Trekchö

Trekchö (Tib. ཁྲེགས་ཆོད་, Wyl. khregs chod) — one of the two aspects, along with tögal, of Dzogchen practice.

Definition

Trekchö is translated as ‘thoroughly cutting through’ (resistance, stubbornness, toughness and closedness), or ‘breakthrough’. The practice of trekchö reveals the view of primordial purity beyond conceptual elaboration (kadak trödral).

Sogyal Rinpoche writes:

Trekchö means cutting through delusion with fierce, direct thoroughness. Essentially delusion is cut through with the irresistible force of the view of rigpa, like a knife cleaving through butter or a karate expert demolishing a pile of bricks. The whole fantastical edifice of delusion collapses, as if you were blasting its keystone away. Delusion is cut through, and the primordial purity and natural simplicity of the nature of mind is laid bare.

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche defines trekchö as 'cutting through all spiritually inclined trips'.

Literature

• Tsik Sum Né Dek
• Third Dzogchen Rinpoche, The Excellent Chariot

Further Reading

• Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, revised and updated edition (HarperSanFrancisco, 2002), 'chapter 10, The Innermost Essence'. Sogyal Rinpoche says that in this chapter, he has "explained [...] the heart of the practice of trekchö". see page 171.
• Tulku Thondup, The Practice of Dzogchen (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1989), pages 69-73.