If Padmasambhava is the person who brought Dzogchen into Tibet, then Longchenpa (Longchenpa, 1308–1364) is the person who made Dzogchen available for learning. Before him, Dzogchen was mainly spread in the form of master-disciple oral transmission and scattered formulas; it was his first time to systematically write down this set of insights, practices and procedures into a classic, making it a system that can be studied, taught and passed on.

There is a saying within Nyingma: "Guru Rinpoche teaches, Longchenpa explains." Although this statement is simplified, it roughly explains his position.

Longchenpa, full name Longchen Rabjam Ba (Longchen Rabjam), was born in central Tibet in 1308. He was smart since he was a child and studied in a monastery near Samye Monastery. When he was young, he was already a scholar with great knowledge in the five sciences, proficient in sutras, esoteric scriptures, astronomy and medicine.

But what really shaped him was the years in the mountains after middle age. He retreated for many long periods of time, and spent the last few decades in the caves and forests of Gangri Thökar, with only a few followers. Most of his works were written during this period - not in a study, but in a cave, with a butter lamp.

This life itself has a hidden meaning: the real system is often not sorted out in the academy, but crystallized from experience in long periods of solitude. Longchenpa combines the rigor of a scholar with the enlightenment of a yogi, which is extremely rare in history.

Longchenpa has many works, the most important of which are two:

"Seven Treasures" (མཛོད་བདུན་, Seven Treasures) - seven treatises, systematically expounding the views, practices, actions, and results of Dzogchen, covering teachings (such as "Treasures of the Dharma Realm"), formulas (such as "Treasures of Tricks and Tricks"), practical steps of practice (such as "Treasures of Wish-fulfilling Treasures"), etc. They are compulsory books for Nyingma monasteries and core texts for studying Dzogchen thought.

"Trilogy of Rest" (ངལ་གསོ་སྐོར་གསུམ་, Trilogy of Rest) - Three shorter treatises, namely "Rest of Mind", "Rest of Meditation" and "Rest of Illusion", which use a more concise way to talk about how to rest from the exhaustion of reincarnation.

In addition, he also compiled "Nyingtik Yabshi" (Four Heart Drops), which systematically organized the formulas of Dzogchen heart essence. Today, the most common practice system of Nyingma, "Longchen Heart Essence", although it was developed by the later Jigme Lingpa, its name is taken from Longchenpa - meaning "Longchenpa's Heart Essence".

The common feature of these works is that they have both extremely high views and extremely detailed steps on the path to cultivation. The most remarkable thing about Longchenpa is that it has a high level of insight without being mysterious, and it has a detailed approach without losing the ultimate.

The core statement of Longchenpa can be condensed into one sentence: The nature of the mind is inherently pure and perfect. As long as you recognize it, you will be liberated.

But this "recognition" is not a slogan. He spent a lot of time talking about:

• Original Purity (kadag) - The nature of the mind is originally pure, and troubles are guest objects, not the original nature.
• Ren Yun (lhundrub) - The power of mind is self-sufficient, and wisdom and merit should not be sought from outside.
• Resolute (trekchö) - Recognize the original awareness directly at the moment, stay in it, and do not follow the flow of wandering thoughts.
• Thögal - through specific practices, let the light power of rigpa appear naturally.

One thing he repeatedly emphasized is: one's views can be extremely high, but one's conduct must be extremely meticulous. Nyingma later often said, "Views are like mountains, actions are like fine powder", which comes from this tradition. This sentence is to deal with a common deviation - using "originally pure" as an excuse to relax caution about cause and effect and precepts.

For today's readers, this point is particularly important: the highest insight is never a reason for indulgence, but rather a stricter requirement.

Before Longchenpa, the teaching method of Nyingma was mainly oral transmission for a long time. Although there are classics, there is a lack of systematic organization. The terminology of each lineage is different, making it difficult for scholars to get started. His work gave Nyingma its own "textbook system" for the first time.

The meaning of this matter has three levels:

• Internal: Let Nyingma practitioners have a path to follow and no longer completely rely on the oral transmission of individual teachers.
• External: In the debate with other sects, Nyingma will have a complete teaching that can dialogue with systems such as Madhyamaka and Viṣṇa only.
• To later generations: Almost all Dzogchen lecturers in later generations - including Jigme Lingpa, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, and Dilgo Khyentse Karmapa in the 20th century - all relied on his works as their fundamental basis.

It can be said that **Longchenpa has transformed Dzogchen from a oral transmission river into a palace that can be lived in.

Q: Which school does Longchenpa belong to?

A: The Nyingma school. He was the great synthesizer of the Nyingma scholastic system and is honored as one of the most important Nyingma expounders of treatises.

Q: Are his books suitable for beginners?

A: The Seven Treasures (mdzod bdun) are profound and subtle in meaning, and are best studied under the guidance of an experienced guru. Beginners usually start with more accessible introductory works or the guru's oral explanations.

Q: What is his relation to the Longchen Nyingthig?

A: The Longchen Nyingthig (klong chen snying thig) is a terma revealed in the 18th century by Jigme Lingpa, who beheld Longchenpa directly in a pure vision. It takes its name from inheriting Longchenpa's "heart-essence," but it was not written by Longchenpa himself.

Q: Why did he spend most of his life in the mountains?

A: The Nyingma tradition values direct practice. Longchenpa held that the systematization of the teachings must be rooted in one's own realization, not merely in textual study; hence after middle age he long remained in mountain retreat.

• Samye-62-Gebaelk-2014-gje.jpg · Gerd Eichmann / CC BY-SA 4.0

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