I began with the study of grammar, and whatever vajra topics I came across, such as the Conqueror’s scriptures and the treatises which clarify their intention, texts on conventional definitions and instructions on the true nature. Although I seized on them with veneration, apart from a few good imprints which inspired me to study in the brightness of day and under lamplight, I had no opportunity to increase my knowledge in a relationship with a teacher, even for a single day. Then in dPal-gyi bSam-yas mChims-phu, I met three times with the wisdom-body of Klong-chen-pa, and through being blessed with various auspicious symbols, my karmic connections were awakened from out of The Great Perfection.〔Van Schaik, Sam (2000). ''Sun and Moon Earrings: Teachings Received by Jigmé Lingpa''. NB: This article was originally published in the Tibet Journal 25.4 (2000): 3–32. () (accessed: November 30, 2007)〕〔Original Tibetan language: Nam tharp: lar kho bo cag gi ni yi ge’i brda sprod pa nas brtsams te| rgyal ba’i bka’ dang| |dgongs ‘grel bstan bcos| tha snyad kyi gzhung| yin lugs kyi man ngag sogs rdo rje’i gnas ji snyed pa mthong pa de dag gus pas nye bar blangs te nyin mo’i snang ba dang sgron ma’i ‘od la mjal bar spro ba’i bag chags bzang ba tsam las dge ba’i bshes gnyen dang nyin gcig kyang ‘grogs nas sbyangs stobs kyi blo gros ‘phel ba’i gnas su ma gyur mod| dpal gyi bsam yas mchims phur rgyal ba klong chen pa’i ye shes kyi sku dang lan gsum du mjal zhing brda thabs rten ‘brel du mas byin gyis brlabs pa la brten nas kho bo’i las ‘brel rdzogs pa chen po nas sad pa yin no|〕

Jigme Lingpa's Nyingma affiliations led sometimes to his participation in the sort of tantric activities that have long been criticized by more conservative Buddhists. He was himself ambivalent about some of these activities:...he regretted the black magic he performed during the Gurkha war. Jigme Lingpa even admits that the ancient ordinance of Lha Lama Shiwa O and Changchub O, which famously censured the indulgences of Nyingma practitioners, might have been merited. And yet he reports with a certain pleasure taking part in a drunken communal feast (''gaṇacakra'') or being given beer at the house of the Nyingma master Kumārarāja (1266-1343) and doing "a dance of bliss-emptiness integrated."〔Gyatso, Janet (1998). ''Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary; a Translation and Study of Jigme Lingpa's 'Dancing Moon in the Water' and 'Ḍākki's Grand Secret-Talk'''. Princeton, New Jersey, USA: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01110-9 (cloth: alk. paper) p.140〕