The Heart Essence(Nyingthik) of the Great Expanse: How Three Masters Shaped the Dzogchen Tradition
According to the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, there are nine levels of teachings, and the highest of them is the Great Perfection (Dzogchen). The term "Nyingthik" literally means "Heart Essence" because these instructions are as vital and precious as the blood in one's heart. It is a spiritual path as well, which is usually referred to as the heart blood or the core of the teachings of Great Perfection.
As we understood the meanings of Nyingthik and Dongchen, what exactly are Longchen Nyingthik and the Dzogchen Tradition?
Both the Longchen Nyingthik and the Dzogchen are core teachings of the Tibetan Nyingma school that are of a high level. Dzogchen is the highest philosophical approach, the meditation theory of Tibetan Buddhism, and Longchen Nyingthik is a particular and commonly used, and extensive cycle of teachings, a direct way to the achievement of the Dzogchen state.
Longchen Nyingthik: The Heart Essence
The Longchen Nyingthik (translated as the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse) is a well-known cycle of Dzogchen teachings.
- Meaning of "Heart Essence": It is referred to as a Heart Essence because these teachings are regarded as the central teachings of the great, explained as the blood of the heart.
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Historical Unification: The lineage is unique because it unites two distinct transmission streams:
- The Long Lineage (Ka’ma): Oral instructions passed down through generations, starting from Vimalamitra.
- The Short Lineage (Terma): Hidden treasures concealed by Padmasambhava to prevent destruction and distortion, intended to be revealed at the proper time.
- Key Masters: The 14th-century master Longchen Rabjam condensed these two streams into one ultimate meaning. Hundreds of years later, Jigme Lingpa rediscovered this cycle as a mind treasure (gongter) after receiving direct blessings from Longchenpa in a series of pure visions.
Learn More About Nyingma Refuge Tree- Longchen Nyingtik Lineage
Dzogchen Tradition (Great Perfection/Ati Yoga):
Dzogchen, also known as the Great Perfection (Dzogpa Chenpo), is a tradition that is considered to be the ultimate vehicle of all Buddhist paths.
Classification: It can be categorized as the supreme of the nine vehicles of the Nyingma school, namely, it belongs to the atiyoga part of the three inner tantras.
Nature: It consists of the most advanced and profound teachings that flourished in Tibet. These teachings are designed to realize the true nature of the mind, which is the primordial state.
Origins: While the Great Perfection originates from the Buddha, it was first taught in human form by Garab Dorje, who received the entire transmission from Vajrasattva.
Read More About Understanding Dzogchen: The Path to Direct Realization in Tibetan Buddhism
The Two Streams: Long and Short Lineages
The Longchen Nyingthik is unique because it perfectly unites two different ways that spiritual wisdom is passed down:
The Long Lineage (Ka’ma):
Envision an uninterrupted chain of teachers and students stretching back to the 8th century. The Indian master Vimalamitra is the founder of this stream who introduced these oral instructions to Tibet. Since it has been transmitted orally through generations for more than a thousand years, it is referred to as the long lineage.
The Short Lineage (Terma):
This stream involves "hidden treasures." The great master Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) realized that over many centuries, long lineages could sometimes suffer from distortions. To prevent this, he "hid" profound teachings in the physical world and within the minds of his disciples, intended to be rediscovered later. Since these teachings are transported directly through the ancient past to the individual that reads them, they are referred to as the short lineage, where things are not lost in the transmission.
Vimalamitra: The Source of the Long Lineage
Vimalamitra, an Indian scholar, introduced the innermost secret part of the Great Perfection teachings to Tibet in the 8th century. These teachings were called Vima Nyingthik since they were transmitted by a continuous succession of generation after generation of masters. They are divided into the long tradition of oral teachings (ka'ma). After thirteen years in Tibet, Vimalamitra gained the rainbow-light body and went to the Five Peaks of China, vowing to leave an emanation to the world every century until the disappearance of the Buddha Dharma.
Longchenpa: The Great Unifier
Longchen Rabjam (Trime Ozer) is the master who lived in the 14th century (1308-1363), and he is known as the Omniscient, having synthesized the different Nyingthik traditions. Longchenpa was a holder of the long ka’ma lineage originating from Vimalamitra. At age twenty-seven, he received the full Vima Nyingthik transmission from Rigdzin Kumaradza. Later, during a retreat at Chimpu, he received instructions from Vimalamitra in a pure vision, which led him to write the Lama Yangthik (or Vima Yangthik), a collection of thirty-five treatises on the Vima Nyingthik.
Longchenpa is credited with uniting the long lineage of Vimalamitra (Vima Nyingthik) and the short lineage of Padmasambhava (Khandro Nyingthik) into a single ultimate meaning. Historically, Longchenpa was the incarnation of Princess Pema Sal, the daughter of King Trisong Detsen. Guru Padmasambhava had specifically hidden the Nyingthik teachings in Pema Sal's mind to be revealed later by her in her life as Longchenpa.
Jigme Lingpa: The Visionary Heir and Emanation
Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798) was a great master who re-revealed the essence of these teachings as the Longchen Nyingthik. Jigme Lingpa is said to have been the incarnation of King Trisong Detsen and Vimalamitra. This directly relates to the lineage of the 8th century. Jigme Lingpa is believed to be the wisdom student and spiritual heir of Longchenpa, although he was born many centuries later. In a three-year retreat at Chimphu, Jigme Lingpa had three pristine visions of the wisdom body of Longchenpa. His visions brought him the full blessings of the body, speech, and the mind of Longchenpa, and the great consent to propagate the Longchen Nyingthik, as a treasure of the mind (gongter). Jigme Lingpa had mastered the inexhaustible mind treasures flowing out of him, which was mainly because of the grace of Master Padmasambhava and the blessings of Longchenpa.
The Visionary and Spiritual Connections Between Vimalamitra, Longchenpa, and Jigme Lingpa
Visionary and spiritual relations of Vimalamitra, Longchen Rabjam (Longchenpa), and Jigme Lingpa are the foundation of the Longchen Nyingthik (Heart Essence of the Great Expanse). Their association cuts across time in terms of transmission through history, spiritual emanations, and profound visionary experience.
The Spiritual Connections: Emanations Across Centuries
The connection between these masters is rooted in the 8th century and came to fruition in later incarnations:
- Vimalamitra to Jigme Lingpa: Vimalamitra, an 8th-century Indian scholar who brought the "Long Lineage" (ka’ma) to Tibet, promised to send an emanation to the world every century. Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa is recognized as an emanation of both Vimalamitra and the Dharma King Trisong Detsen.
- The Origin of Longchenpa: Longchen Rabjam was the incarnation of Princess Pema Sal, the daughter of King Trisong Detsen. Before her death, Guru Padmasambhava hid profound teachings in her mind to be revealed later when she was reborn as Longchenpa.
- The Unifier: Longchenpa is the "Omniscient" master who united the two "mothers" of the Nyingthik: the long lineage of Vimalamitra (Vima Nyingthik) and the short lineage of Padmasambhava (Khandro Nyingthik).
How the Transmission Happened Exactly
The transmission occurred through both formal oral lineages and supernatural visionary experiences:
- Vimalamitra to Longchenpa: Longchenpa received the formal long lineage (ka’ma) of Vimalamitra from his teacher Rigdzin Kumaradza. Additionally, while in retreat at Chimphu, Longchenpa received direct instructions from Vimalamitra in a pure vision, which inspired him to write the Lama Yangthik.
- Longchenpa to Jigme Lingpa: While Jigme Lingpa lived centuries after Longchenpa, he is considered his "wisdom student". During a three-year retreat at the Chimphu cave, Jigme Lingpa experienced three pure visions of Longchenpa's wisdom body. In these visions, he received the blessings of Longchenpa’s body, speech, and mind, and obtained the "great consent" to reveal the Longchen Nyingthik teachings.
- The Mind Treasure (Gongter): The teachings "welled forth" from within Jigme Lingpa after he experienced a vision at the Jarung Kashor stupa. A dakini entrusted him with a casket of scrolls and crystal beads; after swallowing them, the mind treasure naturally opened, allowing him to transcribe the cycle.
How to Connect with Them
According to the sources and traditional practice, you can connect with these masters through several methods:
- Visualization and Thangka Practice: Visualizing the masters is a primary way to receive their blessings. You can use a sacred image, such as the Guru Longchenpa Thangka from the Enlightenment online store, as a support for your meditation. By focusing on the form of the master, you align your mind with their enlightened realization.
- Lineage Prayers: Reciting specific prayers, such as the "Prayer to the Lineage Masters," invokes their presence. These prayers specifically call upon Vimalamitra to "show the way to liberation" and Longchenpa and Jigme Lingpa to "grant liberation".
- Engagement in the Path: Engaging in the Longchen Nyingthik practices, which include the Ngondro (preliminaries), Trekcho (Cutting Through), and Thögal (Leaping Over), allows you to follow the exact path they established.
- Connecting with Living Masters: The lineage remains alive through masters such as Dzogchen Ranyak Patrul Rinpoche, whose transmission line goes directly back to Jigme Lingpa and Longchenpa.
Conclusion:
The spiritual connection between Vimalamitra, Longchenpa, and Jigme Lingpa highlights the timeless nature of the Dzogchen tradition and the powerful transmission of wisdom over many centuries. These three masters have made sure that the Longchen Nyingthik (Heart Essence of the Great Expanse) will keep guiding the direction to enlightenment to the new generations, through their visions, teachings, and emanations. Longchenpa preserved and transmitted the essence of Dzogchen by combining the Long Lineage (Ka'ma) of Vimalamitra with the Short Lineage (Terma) of Padmasambhava and additional re-revelations were made by Jigme Lingpa. This is the ultimate interdependence of wisdom and descent that enables the practitioners to relate to the teachings in a personal and transformational manner.
By visualization, prayers, and participation in the Longchen Nyingthik practices (Ngondro, Trekcho and Thogal), the practitioners get an opportunity to access the blessings and insights of these great masters and continue their journey toward liberation. These teachings are alive as wisdom, continuity prayers, and devotion of spiritual teachers over the generations and they instruct sentient beings on the way towards Dzogchen recognition and full liberation of samsara.
