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This is Longchenpa's lam-rim (gradual stages of the path) presentation of the nature of mind from the Nyingma's dzogchen (sudden pathless) perspective, and as we'd expect, the Padmakara Translation Group does a very fine job with it. Before getting to his comprehensive text they start with a very helpful 29 page introduction where they place the 14th century Longhcenpa in context, giving a brief biography of his life and works that is as historically complete and accurate as the hagiographic record allows. In the course of describing his life they also give context to the two main streams of dzogchen's innermost pith instructions (Vima and Khandro Nyingthigs) which he is famous for combining (in the Nyingthig Yabzhi).
Since there really isn't much that can be said about the essence of dzogchen I find these bits of historical context fascinating. (In regards to the ineffable nature of dzogchen the translators make clear earlier in the introduction how the views of the lower 8 yanas - or vehicles of Buddhism - "...all share a common feature. They are, as philosophical positions, established according to the rational process of the discursive mind...", while the 9th yana of dzogchen, "...which in the terminology of the Great Perfection is referred to as rigpa, is said to lie outside the range of the discursive intellect... It underlies and logically precedes every state of ordinary cognition, and for that very reason it can never itself become the object of such cognition.")
Overall this trilogy of Longchenpa's is a very clear and complete presentation of the ground, paths, and fruits of spiritual practice, all from the rather unique point of view of the Great Perfection. And it is this first volume which deals with his explanation of the foundational ground - or foundational view of dzogchen. What follows is a mix of poetry (Part One - the root texts - pages 3-163) and prose (Part Two - a partial translation of the immense auto-commentary - pages 167-263), which gives a taste of the two sides of Longchenpa's remarkable teachings - direct experiential pith instructions for yogis and erudite explanations for scholars (full of copious scriptural passages quoted from memory in his isolated retreat without access to any reference library!).
Here are a couple of quotes to show some of these two styles of presentation. Everyone who can read Tibetan and knows of Longchenpa's work always expresses a sense of awe when discussing his poetic ability, like he is on the literary level of a Tibetan Shakespeare or Blake. I can only imagine... and appreciate my lack in not being able to read it in Tibetan. At least with these translations we get a very readable version;
"This is the primordial state,
The one and single nature:
The dharmakaya where the apprehending subject
And the apprehended object are not found
And where an unstained luminosity
Arises like the essence of the sun.
No center does it have, no limit:
Blissful, clear and free from thought." (p.129)
"Being primordially unstained, the buddha-element is pure; changeless and unmoving, it is the supreme identity (bdag dam pa); being at all times present, it is everlasting; and though it is fallen into the samsaric state of many sufferings, it is not overwhelmed thereby. Thus it is transcendent bliss. The Uttaratantra says,
It's results are the transcendent qualities
Of purity, identity, happiness and permanence." (p. 239)
- Series: Trilogy of Rest (Book 1)
- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Shambhala (December 5, 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1611805163
- ISBN-13: 978-1611805161
- Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.2 x 8.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 7 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#76,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #39 in Karma Buddhism
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