Within the Dzogchen tradition, full awakening is held to be genuinely possible within a single lifetime. This confidence rests on the view that the nature of mind—often spoken of as rigpa or primordial awareness—is already completely pure and enlightened. Practice, therefore, is not aimed at manufacturing enlightenment but at directly recognizing and then stabilizing what is always already present. In this sense, the path is framed as uncovering rather than constructing, a direct unveiling of Buddha-nature rather than a gradual accumulation of qualities.

A distinctive feature of this approach is the emphasis on “direct introduction” by a qualified master, who points out rigpa in an immediate and experiential way. When this recognition is clear and not subsequently abandoned, Dzogchen teachings maintain that realization can unfold very swiftly, even “in this body, in this life.” The tradition describes different tempos of liberation: for some, realization may be virtually instantaneous; for others, it may ripen through sustained engagement with practices such as Trekchö (cutting through) and Tögal (leaping over), culminating before death; and for yet others, the decisive recognition may occur in the bardo, the intermediate state after death.

At the same time, these teachings do not portray such rapid awakening as commonplace or effortless. They repeatedly stress the need for strong karmic imprints and merit from past lives, authentic transmission and guidance, and an unwavering diligence in maintaining non-dual awareness. The potential for complete awakening in one lifetime is affirmed as a real possibility, but one that depends on the convergence of inner maturity and outer conditions. From this perspective, Dzogchen is presented as a direct path whose power lies not in bypassing effort, but in orienting all effort toward the immediate recognition of what has never been absent.