Christopher Wilkinson

The Jewel Maker Christopher Wilkinson

The Great Perfection, also known as the Atiyoga or Dzogchen (rDzogs chen), is a tradition of esoteric Buddhism that propounds instantaneous enlightenment and was first brought to Tibet in the Eighth Century of the Common Era. The Indian manuscripts of this tradition have been lost in time, and only the Tibetan translations remain. The original teachings of this tradition are contained in books called Tantras, and are generally divided into three categories: The Mind Section, the Space Section, and the Upadesha Instruction Section. The Upadesha Instruction section is devoted to the pointing out instructions or practical advice in the understanding and application of the Great Perfection. It is generally described as having seventeen root scriptures. The Jewel Maker here translated is considered to be the source for the other sixteen Tantras, which form the body of the seventeen works. As such, we may say that this Tantra is the core of the core teachings on the Upadesha instructions of the Great Perfection. This Tantra is also secret, and is said to be under the guardianship of dakinis. The Tantra itself proclaims the importance of keeping it, copying it and preserving it. This translation is part of an effort to preserve and maintain this ancient literature, in keeping with the directives written in the Tantra itself.