Four Uncommon Dzogchen Samayas

The Four Uncommon Samayas of the Great Perfection

by Tsultrim Zangpo

There are four modes of abiding by the samayas as a way to remain within the essence of the wisdom of the Great Perfection. They are as follows:

1. Non-Existence

The self-occurring natural samaya that is the primordially pure essence of awareness beyond all elaboration is the samaya of non-existence because there is nothing within it to be maintained. This samaya in which there is nothing to maintain involves simply remaining within the natural great wisdom of spontaneously present great perfection. There is nothing more to be done; simply remain without ever departing from the suchness in which there are no boundaries between observance and breakage.

2. Evenness

The samaya of evenness is to transcend conditioned phenomena and settle into their actual nature, without entertaining any fixation that might alter it. Simply let the five sense consciousnesses rest within the realization of suchness devoid of any fixation on either outer or inner objects.

3. Spontaneous Presence

The samaya of spontaneous presence is [to remain within] the quality of knowing, the open radiance of suchness, which is essentially non-existent and primordially pure, and in which the profusion of qualities is naturally and spontaneously present, i.e., their presence is not dependent on the practice of the four visions.

4. Oneness

The samaya of oneness is to remain within the singular wisdom, which abides as natural luminosity and cannot be expressed in words. Here, all concepts of establishment and negation, which include ideas and judgements as to what constitute the vows and commitments, whether things are real or not, and arise or cease, and clinging to realization or lack thereof, are all one within singular suchness. Everything is one within the nature that is not seen through looking.

Moreover, to abide within the primordial wisdom of emptiness which is essentially beyond all conceptual elaborations of true existence and subject or object is the samaya of non-existence.

All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are the expression and play of primordial wisdom – they arise individually from the same source. Nothing deviates from the expanse of this awareness and, to recognise that everything is perfect within this single basis is the samaya of oneness.

Primordial awareness abides as a natural evenness, its nature without fluctuation, change, or fragmentation into concepts such as good, bad, happy, sad, hope, doubt, and so on – an all-pervasive evenness. To remain within such vast and spacious openness is the samaya of evenness.

All the phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa arise individually from awareness, regardless of whether it is realized or not. Awareness itself is the natural ground from which everything positive and negative arises. To remain within this recognition is the samaya of spontaneous presence.

The one named Tsul wrote this by hand from the perspective of a slight movement from the primordial ground.