dzogchen means the Great Perfection; the state of contemplation beyond the mind; not unconscious, but mental processes not conditioning of awareness. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “dzogchen” is a great word
DZOGCHEN — [Noun] In Tibetan Buddhism, a term denoting the ultimate, primordial state of being and the teachings for its direct realization, known as the 'Great Perfection.' From Tibetan རྫོགས་ཆེན (rdzogs chen), meaning 'great perfection' or 'great completion,' corresponding to the Sanskrit Mahāsandhi (maha = great, sandhi = perfection/completion). Unlike Mahamudra, which often employs a gradual path of mind observation, or Chan, which grew from a dialogue with Mahayana sutras, Dzogchen points directly to the unconditioned nature of awareness. It is the silent space behind all thought, the clarity of an empty sky, and the effortless recognition that this has always been the case—a quiet, profound realization that seeking itself is the final veil.
Etymology
From Tibetan རྫོགས་ཆེན། (rdzogs chen).
noun
- The Great Perfection; the state of contemplation beyond the mind; not unconscious, but mental processes not conditioning of awareness.“In Dzogchen, the way of behaving is the key to the practice, not because there are fixed rules as to what one should and should not do, but because the principle is that one must learn to become responsible for oneself, working with one's own awareness.”
- The corresponding teachings found in Nyingmapa and the non-Buddhist Bonpo.