This course offers a close reading of chapters three and four of Longchenpa’s Treasury of Words and Meanings, one of the Seven Treasuries of the great fourteenth-century Nyingma master. These chapters elaborate the Dzogchen understanding of the ground (gzhi) and the process by which sentient beings stray from recognition of their primordial nature into the confusion of saṃsāra.

It also explains the Dzogchen view of Buddha nature, how primordial knowing abides and can be recognized. Through overview of the history and special perspectives of Dzogchen along with a careful study of Longchenpa’s precise philosophical language, students will explore how the ground’s intrinsic luminosity and its spontaneous display give rise to the full spectrum of experience—both awakened and deluded—and how the critical moment of non-recognition (ma rig pa) initiates the unfolding of dualistic perception.

Engaging these chapters invites students into one of the most sophisticated accounts of ontology and epistemology in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. We will attend to Longchenpa’s synthesis of earlier Dzogchen tantric sources with his own contemplative insight, examining key terms such as the three aspects of the ground—essence (ngo bo), nature (rang bzhin), and compassionate responsiveness (thugs rje)—and their role in framing both the arising of delusion and the path of liberation.

No prior Tibetan language knowledge is required, though students will be introduced to essential Tibetan terminology alongside English translation. There is no prerequisite but prior study of Buddhist philosophy or contemplative traditions and completion of ngondro is recommended.

Guided by Dr. David F. Germano, Khenpo Yeshi Rinpoche, and Tulku Pema Khandro, PhD.

Dr. David Germano is a leading Tibetologist and professor at the University of Virginia specializing in Tibetan and Buddhist Studies. His scholarship focuses on Dzogchen philosophy, contemplative traditions, and Tibetan intellectual history, particularly the works of Longchenpa. He has spent years studying within Tibetan communities in Asia, combining academic rigor with experiential understanding. As a pioneer in digital humanities and contemplative studies, his work bridges textual scholarship with innovative approaches to preserving and engaging Tibetan knowledge systems.

Born in Kham, Tibet, Khenpo Yeshi Rinpoche is a lineage teacher and scholar of Dzogchen. He trained in the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Geluk traditions, completed a three-year retreat under Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and later taught advanced Buddhist philosophy at Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal. Now completing his doctorate at UC Berkeley, he shares teachings internationally on the Drigung Kagyu tradition and Heart Essence (Dzogchen Nyingthig) path.

Tulku Pema Khandro, PhD, is a professor of Buddhist Studies, Tibetologist, scholar-practitioner and lineage holder in the Nyingma tradition. She is known for offering deep contemplative training framed with academic rigor. Her scholarly research and Buddhist teaching brings Dzogchen into direct dialogue with contemporary life, guiding students to engage these teachings as lived experience grounded in both lineage transmission and critical inquiry. Both her teaching and scholarly research focuses on the history, texts, and practices of the classical Dzogchen Nyingthig tradition, the Heart Essence of the Great Perfection.

Together, they guide you to engage Longchenpa’s text not merely as philosophy, but as a living pathway—an experiential gateway for recognizing and integrating wisdom awareness into daily life.