Staircase to Akanishtha

Staircase to Akanishtha (T. 'og min bgrod pa'i them skas འོག་མིན་བགྲོད་པའི་ཐེམ་སྐས་). A treatise on development stage of deity yoga, composed by Jigme Lingpa.

Cortland Dahl and Andreas Doctor state:

In Ladder to Akanistha, Jigme Lingpa provides an overview of the theory and practice of the development stage, balancing philosophical inquiry with instructions on the more practical aspects of tantric meditation. The first section of the text presents the theoretical framework for development stage practice. Beginning with the four approaches one can take in the development stage, Jigme Lingpa discusses the links between the various elements found in development stage meditation, the aspects of samsara they are meant to purify, and the result that ensues once the practice has been perfected. In the second section, the focus is on practice. Here, Jigme Lingpa outlines the stages of meditation, offering practical advice on how to identify and surmount obstacles and progress in practice. The text concludes with a presentation of the fruition of development stage practice. In this section, Jigme Lingpa frames his discussion around the levels of realization and the various aspects of the enlightened state.

As the basis for his presentation, Jigme Lingpa draws primarily from the Mahayoga tantras and the commentarial literature of this tradition. Not surprisingly, his discussions often center on the Tantra of the Secret Essence, the most influential Mahayoga scripture. He also gives considerable attention to less well-known texts, however, such as the Tantra of the Perfect Secret and the Heruka Galpo Tantra. In terms of philosophical interpretation, his views often mirror those of Longchenpa (Klong chen pa, 1308-1364), whom he met face-to-face in a series of three transformative visions and whose writings deeply influenced his own.

Text and translation

Full title:

• Staircase to Akaniṣṭha: Instructions on the Generation Phase of Deity Practice (T. bskyed rim lha'i khrid kyi rnam par bzhag pa 'og min bgrod pa'i them skas)

English translation:

• Staircase to Akaniṣṭha: Instructions on the Generation Phase of Deity Practice, in Jigme Lingpa and Getse Mahapandita Tsewang Chokdrub, Deity, Mantra and Wisdom: Development Stage Meditation in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Snow Lion, 2007.

Commentary

• Patrul Rinpoche, Clarifying the Difficult Points in the Development Stage and Deity Yoga
  • English translation: in Deity, Mantra and Wisdom: Development Stage Meditation in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Snow Lion, 2007.

Sources

• Dahl, Cortland (2018), Steps to the Great Perfection: The Mind-Training Tradition of the Dzogchen Masters, Shambhala 
• Jigme Lingpa; Patrul Rinpoche; Getse Mahapandita (2006), Deity, Mantra, and Wisdom: Development Stage Meditation in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, translated by Dharmachakra Translation Committee, Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications