Dzogchen

Dzogchen (Tib.: རྫོགས་པ་ཆེན་པོ; Wylie: rdzogs pa chen po; short rdzogs weeks) called " The Great Perfection ", also Atiyoga, Mahasandhi or Maha Ati teachings called, traditionally in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan Bön be transferred as the essence of the Buddha's teachings. However, the transmission of these teachings is also, albeit much more restrained, in the Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug School instead. The same Dzogchen Monastery in Kham is one of the six headquarters of the Nyingma.

Origin

Bon

According to the tradition of the Bon Dzogchen tradition was first taught by Master Shenrab Miwoche in Central Asia. The Master Gyerchen Nangzher Lodpo taught Dzogchen in Tibet for the first time. In the Bon Dzogchen is regarded as the highest of the nine routes or vehicles. The Bon Dzogchen transmission has been retained as an independent system of teaching up to the present day.

Nyingma

Dzogchen, as taught in the Nyingma school, goes back to the master Garab Dorje. He was, according to tradition of the Nyingma the first human teacher ( nirmanakaya ), who taught Dzogchen. Previously, it has been transferred according to tradition, from the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra ( Dharmakaya ) to the Buddha Vajrasattva ( sambhogakaya ). Vajrasattva is said to have then transmits the teachings from the clean sector of Garab Dorje, who gave it to Manjushrimitra and Sri Singha. The latter transferred this teaching next Jnanasutra also to Padmasambhava and Vimalamitra, along with Vairocana brought these teachings with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. Since that time, Dzogchen has been handed down in unbroken transmission lines up to the present day. Dzogchen is not only in the Nyingma school announced it has been over the centuries to schools of modern Tibetan translation traditions ( sarma) transmitted.

Even if you mainly can assign the original two religious traditions the teachings of Dzogchen, transcend the context of religious concepts because of their immediacy.

Teaching content

" Dzogchen is the spiritual essence of all Buddhist teachings. It is the path of self-liberation, which reveals all its true nature beyond duality. The true nature of man is clear, bright and aware, unclouded by thoughts and emotions "

In Dzogchen it is not therefore, as one might initially assume, to a change of mind of an imperfect in a perfect nature. Dzogchen is therefore not a gradual method of converting mental poisons in original wisdom, as it is often other Buddhist teaching approaches based on, but one aimed at promoting direct epistemology. It is about the recognition and stabilization of the knowledge of the original perfect nature of the mind. This was, so far not only recognized the teachings of Dzogchen According to temporary concealment as such. The associated experience is also referred to as the recognition of the buddha nature, the original clear light awareness. According to the teachings of the great Dzogchenmeisters Longchenpa, who in his anthology ' snying thig ya bzhi ' wrote the Dzogchen teachings of Vimalamitra in the 14th century, the highest attainment is the attainment of Buddhahood original light, the spiritual level of the primordial Buddha Samantabadhra. This is beyond the light of the original awareness as the light of the original awareness and emptiness in union. For this light is then caused by the manifestation of the light energy levels of emptiness and original awareness. Since every living thing carries this light in oneself, these levels can you get through meditation - this is the so-called in Tibetan method of Thod rGyal - or just by reading or listening to Dzogchentantras from these texts, the method of Khregs Chod gain. As the highest result of the realization of the teachings of Dzogchen applies the so-called rainbow body in which dissolves according to tradition, a late Dzogchen master his body over a period of one week in light phenomena as the essence of the elements of his body. Usually, only hair and nails are left behind as a remnant. Various masters of different traditions should have this kind of achievement over the centuries demonstrates to the 20th century. Among them, for example, was also the famous Bon master Shardza ​​Tashi Gyaltsen, who is said to have achieved the rainbow body around the year 1930 and the Nyingma Lama Khenpo Achung (* 1918) of the same kind of realization showed at his death in 1998.

For the realization of Dzogchen an introduction to the original awareness of the mind by a realized Dzogchen masters is necessary.