Practice
The Lamas at Kathok Centre prepare students to receive Dzogpa Chenpo teachings in the Longchen Nyingthig tradition. This lineage of transmission and teaching has been summarized by Tulku Thondup in Masters of Meditation and Miracles, Shambhala, 1996 (MMM). Tulku Thondup's book is available from Banyen Books in Vancouver.
Longchen Nyingthig Lineage at Kathok Centre
The Longchen Nyingthig (Innermost-essence of Longchenpa) teachings are "a collection of tantras and sadhanas revealed by Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798) as 'mind ter' teachings". These were received in pure visions of Longchenpa (MMM, pp. 41-43).
The lineage itself begins with Kuntu Zangpo, the Primordial Buddha, and passes through an unbroken line of transmission to our present teachers as follows:
- Kuntu Zangpo, the Dharmakaya (MMM Ch. 1)
- Vajrasattva, the Sambhogakaya (MMM Ch.2)
- Garab Dorje, a Nirmanakaya (MMM Ch. 4) and the first human master of Dzogpa Chenpo.
- Manjushrimitra (Jampel Shenyen) (MMM Ch. 5) studied with Garab Dorje for 75 years and then taught dakinis in charnel grounds for another 109 years. He classified the 6 million verses of Dzogpa Chenpo into Semde (the way the mind dwells), Longde (freedom from effort), and Me-ngagde (essential points).
- Shri Singha (MMM Ch. 6) traveled like the wind 2 feet above the ground to meet Manjushrimitra in the Sosadvipa charnel ground. There he received teachings for 25 years, and passed them on to Jnanasutra, Vimalamitra, Vairochana and Guru Padmasambhava.
- Jnanasutra (MMM Ch. 7) received Shri Singha's final testament, The Seven Nails. As well he received the elaborate, simple, very simple, and utmost simple empowerments and teachings from him. These he passed to Vimalamitra.
- Vimalamitra (MMM Ch. 8) studied with Shri Singha for 20 years in China. He received Jnanasutra's final testament, The Four Methods of Contemplation, as well as receiving instructions directly from Garab Dorje in seven pure visions. He worked with a team of Tibetan translators for 13 years at the invitation of King Trisong Detsen. He then departed for Wu Tai Shan, the Five-Peak-Mountain in China. Having attained the rainbow body of great transformation, Vimalamitra can still be encountered by students with pure vision visiting Wu Tai Shan.
- Guru Padmasambhava (MMM Ch. 9) was born miraculously in Uddiyana. He subdued the hostile gods and demons of Tibet and consecrated the entire country as a place of practice. Guru Padma stayed in Tibet establishing the Dharma for 56 years, before departing for his Pure Land, the Copper Colored Mountain. For those who say his mantra, OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG, he is instantly present.
- The Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal (MMM Ch. 9) was Guru Padmasambhava's principal consort. Yeshe Tsogyal had perfect memory and was entrusted by Guru Padma with hiding many teachings to be discovered in later generations as terma.
- Longchen Rabjampa (Longchenpa) (MMM Ch. 10) was transmission holder of the Vima Nyingthig and Khandro Nyingthig teachings. Preserving the human lineage, Longchenpa received transmission from Rigdzin Kumaradza and Shö Gyalse, but he also received these Nyingthig teachings and empowerments directly from Vimalamitra and Guru Padmasambhava in pure visions. He received teachings and transmissions from all Buddhist lineages present in Tibet in his time, and all the streams of Dzogpa Chenpo converged in him. He wrote more than 250 treatises on Dzogpa Chenpo and Nyingthig, many of which were mind ter. In his spiritual testament he encouraged his thousands of students to practice and realize the nature of mind and phenomena at this very moment.
- Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa (MMM Ch. 11) was a tulku of both King Trisong Detsen and Vimalamitra. He discovered the Longchen Nyingthig teachings when a Dharmakaya Dakini awakened the mind ter given to him by Guru Rinpoche many centuries before. The highest realization of Dzogpa Chenpo was awakened in him by three pure visions of Longchenpa. He had many famous disciples, all of whom were equally great adepts, and the Longchen Nyingthig lineage became one of the most popular schools in the Nyingma tradition.
- Jigme Gyalwe Nyuku (MMM Ch. 13) experienced all of his feelings dissolving into joy when he met his root lama, Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa. Himself an example of pure devotion to the Dharma, Jigme Gyalwe Nyuku followed his Lama's advice and devoted the latter part of his life to giving the Longchen Nyingthig and other teachings and empowerments to any devout and sincere students who came to him.
- Patrul Rinpoche (MMM Ch. 19), a tulku of Jigme Lingpa, was known for his simple living and outrageous teaching style. He authored The Words of My Perfect Teacher, an extensive commentary on the Longchen Nyingthig preliminary practices.
- Lungtok Tenpe Nyima (MMM Ch. 22) was one of the greatest masters of Dzogpa Chenpo in the Longchen Nyingthig lineage, and the greatest realized disciple of Patrul Rinpoche.
- Kathok Khenpo Ngawang Palzang (Khenpo Ngachung) (MMM Ch. 31) was a tulku of Vimalamitra and was known as the Second Longchen Rabjam. At the age of 5 he reversed the course of a flooding river by fashioning a phurbu from a twig and reciting the Vajrakila mantra. Before he was 21 he had completed millions and millions of of mantra and puja recitations and had experienced many pure visions. At 29 he was asked to be the abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, but he refused because his root lama Lungtok had told him to teach at Kathok Monastery. Sometimes when he taught, miraculous signs would appear. At Kathok Monastery he ordained more than 4,000 monks.