Within the Nyingma tradition, Dzogchen, the “Great Perfection,” is regarded as the highest and most direct of its teachings, the ninth and final vehicle in the classic nine-yāna schema. It is identified with Atiyoga, standing above both the sūtra-based paths and the various tantric vehicles, including Mahāyoga and Anuyoga. Rather than rejecting the lower vehicles, it is presented as their culmination, the point at which all the preparatory methods are crowned by a direct introduction to the nature of mind. In this sense, Dzogchen functions as both the pinnacle of the path and the distinctive hallmark of Nyingma identity.

At the level of practice, Nyingma generally situates Dzogchen within a complete, graded training. Practitioners are expected to engage in preliminaries such as ngöndro, as well as deity yoga and related tantric disciplines, to purify obscurations and gather the necessary merit and wisdom. Only on this basis does the direct introduction (ngo-sprod) to rigpa, or primordial awareness, become meaningful and stable. This introduction by a qualified master is the gateway to Dzogchen proper, where the emphasis shifts from constructing elaborate meditative states to recognizing what has always been present.

Within Dzogchen itself, practice is often described in terms of two complementary approaches: trekchö and tögal. Trekchö, “cutting through,” points to the simple yet radical recognition and resting in the empty, luminous nature of mind, free from conceptual elaboration. Tögal, the “direct leap,” is associated with advanced visionary practice in which the inherent potential of that recognition is brought to full fruition, even spoken of in terms of realization within this very body and life. These are not separate paths so much as two aspects of a single orientation toward primordial awareness.

Nyingma sources also present Dzogchen in three series—Semde (Mind Series), Longde (Space Series), and Menngagde (Instruction Series)—with the Instruction Series often receiving particular emphasis. Transmission occurs through both the Kama, or long oral lineages, and the Terma, revealed treasure teachings, with cycles such as the Seventeen Tantras and Longchen Nyingtik playing a central role. Even when a practitioner is engaged in more “conventional” practices such as guru yoga, deity sādhana, or other tantric cycles, the Dzogchen view serves as the highest orientation: appearances are understood as the spontaneous display of rigpa. In this way, Dzogchen does not stand apart as a mere technique but permeates the entire Nyingma path as its ultimate view, practice, and fruition.