Rigpa (knowledge) and ma rigpa (delusion) In the 10th and 11th century, when Dzogchen emerged as a separate vehicle to liberation in the Nyingma tradition, the term was used synonymously with the Sanskrit term ati yoga (primordial yoga). According to Sam van Schaik, in the 8th-century tantra Sarvabuddhasamāyoga, the term refers to "a realization of the nature of reality" which arises through the practice of tantric anuyoga practices which produce bliss. Specifically it refers to the stage after the deity visualisation has been dissolved and one rests in the natural state of the innately luminous and pure mind. The term initially referred to the "highest perfection" of Vajrayana deity yoga. Etymology and concepts Īccording to the 14th Dalai Lama, the term dzogchen may be a rendering of the Sanskrit term mahāsandhi. Dzogchen is also practiced (to a lesser extent) in other Tibetan Buddhist schools, such as the Kagyu, Sakya and the Gelug schools.
In these traditions, Dzogchen is the highest and most definitive path of the nine vehicles to liberation. It is a central teaching of the Yundrung Bon tradition as well as in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.