Rigpa
The Tibetan Book of the Dead,
also known as the Bardo Thodol, is a work by Padmasambhava, an Indian tantric guru, composed in the 8th century. It was hidden and buried for several centuries before it was discovered in the 14th century by Karma Lingpa, a Tibetan terton.
The book is part of a larger work called the “Profound Dharma of Self-Liberation through the Intention of the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones.” The original title of the work is “Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State.”
The Tibetan Book of the Dead describes the experiences that the consciousness has after death, in the bardo, the interval between death and the next rebirth. The book also includes chapters on the signs of death and rituals to undertake when death is closing in or has taken place.
The work is sometimes used in the present day by hospice workers to calm the fears of the dying and direct them in letting go of their present life to embrace a new experience.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead was first published in 1927 by Oxford University Press, London.
What is Rigpa?
Rigpa is a key concept in Dzogchen, a tradition within Tibetan Buddhism.
• Meaning: Rigpa is often translated as “pristine awareness” or “pure knowing.”
• Nature: It refers to the natural, non-dual state of mind that is beyond ordinary thought, free from ignorance, and inherently aware.
• Distinction: In Dzogchen teachings, Rigpa is contrasted with sem (the ordinary mind), which is conditioned, conceptual, and limited.
• Experience: Rigpa isn’t something to be created; it’s considered ever-present, like the sky, but obscured by clouds of delusion.
• Practice: Dzogchen methods aim at directly recognizing Rigpa and resting in it, rather than fabricating a new state of consciousness.
In simple terms: Rigpa is the innate clarity and awareness of mind that Dzogchen practitioners train to recognize and abide in.
Here’s a summary of how Rigpa is described in different Dzogchen sources:
1. Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thödol)
• Rigpa is the clear light of the mind, revealed most directly at the moment of death.
• The dying person is instructed to recognize this luminous awareness as their own true nature.
• Failure to recognize Rigpa leads to confusion and rebirth in samsara.
2. Longchenpa (14th-century Dzogchen master)
• Rigpa is the union of emptiness and clarity — empty of fixed identity, yet luminous and aware.
• It is self-arising wisdom, needing no effort to fabricate or attain.
• Longchenpa emphasizes that Rigpa is ever-present, like the sun, only obscured by clouds of ignorance.
• Practice is about direct recognition, not intellectual understanding.
3. Padmasambhava (founder of Dzogchen in Tibet)
• Rigpa is the primordial state of Buddhahood present in all beings.
• He compares Rigpa to a mirror: open, reflective, and unstained by whatever appears within it.
• Without recognizing Rigpa, beings wander endlessly in samsara.
4. Contemporary Dzogchen Teachers (e.g., Dilgo Khyentse, Tulku Urgyen, Sogyal Rinpoche)
• Rigpa is described as naked awareness, free from elaboration.
• It is immediate and self-knowing, beyond concepts of subject and object.
• Teachers often give a “direct introduction” (Tibetan: ngo sprod), pointing the student to Rigpa in their own experience.
Implication:
Across sources, Rigpa is consistently described as the innate, ever-present awareness at the core of mind. Dzogchen teachings stress direct recognition rather than gradual cultivation, making Rigpa central to liberation in this tradition.
How Rigpa is distinguished from other states of mind and from enlightenment in Dzogchen:
Here is a comparison of Rigpa and meditative absorption (samadhi).
Aspect |
Rigpa |
Meditative Absorption (Samadhi) |
---|---|---|
Nature |
Primordial, ever-present awareness, the true nature of mind. It is not a created state, but is the underlying, unconditioned ground of all experience. Rigpa includes both sheer emptiness and the sacred awareness that knows it. |
A cultivated, temporary state of deep concentration or absorption. It is achieved by focusing the mind, often on a single object, and is therefore a manufactured state. |
Approach |
Direct recognition, no fabrication. The practitioner is “introduced” to the nature of mind by a qualified master. The practice is to rest naturally and effortlessly in this recognized state. This is a “non-striving” or “letting go” approach. |
Gradual cultivation through focus. Samadhi is attained through a process of increasing concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana), as outlined in the Eightfold Path of Buddhism and the eight limbs of yoga. |
Effort |
Effortless. Once recognized, the practice is to simply rest in the natural, present state of awareness. Forcing it, grasping at it, or trying to suppress thoughts is considered an error. |
Effortful initially. Reaching deep states of absorption (jhana) requires initial, sustained effort to clear hindrances and concentrate the mind. The state itself is characterized by a deep and unwavering focus. |
Qualities |
Non-dual awareness, inseparable emptiness and clarity. It is characterized by pristine wisdom (yeshe) that is free from the distortions of dualistic thought (sems). This wisdom is described as “reflexively self-aware”. |
One-pointed concentration. A deeply concentrated mind absorbed in its object, with the disappearance of the usual distinction between meditator and object of meditation. In its highest forms, it can also lead to a temporary cessation of mental activity. |
Scope |
Pervasive and ever-present. Rigpa is the unchanging, fundamental nature of mind that underlies all experiences, whether in or out of meditation. It is present during states of peace and periods of turbulent thoughts. |
Temporary, meditative state. Samadhi is a distinct state of consciousness achieved during formal meditation practice. It arises and fades with the meditation session. |
Integration |
Integrated into all activity. In Dzogchen, the goal is to integrate the recognition of rigpa into one’s entire reality and daily life, not to confine it to formal meditation. |
Intensified during meditation. While its benefits extend to daily life, samadhi itself is the state of deep absorption that happens within a meditative session. |
Summary of the key distinction
The core difference lies in the perspective and method. Samadhi is a fabricated state attained by concentrating the mind and progressively letting go of distractions. In contrast, Rigpa is the unconditioned ground of being, which is discovered and recognized directly, not fabricated. In the Dzogchen approach, samadhi-like states are used to stabilize the mind, but the recognition of rigpa is what cuts through delusion, rather than prolonged absorption alone.
Summary:
• Rigpa is the ground of enlightenment, the natural awareness always present.
• Ordinary mind (sem) is the conditioned, conceptual mind that obscures Rigpa.
• Enlightenment is Rigpa fully realized and sustained without interruption.
• Meditation practices can help, but Dzogchen emphasizes direct recognition of Rigpa over fabrication of states.
Let’s place Rigpa inside the bigger picture of Dzogchen.
Dzogchen Overview
• Meaning: Dzogchen means “Great Perfection” in Tibetan.
• Goal: Recognize and rest in Rigpa — the natural, primordial awareness — as the essence of both self and reality.
• Approach: Unlike other Buddhist paths that emphasize gradual purification, Dzogchen teaches that awakening is already complete; the task is to recognize it.
Core Principles
• Base (gzhi): The ground of being, pure awareness (Rigpa), which is empty, luminous, and ever-present.
• Path (lam): Direct recognition of Rigpa through the master’s guidance and Dzogchen practices.
• Fruit (’bras bu): Stabilization in Rigpa → complete Buddhahood, the natural expression of awareness.
Main Practices
1. Direct Introduction (ngo sprod)
◦ Teacher introduces the student directly to Rigpa, beyond concepts.
2. Trekchö (“cutting through”)
◦ Cutting through delusion to recognize the naked, empty awareness.
◦ Resting effortlessly in Rigpa.
3. Tögal (“leap over”)
◦ Advanced visionary practice where the natural radiance of Rigpa manifests in luminous visions.
◦ Leads to realization of the “rainbow body” (body dissolves into light at death).
Key Texts & Masters
• Garab Dorje (1st Dzogchen master) – gave the “Three Statements that Strike the Vital Point”:
1. Direct introduction to Rigpa.
2. Decide upon one thing (recognition of awareness).
3. Confidence in liberation (everything self-liberates).
• Padmasambhava – transmitted Dzogchen to Tibet, hid “terma” (treasure teachings).
• Longchenpa (14th c.) – systematized Dzogchen, described Rigpa as the union of emptiness and clarity.
• Modern teachers – Dilgo Khyentse, Tulku Urgyen, Namkhai Norbu, Sogyal Rinpoche.
Distinctive Features
• Non-duality: No separation between samsara and nirvana when seen through Rigpa.
• Spontaneous presence: Rigpa doesn’t need to be created; it’s self-existing.
• Self-liberation: Thoughts and emotions dissolve naturally when recognized in awareness.
In short:
Dzogchen is the highest teaching in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, pointing directly to Rigpa — the natural, pristine awareness already within you. Instead of building enlightenment step by step, it shows you that it’s always been present; the practice is simply recognizing and stabilizing it.