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Semde
Mind Division
Semde (Sems-sde) translated as "mind division", "mind series" or "mind
school" is the name of one of three scriptural and lineage divisions within
Atiyoga, Dzogchen or the Great Perfection which is itself the pinnacle of
the ninefold division of practice according to the Nyingma school of Tibetan
Buddhism.
Semde emphasizes the clarity (gsal-ba) or the innate awareness (rig-pa)
aspect of the Natural State.
Penor Rinpoche[1] states that due to the different approaches of various
Dzogchen lineagues, three sub-schools have developed of which semde is one.
The other two divisions or schools are Longde (Space Series) and Menngagde
(Oral Instruction Series). The Mind School is attributed to Shrisimha and
Vairotsana's lineage
Background
These three divisions were introduced by the Buddhist scholar Manjushrimitra.
As Great Perfection texts, the texts of all three divisions are concerned
with the basic primordial state, the nature of mind-itself (which is
contrasted with normal conscious mind). They are related to the 'Three
statements' of Garab Dorje.
It is important to note that the three series do not represent different
schools of Dzogchen practice as much as different approaches to the same
goal, that being the basic, natural, and primordial state. As is common
throughout much Buddhist literature, Tibetan Buddhism in particular,
gradations in the faculties of practitioners are also ascribed to the three
divisions, they being seen as appropriate for practitioners of low,
middling, and high faculties, respectively.
Distinguishing Features of the Mind Division
Texts of the Mind Division emphasize that the totality of phenomena that
present themselves to us are nothing more than apparitions or projections of
the mind. As the Mind Division is related to the first statement of Garab
Dorje, Semde texts emphasize the direct introduction to the natural state of
mind, including explanations of this state and methods for recognizing it.
Texts of the Mind Division
Tantras belonging to the Mind Division include:
1. Rigpa'i Khuchug (Cuckoo of Presence)
2. Tsalchen Trugpa (Great Potency)
3. Khyungchen Dingwa (Great Garuda in Flight)
4. Dola Serzhun (Refining Gold from Ore)
5. Minubpa'i Gyaltshen Dorje Sempa Namkhache (The Victory Banner that Does
Not Wane - Total Space of Vajrasattva)
6. Tsemo Chung-gyal (Supreme Peak)
7. Namkha'i Gyalpo (King of Space)
8. Dewa Thrulkod (Jewel-Encrusted Bliss Ornament)
9. Dzogpa Chiching (All-Encompassing Perfection)
10. Changchub Semtig (Essence of Bodhicitta)
11. Dewa Rabjam (Infinite Bliss)
12. Sog-gi Khorlo (Wheel of Life)
13. Thigle Trugpa (Six Spheres)
14. Dzogpa Chichod (All-Penetrating Perfection)
15. Yidzhin Norbu (Wish-Fulfilling Jewel)
16. Kundu Rigpa (All-unifying Pure Presence)
17. Jetsun Tampa (Supreme Lord)
18. Gonpa Tontrub (The Realization of the True Meaning of Meditation)
19. Kunjed Gyalpo (The All-Creating King)
20. Medchung Gyalpo (Wonderous King)
21. Dochu (The Ten Concluding Teachings)
Of these, the first five are the "Five Earlier Translated Tantras",
translated by Vairotsana. The next thirteen were translated primarily by
Vimalamitra. Of the remaining three, the Kunjed Gyalpo is taken to be the
primary or root tantra of the Mind Series.
Notes
1. ^ http://www.bhutanvisit.com/Buddhism/nyingmapa.html accessed: 1 February
2007
References
* "The Practice of Dzogchen", Tulku Thondup, Harold Talbott editors, Snow
Lion Publications, Ithaca NY, 1989. ISBN 1-55939-054-9
* "The Supreme Source: The Fundamental Tantra of the Dzogchen Semde, Kunjed
Gyalpo", Namkhai Norbu and Adriano Clemente, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca
NY, 1999, ISBN 1-55939-120-0
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