Within the Dzogchen, or “Great Perfection,” tradition, the essential view is that the fundamental nature of mind is already completely pure, perfect, and complete. This nature, called rigpa or pure awareness, is not something to be fabricated or improved, but something to be directly recognized. It is described as empty of inherent existence, yet naturally luminous and cognizant. At the same time, it is understood as the ground in which all the qualities of enlightenment are already fully present. From this perspective, delusion and suffering arise not because this nature is lacking, but because it is not recognized.

This primordial awareness is said to possess three interrelated aspects: its essence is emptiness, its nature is clear luminosity, and its energy is an unobstructed, compassionate responsiveness. These are not separate layers but facets of a single, indivisible reality. The mind’s basic nature is considered primordially pure, never truly stained or corrupted, even though obscurations may appear within it. All phenomena arise within this awareness as spontaneous presence, without effort or contrivance. When this is recognized, there is a non-dual experience in which the division between meditator, meditation, and object falls away.

Practice in this tradition therefore emphasizes direct recognition and stabilization of rigpa rather than a gradual construction of enlightenment. A qualified teacher introduces the student to this natural state through pointing-out instructions, revealing what has always been present. From there, the path consists of resting in and repeatedly returning to this self-perfected awareness, allowing obscurations to naturally dissolve. Enlightenment, in this view, is not a distant goal but the very ground of experience, identical in essence to the fruition that is sought.