In the Dzogchen tradition, natural awareness, or rigpa, is not regarded as something to be produced, but as an ever-present reality to be directly recognized and then stabilized. This recognition typically begins with direct introduction (ngo sprod) from a qualified teacher, who points out the nature of mind beyond conceptual thinking and mental formations. Such introduction may take the form of specific instructions, gestures, or meditative situations that reveal a simple, open, aware presence as the very essence of mind. Once this has been glimpsed, the task becomes one of repeatedly returning to and confirming this recognition until certainty arises about this unique state.

The cultivation of rigpa then unfolds through what is often called “non-meditation,” an effortless resting in awareness itself rather than in any object or constructed state. Thoughts, emotions, and perceptions are allowed to arise and dissolve naturally, without suppression or elaboration, while maintaining non-distraction from the knowing quality of mind. Practices such as trekchö, “cutting through,” emphasize releasing fixation on phenomena so that the primordial purity of awareness is directly experienced. Here, the key is not to fabricate a special condition, but to let whatever appears self-liberate within the expanse of awareness, much like clouds dissolving in a clear sky.

Various supports are used to help recognize and stabilize this natural awareness. Sky-like practice, for example, uses open-space gazing to evoke the spacious, unobstructed quality of mind, illustrating awareness as an unchanging background to all experience. The famous three statements of Garab Dorje summarize the path: direct introduction to one’s own nature, deciding upon this state with certainty, and continuing with confidence in liberation. Over time, this recognition is integrated into every aspect of life, so that both calm and disturbed states are met with the same uncontrived awareness. Through brief but frequent moments of recognition throughout the day, the continuity of rigpa gradually becomes more stable and pervasive.