hungry ghosts

Primordial Ground of Being (gdod ma'i gzhi)

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This is a key term in the Dzogchen tradition, where it is often used to describe the nature of reality. As Longchenpa explains in the passage below, this ground of being is said to consist of three factors: essence, nature and compassion. He explains:

"The primordial ground of being is not restricted to saṃsāra or nirvāṇa, nor does fall to any extreme. In this previous state, the objective basic space of reality is pure by its very nature. It is empty and accommodating like the center of wide-open space, transparent and unmoving like the depths of a clear ocean, and clear and unobscured like the surface of a polished mirror. Present as the empty essence, clear nature, and unobstructed radiance of compassion, it is the way things primordially are." (TJ 18) CJD