Kunzang Gongpa

Kunzang Gongpa, 'The Enlightened View of Samantabhadra’ (Wyl. kun tu bzhang po'i dgongs pa lag pa'i mthil du bkram nas lhag ger bstan pa ) is a Dzogchen instruction text revealed by Dudjom Lingpa in 1862, when he was twenty-seven.

Revelation of the terma

The Kunzang Gongpa’s full name is 'The Enlightened View of Samantabhadra — A Profound Treasure of the Expanse of the Originally Pure Great Perfection, Sealed Teachings of Pith Instructions Offering a Complete Synthesis of the Enlightened View Lineage, the Symbolic Lineage, and the Aural Lineage — A Lucid Presentation, Laid in the Palm of the Hand, of the Enlightened View of Samantabhadra, the Unmodified, Perfect, Self-Emergent Buddha', (Wyl. ka dag rdzogs pa chen po'i klong mdzod zab mo / ma bcos rdzogs ldan rang byung gi sangs rgyas/ kun tu bzhang po'i dgongs pa lag pa'i mthil du bkram nas lhag ger bstan pa/ dgongs brda snyan brgyud chig rdzogs kyi man ngag bka' rgya ma).

It was revealed in a visionary experience in 1862, when Dudjom Lingpa was twenty-seven. As stated in the colophon, ‘This is sealed with the seals of the body, speech and mind, and it is to be obeyed. Behold, I am Samantabhadra, the Omniscient Lord and Immutable Sovereign. Here is the way to awaken from the ground of delusion’.

According to Alan Wallace:

The Kunzang Gongpa is a visionary teaching manifesting as an extensive dialogue between a retinue of bodhisattvas and Buddha Samantabhadra appearing as the Lake-Born Vajra, Guru Tsokyé Dorje. His answers to pointed questions concerning the crucial aspects of Dzogchen practice from disciples who are inseparable from his own nature, such as Vajra Pristine Awareness, go far beyond a normative account of the path to enlightenment. This portrait of the ultimate spiritual vehicle clearly depicts not only the high road to enlightenment but also many roadblocks, deviations, and byways practitioners will inevitably encounter—each trap clearly identified, with an escape route and words of encouragement.

Like the Sherik Dorje Nӧnpo Gyü, the complete path to enlightenment is described here, but key elements of the path are explained in greater detail [in the Kunzang Gongpa]. […] Although this text includes no outline, the same phases of the Dzogchen path given in the root text are readily apparent. […]. Even though the advice in the Kunzang Gongpa is more comprehensive than that found elsewhere in this volume, it may also be more accessible. The everyday language of the dialogue and the heartfelt advice being offered immerse us personally in Dudjom Lingpa’s vision. The frank explanations of profound subjects and crisp definitions of unique Dzogchen terms dispel mistaken notions and deepen confidence in this pinnacle of the Dharma.

Outline

The text is structured around seven topics:

1. Taking the Impure Mind as the Path
2. Revealing Your Own Face as the Sharp Vajra of Vipassana
3. Revealing the Ground Dharmakaya
4. Determining the Characteristics and Qualities of the Ground
5. Determining Secret Dualistic Grasping and Revealing The Way of Natural Liberation
6. Teachings on the Essential Points of Practice and Their Key Distinctions
7. How to Follow the Path of the Great Clear Light, Direct Crossing Over

Propagation

It seems that, until recently, the Kunzang Gongpa has not been widely taught among Westerners following the Dudjom Tersar lineage.

Translations

• Alan Wallace, Dudjom Lingpa’s Visions of the Great Perfection, Wisdom Publications, 2015, volume 1, page 163-212.