Longchen Nyingtik
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Longchen Nyingthig () or ''Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse'' is a cycle of teachings revealed as '' Terma'' by
Jigme Lingpa Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798) was a Tibetan ''tertön'' of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the promulgator of the Longchen Nyingthig, the Heart Essence teachings of Longchenpa, from whom, according to tradition, he received a v ...
(1730–1798), after his series of visions of the teacher
Longchenpa Longchen Rabjam Drimé Özer (), or simply Longchenpa (1308–1364, "The Great One Who Is the Vast Cosmic Expanse") was a Tibetan scholar-yogi of the Nyingma school, the 'Old School' of Tibetan Buddhism. According to tibetologist David German ...
.Hans Kop, " The Nyingtik Project: The History". c.2021 It forms an important cycle of the
Nyingma Nyingma (, ), also referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma school was founded by PadmasambhavaClaude Arpi, ''A Glimpse of the History of Tibet'', Dharamsala: Tibet Museum, 2013. ...
school of
Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...
, that gives a systematic explanation of
Dzogchen Dzogchen ( '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 ...
.


Etymology

Longchen Nyingthig may be translated as 'seminal heart of
Longchenpa Longchen Rabjam Drimé Özer (), or simply Longchenpa (1308–1364, "The Great One Who Is the Vast Cosmic Expanse") was a Tibetan scholar-yogi of the Nyingma school, the 'Old School' of Tibetan Buddhism. According to tibetologist David German ...
', or 'vast expanse heart essence', a reference to the central figure of Jigme Lingpa's 'pure visions' () in which the texts were revealed. 'Nyingthig' (which connotes 'seminal essence' or 'heart focus'). 'Thig' is an
etymon A root (also known as a root word or radical) is the core of a word that is irreducible into more meaningful elements. In morphology, a root is a morphologically simple unit which can be left bare or to which a prefix or a suffix can attach. The ...
of 'thig-le' which is the Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit '
bindu Bindu () is a term meaning "point" or "dot". Bindu may also refer to: * Bindu (symbol), a point symbol in Indian religions * Bindu, India, village in Darjeeling district of West Bengal India * Anusvara Anusvara ( ; , , ), also known as Bindu ...
', the central point of the '
mandala A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...
' (Tibetan: khorlo). Alternate orthographies: Longchen Nyingtik.


History and background

Dzogchen teachings have been classified in three sections namely:
Semde Semde (; Sanskrit: , "mind division", "mind class" or "mind series" is the name of one of three scriptural and lineage (Buddhism), lineage divisions within the Dzogchen (Great Perfection) tradition. The Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism tradition ...
(mind class/cycle);
Longdé Longdé (, ) is the name of one of three scriptural divisions within Dzogchen, which is itself the pinnacle of the Yana (Buddhism)#The nine yanas, ninefold division of practice according to the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. The name "longd ...
(space class/cycle); and
Mengagde In Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, Menngagde (, ), is the name of one of three scriptural and lineage divisions within Dzogchen (''Great Perfection'' ). Dzogchen is itself the pinnacle of the Yana (Buddhism)#The nine yanas, ninefold division of practi ...
(direct/oral instruction class/cycle). Shri Singha divided the
Mengagde In Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, Menngagde (, ), is the name of one of three scriptural and lineage divisions within Dzogchen (''Great Perfection'' ). Dzogchen is itself the pinnacle of the Yana (Buddhism)#The nine yanas, ninefold division of practi ...
into a further four cycles: the outer, inner, esoteric, and innermost esoteric cycle. They are teachings on the "primordially pure nature" (or ''kadag''; ). The recognition of this "primordially pure nature" is called ''trekchö'' (), "cutting through" all the grasping, clinging and apprehending which obscures the "primordially pure nature." The 'innermost esoteric cycle' of the Mengagde is focused upon the 'spontaneous perfection of appearances' (''lhündrub tögal''; ) which is known as ''
tögal In Dzogchen, ''tögal'' () literally means "crossing, surpassing the skull." It is sometimes translated as 'leapover,' 'direct crossing,' or 'direct transcendence.' ''Tögal'' is also called "the practice of vision," or "the practice of the Clear ...
'', the 'direct approach.' There are two principal historical redactions and elucidations given the nomenclature 'Nyingthig', namely the ''
Vima Nyingthig Vima Nyingthig (), "Seminal Heart of Vimalamitra", in Tibetan Buddhism is one of the two "seminal heart" () collections of the menngagde cycle Dzogchen, the other one being "Seminal Heart of the Dakini" (''mkha' 'gro snying thig''). Traditionall ...
'' brought to Tibet by
Vimalamitra Vimalamitra () was an 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk. His teachers were Buddhaguhya, Jnanasutra, Jñānasūtra and Sri Singha, Śrī Siṃha. He was supposed to have vowed to take rebirth every hundred years, with the most notable figures bein ...
and the ''
Khandro Nyingthig A ḍākinī (; ; ; ; alternatively 荼枳尼, ; 荼吉尼, ; or 吒枳尼, ; Japanese: 荼枳尼 / 吒枳尼 / 荼吉尼, ''dakini'') is a type of goddess in Hinduism and Buddhism. The concept of the ḍākinī somewhat differs depending on t ...
'' brought to Tibet by
Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ('Born from a Lotus'), also known as Guru Rinpoche ('Precious Guru'), was a legendary tantric Buddhist Vajracharya, Vajra master from Oddiyana. who fully revealed the Vajrayana in Tibet, circa 8th – 9th centuries... He is consi ...
. Into the mindstream of
Jigme Lingpa Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798) was a Tibetan ''tertön'' of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the promulgator of the Longchen Nyingthig, the Heart Essence teachings of Longchenpa, from whom, according to tradition, he received a v ...
merged the mindstream tributaries of Vimalamitra and
King Trisong Detsen Trisong Detsen () was the son of Me Agtsom, the 37th king of Tibet. As the 38th king, he ruled from AD 755 until 797. Trisong Detsen was the second of the Three Dharma Kings of Tibet — Songsten Gampo, Trisong Detsen, Rapalchen — honored for ...
of whom he, Jigme Lingpa, was a joint 'emanation' (Tibetan:
tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is an individual recognized as the reincarnation of a previous spiritual master (lama), and expected to be reincarnated, in turn, after death. The tulku is a distinctive and significant aspect of Tibet ...
) or 'embodiment' (Sanskrit: nirmanakaya). Now as was previously stated Vimalamitra brought the ''Vima Nyingthig'' to Tibet. Padmasambhava, who brought the ''Khandro Nyingthig'' to Tibet, transmitted this to King Trisong Detsen. So both the ''Khandro Nyingthig'' and the ''Vima Nyingthig'' were within the mindstream of Jigme Lingpa and were realised by him as 'mind treasure' or 'mind terma' (). Thondup & Talbott state:
Jigme Lingpa was a reincarnation of both Vimalamitra himself and King Trisong Detsen, who was a recipient of Nyingthig teachings from Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) and Vimalamitra. So the Nyingthig teachings of two major lineages flowed together in Jigme Lingpa. Longchen Nyingthig is the essence or embodiment of the two Nyingthig traditions, ''Vima Nyingthig'' and ''Khandro Nyingthig''.


Revelation

Thondup and Talbott state that:
While transmitting esoteric teachings to his realized disciples in Tibet, Guru Padmasambhava concealed many teachings with the blessings of his enlightened mind stream in the nature of the intrinsic awareness of the minds of his disciples through the power of “mind-mandated transmission” (); thereby the master and disciple became united as one in the teachings and realization. Here, the master has concealed the teachings and blessings, the esoteric attainments, as ter in the pure nature of the minds of his disciples through his enlightened power, and he has made aspirations that the ter may be discovered for the sake of beings when the appropriate time comes.
Thondup and Talbott state that when Jigme Lingpa was 28 years old:
In the evening of the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month of the Fire Ox year of the thirteenth Rabjung cycle (1757), he went to bed with an unbearable devotion to Guru Rinpoche in his heart; a stream of tears of sadness continuously wet his face because he was not in Guru Rinpoche’s presence, and unceasing words of prayers kept singing in his breath. He remained in the depths of that meditation experience of clear luminosity () for a long time. While being absorbed in that luminous clarity, he experienced flying a long distance through the sky while riding a white lion. He finally reached a circular path, which he thought to be the circumambulation path of Charung Khashor, now known as Bodhnath Stūpa, an important Buddhist monument of giant structure in Nepal.


Content

According to
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Tashi Paljor () (c. 1910 – 28 September 1991) was a Vajrayana master, Terton, scholar, poet, teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters. Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism f ...
, the Longchen Nyingtik "includes the preliminary and main practices, the
development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...
and
completion stage The fundamental practice of Vajrayana and Tibetan tantra is deity yoga (''devatayoga''), a form of Buddhist meditation centered on a chosen deity or "cherished divinity" (Skt. ''Iṣṭa-devatā,'' Tib. '' yidam''). This involves the recitatio ...
s, and, most important, the practice of Ati Yoga, or
Dzogchen Dzogchen ( '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 ...
. It thus constitutes a complete path to enlightenment."
Sam van Schaik Sam Julius van Schaik is an English tibetologist. Education He obtained a PhD in Tibetan Buddhist literature at the University of Manchester in 2000, with a dissertation on the translations of Dzogchen texts by Jigme Lingpa. Career Sin ...
lists the contents of the major thematic sections of the ''Longchen Nyingthig'' as follows: # Revelation accounts and prophecy (3 texts) # Root tantra and root initiation (3 texts) # Outer guru sadhana (2 texts) # Inner guru sadhana (4 texts) # Longlife practices (4 texts) # ''Dechen gyalmo'', a peaceful
dakini A ḍākinī (; ; ; ; alternatively 荼枳尼, ; 荼吉尼, ; or 吒枳尼, ; Japanese: 荼枳尼 / 吒枳尼 / 荼吉尼, ''dakini'') is a type of goddess in Hinduism and Buddhism. The concept of the ḍākinī somewhat differs depending on t ...
, (28 texts) # ''Palchen Dupa'', a
yidam A ''yidam'' or ''iṣṭadevatā'' is a meditational deity that serves as a focus for meditation and spiritual practice, said to be manifestations of Buddhahood or enlightened mind. Yidams are an integral part of Vajrayana, including Tibeta ...
, (20 texts) # Secret guru sadhana (4 texts) # Very secret guru sadhana (1 texts) # Wrathful lama practice (3 texts) # Miscellaneous aspirational prayers (4 texts) # Peaceful and wrathful deities (8 texts) # Protectors (16 texts) # Transference of consciousness (
phowa ''Phowa'' (, ) is a tantric practice found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It may be described as "transference of consciousness at the time of death", " mindstream transference", "the practice of conscious dying", or "enlightenment without medit ...
, 2 texts) # Practices on the channels and winds ( tsa-lung, 6 texts) # Practice of cutting attachment (
Chöd Chöd ( lit. 'to sever') is a spiritual practice found primarily in the Yundrung Bön tradition as well as in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism (where it is classed as Anuttarayoga Tantra in Kagyu and Anuyoga in Nyingma). Also ...
, 2 texts) # Great perfection (
Dzogchen Dzogchen ( '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 ...
) treasure texts (4 texts) # Preliminary practices ( ngondro, 3 texts) # Great perfection practice instructions (1 text) # Supporting instructions for the above (6 texts) # Additional miscellaneous texts (11 texts)
Sam van Schaik Sam Julius van Schaik is an English tibetologist. Education He obtained a PhD in Tibetan Buddhist literature at the University of Manchester in 2000, with a dissertation on the translations of Dzogchen texts by Jigme Lingpa. Career Sin ...
has translated some of the Dzogchen texts from the ''Longchen Nyingthig'' in "Approaching the Great Perfection" (2004). Tony Duff has also translated key texts such as "The Excellent Path to Omniscience" and "Sound of Dakini Laughter." According to Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, the
Vidyadhara Vidyadhara(s) (Sanskrit , meaning "wisdom-holders") are a group of supernatural beings in Indian religions who possess magical powers. In Hinduism, they also attend Shiva, who lives in the Himalayas. They are considered ''Upadeva''s, or demi-g ...
Jigme Lingpa founded the great Longchen Nyingtik lineage based on a series of mind treasures he discovered in visions. The teachings and practices of the Longchen Nyingtik are the swiftest path to enlightenment. One of its main sadhanas, The Gathering of Vidyadharas (Rigdzen Dupa), holds for this supreme accomplishment to happen.


Lineage

The teaching descended from the Dharmakaya Buddha, from
Kuntu Zangpo The Ādi-Buddha (, Ch: 本佛, Jp: honbutsu, First Buddha, Original Buddha, or Primordial Buddha) is a Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to the most fundamental, supreme, or ancient Buddha in the cosmos. Another common term for this figure is ...
and Kuntu Zangmo known as Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri who formed a Sattva. The Sattva was passed to the
Samboghakaya Buddha The Trikāya (, lit. "three bodies"; , ) is a fundamental Buddhist doctrine that explains the multidimensional nature of Buddhahood. As such, the Trikāya is the basic theory of Mahayana Buddhist theology of Buddhahood. This concept posits that a ...
Dorje Sempa known as
Vajrasattva Vajrasattva (, Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་སེམས་དཔའ། ''Dorje Sempa'', short form: རྡོར་སེམས། ''Dorsem'') is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana and Mantrayana/Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. In Chinese Buddhis ...
. The Dzogchen teachings reached
Guru Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ('Born from a Lotus'), also known as Guru Rinpoche ('Precious Guru'), was a legendary tantric Buddhist Vajra master from Oddiyana. who fully revealed the Vajrayana in Tibet, circa 8th – 9th centuries... He is considered an ema ...
, who arrived in the mid-8th century to
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
and converted much of the populace to
Vajrayana ''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhis ...
Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
. The first human master of the ''Longchen Nyingthig'' lineage was
Prahevajra Garab Dorje (c. 665) () was the first human to receive the complete direct transmission teachings of Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen. The circumstances of his birth are shrouded in different interpretations, with some accounts describing a miraculous b ...
known as
Garab Dorje Garab Dorje (c. 665) () was the first human to receive the complete direct transmission teachings of Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen. The circumstances of his birth are shrouded in different interpretations, with some accounts describing a miraculous ...
. The entire cycle of teachings was discovered as terma, revealed treasures of the 18th century Nyingma teacher Kunkhyen Jigme Lingpa.


See also

*
Five Pure Lights The Five Pure Lights () is an essential teaching in the Dzogchen tradition of Bon and Tibetan Buddhism. For the deluded, the matter seems to appear. This is due to the non-recognition of the five lights. Matter includes the ''mahābhūta'' or cla ...
*
Ganachakra A ganacakra ( ' "gathering circle"; ) is also known as tsok, ganapuja, cakrapuja or ganacakrapuja. It is a generic term for various tantric assemblies or feasts, in which practitioners meet to chant mantra, enact mudra, make votive offerings a ...
*
Tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...


References


Notes


Citations


Works cited

* * * * *


Further reading

* *


External links


Longchen Nyingtik lineageLongchen Nyingtik
at RangjungYesheWiki
Longchen Nyingtik Series at Lotsawa House

www.zangthal.co.ukThe Longchen Nyingtik Project
{{TibetanBuddhism Dzogchen texts Dzogchen practices Dzogchen lineages Nyingma tantras History of Tibetan Buddhism Buddhist texts