January 8, 2025

“What is Dzogchen?” Episode 11: The “three series” of Dzogchen : The Semde.

In the eleventh episode of “What is Dzogchen?”, the first in a three-part series on the “three series” (sde gsum) of Dzogchen, Nils Derboule and Mila Khyentse Rinpoche give us an initial glimpse, starting with the first series, the Semde (sems sde).

Host: Grégoire

Notes

Traditionally, the three series are presented in succession, corresponding to the progression along the Dzogchen path: from the semdé (sems sde) – the mind series – to the longdé (klong sde) – the matrix space series – and on to the men ngag dé (man ngag sde) – the direct instruction series.

Recap & Takeaways

“What is Dzogchen?” series, Episode 11: The Three Series of the Great Perfection.

A general introduction to the three series ; starting with Garab Dorje’s Three Aphorisms — 2’30
Structuring the Dzogchen teachings into three series and the first transmissions — 6’30
The View of Semde and its root text (the Kun byed rgyal po) — 10′
The Semde practice: the four yogas — 14’
The relationship between theory (the “View”) and practice in Semde — 16’45
Advice on how to begin the path: finding a teacher — 19’45