The Distinctive Mindfulness of Dzogchen: Jigme Lingpa’s Advice on Meta-Awareness and Nondual Meditation
Marc-Henri Deroche, Michael R. Sheehy
Religions June 21, 2022 DOI: 10.3390/rel13070573 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Philosophical or theoretical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Context archaeology Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Argues that Jigme Lingma articulates a twofold typology of mindfulness—effortful and conditioned versus the distinctive mindfulness of Dzogchen inseparable from pure awareness—to integrate Buddhist teachings and make sense of alternative modes of practice along the Dzogchen path. |
Abstract
For Indian Buddhists and their Tibetan successors, the faculty of “mindfulness” (Skt. smṛti, Tib. dran pa) has been interpreted as the foundation of the threefold development of wisdom (study, reflection, cultivation). Such a model was, in Tibet, the hallmark of the gradual approach to awakening, whereas in the simultaneous approach, the state beyond ordinary mindfulness was emphasized. The complementarity of both approaches has been an essential issue, especially for the Nyingma tradition, which holds the direct teaching of Dzogchen to be the penultimate. To elucidate the operations of mindfulness in this context, this paper analyzes two guidance texts on mindfulness by Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798), Ocean of Qualities: Advice on Mindfulness and Cudgel to Discern the Real: Advice that Shines from Mindfulness and Meta-Awareness, the latter translated into English for the first time in this paper. As this study shows, Jigme Lingpa articulates a twofold typology of mindfulness, first a mindfulness that is effortful and conditioned, and secondarily the distinctive mindfulness of Dzogchen that is inseparable from pure awareness or rigpa (rig pa). Jigme Lingpa thus applies mindfulness to integrate Buddhist teachings and make sense of alternative modes of practice along the Dzogchen path.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Recognizing Cognitive Models as Models: Critical Meta-Awareness as a Key to Exploring Buddhist Practices and Their Contemporary Applications Mindfulness October 1, 2025
- Transitions in Transitivity Entangled Religions June 26, 2025
- Bridging the Gap Between Contemporary and Buddhist Definitions of Mindfulness: A Scoping Review Mindfulness October 3, 2026
- Cognitive Illusion, Lucid Dreaming, and the Psychology of Metaphor in Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen Contemplative Practices International Journal of Transpersonal Studies February 20, 2024
- Theory and Practice of Tranquil Abiding Meditation in Tibet: The Pith Instructions of Yeshe Gyaltsen (1713–1793) and His Predecessors Religions November 3, 2022
Cites 8
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- The Nondual Awareness Dimensional Assessment (NADA): New tools to assess nondual traits and states of consciousness occurring within and beyond the context of meditation. Psychological Assessment December 1, 2018
- More Meditation, Less Habituation? The Effect of Mindfulness Practice on the Acoustic Startle Reflex PLoS One May 6, 2015
- Reconstructing and deconstructing the self: Cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice Trends in Cognitive Sciences July 28, 2015
- The Mirror: Advice on Presence and Awareness (dran pa dang shes bzhin gyi gdams pa me long ma) Religions September 10, 2013
and 3 more in the library