30/04/2026
Longchen Rabjam 🙏🏽
The Four Methods of Resting
“First, it can be shown that you begin by resting imperturbably like an ocean:
Without the arising and subsiding of thoughts,
there is a naturally limpid, pristine state,
like the unwavering evenness of a limpid ocean.
Free of the occurrence of or involvement in thoughts,
free of hope or fear,
you abide within the state
of naturally occurring timeless
awareness, the true nature
of which is profoundly lucid.
Even as reflections of planets and stars appear in an ocean undisturbed by wind, they are not other than the water, yet are not affected by it. Similarly, even as perceptions of sense objects arise continuously within awareness, which, being unobstructed, is immaculate, they are not tainted by reification, and so you rest without straying from that limpid, pristine state of awareness. The Ta**ra Without Letters states:
The pure enlightened intent
of resting imperturbably like an ocean
is not the ordinary perception of sensory appearances,
nor does it cause them to manifest.
It is not empty or something that exists as emptiness.
It is not mere clarity,
but is the realm of supreme lucidity.
It is not mental laxity,
and agitation is automatically absent.
It has never wavered,
does not waver; and will never waver.
It has never varied, does not vary,
and is beyond all variation.
Behold the supreme method of resting,
which is not brought about deliberately.
Do not try to complicate or simplify it.
This unique state of resting imperturbably
is not one of maintaining stillness,
yet there is no going beyond it.
Rest in the timeless, spontaneous vastness
of immutable basic space,
in secret timeless awareness, which is like an ocean.
In this great ocean, whose depths are hard to fathom,
behold the pinnacle of the victory banner
that never falls.
In the ineffability of mind, which is empty,
lies the supremely uncontrived kaya.
Not produced, it is victorious
over all attempts to produce it.
The uncontrived state of resting imperturbably
has never come into being.
It is not altered by sensory appearances
or fabricated by ordinary consciousness.
If one abides in “space”—
the true nature of phenomena—
it reveals itself to be enlightened intent.
Timeless awareness—dharmakaya—
is the total renunciation of ordinary thinking,
so if nothing causes one’s mind to stir;
there is the enlightened intent of meditation.
If one does not indulge in extremes,
with sense objects as a frame of reference,
then, like planets and stars being reflected
as though in the ocean’s depths,
lucidity is continuous without being reified.
Such is the way in which enlightened intent is present.
In this regard, some deluded people who are not learned in the ta**ras, but just speak off the tops of their heads, take as a final statement the incomplete treatment given in some texts and so think, “These four ways of resting imperturbably are methods of resting used only in togal.” This is an indication that they have not developed their connection with these teachings and do not understand how to apply from the “Blossoming Lotus” section of The Ta**ra Without Letters, in general these four methods can be applied in a number of ways, as out lined in The Precious Detailed Instructions Concerning Perception, where it is said that they are applied in all situations. Whether your approach is that of trekcho or togal, fundamentally you should understand how to elicit unobstructed awareness in all its nakedness. If you do not understand this, these ways of resting will be of no benefit, how ever you apply them.
If you adulterate the trekcho approach with the spiritual path of every deluded meditative “adept,” you will squander your life on what are very minor means of focusing the ordinary mind, and so will not transcend samsara. And if, in togal, you fixate on things as real and invest them with characteristics, you will err and take rebirth in the form realm. So at this point it is very important to recognize bare consciousness in all its nakedness. [108b] But it is not enough simply to understand this—you must maintain an ongoing state of authentic being.
To that end, it is very important not to stray from that state, and so numerous methods of resting are spoken of as skillful means. Initially, you must establish your natural place of rest to be the enlightened intent of resting imperturbably like an ocean, so it is crucial to become proficient in doing so. This involves a developmental process of cutting through potential errors, as The Reverberation of Sound states:
In meditation that consists
of abiding without going astray,
the avenues of the senses are lucid,
though concepts do not stir in the mind.
Mind that investigates consciousness itself
is truly ineffable and is not lost to externals.7
It is neither clarity that fragments one’s experience,
nor preoccupation with emptiness,
nor the sustaining of bliss,
nor impartiality that becomes apathy.
Contrived relaxation
in the clarity of mindful awareness,
a path that leads to incorrect training,
fixation on the arousal of inner bliss,
reification of clearly evident attributes,
manipulation of visualized colors and syllables—
if one does not succumb to such limitations,
meditation consists of abiding without going astray.
Here the phrase “reification of clearly evident attributes” refers to en gaging in thoughts of “this” or “that” concerning the manifest quality of external sensory appearances. The phrase “manipulation of visualized colors and syllables” refers to the reification involved in conceptualizing and analyzing the inner experience of mind at rest. The rest of the cita tion is easy to understand.
As for resting imperturbably in awareness:
Without the compulsions of ordinary mind,
there is an unfeigned state—a natural settling,
uncontrived and unadulterated—
though it cannot be characterized with words.
This absorption in the expanse of being,
the true nature
of which cannot be characterized,
involves neither meditation
nor something to meditate on,
and so laxity and agitation dissipate naturally,
and enlightened intent occurs naturally.
As for resting imperturbably in awareness, in togal this consists of resting in the continuum that is the radiance of awareness. But in trek- cho, the utterly profound key point is to rest right in actual awareness, naked and unobstructed. While abiding within the limpid ocean of awareness, you identify its wakeful, pristine quality in all its nakedness and ensure that you do not stray from it. And so it arises as the true nature of phenomena, without any discontinuity or division into outer and inner. The Ta**ra Without Letters states:
The pith instruction
for resting imperturbably in awareness—
this is the point at which one touches on the secret.
* * * * * * * *
The enlightened intent of the single decisive point
concerning sensory appearances
is to seek a means of resting in awareness itself.
This is the supreme secret of secrets.
On the strength of one’s perceptions
of sensory appearances,
one is liberated to the far shore.
One is not bound by attachment,
for these are awareness’s own manifestations.
This is referred to as “eliciting the unobstructed,
unique sphere of being in all its nakedness.” The same ta**ra states:
The unique sphere of being is without elaboration. It transcends verbal expression and analysis by ordinary consciousness.
As for resting in the immediate perception of sensory appearances:
All-consuming thought patterns
cannot be abandoned by being renounced,
for they are the dynamic energy of awareness.
Their true nature is such that there are no distinctions,
nothing to differentiate or exclude,
so that nature is not ensured by achievement,
but arises as basic space.
Without rejecting samsara, you perceive it to be
naturally occurring timeless awareness
through the pure yoga of the dynamic energy
of the vast expanse of being.
As apparent sense objects arise continuously within the limpidity of awareness (which is like a mirror), the dynamic energy of responsiveness is continuous within that awareness, and so you are vividly aware of these sense objects and feel as though you are “encountering” them. Although in essence sense objects do not entail concepts, their specific manifestation makes it seem as though they do. [109b] But even as they arise, you do not try to block them, deliberately focus on them, or leave them alone as a compromise. Rather, as you allow them to settle in their own place, they do not stray from the context of their true nature. Since limpid awareness is the ground for the arising of all sensory appearances, if the five kinds of sense objects arise they are naturally evident as the masculine buddhas of the five families. If the five elements arise they are naturally the five feminine aspects. If the five emotional poisons arise they arise within basic space as supreme timeless awareness. This being the case, whatever manifests is nothing other than the context of awareness itself. Since awareness itself abides unobstructedly as dharmakaya, if you do not reify it, you understand it to be unsullied. This is termed “the enlightened intent of Vajrasattva, dharmakaya that can he neither illuminated nor obscured.” The Ta**ra Without Letters states:
The supreme skillful means of awareness10—
resting in the immediate perception
of sensory appearances—
is the ground underlying all great visions.
The five minor elements are buddhas
manifesting on the path.
The five great elements are clearly evident
manifestations of the mothers.11
Rest without distraction in the supreme state
that is without reification!
In the supreme secret mantra approach,
timeless awareness has five great aspects.
Rest in basic space, unaffected
by the five great elements!
Resting in the immediacy of Vajrasattva’s awareness
reveals the entire perspective of dharmakaya.
As the pure visions of timeless awareness
manifest in all their immediacy,
the secret method of resting
is to rest in the immediate perception of them.
Given that the five elements, manifestations
of the kayas, have not been abandoned,
there is no renunciation—
rest in your own ultimate nature!
This method ensures that awareness is not obscured by any circum stances. It is a pith instruction for ensuring that conditioned appearances arise such that they clarify your experience of awareness, and it is valuable to three kinds of people—beginners, intermediate practitioners, and those who have gained some degree of stability, [noa] For the first kind, the harm that circumstances can cause is transformed into the spiritual path. For the second, circumstances arise as though in a mirror and constitute further training on the path. For the third, they arise naturally and without impediment as means to enrich spiritual practice.
Your recognition of awareness is challenged when you perceive objects manifesting to your five senses or when denial or affirmation, in grained fixations, or strong afflictive emotions occur in your mind. These can be eliminated by distilling the limpid lucidity of awareness and eliciting its unobstructed essence in all its nakedness. The Heaped Jewels discusses this way of practicing in detail:
When objects of the phenomenal world
manifest with characteristics,
they are natural manifestations
of my enlightened qualities,
so do not accept or reject any of them.
While beings experience suffering,
my bliss arises naturally.
In the lack of separation between
happiness and suffering at such times
lies the perfection of my enlightened qualities.
When the bodies of hell beings, animals,
and tormented spirits manifest as sense objects,
they display themselves
as my enlightened embodiment.
Someone for whom this holds no terror
is in touch with my enlightened embodiment.
Whenever strong passions occur—
ignorance, aversion, or desire—
they are my nonconceptual awareness.
Since this awareness is naturally free
in and of itself, it looks through my eyes.
When directed outward, the mind’s attention
is my naturally pure sublime knowing.
If there is no further analysis of it, it hears my sounds.
When ordinary thought patterns form,
that is my noble, nonconceptual state
of meditative absorption.
If ordinary consciousness does not fixate on this,
it smells my scents.
When ordinary consciousness engages obvious forms,
that is the arising of meditative experience—
my awareness’s own manifestation.
If union and duality are finished with,
it tastes my flavors.
Thus, all that appears, all that is audible,
arises as the display of me, Samantabhadra.
Since what causes this display to arise is unceasing,
it occurs as my enlightened qualities.
Given that all this simply ensures
that my qualities manifest,
it will not come to an end, for it is inexhaustible.
Therefore, this is the pure realm
that symbolically expresses the three kayas.
In this case, you put into practice the fact that sensory appearances and consciousness of them are of one taste in nondual unity. But it lS crucial not to mix this up with ordinary techniques. If you just at” whatever arises, you will compound the confusion of conceptual thinking. If you just experience some sort of “letting go,” you will cultivate a dull state of meditation in which you fail to recognize your true nature. If you cut through the proliferating meditative experiences that engage you, but then seek some subtle limpid quality of mind in the aftermath, you will be led to make distinctions based on acceptance and rejection. With such approaches, you will fail to grasp the key point that awareness arises naturally. You will be like a dog that is indifferent if felt is being cut up!
In this regard, let me define precisely a secret key point specific to the heart drop approach. When appearances manifest, when thoughts arise, or at any other time, you recognize bare awareness in all its nakedness, and so you need not rely on any other factor whatsoever. In that con text, the bare state of awareness in all its nakedness (which cuts through mental ties to the three times) is spontaneously present as a supreme state of equalness that is utterly lucid, for it arises naturally as the en lightened intent of naturally settled dharmakaya. No matter what arises in this state, do not reflect back on what has passed, do not think ahead about what is yet to come, and do not analyze the present moment in between. Rather, ensure that you do not stray from the recognition of bare awareness in all its nakedness, [i i ia] The Six Expanses states:
For anyone who does not hold on to traces of the past or anticipate the future, but lets consciousness rest moment by moment in its natural place, all consciousness blends as one, without any distinction of earlier or later, in what I call “the single unifying essence.” This is the yoga of knowing the equalness of the three times.
Through the skillful means of allowing focused attention to resolve naturally, samsara and nirvana blend in nonduality. One who brings an end to recollections of the past, curbs anticipations of the future, and allows consideration of the present to fade naturally is what I call “a yogin who knows the equalness of the three times.”
In not fixating on previous states of mind, not relying on future states of mind, and not paying attention to present states of mind, one is a yogin who realizes the equalness of the three times.
If one does not give the slightest credence to nonrecognition of awareness in the past, invite nonrecognition in the future, or associate intimately with nonrecognition in the present, one is a yogin who knows the equalness of the three times.
If one is not attached to past aversion, does not usher in future aversion, and does not hone present aversion, that is said to be “the yoga of realizing the equalness of the three times.”
If one does not gather clouds of past ignorance, till the soil of future ignorance, or bring down a rain of present ignorance, that is said to be “the yoga of realizing the equalness of the three times.”
One who does not acknowledge buddhahood in the past, in vest buddhahood in the future with significance, or devote energy to buddhahood in the present [m b] is said to be “a yogin of the equalness of the three times.”
One who does not try to renounce past desires and attachments, is not resigned to future desires and attachments, and does not banish present desires and attachments is a yogin of the equalness of the three times.
One who does not cling to past envy, focus on future envy, or dwell on present envy is a yogin who realizes the equalness of the three times. Then one is known as “a yogin who realizes the nonduality of samsara and nirvana.”
In this citation, “buddhahood” refers to awareness, in which the continuity of the three times is cut through and there is no contrivance.
You might think, “Isn’t the explanation that, in arising, consciousness has enlightened qualities that are its natural dynamic energy at odds with the approach of resting without conceptualization or analy sis?” But in fact these two are strongly connected. When something such as an afflictive emotion arises vividly, in letting it arise you recognize awareness, elicited in all its nakedness. As you rest without contrivance and do not stray from that recognition, thus cutting through the continuity of the three times, enlightened intent arises naturally as meditative stability that does not stray from the true nature of phenomena.
As for resting imperturbably like a mountain:
In the timeless unity of sensory appearances and mind
the naturally settled state
that is the true nature of phenomena—
meditative absorption is experienced
as an unwavering, ongoing flow.
Thus, the vajra pinnacle, the most excellent
enlightened mind of Samantabhadra,
is the most sublime, spacious state, equal to space.
The most sublime meditation of all
involves no differentiation or exclusion.
It is spontaneously present
as the superb, timelessly infinite monarch.
Once the three other methods of resting have been perfected, the state of resting imperturbably like a mountain occurs as a matter of course. Just as there is no transition or change in the most majestic mountain, you discover the confidence of enlightened intent that does not stray from the true nature of phenomena. [112a] That is to say, once yogins realize the essence of awareness, timelessly without transition or change, and abide within it, they do not stray from it, regardless of what circumstances manifest. Given that circumstances themselves arise within that enlightened intent, they serve to clarify one’s experience of awareness; this is like heaping more wood on a fire. The Ta**ra Without Letters states:
Resting imperturbably like a mountain
is the secret view itself.
There is no doubt, and mental stirring
is automatically absent.”
♦️
~ from A Treasure Trove of Scriptural Transmission, A Commentary on The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena by Longchen Rabjam
Translated by Richard Barron (Lama Chökyi Nyima)
Hardcover | 141 pages
"Among the works in Longchen Rabjam's famous collection, the Seven Treasuries, is this book commonly known as the Chöying Dzod. The Chöying Dzod consists of two texts: a set of source verses entitled The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena and Longchenpa's own commentary on those verses, A Treasure Trove of Scriptural Transmission (in which the source verses are included). Although we have published them individually, they are considered companion volumes.
Padma Publishing is engaged in the long-term project of translating into English the revered Dzogchen commentaries known as the Seven Treasuries, authored by the fourteenth-century Nyingma master, Longchen Rabjam (Longchenpa). This masterpiece, admired by scholars for centuries, synthesizes more than 600 years of development in the spiritual tradition first brought to Tibet by Padmasambhava in the eighth century. Padma Publishing editions include the English translation as well as structural outlines, critical notes, lists of key terms, and glossaries.
Producing an English edition of the Seven Treasuries is a daunting task, both scholastically and linguistically. Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, late head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, felt that such a project would be an extremely important undertaking, but pointed out that these comprehensive and profoundly intricate texts presented enormous challenges to quality translation. Every line, and often each word, of Longchenpa's text presents challenges. The Padma Translation Committee established a multi-leveled editorial process, similar to the traditional manner of translation projects in Tibet's great monastic institutions. In addition to having received input and direction from Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, the translators have benefited from several visiting scholars, who have lent their expertise in elucidating and clarifying difficult points in the texts.
It was Chagdud Rinpoche's vision that the Seven Treasuries of Longchenpa be made available to Western students of the Dzogchen tradition, and for this reason he founded the Translation Project in 1987, inviting Richard Barron (Lama Chökyi Nyima) to assist Padma in its endeavors. To date, the Padma Mani Translation Committee has produced five of the Seven Treasuries, as well as numerous sadhana texts, ritual liturgies, prayers, and other practice materials.
Book measures 9.25 inches tall by 6.25 inches wide."
https://tibetantreasures.com/products/the-basic-space-of-phenomena-boptob1?variant=7251478282303
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📸 thanks to Tibet in History ❤️🙏🏽
"Tibetan yogi from Nyingma tradition, in one of the characteristic meditation postures of the esoteric Zogchen teachings. His posture is maintained by the meditation band around his legs. 1920s Photographed by Charles Bell."
