The Aspiration of Samantabhadra belongs to the Dzogchen tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism. It comes from the primordial Buddha Samantabhadra, known in Tibetan as Kuntuzangpo. Fundamentally speaking, this prayer is the aspiration of the dharmakaya buddha. In addition to being the prayer of a primordial buddha, it is a prayer of the path to complete awakening according to the Dzogchen tradition as well as a prayer of instructions that make our path more genuine and correct. It is a prayer that expresses the different manifestations rigpa, which is our basic awareness, in ordinary life. Further, it is a prayer and aspiration for realization of rigpa, realization of the genuine path, and realization of the genuine teacher. Penetrating Wisdom, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Snow Lion Publications, Hardcover, 176 pages, $22.95
The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche [རྫོགས་ཆེན་དཔོན་སློབ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།] is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars of his generation in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Fluent in English and well-versed in Western culture, Rinpooche has worked to develop and adapt traditional Tibetan education curriculums for Western audiences. Nitartha Institute (www.nitarthainstitute.org), where Rinpoche is the main teacher, provides a focused Buddhist studies program. Rinpoche is a visiting professor of Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado. In 1997, Rinpoche founded Nalandabodhi to preserve the genuine lineage of the Nyingma and Kagyu Schools of Tibetan Buddhism. There are Nalandabodhi centers in North America and Europe, and curriculum materials are available to people worldwide.
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Editor's Foreword
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vii
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The Aspiration of Samantabhadra
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1
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| Part 1 |
Faith
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Aspiration Prayer
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9
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Vajra Master
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12
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Lineage Principle
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16
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Guru-Disciple Relationship
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20
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| Part 2 |
Dzogchen
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Great Perfection
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29
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Five Aspects
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33
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Recognizing Rigpa
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37
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| Part 3 |
Fundamental Ground
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Basic Purity
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45
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Ground and Fruition
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55
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| Part 4 |
Experiencing Liberation
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Spontaneous Awareness
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67
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Five Wisdoms
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74
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Buddha Families
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79
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Deity Principle
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82
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| Part 5 |
Recognition
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Bewildered Ignorance
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93
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Five Poisons
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97
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Ground of Confusion
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104
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| Part 6 |
Dualism
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Attachment to Pleasure
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117
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Fruit of Clinging
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121
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Fruit of Aversion
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128
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Inflated Mind
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134
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Continuous Struggle
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138
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Mindless Apathy
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141
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| Part 7 |
Conclusion
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Concluding Aspirations
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149
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The Benefit
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152
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Kunzang Monlam
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155
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Glossary
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163
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