The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva: Two Upadesha Tantras of the Great Perfection

The Great Perfection, also known as the Atiyoga or Dzogchen (rDzogs chen), is a tradition of esoteric Buddhism that propounds instantaneous enlightenment and was first brought to Tibet in the Eighth Century of the Common Era. The Indian manuscripts of this tradition have been lost in time. Only the Tibetan translations remain. The original teachings of this tradition are contained in Tantras, which are generally divided into three categories: The Mind Section, the Space Section, and the Upadesha Instruction Section. The Upadesha Instruction section is devoted to the pointing out instructions or practical advice in the understanding and application of the Great Perfection. It is generally described as having seventeen root scriptures. The two Tantras that are here translated are among these seventeen works. The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva records a conversation between the wrathful ones, the dakinis, and a Buddha named Mighty Young Hero which was held in a charnel ground called Blazing Fire Mountain. The Self-Liberation of Awareness records a conversation between the Bodhisattva Manjusri and this same Mighty Young Hero, also at the Blazing Fire Mountain’s charnel ground. This Tantra comments on the largest of the Seventeen Tantras, The Dawn of the Awareness (Rig pa rang shar), while standing as a Tantra in its own right. I have included images of the Tibetan manuscript for your convenience and to help preserve this ancient literature.