Pointing-out Instruction - Terminology

Terminology

In the Mahāmudrā tradition, pointing-out instruction (ngo sprod kyi gdams pa, pronounced "notro ki dampa") is also referred to as "pointing out the nature of mind" (sems kyi ngo sprod, pronounced "semki notro"), "pointing out transmission", or "introduction to the nature of mind". In the Dzogchen tradition, the pointing out instructions are often called the “introduction to awareness” (rig pa'i ngo sprod, pronounced "rigpay notro") or "sems khrid," pronounced "sem tri"). Senior Shambhala Buddhist teacher Jeremy Hayward describes this as "a direct pointing out of the nature of mind, that is mind's simplicity and universality—all appearances arise within the mind and in that sense there is nothing other than mind, yet mind itself is emptiness, openness beyond concept."

In the Mahāmudrā tradition, the mind pointed out is called "ordinary mind" (thamal gyi shepa, Wylie: tha mal gyi shes pa, Sanskrit: *prākṛita-jñana). As the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche explains, "From the Mahamudra point of view, the nature of our mind is completely enlightened right from the beginning, and it is known as ordinary mind. In this context, 'ordinary' does not refer to mundane consciousness—a mind that is totally caught up in this world of Samsara. Ordinary mind refers to mind that is not fabricated in any way. It is the natural or fundamental state of our mind, totally free from all conceptual elaborations. It is the best part of mind. When we experience this ordinary mind, we experience buddha mind. It does not matter how our mind is manifesting. Whether our thoughts and emotions are positive, negative, or neutral—that mind, in its essence, is totally free from all dualistic fixations."

In the Dzogchen tradition, the mind pointed out is called rigpa (Wylie: rig pa, Sanskrit: *vidya).

Sometimes the pointing-out instruction is referred to as "the empowerment of vajra wisdom," "vajrayana transmission" or "esoteric transmission," although these terms can also be applied to formal abhiṣeka as well.