Ground of Being (Dzogchen)
Encyclopedia
Ground [of Being] is an essential component of the Dzogchen
tradition for both the Bonpo and the Nyingmapa. It is a seminal conceptual point and focus of praxis foregrounded in the Dzogchen literature and sadhana
(Sanskrit) lineages
and may be apprised as a memetic conduit for the mindstream
to enter into the concept-less Dzogchen nondual 'awareness', 'rigpa
' (Wylie: rig pa; IAST
: vidyā), Dzogchen-as-process where the praxis albeit 'natural' (Wylie: lhan skyes; IAST
: sahaja
) and 'effortless' (Wylie: lhun grub; IAST
: anābhoga) has the sense of 'spontaneity'.
is the polysemic teaching tool employed in the Dzogchen tradition to iconographically signify the triune of the Ground, a symbol of primordial nonduality. Throughout the Seventeen Tantras
, the principal tantras of the Nyingma Dzogchen doctrinal view
on the Sugatagarbha qua 'Ground' , the triune of 'essence' , 'nature' and 'power' is foregrounded. Where essence is openness or emptiness , nature is luminosity, lucidity or clarity (as in the luminous mind
of the Five Pure Lights
) and power is universal compassionate energy , unobstructed .
Goodman & Davidson (1992: p. 14) render the triune of the Ground as 'facticity' , 'actuality' and 'resonance' and in so doing place this esoteric cultural token of Dzogchen-as-praxis within the wider technical language of contemporary philosophical discourse in the English:
In their annotations to this paragraph, Goodman & Davidson (1992: p. 147) identify that they draw the sense of 'resonance' from the work of Jantsch
(1975) and further define thus:
Günther
(1984) provides a definition and discussion of facticity in relation to the Dzogchen Ground.
of 'Ground of Being' of both theistic and nontheistic systems of which this Dzogchen cultural token partakes. Saliently, "Ground of Being" is how the Tibetan term gzhi (Wylie) has been given an English gloss by Lipman (c.1984) and Barron
(1998) in his rendering of the Nelug Dzö
of Longchenpa
(1308–1364 or possibly 1369) follows Lipman's lead. That said, it is important that Ground of Being does not become naturalized for gzhi (Wylie) and instituted as the ascendant rendering in English, this choice was chosen to honor the article title naming conventions policy of Wikipedia which prefers English where possible.
et. al. (1991: p. 535 Index of Technical Terms) gives the Sanskrit for the 'Ground' as 'āśraya' (IAST
; Sanskrit Devanagari: आश्रय; "ashraya") and this is identified as a direct analogue of the Wylie, attested and not a conjectural attribution.
of "ashraya" (आश्रय; Etymology
: आ- √श्रि. ) like most terms in the ancient language of Sanskrit has a considerable play in denotation, as charted in the following list:
( , fl. 4th c.) and his half-brother Asanga
(c. 300–370 CE) are important foundations for Nyingma Dzogchen terminology, especially the Ground.
The doctrine of the 'Ground' (Wylie: gzhi; IAST: ) and its essence of 'primordial purity' (Wylie: ka dag) of Dzogchen draws upon and redefines technical terminology of the Yogācāra
, particularly Yogacharins who held to the doctrine of the 'originally pure mind' (IAST: viśuddhi cittaprakṛiti) and the literature and important commentaries of the Mahāyāna-śraddhotpādaśāstra (IAST
unattested and reconstructed; 'The Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith'). The view of the mind in the 'Awakening of Mahayana Faith' (Chinese: Ta-ch'eng ch'i-hsin lun) had a significant import on the doctrinal development of the East Mountain Teaching
(also known as the Northern School of Chan).
According to A. W. Barber of the University of Calgary, Chan
Buddhism was introduced to the Nyingmapa in three principal streams: the teachings of Master Kim, Kim Ho-shang
, (Chin ho shang) 金和尚 transmitted by Sang Shi in ca.
750 CE; the lineage of Master Wu Chu (無住禪師) of the Pao T'ang School was transmitted within Tibet by Ye-shes Wangpo; and the teaching from Mo Ho Yen, 和尚摩訶衍 (Tibetan: Hwa shang Mahayana) that were a synthesis of the Northern School of Chan and the Pao T'ang School.
Aśvaghoṣa
(?80-?150 CE) is attributed with writing the no longer extant or never existent Sanskrit of the Mahāyāna-śraddhotpādaśāstra:
Wonhyo
's (617 - 686 CE) commentary on the Awakening of Mahayana Faith identifies 'Three Greatness' (三大) which are 'Essence' (體), 'Function' (用) and 'Attributes' (相) and these are triune of the Ground of the 'One Mind' (Sanskrit: Ekacitta; Chinese: yi hsin; i-hsin; Japanese: isshin) in the Chinese tradition. Some Western scholars have asserted some Bonpo and Nyingma terma
and tantric literature to be unattributed Tibetan translations of Korean masters such as Wonhyo. The timeline and congruence of the terminology and that many works of Wonhyo are no longer extant, requires further scholarship and investigation. The work of Wonch'uk
(613–696), a contemporary of Wŏnhyo was translated into Tibetan and greatly respected in the Himalaya, especially by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), which demonstrates that the transmission channels were open but is most possibly after the arising of the Seventeen Tantras
which codify the triune of the Ground extensively. Unfortunately, the thesis of Alson was tendered in Korean. Vasubandhu
( fl.
4th century) was the Abhidharma
lense through which key exegetes of the Dzogchen tradition and the greater Himalayan Buddhadharma tradition built aspects of their lexicon. As an aside, It is yet to be definitively determined whether there was a parallel developed tradition invested in the historical evocation of the Bonpo Dzogchenpa. The Dzogchen lineages of the Bonpo, Nyingmapa and Kagyupa currently and historically, entwined in 'practice' (Sanskrit: sadhana
). Moreover, Śāntarakṣita (fl. 8th century) the first 'abbot' (Tibetan: khenpo
) of Samye
, was classified by Tibetan scholars as Yogācāra-Svātantrika-Mādhyamika and it is this fare of Yogācāra, Svātantrika
and Mādhyamika and the liturgy and esoteric rites and 'twilight language
' (Sanskrit: sandha-bhasa) of the Ganachakra
and the charnel ground
which for the most part seasoned with indigenous flourish and innovation by the poetry and 'poetic mead' (IAST
: amṛta) of the Mahasiddha
'songs of realization
' (Sanskrit: dohā
), yields Nyingma Dzogchen terminology.
(Wylie: [thugs] rgyud) with the 'Base' (gzhi) and 'Nature' (Wylie: rang bzhin; IAST
: svabhāva) thus:
Svabhava
(Sanskrit; Wylie: rang bzhin) is very important in the nontheistic theology
of the Bonpo Dzogchen 'Great Perfection' tradition where it is part of a technical language to render macrocosm and microcosm into nonduality, as Rossi (1999: p. 58) states:
' (Sanskrit: mala) to describe the relationship of the aspects of the Base:
Dzogchen
According to Tibetan Buddhism and Bön, Dzogchen is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and meditation practices aimed at realizing that condition. Dzogchen, or "Great Perfection", is a central teaching of the Nyingma school also practiced by...
tradition for both the Bonpo and the Nyingmapa. It is a seminal conceptual point and focus of praxis foregrounded in the Dzogchen literature and sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
(Sanskrit) lineages
Lineage (Buddhism)
An authentic lineage in Buddhism is the uninterrupted transmission of the Buddha's Dharma from teacher to disciple.The transmission itself can be for example oral, scriptural, through signs, or directly from one mind to another....
and may be apprised as a memetic conduit for the mindstream
Mindstream
Mindstream in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment "continuum" of awareness. There are a number of terms in the Buddhist literature that may well be rendered "mindstream"...
to enter into the concept-less Dzogchen nondual 'awareness', 'rigpa
Rigpa
Rigpa is the knowledge that ensues from recognizing one's nature i.e. one knows that there is a primordial freedom from grasping his or her mind . The opposite of rigpa is marigpa ....
' (Wylie: rig pa; IAST
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
: vidyā), Dzogchen-as-process where the praxis albeit 'natural' (Wylie: lhan skyes; IAST
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
: sahaja
Sahaja
Sahaja is a term of some importance in Indian spirituality, particularly in circles influenced by the Tantric Movement...
) and 'effortless' (Wylie: lhun grub; IAST
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
: anābhoga) has the sense of 'spontaneity'.
Ground as triune
The GankyilGankyil
The Gankyil[Tibetan:དགའ་འཁྱིལ་] is a symbol and ritual tool in Tibetan Buddhism, Bön, Himalayan Shamanism and Korean Buddhism. In Bön and Nyingma Dzogchen lineages, the Gankyil is the principal symbol and teaching tool: it is symbolic of primordial energy and represents the central unity and...
is the polysemic teaching tool employed in the Dzogchen tradition to iconographically signify the triune of the Ground, a symbol of primordial nonduality. Throughout the Seventeen Tantras
Seventeen tantras
In Tibetan Buddhism, specifically in the literature and practice of Dzogchen, the seventeen tantras of the esoteric instruction cycle are a suite of tantras belonging to the textual division known as the "esoteric instruction cycle" .-History and tradition:The seventeen tantras, though not...
, the principal tantras of the Nyingma Dzogchen doctrinal view
View (Buddhism)
View or position is a central idea in Buddhism. In Buddhist thought, in contrast with the commonsense understanding, a view is not a simple, abstract collection of propositions, but a charged interpretation of experience which intensely shapes and affects thought, sensation, and action...
on the Sugatagarbha qua 'Ground' , the triune of 'essence' , 'nature' and 'power' is foregrounded. Where essence is openness or emptiness , nature is luminosity, lucidity or clarity (as in the luminous mind
Luminous mind
Luminous mind is a term attributed to the Buddha in the Nikayas...
of the Five Pure Lights
Five Pure Lights
The Five Pure Lights are experiential manifestations in the Dzogchen tradition of Bön and Nyingma and are aspects of non-dual clarity and primordial luminosity of dharmakaya, kunzhi and/or emptiness...
) and power is universal compassionate energy , unobstructed .
Goodman & Davidson (1992: p. 14) render the triune of the Ground as 'facticity' , 'actuality' and 'resonance' and in so doing place this esoteric cultural token of Dzogchen-as-praxis within the wider technical language of contemporary philosophical discourse in the English:
"Process-oriented rdzogs-chen has as its pivot the notion of gzhi which means both ground (the static, sort of steady-state) and reason (the dynamic, the intensity with which the unfolding of the initial pure potential occurs). As such pure potential (gzhi ka-dag chen-po) it is discussed in terms of a triune dynamics, referred to as facticity (ngo-bo), actuality (rang-bzhin), and resonance (thugs-rje). This English rendering of highly technical terms constantly employed in the original Tibetan sources has been chosen in order to avoid any essentialist associations, so much more so as the texts themselves repeatedly state that ngo-bo (facticity) has nothing to do with nor can even be reduced to the (essentialist) categories of substance and quality; that 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."
In their annotations to this paragraph, Goodman & Davidson (1992: p. 147) identify that they draw the sense of 'resonance' from the work of Jantsch
Erich Jantsch
Erich Jantsch was an Austrian astrophysicist.In the mid-1960s his increasing concern regarding the future led him to study forecasting techniques...
(1975) and further define thus:
"...it is resonance (thugs-rje) with its fluctuations as high-level excitation (rig-pa) and low-level excitation (ma-rig-pa)--in cognitive terms: understanding (rtogs) and lack of understanding (ma-rtogs)--that stochastically determines the final outcome of the process."
Günther
Herbert V. Günther
Herbert V. Güenther [Herbert Vighnāntaka Guenther, Ph.D., D.Litt.] was a German Buddhist philosopher and Professor and Head of the Department of Far Eastern Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. He held this position from the time he left India in 1964.-Early life:He was...
(1984) provides a definition and discussion of facticity in relation to the Dzogchen Ground.
Nomenclature of article: meta-annotation
Caveat lector: The nomenclature for the title of this Wikipedia article "Ground of Being" was informed by the theological discourseDiscourse
Discourse generally refers to "written or spoken communication". The following are three more specific definitions:...
of 'Ground of Being' of both theistic and nontheistic systems of which this Dzogchen cultural token partakes. Saliently, "Ground of Being" is how the Tibetan term gzhi (Wylie) has been given an English gloss by Lipman (c.1984) and Barron
Richard Barron
Richard Barron is a Canadian-born translator who specializes in the writings of Longchenpa. He has served as an interpreter for many lamas from all from all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, including his first teacher, Kalu Rinpoche...
(1998) in his rendering of the Nelug Dzö
Nelug Dzö
' Nelug Dzö' is a poetic vignette written in Classical Tibetan and one of the Seven Treasuries of Longchenpa. Longchenpa wrote 'Desum Nyingpo' , a prose autocommentary to this work...
of Longchenpa
Longchenpa
Longchen Rabjampa, Drimé Özer "Longchenpa" was a major teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Along with Sakya Pandita and Je Tsongkhapa, he is commonly recognized as one of the three main manifestations of Manjushri to have taught in Central Tibet...
(1308–1364 or possibly 1369) follows Lipman's lead. That said, it is important that Ground of Being does not become naturalized for gzhi (Wylie) and instituted as the ascendant rendering in English, this choice was chosen to honor the article title naming conventions policy of Wikipedia which prefers English where possible.
Nomenclature, orthography and etymology
The has been rendered as 'Base', 'Basis', 'Ground' and 'Ground of Being' amongst other English glosses. Base is a contraction of 'Basis of All' .Ashraya
Importantly, the authoritative source for the Nyingma Dzogchen school in English, DudjomDudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom Rinpoche is the title of a prominent line of tulkus of the Nyingmapa order of Tibetan Buddhism. Dudjom Rinpoche was born in 1904 on the tenth day of the sixth month in the year of the wood dragon in Southern Tibet in a region called the "hidden land" of Pema Ko. He died on January 17, 1987...
et. al. (1991: p. 535 Index of Technical Terms) gives the Sanskrit for the 'Ground' as 'āśraya' (IAST
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
; Sanskrit Devanagari: आश्रय; "ashraya") and this is identified as a direct analogue of the Wylie, attested and not a conjectural attribution.
Semantic field
The semantic fieldSemantic field
A semantic field is a technical term in the discipline of linguistics to describe a set of words grouped by meaning in a certain way. The term is also used in other academic disciplines, such as anthropology and computational semiotics.-Definition and usage:...
of "ashraya" (आश्रय; Etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
: आ- √श्रि. ) like most terms in the ancient language of Sanskrit has a considerable play in denotation, as charted in the following list:
- that to which anything is annexed or with which anything is closely connected or on which anything depends or rests
- a recipient , the person or thing in which any quality or article is inherent or retained or received
- seat, resting-place
- dwelling, asylum, place of refuge, shelter, depending on, having recourse to
- help, assistance, protection
- authority, sanction, warrant
- a plea, excuse (Legal)
- the being inclined or addicted to, following, practising
- attaching to , choosing , taking
- joining , union , attachment
- dependence , contiguity , vicinity
- relation
- connection
- appropriate act or one consistent with the character of the agent
- (in Gr.) the subject , that to which the predicate is annexed
- (with Buddhists) the five organs of sense with मनस् or mind (the six together being the recipients of the आश्रित or objects which enter them by way of their आलम्बन or qualities)
- source , origin
- आ-श्रय depending on , resting on , endowed or furnished with (e.g. अष्ट-गुणा*श्रय » under अष्ट).
Yogacara, Chan and Nyingma Dzogchen
VasubandhuVasubandhu
Vasubandhu was an Indian Buddhist monk, and along with his half-brother Asanga, one of the main founders of the Indian Yogācāra school. However, some scholars consider Vasubandhu to be two distinct people. Vasubandhu is one of the most influential figures in the entire history of Buddhism...
( , fl. 4th c.) and his half-brother Asanga
Asanga
Asaṅga was a major exponent of the Yogācāra tradition in India, also called Vijñānavāda. Traditionally, he and his half-brother Vasubandhu are regarded as the founders of this school...
(c. 300–370 CE) are important foundations for Nyingma Dzogchen terminology, especially the Ground.
The doctrine of the 'Ground' (Wylie: gzhi; IAST: ) and its essence of 'primordial purity' (Wylie: ka dag) of Dzogchen draws upon and redefines technical terminology of the Yogācāra
Yogacara
Yogācāra is an influential school of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing phenomenology and ontology through the interior lens of meditative and yogic practices. It developed within Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism in about the 4th century CE...
, particularly Yogacharins who held to the doctrine of the 'originally pure mind' (IAST: viśuddhi cittaprakṛiti) and the literature and important commentaries of the Mahāyāna-śraddhotpādaśāstra (IAST
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
unattested and reconstructed; 'The Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith'). The view of the mind in the 'Awakening of Mahayana Faith' (Chinese: Ta-ch'eng ch'i-hsin lun) had a significant import on the doctrinal development of the East Mountain Teaching
East Mountain Teaching
East Mountain Teaching denotes the teachings of the Fourth Ancestor Dayi Daoxin, his disciple and heir the Fifth Ancestor Daman Hongren, and their disciples of the Chan lineage of China. The two most famous disciples of Hongren, Dajian Huineng and Yuquan Shenxiu, both referred to themselves as...
(also known as the Northern School of Chan).
According to A. W. Barber of the University of Calgary, Chan
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhism was introduced to the Nyingmapa in three principal streams: the teachings of Master Kim, Kim Ho-shang
Kim Ho-shang
Musang, Wu-hsiang, Master Kim, Kim Ho-shang, Chin ho shang, 金和尚 was a Korean Ch'an master whose teachings were amongst the first streams of Ch'an Buddhist transmitted to Tibet.Solonin links Tangut, Helanshan and Bao-tang Wu-zhu:...
, (Chin ho shang) 金和尚 transmitted by Sang Shi in ca.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
750 CE; the lineage of Master Wu Chu (無住禪師) of the Pao T'ang School was transmitted within Tibet by Ye-shes Wangpo; and the teaching from Mo Ho Yen, 和尚摩訶衍 (Tibetan: Hwa shang Mahayana) that were a synthesis of the Northern School of Chan and the Pao T'ang School.
Aśvaghoṣa
Asvaghosa
' was an Indian philosopher-poet, born in Saketa in northern India to a Brahmin family. He is believed to have been the first Sanskrit dramatist, and is considered the greatest Indian poet prior to Kālidāsa. He was the most famous in a group of Buddhist court writers, whose epics rivaled the...
(?80-?150 CE) is attributed with writing the no longer extant or never existent Sanskrit of the Mahāyāna-śraddhotpādaśāstra:
Asvaghosa explained the two aspects of One Mind in terms of the Three Greatnesses: t'i(體), hsiang(相) and yung(用), or the essence, attributes and functions of One Mind.
The Absolute aspect of One Mind is referred to as t'i(體), "essence", while the phenomenal aspect is called hsiang(相), "attributes", and yung(用), "function ". To substantialize One Mind, or to think that something is supposed to come from it, is to be ignorant of the Greatness of Mahayana. The Greatness of Mahayana is talked about in terms of the philosophy of emptiness. If we cling to self-identity, we will be forced to confront no-self. But if we throw away the erroneous belief in self-identity, everything in this world becomes One and we cannot help but believe in the Greatness of Mahayana. It is quite paradoxical.
Wonhyo
Wonhyo
Wonhyo was one of the leading thinkers, writers and commentators of the Korean Buddhist tradition. Essence-Function , a key concept in East Asian Buddhism and particularly that of Korean Buddhism, was refined in the syncretic philosophy and worldview of Wonhyo.As one of the most eminent...
's (617 - 686 CE) commentary on the Awakening of Mahayana Faith identifies 'Three Greatness' (三大) which are 'Essence' (體), 'Function' (用) and 'Attributes' (相) and these are triune of the Ground of the 'One Mind' (Sanskrit: Ekacitta; Chinese: yi hsin; i-hsin; Japanese: isshin) in the Chinese tradition. Some Western scholars have asserted some Bonpo and Nyingma terma
Terma (religion)
Terma are key Tibetan Buddhist and Bön teachings, which the tradition holds were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times by other adepts, known as tertöns. As such, they represent a...
and tantric literature to be unattributed Tibetan translations of Korean masters such as Wonhyo. The timeline and congruence of the terminology and that many works of Wonhyo are no longer extant, requires further scholarship and investigation. The work of Wonch'uk
Wonch'uk
Wonch'uk was a Korean Buddhist monk who did most of his writing in China though his legacy was transmitted by a disciple to Silla. One of the two star pupils of Xuanzang, his works and devotion to the translation projects was revered throughout China and Korea, even his fame reached Chinese rulers...
(613–696), a contemporary of Wŏnhyo was translated into Tibetan and greatly respected in the Himalaya, especially by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), which demonstrates that the transmission channels were open but is most possibly after the arising of the Seventeen Tantras
Seventeen tantras
In Tibetan Buddhism, specifically in the literature and practice of Dzogchen, the seventeen tantras of the esoteric instruction cycle are a suite of tantras belonging to the textual division known as the "esoteric instruction cycle" .-History and tradition:The seventeen tantras, though not...
which codify the triune of the Ground extensively. Unfortunately, the thesis of Alson was tendered in Korean. Vasubandhu
Vasubandhu
Vasubandhu was an Indian Buddhist monk, and along with his half-brother Asanga, one of the main founders of the Indian Yogācāra school. However, some scholars consider Vasubandhu to be two distinct people. Vasubandhu is one of the most influential figures in the entire history of Buddhism...
( fl.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
4th century) was the Abhidharma
Abhidharma
Abhidharma or Abhidhamma are ancient Buddhist texts which contain detailed scholastic and scientific reworkings of doctrinal material appearing in the Buddhist Sutras, according to schematic classifications...
lense through which key exegetes of the Dzogchen tradition and the greater Himalayan Buddhadharma tradition built aspects of their lexicon. As an aside, It is yet to be definitively determined whether there was a parallel developed tradition invested in the historical evocation of the Bonpo Dzogchenpa. The Dzogchen lineages of the Bonpo, Nyingmapa and Kagyupa currently and historically, entwined in 'practice' (Sanskrit: sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
). Moreover, Śāntarakṣita (fl. 8th century) the first 'abbot' (Tibetan: khenpo
Khenpo
The term khenpo is a spiritual degree given in Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya traditions, the title is awarded usually after a period of 3 years of intensive study after secondary school level studies, and is considered much like a spiritual Bachelor's. Similar titles of lower...
) of Samye
Samye
The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompa is the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet, was most probably first constructed between 775 and 779 CE under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsen Gampo in...
, was classified by Tibetan scholars as Yogācāra-Svātantrika-Mādhyamika and it is this fare of Yogācāra, Svātantrika
Svatantrika
In the philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism, specifically in the Madhyamaka view, Svātantrika is a category of Madhyamaka viewpoints attributed primarily to the 6th century Indian scholar Bhavaviveka...
and Mādhyamika and the liturgy and esoteric rites and 'twilight language
Twilight language
Twilight language may refer to:*A conspiracy theory proposed by James Shelby Downard and embraced by Michael A. Hoffman II*The Twilight Language, a polysemic language and communication system associated with Tantric traditions...
' (Sanskrit: sandha-bhasa) of the Ganachakra
Ganachakra
A gaṇacakra is also known as tsog, gaṇapuja, cakrapuja or gaṇacakrapuja. It is a generic term for various tantric assemblies or feasts, in which practitioners meet to chant mantra, enact mudra, make votive offerings and practice various tantric rituals as part of a sadhana, or spiritual practice...
and the charnel ground
Charnel ground
Charnel ground is a very important location for sadhana and ritual activity for Indo-Tibetan traditions of Dharma particularly those traditions iterated by the Tantric view such as Kashmiri Shaivism, Kaula tradition, Esoteric Buddhism, Vajrayana, Mantrayana, Dzogchen, and the sadhana of Chöd, Phowa...
which for the most part seasoned with indigenous flourish and innovation by the poetry and 'poetic mead' (IAST
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
: amṛta) of the Mahasiddha
Mahasiddha
Mahasiddha is a term for one who cultivates those teachings that lead to becoming perfect. They are a type of eccentric yogini/yogi in both Sanatan Dharma and Vajrayana Dharma, given by Siddhartha. Mahasiddhi are those practitioners, or tantrikas who have gained sufficient understanding and are so...
'songs of realization
Songs of realization
Songs of realization are sung poetry forms characteristic of the tantric movement in both Hinduism and in Vajrayana Buddhism. Doha is also a specific poetic form...
' (Sanskrit: dohā
Doha (poetry)
namshka:For the town in Kuwait, see Doha and For the city in Qatar, see DohaDoha is a form of self-contained rhyming couplet in poetry...
), yields Nyingma Dzogchen terminology.
Mindstream
Namkha'i & Shane (1999: p. 195) clarify the relationship of the '[mind]stream'Mindstream
Mindstream in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment "continuum" of awareness. There are a number of terms in the Buddhist literature that may well be rendered "mindstream"...
(Wylie: [thugs] rgyud) with the 'Base' (gzhi) and 'Nature' (Wylie: rang bzhin; IAST
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
: svabhāva) thus:
"The Tibetan term 'gyü' (rgyud) means 'woolen thread', and the image of the thread is intended to represent 'continuity' --the continual alternation of voidness and manifestation that is the Nature [rang bzhin] of our Base [gzhi].... The Sanskrit term of which the Tibetan word 'gyü' is a translation is, and literally means 'the intricate pattern of a woven fabric'. But the way the term is understood has become intimately connected with that of another Sanskrit term, prabandha, whose literal meaning is 'continuity'."
Svabhava
Svabhava
Svabhava Pāli: sabhāva; Chinese: 自性 zìxìng; ) is intrinsic nature, essential nature or essence.The concept and term svabhāva are frequently encountered in Dharmic traditions such as Advaita Vedānta , Mahāyāna Buddhism Svabhava (Sanskrit: स्वभाव; IAST: svabhāva) Pāli: sabhāva; Chinese: 自性 zìxìng; )...
(Sanskrit; Wylie: rang bzhin) is very important in the nontheistic theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
of the Bonpo Dzogchen 'Great Perfection' tradition where it is part of a technical language to render macrocosm and microcosm into nonduality, as Rossi (1999: p. 58) states:
"The View of the Great Perfection further acknowledges the ontological identity of the macrocosmic and microcosmic realities through the threefold axiom of Condition (ngang), Ultimate Nature (rang bzhin) and Identity (bdag nyid). The Condition (ngang) is the Basis of all (kun gzhi)--primordially pure (ka dag) and not generated by primary and instrumental causes. It is the origin of all phenomena. The Ultimate Nature (rang bzhin) is said to be unaltered (ma bcos pa), because the Basis is spontaneously accomplished (lhun grub) in terms of its innate potential (rtsal) for manifestation (rol pa). The non-duality between the Ultimate Nature (i.e., the unaltered appearance of all phenomena) and the Condition (i.e., the Basis of all) is called the Identity (bdag nyid). This unicum of primordial purity (ka dag) and spontaneous accomplishment (lhun grub) is the Way of Being (gnas lugs) of the Pure-and-Perfect-Mind [byang chub (kyi) sems]."
Mala analogy of Ground of Being
Namkha'i & Shane (1999: p. 195) employ the traditional analogy and teaching tool of the 'rosaryRosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
' (Sanskrit: mala) to describe the relationship of the aspects of the Base:
"The image of a woolen thread, as in the term 'gyü', is used in relation to the Base to point out the way in which our experiences are strung in the continuity of the Base like beads strung along the thread of a rosary or mala. Just as between the beads of a rosary there are empty spaces in which there is only thread, so too, between each of our thoughts and our experiences, there are spaces; but, even though there is an empty space between them, and even though they are void--or empty-- in themselves, thoughts and experiences nevertheless continue to manifest.
If we were to explain this example in terms of the three aspects of the Base (Essence, Nature, and Energy) as they are understood in the Dzogchen teachings we would say that the thread represents the Nature [rang bzhin]--which is the unbroken continuity of manifestation of the Essence [ngo bo] (or voidness), while the beads represent the Energy [thugs rje].
Inside every bead (every thought or experience) in the example there is only thread (the continuity of emptiness' potentiality to manifest); and in our lives, even though each and every thought or experience is essentially empty, thoughts and experiences never stop arising."
Primary resources
- Seventeen Tantra
- http://wikisource.org/wiki/Gzhi_lam_'bras_bu'i_smon_lam gzhi_lam_'bras_bu'i_smon_lam by Jigme Lingpa
Further reading
- Lipman, Kennard (c.1984). "How Samsara is Fabricated from the Ground of Being." Translated from Klong-chen rab-'byams-pa's Yid-bzhin rin-po-che'i mdzod. In Crystal Mirror IV. Berkeley: Dharma Publishing.
- Hubbard, Jamie (1994, 2008). Original Purity and the Arising of Delusion. Smith College. Source: http://sophia.smith.edu/~jhubbard/publications/papers/OriginalPurity.pdf (accessed: Friday April 9, 2010)