Steps to the Great Perfection: Mind Training Tradition of the Dzogchen Masters

by Jigme Lingpa, translated by Cortland Dahl

The mind-training practices contained in the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism have never before been presented in the English language. The main text translated here, The Steps to Liberation, will be of great interest to Western practitioners, since its instructions are pithy and direct, and experiential rather than scholarly. The contemplations on core Buddhist principles like impermanence and karma, intended for beginning meditators, unfold as dramatic stories in which the meditator is to vividly imagine himself or herself as the main character who undergoes a sequence of experiences that result in transformative realizations. They distill the most essential teachings of the Buddha into a practical system that can be easily implemented in a daily meditation practice. At the same time, they bring together the most foundational Buddhist teachings with the profound methods of the Vajrayana (the esoteric teachings of Buddhist tantra). This is the hallmark of Dzogchen mind training and what sets it apart from other mind-training lineages.

REVIEW
“The sevenfold mind training of the Dzogchen lineage is very important, since it gives us a practical set of instructions to help us to get in touch with the fundamental wisdom of the Buddhist path. In ancient times, it was often said that these foundational teachings are even more important than the advanced instructions of our tradition. I am very happy to see these important texts now appearing in the English language. They will be of great benefit to all those interested in the path of awakening. “—Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, author of Turning Confusion into Clarity
“The great vidy?dhara Jigme Lingpa left an abundance of literary and instructional treasures for us—methods for awakening our hearts and freeing our minds. Among those, the sevenfold mind-training instructions presented in The Steps to Liberation are an especially powerful set of teachings that unite many of the key points of sutra and tantra in an utterly pragmatic way. I am therefore very happy and grateful that Cortland Dahl has made an excellent translation of these precious teachings available to the English-reading public. I encourage readers to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to deepen and expand their compassion and wisdom. “—Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, author of Rebel Buddha: A Guide to a Revolution of Mind