Lineage in Dzogchen functions as the living thread that carries the direct realization of natural awareness from master to disciple. It is not merely a historical record, but an unbroken conduit through which the experiential understanding of the nature of mind is transmitted. Because Dzogchen emphasizes direct introduction to this nature, lineage serves as the safeguard that what is being pointed out is not a personal invention or conceptual theory, but the same realization confirmed again and again by accomplished practitioners. In this way, lineage validates that the view and methods have not been fabricated or casually altered.

This continuity is traced back through human and transcendent sources, from early masters such as Garab Dorje and onward through Indian and Tibetan adepts, and ultimately to the primordial ground symbolized by the primordial Buddha. Such continuity is regarded as evidence that the teachings have been preserved with integrity rather than mixed indiscriminately with other approaches. Because Dzogchen instructions are subtle and easily misunderstood, lineage functions as a kind of quality control, protecting against distortions such as mistaking conceptual quietism or nihilism for genuine non-dual awareness. The authority of a teacher, therefore, rests not on charisma or scholarship alone, but on recognition and authorization within this stream of transmission.

Within this context, the role of the lineage holder is pivotal. A qualified master embodies the realization of rigpa and is able to offer pointing-out instructions that introduce students directly to their own nature of mind. This introduction, and the subsequent guidance through subtle states of experience, cannot be reliably obtained from texts alone. Lineage ensures that the nuanced methods, safeguards, and appropriate use of preliminary practices are preserved, so that students are neither misled by meditative experiences nor confused about what constitutes authentic recognition.

Furthermore, lineage is understood to carry a blessing or spiritual power that supports the practitioner’s path. The presence of realized masters in an unbroken chain is said to imbue the teachings with a transformative potency that aids in recognizing and stabilizing natural awareness. Through connection with such a lineage, practitioners are linked to a wider community of realized beings whose accumulated wisdom and realization silently inform and sustain their own practice.