A classic collection of writings on the meditation practice and theory of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, by the celebrated fourteenth-century scholar and adept Longchen Rabjam (Longchenpa). This classic collection of texts on the meditation practice and theory of Dzogchen presents the Great Perfection through the writings of its supreme authority, the fourteenth-century Tibetan scholar and visionary Longchen Rabjam. The pinnacle of Vajrayana practice in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Dzogchen embodies a system of training that awakens the intrinsic nature of the mind to reveal its original essence, utterly perfect and free from all duality-buddha nature, or buddhahood itself.In The Practice of Dzogchen, Tulku Thondup translates essential passages from Longchen Rabjam's voluminous writings to illuminate and clarify this teaching. He also draws on the works of later masters of the tradition, placing Dzogchen in context both in relation to other schools of Buddhism and in relation to the nine-vehicle outline of the Buddhist path described in the Nyingma tradition. This expanded edition includes Counsel for Liberation, Longchenpa's poetic exhortation to readers to quickly enter the path of liberation, the first step toward the summit of Dzogchen practice.

Preface to the Second EditionPART ONE: DZOGCHEN IN CONTEXT1. Introduction2. The Three Outer Tantras3. The Three Inner Tantras4. Three Divisions of Atiyoga5. Dzogpa Chenpo and Other Yānas and Traditions6. Excerpts from the Lives of Dzogpa Chenpo Masters to Illustrate the Ways of Training in Dzogpa ChenpoPART TWO: THE LIFE OF LONGCHENPA7. The Life of Kunkhyen Longchen RabjamPART THREE: SELECTED WRITINGS OF LONGCHEN RABJAM8. Summary of the Selections9. Counsel for Liberation: An Exhortation to Pursue Virtuous Secular and Dharma Trainings in Order to Practice Dzogpa Chenpo10. How Samsara and Nirvana Originate from the Basis as the Appearances of the Basis According to the Innermost DzogpaChenpo Teachings11. Karma of Samsaric Deeds, the Cause of Beings' Wandering in Delusory Samsara12. Karma of Liberative Virtues, the Means of Liberation from Samsara13. Philosophical View of Phenomenal Existents14. Meditation on the Meaning of the View15. Twenty-seven Courses of Training in Dzogpa Chenpo16. Naturally Liberated Mind, the Great Perfection17. Instructions on the Meditation on Naturally Liberated Mind, the Great Perfection18. The Trainings and Attainments of the Five Paths of Mahayana19. The Trainings and Attainments of the Paths and Stages of Tantra20. Attainment of the Paths, Stages, and Visions of Dzogpa Chenpo21. Attainment of the Result, the Buddha Bodies and Primordial Wisdoms of Buddhahood in Mahayana Sutras and Tantras22. The Buddha Bodies and Primordial Wisdoms in Dzogpa ChenpoNotesBibliography of Works CitedIndex