts
when doing these practices. As Tulku Thondup says, “It is extremely
important to rely on authentic scriptures such as the tantras and the
writings of Longchen Rabjam as the basis and to have the teacher’s
instructions as the keys. But some people rely on the oral instructions
from a teacher and do not know anything about scriptures, the source of
the teachings. In addition to conveying the blessings of the lineal
Buddhas, Vidyadharas and masters, these scriptures contain various
levels and means of practice in both detailed and condensed forms.”3
The importance of this is underscored in the biography of Khenpo
Ngakchung, one of the greatest Dzogchen khenpos of recent times, when
his teacher, Nyoshul Lungtok, told him, “From now on refine your own
mind with the meaning of the Seven Treasuries of Longchenpa as well as
The Mother and Son Heart Essences. There are people who just listen to
the words of an old lama and put the Seven Treasuries and Four Volumes