The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde Kunjed Gyalpo
Dzogchen practice aims at reawakening the individual to the primordial state of enlightenment which is naturally found in all beings. The master introduces the student to his or her real nature, already perfected and enlightened, but it is only by recognizing this nature and remaining in this state of recognition in all daily activities that the student becomes a real Dzogchen practitioner. the direct path of self-liberation is very different from the other Buddhist paths of renunciation, peculiar to the sutras, and transformation, peculiar to the tantras. The Dzogchen practitioner is aware of the absolute clarity and purity of his or her own mind and, without trying to modify what is already perfect in itself, without striving to obtain from somewhere else the state of realization, remains always in the real nature of existence, the the supreme source of all phenomena. "Those who try to meditate and to realize this condition through effort are like a blind man chasing the sky."

Here the Dzogchen teaching is presented through one of its most ancient texts, the tantra Kunjed Gyalpo, or "The All-Creating King " a personification of the primordial state of enlightenment. This tantra is the fundamental scripture of the Semde, or "Nature of Mind," tradition of Dzogchen and is the most authoritative source for understanding the Dzogchen view. In the first part we find a detailed introduction to the historical origins, the lineages of transmission, and the basic principles of Dzogchen, particularly the Semde tradition. The second part includes an oral commentary by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu which gives insight into the depths of these teachings from a practical point of view. In the third part, Adriano Clemente translates the main sections of the original tantra.

The Supreme Source: The Kunjed Gyalpo, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, Adriano Clemente, Snow Lion Publications, Paperback, 1999, 292 pp, $29.95.

Ch�gyal Namkhai Norbu, born in Tibet in 1938, is one of the primary living masters of Dzogchen. After having taught for more than twenty years at the Istituto Universitario Orientale of Naples, Italy, he is at present fully dedicating his time to the transmission and preservation of Dzogchen teachings and Tibetan culture at large. He is the founder of the Dzogchen Community, whose centers of study and practice are found all over the world. He is the author of many books and scholarly articles not only on Dzogchen but on all the main branches of Tibetan culture including history, medicine, astrology, and Bon. His previous books on Dzogchen have become classics.