The special transmission of Ch'an is the realization of the Buddha's enlightenment itself, in one's own life, in one's own time. This experience has been realized by Ch'an students and confirmed by their teachers for over 2500 years.

Central and indispensable to Ch'an is daily meditation practice. It is this practice that is the "direct pointing to the mind of man." Meditation melts away the mind-forged distances that separate man from himself. In meditation, there is no reality outside what exists here and now. Each moment, each act is inherently Buddha-nature. While sorrow and joy, anxiety and imperturbability cannot be avoided, by not clinging to them we find ourselves free of them, no longer pulled this way and that. With this self-mastery comes composure and tranquillity of mind, but these are by-products of meditation rather than its goals.

Meditation is a term consisting of two components: "to sit (cross-legged)," and from Ch'an, in Sanscrit dhyana , meaning at once concentration, dynamic stillness, and contemplation. The means toward the realization of one's original nature as well as the realization itself, meditation is both something one does - sitting cross-legged, with proper posture and correct breathing - and something one essentially is. To emphasize one aspect at the expense of the other is to misunderstand this subtle and profound practice.

In ordinary experience, being and doing are separated: what one does is cut off from what one is, and conversely. Such separation leads inevitably to the condition of self-alienation. Particularly in our time, this condition has become acute. With time and sincere effort in meditation practice, mind and body, inside and outside, self and other are experienced as one. This condition of effortless concentration is known as Samadhi.

In the clarity of Samadhi-liveliness, dissatisfaction and the sense of the meaningless of modern life vanish. No longer searching for answers externally, the student journeys within to reach the moving spirit of the Buddha - his own Self-Nature.

Through devotion and persistence, the aims of meditation practice are eventually realized. The first is Enlightenment. With this experience, Samadhi is fulfilled; mind and body, the self and the universe are seen to have been one reality from the beginning. The second and more difficult aim is the actualization of the Bodhisattva (Enlightened Being) ideal. This spirit of love and compassion for all beings is developed through continual spiritual purification, the cultivation of a deep sense of responsibility, and most importantly, through self-discipline. As one's practice ripens, one becomes more alive, more creative; filled with the longing to actualize the Bodhisattva spirit in every moment and every aspect of daily life.

THE TRADITION OF DZOGCHEN

The teachings and practice of Dzogchen are held and propagated by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism . The term Nyingma is commonly translated as Ancient and refers to the earlier series of translations of the entire Buddhist canon from the original Indian language. Later translations were also made which are followed by the new schools; Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug.

The practice of Dzogchen or "Great Perfection," is the most ancient and direct stream of wisdom within the Buddhist tradition of Tibet . It is considered the very pinnacle of all teachings and the most immediate path towards spiritual fulfillment. As a way in which to realise the innermost nature of mind, Dzogchen is the clearest, most effective, and most relevant to the modern world. It is a path at once simple and profound, one that can be integrated with ordinary life and practiced anywhere.

The origins of Dzogchen are traced to the Primordial Buddha, Samantabhadra, from whom this remarkable heritage of wisdom has been transmitted from master to disciple in an unbroken lineage down to the present day. Throughout the centuries, the Dzogchen Rinpoches and Dzogchen Monastery have played a pivotal role in the transmission and preservation of these teachings.

The heart of Dzogchen Monastery's spiritual heritage can be found in the teachings and practices of the Dzogchen Khandro Nyingthik.

DZOGCHEN KHANDRO NYINGTHIK

The Khandro Nyingthig Lineal Transmission

From the Primordial Buddha Samantabhadra (Dharmakaya), the lineal transmission of the Khandro Nyingthig flows through Vajrasattva (the Sambhogakaya), Garab Dorje (the Nirmanakaya), Shrisimha and then Guru Rinpoche, who together with Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal, King Trisong Detsen and Princess Lhacham Pemasal concealed the teaching as ter. Guru Rinpoche entrusted the transmission of Khandro Nyingthig to Princess Pemasal and in her series of lives, became Pema Ledreltsal (1291-?) who discovered the Khandro Nyingthig. Pema Ledreltsal was the previous incarnation of Longchen Rabjam (1308-1363). The transmission continued through to the First Dzogchen Rinpoche, Pema Rigdzin (1625-1697) and later to the Second Dzogchen Rinpoche, Gyurme Thekchok Tendzin (1699-?), the Fourth Dzogchen Rinpoche, Mingyur Namkhe Dorje (1793-?) and on to the present Dodrupchen, Thupten Thrinle Palzang (1927-).

A commentary on the Khandro Nyingthig was composed by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche, Ngedön Tenzin Zangpo (1759-1792).

The Importance of the Nyingthig Teachings

The Nyingma tradition classifies the entire Buddhist teachings into nine ‘yanas' or vehicles. Of these, the ninth yana, Atiyoga or Dzogpachenpo is the Summit . Atiyoga was divided into three cycles, Semde, Longde and Me-ngagde. The most profound cycle, Me-ngagde was itself divided into four cycles of which ‘Nyingthig' represents the fourth and innermost ‘heart' essence. All four teach the approach of ‘Trekchö' or ‘cutting through' phenomena while the innermost essence cycle focuses on ‘Thögal' or the ‘direct approach' of resting in the spontaneous perfection of the primordially pure nature.

Of the many Nyingthig teachings the Vima Nyingthig and the Khandro Nyingthig are the most profound. These transmissions flowed into Longchen Rabjam who revealed his own Lama Yangtig and Khandro Yangtig. He combined these as the Nyingthig Yabshi, the four volumes on Nyingthig.

Further more, the cycle of Longchen Nyingthig was discovered as mind ter, primarily in a series of pure visions of Longchen Rabjam by Jigme Lingpa (1730-1799). Longchen Nyingthig is the essence or embodiment of the two Nyingthig traditions, Vima Nyingthig and Khandro Nyingthig and condenses all the Nyingthig teachings that came through Longchen Rabjam. What makes the Nyingthig teachings unique is that one trains on the development and perfection stages in union.

Dzogchen Khandro Nyingthig

Following the Dzogchen Monastery tradition, one is introduced to the Khandro Nyingthig through the preliminaries, the Ngöndro Tharlam Karpo — 'The White Path of Emancipation'. The main daily practice of the Monastery is the three-roots practice of Könchok Chidü, which combines within one practice the Lama in the form of Pema Öbar (a peaceful manifestation of Guru Rinpoche), the Yidam in the form of Guru Drakpo (a wrathfull manifestation of Guru Rinpoche) and the Khandro in the form of Sengé Dongma (the lion faced dakini).

Lineages & Transmissions