Substrate consciousness and Rigpa I think both substrate and rigpa are not a state - they pervade into states.

Substrate consciousness pervades on waking state and dreaming state - so in the substrate consciousness we can have lucid dream, where we are aware that we are dreaming (or substrate consciousness is aware that we are dreaming).

Rigpa pervades sleep state (without dream) as well as waking state and dreaming state - so rigpa can be aware of rigpa when we are in deep sleep. In other words, something is awake when we are in deep sleep because rigpa is aware of rigpa.

Is my understanding correct?



I need to elaborate my questions.

Rigpa is different from what is achieved from Zen or other non-dual traditions such as Vedanta or Shavism, and Rigpa can be achieved when we go one step further from being aware of being aware.

In Vedanta, Turiya can be recognized when being aware of being aware, and something(not a state) pervaded into wake, dream and deep sleep state, so in Turiya we can dream with recognizing the dream(lucid dream), when we are fully settled in Turiya. But "when we go one step further," only thing I can presume is that something can be recognized when being in deep sleep. So it could be called Rigpa, as Rigpa is aware of Rigpa when in deep sleep.

What I am trying to say is not criticizing his teaching; I respect his teachings. Also the explanation on Vedanta is just reference to describe the question, mostly coming from Ken Wilber's book - Vedanta is not the topic here. I just want to clarify my understanding on the teaching and what Rigpa is.

Please help me to understand.
It is about establishing three-dimensional model of the mind. Such models differ between schools. For example, Theravada or Yogacara have many more dimensions to it described.

First dimension is the ordinary mind (psyche), it is equivalent of chitta. It is the dualistic mind responsible for Self-personality grasping. This part is also your base of imagination, rational thinking, intellectualisation. This dimension is switched off when we sleep or are in the coma, or dying.

Second dimension is substrate consciousness that is equivalent of alayavijnana which is storehouse consciousness in Yogacara school, or in Theravada, this corresponds to bhavanga. Storehouse consciousness is essentially your subconsciousness - it always processes information no matter what. It also stores everything, biologically (from your father), and experientially (past actions). Relation with chitta is that chitta allows you to transform and store good or bad seeds back into the storehouse that will one day blossom and re-manifest in psyche again. It is the relative vacuum of consciousness.

Lastly, bare awareness, primordial awareness that is Rigpa. It is equivalent to experiences of Buddha nature or wisdom of Dharmadhatu, or Dharmakaya, also Tathata or even Jhana. Rigpa is based on intuition (jnana as opposed to prajna) coming from touch with suchness. This is seeing things as they are. There are many terms that describe it. For Dzogchen practitioners, the whole singular experience of it is best seen as last remnant after two other layers dissolve at the time of death - the clear light. It is the absolute vacuum of consciousness.

Each one of these layers goes deeper and such is the relation between them, each one emerges from the lower layer. Concepts arise from being in touch with suchness and so on.



Alan Wallace's commentary on Vajra Essence: 


  For clarification let’s refer to the three-tiered model of the mind
  presented earlier. The first and most superficial level is the psyche,
  in which thoughts, fantasies, images, and so forth appear. If you sit
  quietly and watch your mind, the phenomena you observe manifest in
  your psyche. We access the second level, the substrate consciousness,
  in deep sleep, the blackout period of death, and in the practice of
  shamatha. During shamatha meditation the phenomena observed do not
  necessarily emanate solely from the psyche, which is encapsulated
  within this lifetime. Having accessed the substrate consciousness,
  there is the potential for tapping into memories from past lifetimes, phenomena entangled within a vast network of experiences. These may appear in the form of dreams, visions, desires, or fears whose origin is not to be found in this lifetime. In the case of fear, for example, the anxiety may be very real, yet its origin may be a past-life experience. Such fear is an expression of imprints stored in the substrate consciousness.
  
  Then, having broken through to the third tier of the mind—primordial
  consciousness—what emerges, the phenomena that appear, are not
  manifestations of mind and mental processes. From this deeper vantage
  point, such manifestations and mental processes, which comprise the
  psyche, are surface phenomena. For the same reason it would also be
  misleading to depict these primordial experiences as manifestations of
  the substrate consciousness. Appearances originating in primordial
  consciousness are the spontaneous, natural effulgence of pristine
  awareness. Being neither the mind nor mental processes, “these
  appearances are by nature the play of the manifest space of
  awareness”—dharmadhatu.
  
  (...)
  
  For example, if you truly fathom the
  nature of anger as it arises—even something as slight as a mild
  irritation—it is seen to be nothing other than an expression of
  pristine awareness. Of course we don’t normally do that. We grasp on
  to anger, reify it, and then act out within the sphere of the psyche
  and of ordinary appearances, in which case anger is an afflictive
  emotion. Therefore, if you fathom the nature of the mental
  processes—the eight kinds of consciousness—it is seen that they have
  never been anything other than expressions of primordial
  consciousness. However, not fathoming their nature, they are then seen
  either as expressions of the substrate consciousness or expressions of
  the psyche, indicating that you are locked within samsara.


You can clearly see there is nothing special that cannot be experienced outside Dzogchen and that same experience is also spoken of in Mahayana in great detail.