Ground (Dzogchen)
Primordial state of sentient beings in Dzogchen.
In Dzogchen, the ground or base (Tibetan: གཞི, Wylie: gzhi) is the primordial state of any sentient being. It is an essential component of the Dzogchen tradition for both the Bon tradition and the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Knowledge of this ground is called rigpa.
- tradition
- Dzogchen (Bon and Nyingma)
- key_texts
- Great Commentary of Vimalamitra, The Illuminating Lamp, The Realms and Transformations of Sound Tantra, Tantra of the Beautiful Auspiciousness
- associated_figures
- Vimalamitra, Longchenpa, Jigme Lingpa, Namkhai Norbu
- related_concepts
- rigpa, dharmatā, buddha-nature (sugatagarbha), Samantabhadra
- three_aspects
- essence (original purity), nature (natural perfection), compassion
Lore & Background
The basis is the original state 'before realization produced buddhas and nonrealization produced sentient beings.' It is atemporal and unchanging yet 'noetically potent,' giving rise to mind, consciousness, delusion, and knowledge. The basis is a pure empty consciousness, the recognition of which is awakening. Since the basis transcends time, any temporal language used to describe it is purely conventional and does not refer to an actual point in time, but should be understood as indicating a state in which time is not a factor. The basis is not to be confused with the 'all-basis' or the fundamental store consciousness, as these are samsaric modes of consciousness.
Reader's Guide
The ground is a key concept in Dzogchen, representing the primordial state that is both empty and luminous. It is associated with dharmatā, defined as original purity free from all proliferation, and with primordial Buddhahood (Samantabhadra), which is beyond time and space. This view stems from Indian Buddha-nature theory, and Tibetan authors like Longchenpa and Jigme Lingpa linked it with sugatagarbha. The basis is not a monistic entity; as the Realms and Transformations of Sound Tantra states, 'Other than compassion arising as diversity, it is not defined as one thing.' Longchenpa describes it as a 'groundless ground,' empty of intrinsic nature yet appearing as the support for all phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. In the Longchen Nyingtik tradition, the ground has three aspects: essence (original purity), nature (natural perfection), and compassion, which are interdependent and inseparable.
Did You Know?
- The basis is also called the general ground (spyi gzhi) or the original ground (gdod ma'i gzhi).
- In the Great Commentary of Vimalamitra, the basis is defined as 'one’s unfabricated mind' (rang sems ma bcos pa).
- The basis is associated with the term Dharmatā, defined as 'original purity, free from all proliferation.'
- Describing the basis as 'great original purity' (ka dag) is the only description held to be flawless according to various Dzogchen Tantras.
More in Buddhist Traditions 1-21
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