Dzogchen Series

• Advice for Hor Özer by Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima

Answers to a series of questions on the distinction between ordinary mind (sem) and pure awareness (rigpa), the dissolution of dualistic perception, mindfulness in Dzogchen, the phases of dissolution at death, and how to practise Dzogchen meditation.

• Advice for Palseng by Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima

This short text from Jigme Tenpe Nyima's Dzogchen corpus explains the distinction between the ordinary mind (sem) and pure awareness (rigpa), as well as the ways in which the Great Perfection is superior to other approaches.

• Memorandum on the Subject of Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen Instructions by Dongak Chökyi Gyatso

The author makes a distinction between “instructions that apply more generally” and “teachings that are intended for specific individuals” in order to argue for a gradualist approach that culminates in Mahāmudrā or Dzogchen for all but those of the very sharpest faculties (who are able to proceed to the highest teachings directly).

• Advice for Garje Khamtrul Rinpoche by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Pithy and practical, this advice — composed at the request of Garje Khamtrul Rinpoche, Jamyang Döndrup (1928–2019) — summarizes the key points of the path of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection.

• Advice on Recognizing the Nature of Mind by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Simple advice on investigating the origination, presence and departure (byung gnas 'gro gsum) of thoughts and resting without fabrication or contrivance in order to see the essence of mind.

• An Instruction on the Great Perfection by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

In this short text, written in verse, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö explains (with characteristic humility) the prerequisites and view, meditation and action of Dzogchen, or the Great Perfection.

• Summary of the Key Points of Advice on Trekchö by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Written at the request of Lhasé Sogyal, the king of Yönru in Lithang, this short text covers the key points of Trekchö, from the foundational prerequisites to the unique Dzogchen preliminary of 'demolishing the house of the ordinary mind' and the main meditation practice of Dzogchen itself.

• Vajra Verses on the Natural State revealed by Jigme Lingpa

This revelation, part of the Longchen Nyingtik, describes the pure awareness, or rigpa, that is the "natural state" (gnas lugs) of the mind, and how all the qualities of the path and fruition are complete within it. The text is considered a definitive statement on the topic, eliminating all doubts and need for further clarification.

• A Song of Advice for Gok Zangden by Khenpo Gangshar

A simple Dzogchen instruction written in verse.

• A Song to Introduce the Unmistaken View of the Great Perfection by Khenpo Gangshar

In this short yet powerful song, Khenpo Gangshar Wangpo points out the unmistaken view of the Great Perfection through a series of pithy instructions, which are rich in imagery and direct in tone.

• Verses to Remove Hindrances and Sustain Realization of the Nature of Mind by Khenpo Gangshar

Gangshar Wangpo tells us that he based these verses—which explain how to eliminate obstacles to practice and sustain realization of mind's essential nature—on scripture, the oral instructions of his guru, and his own experience.

• Vomiting Gold: A Pith Instruction in the Form of Advice for the Diligent Practitioner, the Excellent Atsang by Khenpo Gangshar

The famous yogi Khenpo Gangshar Wangpo likens his composition of this short text of advice on renunciation and the practice of maintaining awareness to an old dog suddenly vomiting gold.

• A Liberating Reminder by Khenpo Pema Vajra

In this short instruction in verse, Khenpo Pema Vajra explains the key points of the path in general and of the Great Perfection in particular. His practical advice includes what to do in the intermediate state, or bardo.

• A Lamp to Dispel Darkness by Mipham Rinpoche

Also known as the "instruction that points directly to the very essence of mind in the tradition of ‘the old realized ones’ (rtogs ldan rgan po)", this is a pithy guide to Dzogchen meditation written for 'village yogis' and other practitioners without a background in study. It includes three separate instructions, for: 1) cracking open the egg-shell of ignorance, 2) cutting the web of saṃsāric existence, and 3) remaining in space-like equalness.

• The Essence of Mind by Mipham Rinpoche

In this short text, Mipham Rinpoche attempts—by his own admission—to express the inexpressible. Aware of the challenge and the apparent contradiction, he nevertheless offers various descriptions of mind's ineffable essence "for the sake of those fortunate individuals who seek to penetrate the profound meaning of dharmatā."

• The Essence of Wisdom: How to Sustain the Face of Rigpa by Mipham Rinpoche

In this, one of his most popular Dzogchen instructions, Mipham Rinpoche explains how to go beyond the initial stage of the recognition (ngo shes) of the face of rigpa, or pure awareness, to the subsequent stages of perfecting the strength (rtsal rdzogs) and gaining stability (brtan pa thob).

• The Key Points of Trekchö by Mipham Rinpoche

Written in 1893/4, this brief versified instruction outlines the key points of Trekchö (khregs chod) practice through an explanation of the four ways of leaving things as they are (cog bzhag bzhi).

• The Nature of Mind by Mipham Rinpoche

This short instruction in verse was written in 1876. It explains the nature of mind, which is 'seen', or realised, in an experience that transcends the duality of seeing and seen.

• Advice on the View, Meditation, Action and Fruition by Nyala Pema Dündul

Taken from his collected songs (mgur 'bum) this spontaneous poem offers advice on the practice and its fruition, with Nyala Pema Dündul explaining that his view corresponds to Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, his meditation to Mahāmudrā, and his action to the Vinaya.

• The Pointing-the-Staff Instruction by Nyangral Nyima Özer

One of the better known instructions from the collection known as Responses to Questions, Advice from the Guru's Direct Instructions (bla ma dmar khrid kyi zhal gdams zhus lan skor), which is included in the Precious Treasury of Revelations (rin chen gter mdzod). The text contains simple advice from Guru Padmasambhava for his elderly disciple, Ngok Sherab Gyalpo.

• Advice in a Single Statement (from Khenpo Ngawang Palzang) by Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje

Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche recalls the advice of Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, who managed to encapsulated the Dzogchen practice of Trekchö (khregs chod) in a single pithy instruction.

• Principles of the Dzogchen Practice of Khordé Rushen by Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje

In this short essay, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche explains the theory behind the Dzogchen preliminary practice known as Khordé Rushen ('khor 'das ru shan), or separating the domains of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.

• The Five Wisdoms by Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje

Definitions of the five wisdoms (ye shes lnga), i.e., the wisdom of dharmadhātu, mirror-like wisdom, wisdom of equality, wisdom of discernment and all-accomplishing wisdom, according to the oral tradition of Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, aka Khenpo Ngakchung.

• Advice on How to Put the Meaning of the Natural Great Perfection into Practice by Patrul Rinpoche

This short work in verse offers advice on the natural self-liberation (rang grol) of thoughts and emotions, which Patrul Rinpoche repeatedly identifies as the key to the view, meditation and conduct of the Great Perfection.

• Self-Liberating Meditation: A Profound Method for Attaining Enlightenment according to the Ultimate Great Perfection by Patrul Rinpoche

Sometimes known by its first four syllables as Eko Eko (translated as "Have you heard? Have you heard?") and sometimes as Self-Liberated Wisdom-Mind, this is a comprehensive and popular instruction on Dzogchen meditation. Although the emphasis is on remaining natural and unaltered (machöpa), the text also offers advice on how to integrate and adapt to the various experiences and circumstances a practitioner might face. The style is direct, eloquent and moving.

• A Torch to Illuminate Crucial Points of the Path of Meditation by Tsultrim Zangpo

In this brief instruction, the celebrated Dzogchen master Tulku Tsullo explains how the nature of mind is the nature of everything and reveals the method for settling into an experience of that nature.

• A Brief Presentation of View, Meditation and Action by Yangthang Rinpoche

Yangthang Rinpoche composed these powerful verses on the view, meditation and action of the Great Perfection at the request of his close friend, Lama Tsewang.

• From the Oral Tradition of the Lama of Nyarong by Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol

Yukhok Chatralwa records the pithy advice of the Nyarong Lama, i.e., Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa, on the subject of how to remain in solitary retreat.

• On the Final Words of Orgyen Tendzin Norbu by Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima

An explanation of the final words of the great Dzogchen master Orgyen Tendzin Norbu (1841–1900): "I am Guru Padmākara of Oḍḍiyāna, a buddha free from birth and death. Awakening mind is impartial and unbiased, beyond labels of the eight stages, the four pairs."

• The Precious Jewelled Key: A Synopsis of the Aspiration of the Great Perfection Mañjuśrī by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

An outline of the famous prayer by Mipham Namgyal Gyatso (1846–1912), aspiring to realize the ultimate significance of Mañjuśrī according to the Great Perfection.

• From the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse: The Prayer of the Ground, Path & Fruition by Khenpo Yönten Gyatso

In this brief commentary Gemang Khenpo Yönten Gyatso explains the meaning behind every word of Jigme Lingpa's famous revelation, The Prayer of the Ground, Path and Fruition (gzhi lam 'bras bu'i smon lam).

• Commentary on Vajra Verses on the Natural State by Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol

An explanation of The Vajra Verses on the Natural State, a revelation of Jigme Lingpa, which describes the pure awareness that is the natural state of the mind and how all the qualities of the path and fruition are complete within it.

• Prayer to the Gurus of the Dzogchen Lineage by Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima

Jigme Tenpe Nyima composed this prayer to the gurus of the Dzogchen lineage at the behest of Khenpo Damchö Özer (d. 1927?), one of the so-called 'four great khenpos of Dodrupchen Monastery'.

• A Prayer to Shower Down the Rain of Wisdom by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A prayer to invoke the blessings of five key figures in the Heart Essence (snying thig) tradition of the Great Perfection: Vimalamitra, Melong Dorje, Kumārarāja (Kumaradza), Longchen Rabjam and Jigme Lingpa.

• How to Count the Four Permutations of Actual and Basis by Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima

A discussion of the term for main practice in Tibetan—dngos gzhi which translates literally as 'actual basis'. In response to a question, Jigme Tenpe Nyima clarifies the explanations of the four permutations of 'actual' and 'basis' from Longchenpa's Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle (theg mchog mdzod) and Jigme Lingpa's Yeshe Lama.

• Commentary on Some Terms from the Great Perfection by Dongak Chökyi Gyatso

Brief explanations of some of the most important terms used in the Great Perfection, including primordial purity (ka dag), spontaneous presence (lhun grub), rigpa, Thorough Cut (khregs chod) and Crossover (thod rgal).

• Brief Explanation of Clarification and Transcendental Resolution from the Oral Tradition of Nyala Sogyal by Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol

This brief explanation of the important Dzogchen notions of clarification (shan 'byed) and transcendental resolution (la blza ba) was composed by Tertön Sogyal and recorded in the collected writings of Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol.

• How Liberation and Delusion Develop out of the Clear Light of the Ground, etc. by Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol

In these brief notes, Chöying Rangdrol explains what is meant by the 'youthful vase body', and outlines how liberation occurs in the intermediate state (bardo), and how delusion develops should we fail to recognise the nature of bardo appearances.

• Notes from the Oral Tradition on Ālaya, Ālaya Consciousness, etc. by Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol

These notes discuss the ālaya, or 'ground of all', as well as the ālaya-consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna) and other forms of consciousness from a practical, experiential perspective, rather than a scholastic or theoretical point of view. They drew upon the sayings and explanations of such masters as Adzom Drukpa, Tertön Sogyal and Dudjom Lingpa.

• Dzogchen Aspiration Prayer by Dudjom Rinpoche

Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche composed this four-line prayer of aspiration spontaneously on the occasion of his first teaching of “Hitting the Essence in Three Words” in the West, to an assembly of thirteen students in Paris, 1976.

• A Dzogchen Tögal Prayer by Dzogchen Pema Rigdzin

This short prayer invokes the figures of the Dzogchen lineage from Buddha Samantabhadra onwards, including the peaceful and wrathful deities, calling upon them all to grant their inspiration and blessing, so that the practitioner might perfect the four visions and attain the rainbow body.

• The Prayer of the Ground, Path & Fruition – From the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse by Jigme Lingpa

This famous aspiration to realize the ground, path and fruition of the Great Perfection (rdzogs pa chen po) is part of the Longchen Nyingtik revelation of Jigme Lingpa.

• The Pure Three Kāyas Ablaze in Perfect Splendour: A Prayer Based on the Meaning of the Great Perfection by Longchen Rabjam

This prayer invokes the blessings of all the three-kāya gurus, yidam deities, ḍākinīs and dharmapālas to inspire recognition of the ultimate nature of the Great Perfection (Dzogpachenpo), which Longchenpa describes in evocative detail.

• Self-Radiance of Indestructible Awareness and Emptiness: An Aspiration towards the Meaning of the Indivisible Ground, Path and Fruition of the Great Perfection Mañjuśrī by Mipham Rinpoche

Written using the language of the Great Perfection, this prayer, which Mipham wrote in 1886, is an aspiration to realize the nature of mind — indestructible awareness and emptiness — and the true meaning of Mañjuśrī.

• Prayer to Nyala Pema Dündul by Nyala Pema Dündul

Nyala Pema Dündul composed this prayer to himself at the request of his disciples. It is a plea to receive his inspiration and blessings in order to follow in his footsteps and perfect the practice of Dzogpachenpo.

• The Powerful Prayer of Aspiration from the Tantra of the Great Perfection that Reveals the All-Penetrating Wisdom Mind of Samantabhadra by Rigdzin Gödem

This famous prayer of aspiration of Buddha Samantabhadra (kun bzang smon lam), which is taken from the All-Penetrating Wisdom Mind (dgongs pa zang thal) revelation, is among the most popular texts of the Dzogchen tradition. Its recitation is especially recommended during solar and lunar eclipses, at the solstices and new year, as well as during earthquakes and other environmental anomalies.

• The Song of the Vajra from the Words of the Buddha

This famous vajra song (rdo rje’i glu), named after its initial syllables "ema kiri", appears in the Tantra of the Union of the Sun and Moon (nyi zla kha sbyor). It consists of a series of arranged syllables which a practitioner should intone melodiously. The individual syllables and their arrangement as a mantra are considered particularly sacred since they are said to have been revealed by the primordial buddha Samantabhadra.

• Song of Experiential Certainty by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A spontaneous song or doha expressing confidence in Dzogchen realization, which Jamyang Khyentse tells us he offered to the guru of his own awareness.

• Spontaneously Written Song of Experience by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Spontaneously composed verses on the uniqueness and profundity of the Dzogchen approach, which centres on the recognition of mind's intrinsic awareness.

• In This Pure Awareness by Khenpo Shenga

A song of realization expressing the futility of ordinary, contrived practice from the perspective of naturally perfect, pure awareness.

• Aho Ye: Impressions of an Insightful Experience by Lachung Apo

A poem expressing Dzogchen insights that arose to the author spontaneously when inebriated one evening in 1968.

• The Final Testament of Yukhok Chatralwa as Transmitted to Lama Rigdzin Nyima by Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol

This final testament, which succinctly expresses the view, meditation, action and fruition of the Great Perfection, was transmitted to Lama Rigdzin Nyima (b. 1931).

• Striking the Vital Point in Three Statements