Editing Tibetan Buddhism (section)

=== Dzogchen and Mahamudra ===
Another form of high level Tibetan Buddhist practice are the meditations associated with the traditions of [[Mahamudra|Mahāmudrā]] ("Great Seal") and [[Dzogchen]] ("Great Perfection"). These traditions focus on direct experience of the very nature of reality, which is variously termed ''[[dharmakaya]]'', [[Buddha-nature|buddha nature]], or the [[Ground (Dzogchen)|"basis' (''gzhi'')]]. These techniques do not rely on deity yoga methods but on direct [[pointing-out instruction]] from a master and are often seen as the most advanced form of Buddhist practice.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ray |first=Reginald A. |title=Secret of the Vajra World, The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet |publisher=Shambhala |pages=112–113}}</ref> The instructions associated with these approaches to meditation and realization are collectively referred to as [[mind teachings of Tibet|mind teachings]] since both provide practical guidance on the "recognition of the nature of mind."<ref>{{cite book |author=Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche |title=Pointing Out the Dharmakaya: Teachings on the Ninth Karmapa's Text |page=5 |location= Ithaca, New York |publisher= Snow Lion Publications |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-59030-055-8 }}</ref>

The views and practices associated with Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā are also often seen as the culmination of the Buddhist path.{{sfnp|Kapstein|2014|p=87}} In some traditions, they are seen as a separate vehicle to liberation. In the Nyingma school (as well as in Bon), Dzogchen is considered to be a separate and independent vehicle (also called Atiyoga), as well as the highest of all vehicles.<ref>{{cite book |last=Keown |first=Damien |year=2003 |title=A Dictionary of Buddhism |page=82 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-860560-7}}</ref> Similarly, in Kagyu, Mahāmudrā is sometimes seen as a separate vehicle, the "Sahajayana" (Tibetan: ''lhen chig kye pa''), also known as the vehicle of self-liberation.<ref>{{cite book |author=Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche |title=Mind at Ease: Self-liberation Through Mahamudra Meditation |pages=7–11}}{{full citation needed|date=March 2024}}</ref>