Samding Dorje Phagmo
112-590: Dzogchen ( Tibetan : རྫོགས་ཆེན་ , Wylie : rdzogs chen 'Great Completion' or 'Great Perfection'), also known as atiyoga ( utmost yoga ), 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 knowledge of this basis; this knowledge is called rigpa ( Sanskrit : vidyā ). There are spiritual practices taught in various Dzogchen systems for awakening rigpa . Dzogchen emerged during
224-600: A guru or lama who introduces one to our own primordial state and provides instruction on how to practice. This "direct introduction" and transmission from a Dzogchen master is considered absolutely essential. The Dzogchen tradition contains numerous systems of practices, including various forms of meditation, tantric yogas and unique Dzogchen methods. The earliest form of Dzogchen practice (the Semde , "Mind" series) generally emphasized non-symbolic "formless" practices (as opposed to tantric deity yoga ). Later developments led to
336-435: A mirage or a rainbow . This method undermines habitual grasping to a solid and fixed reality (i.e. to inherent existence, svabhava ), enabling the practitioner to purify spiritual obscurations ( klesha ). In the generation stage, the practitioner may visualize the "Four Purities," which is unique to tantric yoga: According to the 14th Dalai Lama, there are two main factors in deity yoga practice: Pride in oneself as
448-468: A vajra , bell, hand-drum ( damaru ) or a ritual dagger ( phurba ), but also ritual hand gestures ( mudras ) can be made, special chanting techniques can be used, and in elaborate offering rituals or initiations, many more ritual implements and tools are used, each with an elaborate symbolic meaning to create a special environment for practice. Vajrayana has thus become a major inspiration in traditional Tibetan art . Samding Dorje Phagmo Deity yoga
560-496: 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 (Samantabhadra, Kuntu Zangpo )", there is nothing to do but to recognize this inherent awakened mind, relax and let go. During the Tibetan renaissance era (10th century to
672-429: A degree of spiritual risk. To practice this, one must first meditate on emptiness and establish the view realizing emptiness (or at least a similitude of emptiness). Then one imagines the deity arising (often out of bright seed syllables resting on a moon disc or a lotus) and repeats the deity's mantra (which can be done orally or mentally). During deity yoga, one may also perform various mudras (hand seals) depending on
784-480: A deity and vivid appearance of that deity. Divine pride protects one from the pride of being ordinary, and divine vivid appearance protects one from ordinary appearances. Whatever appears to the senses is viewed as the sport of a deity; for instance, whatever forms are seen are viewed as the emanations of a deity and whatever sounds are heard are viewed as the mantras of a deity. One is thereby protected from ordinary appearances, and through this transformation of attitude,
896-707: A direct path to realizing the innate wisdom and compassion of the mind. Dzogchen arose in the era of the first dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet (7th to 9th centuries CE) during the Tibetan Empire and continued during the Era of Fragmentation (9th to 11th centuries). American Tibetologist David Germano argues that Dzogchen is likely a Tibetan Buddhist development. However, numerous ideas key to Dzogchen (like emptiness and luminosity ) can be found in Indian sources, like
1008-595: A direct understanding of the pure nature of the mind. Practice involves meditation techniques and specific Dzogchen methods. Conduct means integrating these practices into daily life. The Fruit represents the ultimate goal – realizing one's true nature and achieving Buddhahood. This involves discovering the inherent state of the base and integrating all experiences with one's awareness of it. Ultimately, it leads to complete non-dual awareness, transcending egoic limitations, and dissolving dualities. A key concept in Dzogchen
1120-401: A focus on death-motifs and practices (such as funerary and relic rituals, bardo teachings, phowa , etc). These new methods and teachings were part of several new traditions such as the "Secret Cycle" ( gsang skor ), "Ultra Pith" ( yang tig ), "Brahmin's tradition" ( bram ze'i lugs ), the " Space Class Series," and especially the "Instruction Class series" ( Menngagde ), which culminated in
1232-399: A major Dzogchen tantra , explains the term Dzog (Perfection) as follows: Because rigpa is perfect wisdom in the realm beyond effort, it is perfection. Because meditation is perfect stainless wisdom in the realm beyond concepts, it is perfection. Because behavior is perfect universal wisdom in the realm beyond correction, it is perfection. Because view is perfect non-conceptual wisdom in
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#17327723071051344-663: A separate vehicle to liberation in the Nyingma tradition, the term was used synonymously with the Sanskrit term ati yoga (primordial yoga). Rigpa (Sanskrit: vidyā , "knowledge") is a central concept in Dzogchen. According to Ācārya Malcolm Smith: A text from the Heart Essence of Vimalamitra called the Lamp Summarizing Vidyā ( Rig pa bsdus pa’i sgronma ) defines vidyā in the following way: "...vidyā
1456-458: A space. Spaces are not used to divide words. The Tibetan alphabet has thirty basic letters, sometimes known as "radicals", for consonants. As in other Indic scripts , each consonant letter assumes an inherent vowel ; in the Tibetan script it is /a/. The letter ཨ is also the base for dependent vowel marks. Although some Tibetan dialects are tonal , the language had no tone at the time of
1568-401: A subtle body psycho-physiology that is not found in the lower tantras. The practice of deity yoga relies on the development of meditative absorption ( dhyana ). Mipham states that "the meaning ascertained by the view of great purity and equality can only be applied correctly to one's own being once the strength of meditative absorption has been perfected. For this reason, meditative absorption
1680-432: A technical term employed within the Dzogchen lineages for a particular lineage of empowerment propagated by Jigme Lingpa . This empowerment consists of the direct introduction of the student to the intrinsic nature of their own mind-essence, rigpa , by their empowering master. In Dzogchen tradition, pointing-out instruction ( Tibetan : ངོ་སྤྲོད་ཀྱི་གདམས་པ་ , Wylie : ngo sprod kyi gdams pa , THL : ngo-trö kyi dam-pa )
1792-496: A written tradition. Amdo Tibetan was one of a few examples where Buddhist practitioners initiated a spelling reform. A spelling reform of the Ladakhi language was controversial in part because it was first initiated by Christian missionaries. In the Tibetan script, the syllables are written from left to right. Syllables are separated by a tsek (་); since many Tibetan words are monosyllabic, this mark often functions almost as
1904-433: Is deity yoga ( devatayoga ), meditation on a chosen deity or "cherished divinity" (Skt. Iṣṭa-devatā, Tib. yidam ), which involves the recitation of mantras, prayers and visualization of the deity, the associated mandala of the deity's Buddha field , along with consorts and attendant Buddhas and bodhisattvas. According to the Tibetan scholar Tsongkhapa , deity yoga is what separates Tantra from Sutra practice. In
2016-410: Is above most other consonants, thus རྐ rka. However, an exception to this is the cluster རྙ /ɲa/. Similarly, the consonants ར /ra/, and ཡ /ja/ change form when they are beneath other consonants, thus ཀྲ /ʈ ~ ʈʂa/; ཀྱ /ca/. Besides being written as subscripts and superscripts, some consonants can also be placed in prescript, postscript, or post-postscript positions. For instance,
2128-613: Is also referred to as "pointing out the nature of mind" ( Tibetan : སེམས་ཀྱི་ངོ་སྤྲོད་ , Wylie : sems kyi ngo sprod , THL : sem kyi ngo-trö ), "pointing out transmission", or "introduction to the nature of mind". The pointing-out instruction ( ngo sprod ) is an introduction to the nature of mind . There are three major divisions of the Dzogchen path, known as the "Three Dharmas of the Path." These are tawa , gompa , and chöpa . Namkhai Norbu translates these three terms as 'view,' 'practice,' and 'conduct.' Garab Dorje (c. 665) epitomized
2240-449: Is also the practice of cultivating calm abiding by focusing on a subtle object, such as a tiny vajra the size of a sesame seed placed at some point in the body, such as the tip of the nose. The ultimate purpose of deity yoga is to bring the yogi to the realization that they and the deity are in essence the same (i.e. empty), i.e. that they are non-dual ( advaya ). This is done through repeated practice which leads to familiarization with
2352-500: Is based on compassion for others and on an understanding of emptiness. Following mastery of the "generation stage," one practices the "perfection" or "completion" stage. The Indian commentator Buddhaguhya ( c. 700 CE), in his commentary on the Mahavairocana Tantra , outlines the "perfection stage" practices thus: First you should actualize all the four branches of recitation for a while as before, and then analyze
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#17327723071052464-666: Is designed as a simple means for inputting Dzongkha text on computers. This keyboard layout was standardized by the Dzongkha Development Commission (DDC) and the Department of Information Technology (DIT) of the Royal Government of Bhutan in 2000. It was updated in 2009 to accommodate additional characters added to the Unicode & ISO 10646 standards since the initial version. Since
2576-496: Is explaining how ignorance arises from the basis or dharmatā , which is associated with ye shes or pristine consciousness. Automatically arising unawareness ( lhan skyes ma rig pa ) exists because the basis has a natural cognitive potentiality which gives rise to appearances. This is the ground for saṁsāra and nirvāṇa . The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva ( Dorje Sempa Nyinggi Melong , rdo rje sems dpa' snying gi me long ),
2688-513: Is extremely important. It is the primary cause for accomplishing activity and spiritual attainments, both of which require awareness and stability." According to Mipham, the progression of the practice of calm abiding ( samatha ) based on deity yoga can be measured in the same way it is measured in sutra teachings (that is, through the nine ways of resting the mind and so on). There are various systems of practice based on different tantras. Kongtrül outlines various three branch yoga frameworks (from
2800-421: Is inner tantra." Powerful imagery which uses death, violence and charnel ground motifs is also common. Thus, Longchenpa distinguishes between the pure environments and ritual tools that are visualized in outer tantra (such as celestial palaces and precious jewels), and impure inner tantra environments and tools (such as charnel grounds, skull cups , and ritual knives ). Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra also makes use of
2912-444: Is knowing, clear, and unchanging" In Sanskrit, the term vidyā and all its cognates imply consciousness, knowing, knowledge, science, intelligence, and so on. Simply put, vidyā means unconfused knowledge of the basis that is its own state. Ma rigpa ( avidyā ) 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
3024-418: Is like a dream, in order to abandon this mistake, all appearances of objects that are blue and yellow and so on are abandoned or destroyed ( parihṛ- ); then, the appearance of the world ( viśvapratibhāsa ) that is ascertained to be oneself ( ātmaniścitta ) is seen to be like the stainless sky on an autumn day at noon: appearanceless, unending sheer luminosity. This dissolution into emptiness is then followed by
3136-585: Is often explained through three "liberations" or capacities of a Dzogchen practitioner: Advanced Dzogchen practitioners are also said to sometimes manifest supranormal knowledge (Skt. abhijñā, Tib. mngon shes ), such as clairvoyance and telepathy . Tibetan script The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system, or abugida , derived from Brahmic scripts and Gupta script , and used to write certain Tibetic languages , including Tibetan , Dzongkha , Sikkimese , Ladakhi , Jirel and Balti . It
3248-528: Is simply read as it usually is and has no effect on the pronunciation of the consonant to which it is subjoined, for example ཀ་ཝ་ཟུར་ཀྭ (IPA: /ka.wa.suː.ka/). The vowels used in the alphabet are ཨ /a/, ཨི /i/, ཨུ /u/, ཨེ /e/, and ཨོ /o/. While the vowel /a/ is included in each consonant, the other vowels are indicated by marks; thus ཀ /ka/, ཀི /ki/, ཀུ /ku/, ཀེ /ke/, ཀོ /ko/. The vowels ཨི /i/, ཨེ /e/, and ཨོ /o/ are placed above consonants as diacritics, while
3360-560: Is solely for the consonants ད /tʰa/ and ས /sa/. The head ( མགོ in Tibetan, Wylie: mgo ) letter, or superscript, position above a radical is reserved for the consonants ར /ra/, ལ /la/, and ས /sa/. The subscript position under a radical can only be occupied by the consonants ཡ /ja/, ར /ra/, ལ /la/, and ཝ /wa/. In this position they are described as བཏགས (Wylie: btags , IPA: /taʔ/), in Tibetan meaning "hung on/affixed/appended", for example བ་ཡ་བཏགས་བྱ (IPA: /pʰa.ja.taʔ.t͡ʃʰa/), except for ཝ , which
3472-561: Is the "base", "ground", or "primordial state" (Tibetan: gzhi , Sanskrit: āśraya ), also called the general ground ( spyi gzhi ) or the original ground ( gdod ma'i gzhi ). The basis is the original state "before realization produced buddha s and nonrealization produced sentient beings". It is atemporal and unchanging and yet it is "noetically potent", giving rise to mind ( sems, Skt. citta ), consciousness ( shes pa, Skt. vijñāna ), delusion ( ma rig pa, Skt. avidyā ) and knowledge ( rigpa , Skt. vidyā ). Furthermore, Hatchell notes that
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3584-462: Is the central practice of Buddhist Tantra. In the three lower or "outer" tantras (Action, Performance and Yoga), Deity yoga practice is often divided into "the yoga with signs," and "the yoga without signs." Deity yoga engages creative visualization as a skillful means of personal transformation through which the practitioner ( sadhaka ) visualizes a chosen deity ( yidam ) as part of a mandala or refuge tree in order transform their experience of
3696-415: Is the end of space. Space is infinite in all directions; so is dharmakaya. Dharmakaya is all-pervasive and totally infinite, beyond any confines or limitations. This is so for the dharmakaya of all buddhas. There is no individual dharmakaya for each buddha, as there is no individual space for each country. The Dzogchen View of the secret instruction series ( man ngag sde ) is classically explained through
3808-672: Is the first phase of tantric deity yoga in the Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra of the later schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It also equates to the Mahayoga of the Nyingma school. Kongtrül states that this phase is associated with the body and the birth process (while the Completion phase is associated with the mind and with dissolution at death). The Nyingma scholar Ju Mipham defines the generation stage as follows: "accessing
3920-509: Is the union of the two truths in Mantra—one consciousness appearing in the form of divine body or speech and simultaneously realizing emptiness." According to the Indian master Buddhaguhya , there are three techniques which may be used to settle the mind on emptiness in the yoga without signs: The generation stage or creation phase (Tib. bskyed rim ; Skt. utpatti-krama ), also known as "the phase of imagination" and "the yoga of fabrications"
4032-578: Is used across the Himalayas and Tibet . The script is closely linked to a broad ethnic Tibetan identity, spanning across areas in India , Nepal , Bhutan and Tibet. The Tibetan script is of Brahmic origin from the Gupta script and is ancestral to scripts such as Lepcha , Marchen and the multilingual ʼPhags-pa script , and is also closely related to Meitei . According to Tibetan historiography,
4144-546: The bar-do thos-grol ), Rigdzin Gödem (1337–1409), Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798), who revealed the influential Longchen Nyingthig and Dudjom Lingpa (1835–1904). Dzogchen is composed of two terms: According to the fourteenth Dalai Lama , the term dzogchen may be a rendering of the Sanskrit term mahāsandhi . The term initially referred to the "highest perfection" of Vajrayāna deity yoga . Specifically, it refers to
4256-486: The bardo (intermediate state between death and rebirth ). In trekchö, one first identifies the innate pure awareness, and then sustains recognition of it in all activities. In tögal ("crossing over"), a yogi works with various gazes and postures which lead to various forms of visions (in dark retreat or through sky gazing ). The most comprehensive study of sky-gazing meditation, known as tögal or thod rgal , has been written by Flavio A. Geisshuesler. Although
4368-524: 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
4480-898: The Latin script . Multiple Romanization and transliteration systems have been created in recent years, but do not fully represent the true phonetic sound. While the Wylie transliteration system is widely used to Romanize Standard Tibetan , others include the Library of Congress system and the IPA-based transliteration (Jacques 2012). Below is a table with Tibetan letters and different Romanization and transliteration system for each letter, listed below systems are: Wylie transliteration (W), Tibetan pinyin (TP), Dzongkha phonetic (DP), ALA-LC Romanization (A) and THL Simplified Phonetic Transcription (THL). The first version of Microsoft Windows to support
4592-653: The Six Dharmas of Naropa and the Six Yogas of Kalachakra make use of energetic schemas of human psycho-physiology composed of "energy channels" (Skt. nadi , Tib. rtsa ), "winds" or currents (Skt. vayu , Tib. rlung ), "drops" or charged particles (Skt. bindu , Tib. thig le ) and chakras ("wheels"). These subtle energies are seen as "mounts" for consciousness, the physical component of awareness. They are engaged by various means such as pranayama (breath control) to produce blissful experiences that are then applied to
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4704-564: The Vajramālā Tantra, Mahamaya, etc ), various four branch frameworks (which can be found in tantras like the Net of Magical Manifestation and the Guhyasamaja ), a six branch framework, an eight branch framework and a twelve branch framework ( Kalacakra ). An example of one of these contemplative sequences is that of the Vajramālā Tantra (Vajra Garland), which is as follows: Regarding
4816-575: The eleven vajra topics . These can be found in the String of Pearls Tantra ( Mu tig phreng ba ), the Great Commentary by Vimalamitra as well as in Longchenpa 's Treasury of Word and Meaning ( Tsik Dön Dzö). Dzogchen practice ( gompa ) relies on the Dzogchen view which is a "direct, non-dual, non-conceptual knowledge" of the pure nature. This is achieved through one's relationship with
4928-569: The "Eighteen Great Scriptures", which are today known as the "Mind Series" ( Semdé ) and are attributed to Indian masters like Śrī Siṅgha , Vairotsana and Vimalamitra . The later Semdé compilation tantra titled the All-Creating King ( Kunjed Gyalpo , kun byed rgyal po) 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
5040-508: The "Seminal Heart" ( Tibetan : སྙིང་ཐིག་ , Wylie : snying thig ). Dzogchen is classified into three series: the Semdé (Mind Series, Tibetan : སེམས་སྡེ་ , Wylie : sems sde ), Longdé (Space Series, Tibetan : ཀློང་སྡེ་ , Wylie : klong sde ), and Menngaggidé (Instruction Series, Tibetan : མན་ངག་གི་སྡེ་ , Wylie : man ngag gi sde ). The Dzogchen path comprises the Base, the Path, and
5152-413: The "Seminal Heart" ( snying thig ), which emerged in the late 11th and early 12th century. The most influential texts in this period are Seventeen Tantras ( rgyud bcu bdun ). The most important scholarly figure in the systematization of these new traditions was Longchenpa Rabjampa (1308–1364). Later figures who also revealed important treasure text cycles include Karma Lingpa , (1326–1386, who revealed
5264-410: The "expanse" or "space" ( klong or dbyings ) or the "expanse of Dharma" ( chos dbyings , Sanskrit: Dharmadhatu ). The term Dharmakaya (Dharma body) is also often associated with these terms in Dzogchen, as explained by Tulku Urgyen : Dharmakaya is like space. You cannot say there is any limit to space in any direction. No matter how far you go, you never reach a point where space stops and that
5376-420: The (essentialist) categories of substance and quality; [...] rang-bzhin (actuality) remains open-dimensional, rather than being or turning into a rigid essence despite its being what it is; and that thugs-rje (resonance) is an atemporal sensitivity and response, rather than a distinct and narrowly circumscribed operation. The 19th–20th-century Tibetan Buddhist scholar, Shechen Gyaltsap Gyurme Pema Namgyal, sees
5488-518: The 9th-century spoken Tibetan, and current pronunciation. This divergence is the basis of an argument in favour of spelling reform , to write Tibetan as it is pronounced ; for example, writing Kagyu instead of Bka'-rgyud . The nomadic Amdo Tibetan and the western dialects of the Ladakhi language , as well as the Balti language , come very close to the Old Tibetan spellings. Despite that,
5600-494: The Buddha-nature as ultimate truth, nirvana, which is constituted of profundity, primordial peace and radiance: Buddha-nature is immaculate. It is profound, serene, unfabricated suchness, an uncompounded expanse of luminosity; nonarising, unceasing, primordial peace, spontaneously present nirvana. Direct introduction is called the "Empowerment of Awareness" ( Wylie : rig pa'i rtsal dbang , pronounced "rigpay sall wahng"),
5712-708: The Dzogchen teaching in three principles, known as "Striking the Vital Point in Three Statements" ( Tsik Sum Né Dek ), said to be his last words. They give in short the development a student has to undergo: Garab Dorje's three statements were integrated into the Nyingthig traditions, the most popular of which in the Longchen Nyingthig by Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798). The statements are: Nyingma Dzogchen texts use unique terminology to describe
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#17327723071055824-593: The Dzogchen tradition portrays ultimate reality as something which is "beyond the concepts of one and many." According to the Dzogchen-teachings, the Ground or Buddha-nature has three qualities: Herbert V. Guenther points out that this Ground is both a static potential and a dynamic unfolding. They give a process-orientated translation, to avoid any essentialist associations, since ngo-bo (facticity) has nothing to do with nor can even be reduced to
5936-435: The Dzogchen view (Tib. tawa ). Some of these terms deal with the different elements and features of the mind and are drawn from classic Buddhist thought. The generic term for consciousness is shes pa ( Skt. vijñāna ), and includes the six sense consciousnesses. Worldly , impure and dualistic forms of consciousness are generally referred to with terms such as sems ( citta, mind), yid ( mānas ) and blo ( buddhi ). On
6048-486: The Fruit. The Base represents the original state of existence, characterized by emptiness ( stong pa nyid ), clarity ( lhun grub , associated with luminous clarity ), and compassionate energy ( snying rje ). 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
6160-484: 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 (with the exception of a few masters like Namkhai Norbu ). According to Namkhai Norbu ,
6272-482: The King which were afterward translated. In the first half of the 7th century, the Tibetan script was used for the codification of these sacred Buddhist texts, for written civil laws, and for a Tibetan Constitution. A contemporary academic suggests that the script was instead developed in the second half of the 11th century. New research and writings also suggest that there were one or more Tibetan scripts in use prior to
6384-581: The Seminal Heart movements" which focused on meditations based on tantric understandings of bodhicitta ( byang chub kyi sems ). This referred to the ultimate nature of the mind, which is empty ( stong pa ), luminous (' od gsal ba ), and pure. According to Germano, the Space and Instruction Series are associated with later (historical) developments of Dzogchen "which increasingly experimented with re-incorporating tantric contemplative techniques centered on
6496-732: The Tibetan keyboard layout is MS Windows Vista . The layout has been available in Linux since September 2007. In Ubuntu 12.04, one can install Tibetan language support through Dash / Language Support / Install/Remove Languages, the input method can be turned on from Dash / Keyboard Layout, adding Tibetan keyboard layout. The layout applies the similar layout as in Microsoft Windows. Mac OS -X introduced Tibetan Unicode support with OS-X version 10.5 and later, now with three different keyboard layouts available: Tibetan-Wylie, Tibetan QWERTY and Tibetan-Otani. The Dzongkha keyboard layout scheme
6608-490: The Tibetan script was developed during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo by his minister Thonmi Sambhota , who was sent to India with 16 other students to study Buddhism along with Sanskrit and written languages. They developed the Tibetan script from the Gupta script while at the Pabonka Hermitage . This occurred c. 620 , towards the beginning of the king's reign. There were 21 Sutra texts held by
6720-573: The Unsurpassed Yoga Tantras, the most widespread tantric form in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, this method is divided into two stages, the generation stage ( utpatti-krama ) and the completion stage ( nispanna-krama ). In the generation stage, one dissolves one's reality into emptiness and meditates on the deity-mandala, resulting in identification with this divine reality. In the completion stage, the divine image along with
6832-414: The ability to rest in the vivid appearance of the deity, one may practice the yoga without signs. This is the final meditative concentration of deity yoga in the lower tantras (Action, Performance and Yoga tantra). Though the main focus is on emptiness, one still maintains the deity visualization (except in the direct cognition of emptiness). This yoga is a union of calm abiding and special insight focused on
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#17327723071056944-485: The actual practice of yoga, there are some preliminary practices which are sometimes performed before sitting to meditate, such as giving sacrificial food offerings to appease non-human obstructive beings, visualizing a circle of protection to ward off adverse conditions, and meditating on bodhicitta (through practices such as the Seven Branch Prayer) as well as meditating on pristine awareness/emptiness which
7056-403: The appearance aspect of reality. As the 14th Dalai Lama says, "In brief, the body of a Buddha is attained through meditating on it." Here, "signs" or "supports" refers to ritual acts, visualized images, mantras, and mudras. There are two main forms of deity yoga visualization: front and self generation. "Front-generation" is when the deity is visualized in the space in front of oneself. First,
7168-509: The arrangement of keys essentially follows the usual order of the Dzongkha and Tibetan alphabet, the layout can be quickly learned by anyone familiar with this alphabet. Subjoined (combining) consonants are entered using the Shift key. The Dzongkha (dz) keyboard layout is included in Microsoft Windows, Android, and most distributions of Linux as part of XFree86 . Tibetan was originally one of
7280-407: The basic Tibetan alphabet to represent different sounds. In addition to the use of supplementary graphemes, the rules for constructing consonant clusters are amended, allowing any character to occupy the superscript or subscript position, negating the need for the prescript and postscript positions. Romanization and transliteration of the Tibetan script is the representation of the Tibetan script in
7392-565: The body and vision, as well as the consequent philosophical shifts his became interwoven with." In Dzogchen, there are three central aspects: the Base , the Path and the Fruit . The Base represents the original, unchanging state of existence, characterized by emptiness, clarity, and compassionate energy. The Path comprises three key elements: view, practice, and conduct. The view focuses on gaining
7504-418: The consonants ག /kʰa/, ད /tʰa/, བ /pʰa/, མ /ma/ and འ /a/ can be used in the prescript position to the left of other radicals, while the position after a radical (the postscript position), can be held by the ten consonants ག /kʰa/, ན /na/, བ /pʰa/, ད /tʰa/, མ /ma/, འ /a/, ར /ra/, ང /ŋa/, ས /sa/, and ལ /la/. The third position, the post-postscript position
7616-441: The deity (face, hand, etc.) and correct their appearance. Another method is that of stabilizing the mind by holding the breath and making an effort to focus on the image. Then one relaxes on the exhale. One may take breaks from the visualization by just reciting mantra. Regarding the recitation of mantra during the visualization process, there are many ways it can be done, such as: In Yoga Tantra and Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra, there
7728-440: The deity's heart). Mudras (hand seals) may also be included. One may also cultivate the four immeasurables . One also meditates on the emptiness of the deity's form. This approach is considered less advanced and thus it is safer. Front generation as a main practice is more common in the lower tantras. "Self-generation" is the practice in which one imagines oneself as the deity. This is held to be more advanced and accompanied by
7840-551: The deity's residence may be visualized and then the deity is invited to come, which is imagined as appearing in front of the meditator. Sometimes the deity is imagined as just a moon disk, or the seed syllable of the deity, at other times, the full form of the deity may be visualized. Then the yogi takes refuge, generates bodhicitta, offers prayers, praises, and offerings like water and food (real or imagined), confesses their misdeeds, takes vows and so forth. Then one may meditate by reciting mantras (while focusing on visualized letters at
7952-414: The deity, such as statues ( murti ), paintings ( thangka ), or mandala , are often employed as an aid to visualization , in deity yoga. The use of visual aids, particularly microcosmic/macrocosmic diagrams, known as " mandalas ", is another unique feature of Buddhist Tantra. Mandalas are symbolic depictions of the sacred space of the awakened Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as well as of the inner workings of
8064-537: The dissolution of dualities. Dzogchen practitioners aim for self-liberation ( Tibetan : རང་གྲོལ་ , Wylie : rang grol ), 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
8176-464: The divine pride of deity yoga does not lead to attachment, greed, and other afflictions." According to Gyatrul Rinpoche , the point of this practice is to "understand your buddha nature , which is the very essence of your being" and is "intrinsically present" in all beings. The fact that the deity is a reflection of qualities already inherent in the practitioner is what makes this practice different from mere deluded or wishful thinking. Once one has
8288-604: The early 12th century) 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 ( terma ) that were discovered by "treasure revealers" ( tertons ). These tantric elements included subtle body practices, visionary practices like dark retreat , and
8400-432: The empty nature of the images and sounds. It is a meditative stabilization which realizes the emptiness of body and mind. Its object is the emptiness of persons and phenomena as it applies to the deity's body and the pure Buddha bodies, vajras, mantra letters, and lotuses of the mandala. According to the 14th Dalai Lama, "although the sounds and so forth may appear, the mind is ascertaining or realizing only emptiness. This
8512-568: 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
8624-461: The form of a turban-like headdress—that allows the religious practitioner to gain access to the source of vitality located in the heavens. Both the head and the headdress have deep resonances with animals—particularly deer and sheep—which are central for the sky-gazing practice because of their ability to ascend and descend vertically to move in between various realms of existence. Norbu notes that "Tantric practices may be used as secondary practices by
8736-415: The form, deeds and thoughts of a Buddha. Tsongkhapa states: Just as the suchness of oneself is ultimately free from all [conceptual and dualistic] proliferations, so is the suchness of the deity. Therefore, create the pride of the sameness of oneself and the deity in terms of nonconceptual perception of the undifferentiability of those two, like a mixture of water and milk. Concentrate without appearance [of
8848-487: The fruit or result of practice are non-dual from the ultimate perspective, in Dzogchen understands the path as not separate from the result or fruit of the path (i.e. Buddhahood ). Once a Dzogchen practitioner has recognized their true nature (and "do not remain in doubt" regarding this), the path consists of the integration ( sewa ) of all experiences in their life with the state of rigpa. All these experiences are self-liberated through this integration or mixing. This process
8960-539: The grammar of these dialectical varieties has considerably changed. To write the modern varieties according to the orthography and grammar of Classical Tibetan would be similar to writing Italian according to Latin orthography, or to writing Hindi according to Sanskrit orthogrophy. However, modern Buddhist practitioners in the Indian subcontinent state that the classical orthography should not be altered even when used for lay purposes. This became an obstacle for many modern Tibetic languages wishing to modernize or to introduce
9072-592: The human person. The macrocosmic symbolism of the mandala then, also represents the forces of the human body. The explanatory tantra of the Guhyasamaja tantra , the Vajramala , states: "The body becomes a palace, the hallowed basis of all the Buddhas." All ritual in Vajrayana practice can be seen as aiding in this process of visualization and identification. The practitioner can use various hand implements such as
9184-452: The introduction of the script by Songtsen Gampo and Thonmi Sambhota . The incomplete Dunhuang manuscripts are their key evidence for their hypothesis, while the few discovered and recorded Old Tibetan Annals manuscripts date from 650 and therefore post-date the c. 620 date of development of the original Tibetan script. Three orthographic standardisations were developed. The most important, an official orthography aimed to facilitate
9296-506: The literature of the Instruction Series (c. 11th century onwards) 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 (Skt. śūnyatā, T. stong-pa nyid ). Finally,
9408-424: The lower tantras. One of the main differences between deity yoga in Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra and in the lower tantras is the fierce and sexual appearances of the deities used in Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra. It is also common for these deities to be depicted in sexual union. Thus, Longchenpa categorically states: "No matter how many deities are involved, if they are not in union, it is outer tantra. If they are in union, it
9520-505: The main Dzogchen practices becoming more infused with various preliminary and tantric methods like deity yoga, semdzin (holding the mind), rushen (separating samsara and nirvana), and vipasyana ( lhagthong ), which are all seen as skillful means to achieve the basic state of contemplation of the primordially pure state. The key Dzogchen meditation methods, which are unique to the tradition are trekchö ("cutting tension") and tögal , along with unique Dzogchen teachings on awakening in
9632-432: The mandala. In some sadhanas, one also visualizes one's body as the mandala, filled with deities. Front and self generation are often actually combined with each other in a single practice. For example, one may first perform front visualization, and then self visualization. Then one may have the front visualized deity merge with oneself as deity. To improve one's visualization, one may systematically focus on each part of
9744-526: The manifestation of the created ( parikalpita ) colour, shape, and so on, of your tutelary deity who is identical to yourself, breaking them down into atoms. Or it is also acceptable to do this by way of the reasoning that is unborn and unarising from the very beginning, or similarly by way of the technique of drawing-in the vital energy ( prana ) through the yoga of turning your mind inside, or by way of not focusing on its appearance [as colour and shape]. In accordance with that realization, you should then actualize
9856-493: The mind which is just self-aware, free from the body image of your tutelary deity and without appearance [as subject and object], and mentally recite your vidya mantra as appropriate. The Tibetologist David Germano outlines two main types of completion practice: a formless and image-less contemplation on the ultimate empty nature of the mind and various yogas that make use of the subtle body to produce energetic sensations of bliss and warmth. The subtle body yogas systems like
9968-402: The natural state is realized, deliberate fabrication is dispensed with. The two are cultivated as a union, not solely the appearance or emptiness aspect. There are three bases of purification: birth, death, and the intermediate state. Generation Stage is a visualisation practice utilising "all the senses and the totality of the meditator's body, speech, and mind...[to develop]... confidence in
10080-466: The other hand, nirvanic or liberated forms of consciousness are described with terms such as ye shes ( jñāna , 'pristine consciousness') and shes rab ( prajñā , wisdom). According to Sam van Schaik , two significant terms used in Dzogchen literature is the ground ( gzhi ) and gnosis ( rig pa ), which represent the " ontological and gnoseological aspects of the nirvanic state" respectively. Nyingma Dzogchen literature also describes nirvana as
10192-453: The practitioner of Dzogchen, alongside the principal practice of contemplation." Similarly, physical yoga (Tib. trulkhor ) may also be used as supporting practices. According to Namkhai Norbu, in Dzogchen, "to become realized simply means to discover and manifest that which from the very beginning has been our own true condition: the Zhi (gzhi) or Base." Since the basis, the path of practice and
10304-431: The pride of being a deity emerges. According to Daniel Cozort, divine pride is "the thought that one is oneself the deity being visualized." According to John Powers, the difference between divine pride and defiled pride is that divine pride is based on an understanding of the emptiness of all things and also on compassion. Since "all appearances are viewed as manifestations of the luminous and empty nature of mind, and so
10416-408: The purity and equality of appearance and existence through conceptual creations and training in accord with the view that ascertains the meaning of the natural continuum of the ground." Kongtrül explains the main goal of generation stage practice as purification: Just as one prepares a field with false millet before sowing rice; One purifies thoughts before embarking on what is without thought. Once
10528-404: The radical ཀ /ka/ and see what happens when it becomes ཀྲ /kra/ or རྐ /rka/ (pronounced /ka/). In both cases, the symbol for ཀ /ka/ is used, but when the ར /ra/ is in the middle of the consonant and vowel, it is added as a subscript. On the other hand, when the ར /ra/ comes before the consonant and vowel, it is added as a superscript. ར /ra/ actually changes form when it
10640-404: The reality of the deity's world." The meditator's identification with the deity allows them to develop clear appearance, divine pride and the conviction that what appears is illusory and empty. This is done in order to abandon fixation on ordinary thoughts and appearances as well as the false apprehension of things as being inherently real. In this sense, it is similar to deity yoga as practiced in
10752-500: The realization of ultimate reality. Other methods which are associated with the completion stage in Tibetan Buddhism include dream yoga (which relies on lucid dreaming ), practices associated with the bardo (the interim state between death and rebirth ), transference of consciousness ( phowa ) and chöd , in which the yogi ceremonially offers their body to be eaten by all beings in a ritual feast. Representations of
10864-406: The realm beyond achievement, it is perfection. Because fruit is the perfect twenty-five wisdoms in the realm beyond frame of reference, it is perfection. The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva explains that Dzogchen is "great" because: The Three Series of Dzogchen ( Tibetan : རྫོགས་ཆེན་སྡེ་གསུམ་ , Wylie : rdzogs chen sde gsum ) are a traditional Tibetan Buddhist classification which divides
10976-465: 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 ( śamatha ) contemplations leading to
11088-453: The script's invention, and there are no dedicated symbols for tone. However, since tones developed from segmental features, they can usually be correctly predicted by the archaic spelling of Tibetan words. One aspect of the Tibetan script is that the consonants can be written either as radicals or they can be written in other forms, such as subscript and superscript forming consonant clusters . To understand how this works, one can look at
11200-940: The scripts in the first version of the Unicode Standard in 1991, in the Unicode block U+1000–U+104F. However, in 1993, in version 1.1, it was removed (the code points it took up would later be used for the Burmese script in version 3.0). The Tibetan script was re-added in July, 1996 with the release of version 2.0. The Unicode block for Tibetan is U+0F00–U+0FFF. It includes letters, digits and various punctuation marks and special symbols used in religious texts: Deity yoga New branches: Tantric techniques : Fourfold division: Twofold division: Thought forms and visualisation: Yoga : The fundamental practice of Vajrayana and Tibetan tantra
11312-420: 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
11424-415: The subtle body is applied to the realization of luminous emptiness . The Indian tantric scholar Ratnākaraśānti ( c. 1000 CE) describes the generation stage cultivation practice thus: [A]ll phenomenal appearance having arisen as mind, this very mind is [understood to be] produced by a mistake ( bhrāntyā ), i.e. the appearance of an object where there is no object to be grasped; ascertaining that this
11536-590: The teachings of the Nyingma school's Dzogchen tradition into three series, divisions or sections. These three are: the Semde ('Mind Series'), the Longdé ('Space Series') and the Menngagde ('Instruction Series'). Traditional accounts of the Nyingma school attribute this schema to the Indian master Mañjuśrīmitra (c. 8th century). According to modern Tibetologists , this doxographic schema actually developed in
11648-405: The term thod rgal is generally translated as "Direct Transcendence" or "Leap Over," Geisshuesler argues that the expression really means "Skullward Leap" as it consists of the Tibetan words thod ("above," "over," but also "head wrapper," "turban," "skull") and rgal ("to leap over"). In the larger Tibetan cultural area, it is the most elevated part of the human body—the skull or, its extension in
11760-417: 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
11872-467: The translation of Buddhist scriptures emerged during the early 9th century. Standard orthography has not been altered since then, while the spoken language has changed by, for example, losing complex consonant clusters . As a result, in all modern Tibetan dialects and in particular in the Standard Tibetan of Lhasa , there is a great divergence between current spelling, which still reflects
11984-403: The two as different] until your knowledge is very definite. This is the ultimate deity. According to Tsongkhapa, throughout the various stages of visualization one is to maintain the cognition of emptiness and "one trains in causing everything to appear as like illusions." During the meditation, the deity is to be imagined as not solid or tangible, as "empty yet apparent," with the character of
12096-430: The type of sadhana (practice) on is doing. Whatever the case, the initial goal in generation stage practice is the clear appearance of the visualization in a non-artificial, natural way. In more advanced practices, the deity often appears together with their mandala (which includes numerous other deities in it) and the practitioner visualizes themselves (and their actions and thoughts) as the deity and their environment as
12208-427: The visualization of the deity and re-emergence of the yogi as the deity. During the process of deity visualization, the deity is to be imaged as not solid or tangible, as "empty yet apparent," with the character of a mirage or a rainbow . This visualization is to be combined with "divine pride", which is "the thought that one is oneself the deity being visualized." Divine pride is different from common pride because it
12320-457: The vowel ཨུ /u/ is placed underneath consonants. Old Tibetan included a reversed form of the mark for /i/, the gigu 'verso', of uncertain meaning. There is no distinction between long and short vowels in written Tibetan, except in loanwords , especially transcribed from the Sanskrit . The Tibetan alphabet, when used to write other languages such as Balti , Chinese and Sanskrit , often has additional and/or modified graphemes taken from
12432-417: 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 (10th to early 12th century), 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
12544-414: Was originally developed c. 620 by Tibetan minister Thonmi Sambhota for King Songtsen Gampo . The Tibetan script has also been used for some non-Tibetic languages in close cultural contact with Tibet, such as Thakali , Nepali and Old Turkic . The printed form is called uchen script while the hand-written cursive form used in everyday writing is called umê script . This writing system
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