Longdé (Wylie: klong sde, Sanskrit: abhyantaravarga) is the name of one of three scriptural divisions within Dzogchen, which is itself the pinnacle of the ninefold division of practice according to the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Contents
The name "longdé" is translated as "Space Division" or "Space Series" of Dzogchen and emphasises the emptiness (Wylie: strong pa) or spaciousness (Wylie: klong) aspect of the Natural State.
Penor Rinpoche states that due to the different approaches of various Dzogchen lineages, three sub-schools have developed, of which longdé is one. The other two divisions or schools are semde and menngagde. Penor Rinpoche refers to longdé as the Centredness School and is attributed to Dorje Zampa, Sri Singha and Vairotsana's lineage.
Background
These three divisions were introduced by the Buddhist scholar Mañjuśrīmitra. As Dzogchen texts, the texts of all three divisions are concerned with the basic primordial state; the nature of mind-itself (which is contrasted with normal conscious mind). They are related to the "Three Statements" (Wylie: tshig gsum gnad brdeg) of Garab Dorje.
It is important to note that the three series do not represent different schools of Dzogchen practice as much as different approaches to the same goal, that being the basic, natural, and primordial state. As is common throughout much Buddhist literature, Tibetan Buddhism in particular, gradations in the faculties of practitioners are also ascribed to the three divisions, they being seen as appropriate for practitioners of low, middling, and high faculties, respectively.
Distinguishing Features of the Space Division
The Space Division is related to Garab Dorje's second statement, removing doubts. It teaches methods of meditation that enable the practitioner to get beyond any doubts he or she may have concerning the natural state.
Texts of the Space Division
"Samantabhadra’s Royal Tantra of All-Inclusive Vastness" (Sanskrit: Mahāvarntaprasaranirajatantranāma; Wylie: klong chen rab byams rgyal po’i rgyud ces bya ba bzhugs so) is renowned as the “king” of tantras belonging to the Space Section. list the tantric texts belonging to the Space Division thus:
According to Thondup & Talbott (1997: p. 48) there are only seven extant texts of the Space Class and they are collected in the Nyingma Gyubum.