KUNTUZANGPO AND HIS FIVE ASPECTS  

In Tibetan, Samantabhadra is known as Kuntuzangpo, where Kuntu translates as completely, utterly, or purely, and Zangpo translates as good or gentle. Thus, Kuntuzangpo means 'completely good, or 'completely gentle' and can also mean 'the utterly good' or 'utterly gentle' nature of our mind. The name refers to the basic state of all phenomena and the basic state of all our living experiences. There are five different aspects of Kuntuzangpo, which means there are five different ways to understand the nature of the utterly pure, all good, all excellent state of phenomena.   

1.     Tönpa Kuntuzangpo or The Teacher 

The first aspect is Tönpa Kuntuzangpo, where 'Tönpa' means 'teacher,' referring to the one who shows the path, the nature of the mind, and the nature of phenomena. This first aspect of Kuntuzangpo is the Samantabhadra Buddha himself as the teacher. It is the dharmakaya teacher manifesting in the sambhogakaya and as nirmanakaya buddha. All of them are called the Tönpa Kuntuzangpo, which is primordially pure, gentle, good, and completely free from any fabrications. Hence, the first aspect is the primordial Buddha, the enlightened master. 

2.     Gyen Kuntuzangpo or The Ornament/Teachings 

The second aspect of Kuntuzangpo is called the Gyen Kuntuzangpo, where 'Gyen' means 'ornament.' The second aspect refers to the dharma teachings that the enlightened masters show on the path of enlightenment. In most cultures, ornaments are worn around the neck, connected to the throat, which, in some sense, can be considered a kind of speech center. It is through words that we often get transmissions and get enlightened instructions. Through words, we communicate with enlightened beings, the nirmanakaya buddhas. The words, which are the teachings, are primordial Buddha, that is, the awakened state. The teachings are as pure as the basic state of the Tönpa Kuntuzangpo, the completely pure Buddha.  

3.     Lam Kuntuzangpo or The Path 

The third aspect of Kuntuzangpo is known as the Lam Kuntuzangpo, where 'Lam' means 'path.' The Path of Kuntuzangpo refers to the path of Dzogchen, which means that the path is inherently pure, good, or excellent from the beginning. This means that the path is not the cause but the result. The Vajrayana path is known as the path of fruition because we are not working with causes to produce the result; instead, we are directly working with the result itself. Instead, we are taking the result as the path. Hence, the third aspect is also as pure as the first and second aspects. 

4.     Rigpa Kuntuzangpo or The Awareness/Practitioner's Nature 

The fourth aspect of Kuntuzangpo is Rigpa Kuntuzangpo, where Rigpa means bare awareness.  What we are trying to realize on the path is Rigpa, which is also primordially pure, completely pure, and utterly pure. While the first three Kuntuzangpos concern the teacher, the teachings, and the path, Rigpa Kuntuzangpo refers to the practitioner. In Dzogchen, Rigpa is the nature of our mind, and the nature of our mind is Rigpa. Therefore, the primordial Buddha is not outside us but within us, in our minds. Hence, Rigpa is the basic state of enlightenment, and it doesn't matter whether it's at the level of fruition of a Kuntuzangpo Buddha or the level of path as a practitioner. This naked awareness is the same nature of the Kuntuzangpo Buddha and the practitioner Kuntuzangpo. The nature of the mind of all practitioners on this path of Dzogchen is in the nature of this bare awareness, Rigpa, the primordial state of Buddhahood. In other words, Rigpa is the realization we strive to achieve.  

5.     Togpa Kuntuzangpo, or The Realization  

The fifth aspect of Kuntuzangpo is called the Togpa Kuntuzangpo. Togpa is realization, and Togpa Kuntuzangpo is the realization of being completely pure, primordially pure. The realization of this primordial awareness, which is the ground, is a fruition state. It's a primordial experience as well as a primordial realization. This means that our realization of the Rigpa Kuntuzangpo is nothing new. Usually, we have an idea that we will achieve something new after a certain amount of practice. According to the Dzogchen teachings, this realization has been with us all the time primordially. That's why it is utterly pure, a primordial realization. Therefore, it is Togpa Kuntuzangpo, which is the absolute result.