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Primordial Experience: An Introduction to Dzog-chen Meditation
The Tibetan teaching of Dzog-chen (pronounced ZOAK-chen), also known as Ati yoga, is considered by its adherents to be the definitive and most secret teaching of the Buddha. Primordial Experience is a translation of a key text articulating the Dzog-chen teachings, "Gold Refined from Ore," by Mañjusrimitra, an Indian disciple of the first teacher of Ati yoga. According to the Dzog-chen teachings, purity of mind is always present and only needs to be recognized.
- GenresBuddhism
188 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2001
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About the author
Manjusrimitra
2 books1 followerMañjuśrīmitra (Tibetan: Jampal shenyen, འཇམ་དཔལ་བཤེས་གཉེན་, Wylie: Jam-dpal-bshes-gnyen) was a 1st century CE Indian Buddhist scholar. He became the main student of Garab Dorje and a teacher of Dzogchen.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 13, 2017
This book includes a translation and commentary of a seminal sems sde text in the Dzogchen tradition written by Manjushrimitra, who is traditionally held to be a student of Garab Dorje, the first Dzogchen master.
Like so many texts from the Dzogchen canon, this short work is extremely beautiful. For the most part it sets out the view of Dzogchen, and we learn in the introduction it has historically been referenced as a polemical work in tenet disputes, establishing the pre-eminence of the Dzogchen over competing systems. Precious few cryptic verses refer to practice instructions themselves.
Because the authors write at such length about their translation philosophy in the introduction, I'm tempted to spend more time than is necessary analyzing their approach. Their primary commitment is to rendering what the Tibetans would call a "meaning translation," which gets the sense of the text across in strong, colloquial English, as opposed to a "word translation," which emphasizes a literal rendering of the words. The result is lovely and highly-readable, but I think they go too far in that direction. English, after all, does contain proper nouns and technical terms, and it is no fault to render "Mara" directly rather than "the Lord of limitations," any more than it would be a fault to use the term "trinity" in translating early Christian writing, rather than feeling compelled to use something along the lines of "the triune godhead." It is not obvious to me that the latter is either stronger, or more direct.
I read through the copious explanatory material three times looking for an explanation of who authored the long commentary on the root verses - I can only assume it was the authors themselves, but it would have been nice if they would have let us know. It is possibly an auto-commentary. They say they "used" the commentary of Ju Mipham, but I don't believe they translated it in its entirety.
Minor issues aside, this is a fine and readable book for any reader interested in Dzogchen at any level of experience.
Like so many texts from the Dzogchen canon, this short work is extremely beautiful. For the most part it sets out the view of Dzogchen, and we learn in the introduction it has historically been referenced as a polemical work in tenet disputes, establishing the pre-eminence of the Dzogchen over competing systems. Precious few cryptic verses refer to practice instructions themselves.
Because the authors write at such length about their translation philosophy in the introduction, I'm tempted to spend more time than is necessary analyzing their approach. Their primary commitment is to rendering what the Tibetans would call a "meaning translation," which gets the sense of the text across in strong, colloquial English, as opposed to a "word translation," which emphasizes a literal rendering of the words. The result is lovely and highly-readable, but I think they go too far in that direction. English, after all, does contain proper nouns and technical terms, and it is no fault to render "Mara" directly rather than "the Lord of limitations," any more than it would be a fault to use the term "trinity" in translating early Christian writing, rather than feeling compelled to use something along the lines of "the triune godhead." It is not obvious to me that the latter is either stronger, or more direct.
I read through the copious explanatory material three times looking for an explanation of who authored the long commentary on the root verses - I can only assume it was the authors themselves, but it would have been nice if they would have let us know. It is possibly an auto-commentary. They say they "used" the commentary of Ju Mipham, but I don't believe they translated it in its entirety.
Minor issues aside, this is a fine and readable book for any reader interested in Dzogchen at any level of experience.
October 25, 2020
A short treatise on non-dualist thought with introduction and commentary.
February 18, 2016
This book will contradict everything you think you know, it will stir up things inside... It's not an easy read, very philosophical, anyone who likes krishnamurti will love this book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews