Great Perfection.pdf

10 introduction
As the civil war raged, certain members of the royal family were forced
to migrate to western Tibet while some others to north-eastern Tibet, Amdo.
In mNga’-ris a dynasty was founded which later played a considerable part
in the re-establishment of Buddhism in the eleventh century. In central
Tibet, political and social chaos was total. The ancient royal tombs were
looted around 937 and temples and monasteries were abandoned.
It was in this confused state that the tantric teachings, especially the
Mahàyoga tantras began to be taken up. Buddhist tantrism unlike the
monastic system, does not require communal organisation nor does it depend
on lay support like the monastic community. Any married man or
a householder can take up the teaching provided that he is initiated by a
qualified master. However, certain categories of tantras teach doctrines
which are usually considered as “extremist”. It was this type of tantras,
mostly Mahàyoga whose practice was formerly banned that now reappeared
without fear of restriction by any kind of authority.
Guhyagarbha, 31 the basic work of the Mahàyoga tantras seems to be one
of the tantras which was now popular. It is reputed to have been translated
during the eighth century from Sanskrit, but in later centuries it came
to be regarded as not authentic since it professes the doctrines of sbyor,
“sexual union” and sgrol, “deliverance” amongst others. The practice of
these doctrines was widespread during the period in question. A contemporary
document shows that the practice created not only confusion in the
understanding of Buddhist doctrines in general, but also brought about
economic and social problems as it required the use of domestic animals
as a fee for receiving religious instructions as well as for sacrifice and taking
married or unmarried females as partners. 32
The formation of a new philosophical doctrine:
rDzogs chen, the “Great Perfection” 33
In contrast to the monastic establishment in the royal period, tantric
teaching was now the dominant belief, but beside this mainstream of
31 See p. 139.
32 PT 840 (Karmay 1981).
33 The term rdzogs chen is often translated by “Great Achievement” (BA p. 128 et passim),
but achievement suggests something that is achieved through strenuous effort. This
contradicts the central point of the rDzogs chen philosophy which conveys not only the
concept of “spontaneity” and “effortlessness”, but also that which is already perfected from
the very beginning ( ye nas lhun rdzogs).
In later literature, the word is given as an equivalent of mahàsanti, but the origin of this
term is not known (Cf. p. 47, n. 26). On the other hand, in PT 849 (Hackin 1924, p. 30),
it is used to translate paripùr»a, but in Mvy, paripùr»a is rendered by shin tu rgyas pa (341)
and yongs su rdzogs pa (1287). Cf. pp. 175–76.