{"collection":"Buddhism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bud/tib/ndro.htm","path":"bud/tib/ndro.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/ndro.htm","text":"An exploration of the \"Ngondro Practices\" prepared by Lobsang Tashi,\nsysop of MOUNT KAILAS BBS.\nThe \"Ngondro Practices\" are usually done by a Tibetan Buddhist\nbefore he/she begins a specific deity practice. There are two\ndivisions in the ngondro classification. The general (sometimes called\nouter or common) ngondro practices, and the extraordinary (sometimes\ncalled the inner or uncommon) practices.\nThe goal of the general practices is to turn the mind away from the\ndistractions of the world toward spiritual practice. The goal of the\nextraordinary practices is to purify our basic emotions.\nIn order to make the exploration of Ngondro as clear as I can I\nwill include here two exerpts:\n1.) a summary statement from \"A Handbook of Tibetan Culture\"\nCompiled by the Orient Foundation and edited by Grahm Coleman,\nShambala Publications, Boston, 1994 p. 349.\n2.) parts of a Ngondro Commentary, originally given by Khenpo\nPalden Sherab (Nyingma Lineage, see our BIOGRAPH Library) and\ntranscribed by myself in the spring of 1991.\n- Lobsang Tashi -\nHandbook of Tibetan Culture: (indentations by Lobsang)\nThe outer (ngondro) preliminaries concern meditation on:\na.) the advantages of human rebirth\nb.) impermanence\nc.) the workings of karma\nd.) the suffering of living beings within cyclic existence\nThe inner (ngondro) preliminaries are:\na.) taking of refuge in conjunction with the performance of\n100,000 prostrations (which purifies pride)\nb.) cultivation of bodhicitta (which purifies jealousy or mundane\nambition)\nc.) the recitation of Vajrasattva's hundred-syllable mantra (which\npurifies hatred/aversion)\nd.) the mandala offering (which purifies attachment)\ne.) guruyoga (which purifies delusion)\nNgondro Commentary by Khenpo Palden Sherab (edited by Lobsang Tashi):\nTashi Delek, good morning. Today I am going to talk about the\nNgondro practice. The Ngondro practice is a very, very special\npractice. Without having this practice, there is no way to reach\nenlightenment. It is very, very special. Ngondro practice is the\nembodyment teaching of the Buddha. The Buddha gave many different\nteachings, but Ngondro practice is the most condensed embodyment\nteaching. All of the teachings from Hinayana to Dzogchen are yoga\nteachings. However Ngondro, is THE condensed teaching which we can\napply without neglecting any of Buddha's teachings. We do Ngondro\npractice both for our own enlightenment and for the benefit of all\nsentient beings.\n\"Ngondro\", of course, is a Tibetan word. \"Ngondro\" means \"going\nahead\". Many people maintain that Ngondro is a less important\npractice, kind of a pre-school practice. But these people really\nmisunderstand. Ngondro is really an essential practice. It must be\ndone, fully accomplished, before enlightenment can be reached. If we\nwant to reach enlightenment, this practice must be done because\nNgondro practice is the root of enlightenment.\nIf we want to plant a tree and have oranges, or flowers, then\ndefinitely we have to plant a seed. We can't expect fruit and flowers\nwithout planting the seed. To bear fruit the tree has to be deep\nrooted. Similarly, before we can reach enlightenment, Ngondro\npractice must be done, and must be rooted deep within our heart\ncenter.\nWithout paying attention to this practice, you won't get results\nfrom any other practice. You won't achieve the results you want,\nbecause you won't have the foundation. Other practices may look full\nof excitement, but without Ngondro it's like building a nice, fancy\nhouse without any foundation. The house won't last for a long time.\nThe shelter would not be good for you and not good for others. The\nhouse will require a large insurance cost. Without Ngondro as a\nbasis, other practices will bring some obstacles, not enlightenment.\nThis is why Ngondro is so very important. It is a foundation\npractice. It is a root practice. It is an essential practice. Every\nother practice must incorporate Ngondro practice. Only then can we can\nreach enlightenment. Then we can be true Bodhisattvas, truly\nbeneficial beings for all other sentient beings.\nNgondro practice is part of the Vajrayana teachings. In\nVajrayana, the teacher, the guru, is very important. Of course we have\nmany different teachers. However, all teachers can be manifestations\nof the state of Buddha. Particularly in Vajrayana Buddhism, your\nteacher directly communicates the teachings to you, brings you to the\nteachings, and invokes your primordial natural state. This is why we\nrepresent the teacher as Buddha.\nThis Ngondro text we are using has a special prayer to the Lama.\nWe say the Lama prayer as the beginning of the Ngondro practice. For\nexample, if we begin practice early in the morning, first we connect\nwith the primordial wisdom mind of the Lama, then we do the Ngondro\npractices. We should not do the Ngondro practices with regular mundane\nconceptions. We should do the Ngondro practice with the understanding\nthat the excellent qualities of the primordial natural state are our\nown true nature. Thus we should do the Ngondro practice with an\nattitude of devotion, love, and compassion.\nNow we shall delve into the text. First is the prayer calling\nLamas from afar. There are three different versions of this prayer,\nthe long version, the medium version, and the very condensed version.\nThe version in the text we are using today is the very condensed one.\n\"NAMO LUMED TEN GYI GONPO LAMA KHYEN\"\nHomage! Lama, infallible constant protector, (you who) know!\nIf you are very busy, you can just say this line and then begin\nthe Ngondro practice. Here you are calling the Lama from afar.\nActually you are really invoking your primordial natural state of\nmind. This state of mind can be seen in one sense as being far away\nfrom our normal, daily state of mind. Our ignorance is really deep\nand is a great hindrance to reaching our primordial state of mind. On\nthe other hand this state can be seen as right here. It is never\nreally beyond you. It is never separated from you. It is always here.\nWhat you need to do now, is to have sincere longing, devotion, and\nconfidence that you CAN reach your primordial state of mind which will\nthen be your guide. The Lama is not separate from your primordial\nstate of mind. Your primordial state of mind is your absolute teacher\nand will guide you through every situation.\nIt is not necessary to feel that you are calling the Lama from a\nlong distance away, but having this attitude shows the extent of your\ndevotion, your sincerity, and your desire to invoke your inner wisdom,\nyour primordial natural state of mind. You revere your Lama , just as\nyou revere your absolute teacher, through love, compassion, devotion,\nand confidence. This is why you chant the prayer to the Lama. Your\nduality conceptions are constantly producing obstacles, so we revere\nour primordial natural state in order to dispel these obstacles. Our\nignorant conceptions are like helpless children. They call to the\nprimordial wisdom state to dispel ignorance and duality. The\nprimordial natural wisdom is like a mother to our ignorant\nconceptions.\nThis Lama prayer is part of the devotion prayers, part of the\nrefuge prayers. It shows your confidence and understanding of the true\nnature of the Lama. Now we begin the Ngondro practices. The first\npractices are called the general Ngondro practices. These are also\ncalled \"developing the four reverse attitudes\". These attitudes\nreverse your mind from its diluted phenomena state.\n\"DAL JOR DI NI SHIN TU NYED PAR KA\"\nThe freedoms and the favorable conditions of this (human birth) are\nextremely difficult to obtain.\nThe first of the attitudes concerns the precious human body. The\nmost precious human bodies are the ones benefitting all sentient\nbeings. In general, human beings are all very special. In particular\nthough, the most precious humans beings are those who are really\nworking for all other sentient beings, who have positive attitudes and\npositive thoughts. These human beings are very rare and very\nprecious.\nThere are many different qualities which make this human body\nvery special for us. This human body, in this life situation, is free\nfrom many obstacles presented to other forms of life. With our\npotential for positive mind, virtue, understanding, love, and\ncompassion, we are different from other beings. We can see and\nunderstand things deeper than some other beings. Therefore our human\nconditions are very special. As students of the Dharma we don't focus\nonly on the surface level. We are looking for something deeper, and\nwant this to happen for other sentient beings also. We are trying to\nreveal our natural essence. This attitude, (which we express with our\nbody, speech, and mind) combines with all the circumstances of our\nhuman body to make this human life very very precious.\nIt is important to recognize just how precious this moment is. We\nshould be happy and have joy in this. It is very important. Right now\nwe are really free. We can do anything that we like. We have\nopportunity, freedom, and capabilities. Feel joy in this opportunity\nand be a very happy person.\n\"KYE TSHED MI TAG CHI WAI CHO CHAN YIN\"\nEverything born is impermanent and bound to die.\nThe second attitude is concerned with changeable natural states.\nThinking about how the world is changing and moving is really very\nimportant. Everything is changing. The seasons, time, everything is\nalways changing, not going to last beyond one moment. In gross levels,\nin subtle levels, everything is changing. We are also changing all\nthe time. Even though we have gained this precious human body and all\nour special circumstances, these are not going to last forever. The\nessential changing nature is part of everything. It doesn't happen\njust with us. Everything is changing, what you see, what you perceive,\nwhat you think. Everything is continually moving in a changing state.\nThis is the natural system, a law of nature. Everything has to\nchange.\nWe cannot prevent or stop things from changing. Rather than\nmoving in the direction of the change, what we do is to practice\n\"clinging\". Clinging, (attachment) means trying to hold onto things\nas they appear to be right now. But even though you cling, change\nwill not stop. When we develop strong attachment to things as they\nappear to be right now, and then when we see them changing, we feel\nsuffering and sadness. By our attachments we try to prevent things\nfrom changing, things which by their very nature must change. This\nattitude can only produce suffering. When we truly understand that\neverything by natural law must change, then we will understand that\nthere isn't anything to be attached to. Without attachment we won't\nhave too much suffering or sadness.\nWe must relax our mind, and let things move and change as is\ntheir nature. With this attitude we won't have worries; we won't have\nmuch suffering. You move your mind along the direction of change,\nbecause you know that change has to take place. If snow comes its OK;\nthat is the nature of the winter. If flowers come, that's also OK;\nthat is the nature of spring. We move along with the changes. Along\nour life path, many changes will come. If your mind is open and\nrelaxed about the changes, you will get some results.\nRight now we are here. It is January 1991. In January 3091, we\nwill all be gone. That is the nature of things. No point in worrying\nabout it now. What we have to do is not cling to everything. We must\nuse the opportunity of this moment. This is really most important. We\nshould use this opportunity and take advantage. We should not miss\nthis golden opportunity. Every time is really the right time. Use\nthis moment as a precious moment. Use this moment to move toward your\npurpose. This attitude will benefit you in this lifetime as well as\nin the next lifetime.\n\"GE DIG LE KYI GYU DRE LU WA MED\"\nThe results of virtuous and unvirtuous actions (which are causes) are\ninexorable.\nNow we shall explore the third attitude, the cause and effect\nsystem. This is also known as \"the understanding of the system of the\ncause and effect\". Everything really depends upon the cause and effect\nsystem. The law of cause and effect is always working. If a cause and\ncondition are present, there will definitely be a result. Results\nmust come from their causes and conditions. Right causes and\nconditions produce right results or effects. This never alters. This\nalways operates. If we don't have the right causes and conditions,\nthere will not be right results no matter how much we hope or expect\nthem. If we have the right causes and conditions, definitely the right\nresults will come. It is inevitable. Even if we say we don't want\nthem, the results will definitely show up.\nInwardly everything is like this also. Positive inward causes and\nconditions bring positive inward results. Negative inward causes and\nconditions bring negative inward results. Mixed positive and negative\ninward causes and conditions bring mixed inward results or effects.\nKnowledge of the cause and effect system is very important in\nBuddhism. Karma is the name of this system. You are the one who gets\nthe results of your own causes and conditions. You are the producer of\nyour own causes and conditions; you are therefore the producer of your\nown effects. Whatever you do, the results will come to you. By\nunderstanding this system, we can learn the importance of having more\npositive attitudes. Reduce your negative activities, and learn more\npositive activities. This is the lesson of this line of the text.\nCause and effect are inevitable.\n\"KHAM SUM KHOR WA DUG NGAL GYA TSHOI NGANG\"\nThe three realms of cyclic existence have the nature of an ocean of\nsuffering.\nThis line of the text brings us to the fourth understanding. The\nreference here to suffering reminds us of the natural changing state\nand our mind of attachment. As long as we have attachment and\nclinging, we will always react, and our reactions present a lot of\ndifficulties. By the very nature of samsara we are not comfortable\nall the time. Actually, because our clinging mind continually reacts\nto change, samsara is always uncomfortable. For as long as you don't\ngive up your attachment and clinging, that is as long as your\nuncomfortable mood will stay. The whole point is that we should not be\ntoo attached to temporary sensory pleasures. They are going to\nchange. Bring your mind more into the detached state. Then practice\nDharma.\nThink of all of these teachings; the precious human body, the\nchanging impermanent state of everything, the system of cause and\neffect, the very nature of samsara as suffering. Don't be too\nattached. Use this precious opportunity. Do something good for\nyourself and good for others from now on. Turn your mind toward the\npositive. Turn your mind in the Dharma which is of benefit to you and\nbenefit to others. Develop less grasping and clinging. For\nwhat is the real meaning of Dharma? Dharma means love and compassion,\nor Bodhichitta, and non-violence based on the truth. That is really\nDharma. Continue on this path with your mind, speech, and body and you\nare turning in the Dharma.\nTo this point in the text we have spoken of the general Ngondro\npractice (the four attitudes). We have been really looking at the\nsamsaric levels, not using any deduction, or reasoning. We have been\nlooking at things are as they are. This is the general Ngondro\npractice. You need a good understanding of the general practice\nbefore you can proceed.\nNow we will explore the extraordinary Ngondro practice.\nThe first extraordinary practice is called the Refuge Practice.\nRefuge Practice is the root of all Buddhist practices. Refuge is the\nfoundation of all the Buddhisms, not just for the Hinayana or the\nMahayana practices.\n\"DI ZUNG CHANG CHUB NYING PO MA THOB BAR\"\nFrom now until attaining the heart of enlightenment\n\"LAMA KON CHOG SUM LA KYAB SU CHI\"\nI take refuge in the Lama, the Three Jewels.\nSaying these two lines shows your determination and your devotion, as\nwell as your confidence and your close feeling for the objects of\nRefuge, from this day until you reach enlightenment. The objects of\nrefuge are the Guru, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.\nWhen we take Refuge with prayer and meditation. First we chant\nthe Refuge lines in the text, then we do the meditation. In our\nmeditation we visualize Guru Padmasambhava in the sky in front of us,\nsitting in a rainbow, sitting on a one thousand petal lotus. On the\nlotus are a sun and moon disc. Guru Padmasambhava sits on the moon\ndisc, in the royal relaxing posture, wearing the different robes.\nVisualize this scene is being in the wisdom display. These are not\nsolid concrete objects but rather the embodyment of all wisdom, love,\nand compassion.\nGuru Padmasambhava is surrounded by many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,\nArhats, surrounded by all the Masters. As they sit in front of you,\nyou take this Refuge. If you have a shrine in front of you, you can\nmentally transform the shrine into the lotus, sun, and moon disc. Then\nvisualize Guru Padmasambhava and all the refuge beings surrounding\nhim, all radiating wisdom light. The shrine and all the area around\nit, including yourself, is thereby transformed into the palace of the\npure land of Guru Padmasambhava and all the Buddhas. You also are\nwithin the palace, within the pure land. Say the refuge chant, with\ndevotion, with joy. Then preform the prostrations.\nWhen you do Ngondro practice you also do prostrations.\nSometimes these prostrations can be done when you are doing the Guru\nYoga practices. In the Ngondro practice, doing prostrations together\nwith the refuge is correct and more practical. There are two types of\nprostrations, short prostrations and long prostrations. In Ngondro\npractice we do the long prostrations, the very extensive ones. While\nwe are doing the physical prostrations, we chant the refuge prayer and\ndo the visualization meditation at the same time.\nTo do the physical prostration we stand straight up and fold our\nhands at the heart center. Our feet may be close together. This mudra\nis called the Mudra of the Blossoming Lotus, or The Wish-fulfilling\nMudra. This mudra is a symbol of the heart. You are opening your heart\ntoward Guru Padmasambhava and the Three Jewels.\nNow put your folded hands on the crown chakra, then on the speech\nchakra, then on the heart chakra. Bow down on the floor. In the short\nprostration your five points must touch on the floor. The five points\nare the forehead, the two palms, and the two knees. All five points\nmust touch the floor. In the long prostration, you slide completely\nonto the floor. It's like swimming on the floor (laughter); with all\nof your body touching the floor. Next swing back and stand up.\nTo begin the second prostration, you hands don't have to start at\nthe heart center. They can go right to the crown chakra. Repeat the\nprostrations again, and again, and again. With the long prostration,\nyou stretch out all the way. Your belly, your knees, your forehead,\nyour body, all of you touching the floor. When you are getting up from\nthe long prostration it is all right for your knees to be on the\nfloor. Doing many long prostrations can be difficult at first.\nAlthough it wasn't designed for exercise, this is a good side effect\nof doing prostrations. It is a lot of exercise. Many people have said\nthat when they do one hundred thousand prostrations over a short\nperiod of time, their bodies become very light. They find it very good\nfor arthritic joint pains.\nIn Tibet the people do a lot of prostrations. Sometimes they\npreform the long prostrations all the way from their homes in eastern\nTibet to Lhasa. By this practice they are making a strong connection\nbetween their own body and the very famous statue of the Buddha called\nthe Jowo Rinpoche in Lhasa. It is said that this statue was\nconsecrated by the Buddha himself. Guru Padmasambhava and many great\nmasters have also concentrated this statue. In Lhasa the Jowo statue\nat the Jokang temple is a central focus for pilgrimages. So some\npeople do long prostrations all the way from Eastern Tibet to Lhasa.\nThis type of pilgrimage may take years to complete. After a trip like\nthis their bodies becomes very light. They say that they have to\ncarry something heavy on their backs to hold them down on the ground.\n(laughter)\nNext we shall discuss the Generation of Bodhicitta.\n\"DA NE ZUNG TE KHOR WA MA TONG BAR\"\nFrom now until samsara becomes empty\n\"MA GYUR SEM CHAN KUN GYI PHAN DE DRUB\"\nI shall accomplish the benefits and happiness of all sentient parent\nbeings.\nWhile we say this Bodhicitta prayer, we should continue to hold\nin mind the refuge visualization which we generated earlier. The\nobjects of Refuge now become the objects of Bodhicitta. In front of\nGuru Padmasambhava and all the Buddhas, you take these Bodhicitta\nvows, Bodhicitta precepts. Having Bodhicitta extends your attitude of\nlove, compassion and wisdom to all sentient beings without any\nexceptions. Having Bodhicitta means maintaining this attitude until\nall sentient beings are completely liberated from suffering and their\ndeluded states. Your courage, commitment, love and compassion must be\ncontinued for that long, without any expectations. By taking\nBodhicitta vows, you show the extent of your courage and commitment.\nYou desire to bring all sentient beings into a joyful state. You show\nthe extent of your love, compassion, and wisdom.\nThe practice of Bodichitta is called The Special Practice of the\nMahayana. Mahayana is a sanskrit word. \"Maha\" means great and \"yana\"\nmeans vehicle. Mahayana is Great Vehicle Buddhism, and it is\nBodhicitta that makes the vehicle so great. This is very important.\nThe school which teaches the great Bodhicitta technique is the\nMahayana school. Without Bodhichitta there is no way to gain\nenlightenment. No matter which school of Mahayana teaching you study,\nwithout Bodhicitta, love, compassion, and wisdom, there is no way to\nreach enlightenment.\nBodhicitta is the very root of enlightenment, the root of\nBuddhahood, the root of benefit for all sentient beings, the root of\nall happiness and joy. Practice understanding, love, compassion, and\nwisdom for the benefit of all sentient beings. We say these lines of\nthe Bodhicitta prayer in front of the objects of refuge as witnesses.\nIn front of the objects of refuge we generate love and compassion\nagain and again and again.\nThe next Ngondro practice in the text is that of Mandala offerings.\n\"TSHE RAB KUN GYI LU DANG LONG CHOD PAL\"\nThe bodies enjoyments, possessions, (and) glories of the succession of\nall my lifetimes\n\"TSHOG NYI DZOG CHIR KON CHOG SUM LA BUL\"\nI offer to the three jewels in order to complete the two\naccumulations.\nMandala is a sanskrit word which means entirely, completely,\ntotally, without missing anything. Offering the Mandala you are\noffering the entire universe. Whatever you can imagine, whatever you\ncan think of, offer these to Guru Padmasambhava and the three Jewels.\nMake your offerings to all the great Masters, Buddhas and Bodisattvas.\nIn the long Mandala practice, the grains of rice and all the\nrings and circles symbolizes the complete cosmos, the sun, the moon,\nthe stars, the planets, the earth, water, oceans, sentient beings,\ngalaxies, everything. In the short mandala practice which we do daily,\nwe perform the Mudra of the Mandalas. The mudra also symbolizes the\ncomplete cosmos. The center of the mudra is called the center\nmountain, the mountain called Sumeru. The four corners of the mudra\nsymbolize the four continents, the four directions. Visualizing the\ncosmos represented by this mudra, you say the offering lines.\nMandala offerings are also known as part of the generosity\npractices. You make these offerings to the Realization Beings through\nyour own generosity. By making mandala offerings, you accumulate the\ntwo types of merits, wisdom merit, and accumulation merit. Wisdom\nmerit depends mainly on meditation and your deepening understanding of\nyour true wisdom nature. Accumulation merit comes from your\ngenerosity, your devotion, your loving and compassionate attitude\ntoward all sentient beings. By Mandala offerings you gather\nmeritorious energy to yourself, which you can then share with all\nsentient beings through dedication. By dedicating the merit you have\ngained for the benefit of all sentient beings, you dispel your own\nignorance and obscurations.\nThis is the teaching on the Mandala offerings.\nThe fourth practice is called meditation on Vajrasattva.\n\"CHI WOR LAMA DOR SEM YER MED PAI\"\nAbove one's head is Vajrasattva, inseparable from the Lama.\n\"KU LE DUD TSH GYUN BAB DRIB JANG GYUR\"\nFrom (Vajrasattva's) body, a nectar stream descends, purifying (my)\nobscurations.\nVajrasattva is no other than Guru Padmasambhava; therefore\nVajrasattva is also your teacher. Guru Vajrasattva is a totally\nenlightened being and has the special power to remove obscurations.\nWhen we meditate as Guru Padmasambhava we are meditating on the\nNirmanakaya Guru. Vajrasattva is a Sambogakaya Guru. Guru\nPadmasambava and Guru Vajrasattva are the same, there is no difference\nbetween them. In this visualization we see Guru Padmasambhava\ntransform into Vajrasattva. Then we meditate on Vajrasattva.\nVisualize Vajrasattva above your head so that you both are facing\nin the same direction. In the refuge visualization, the objects of\nrefuge face you. This time you and Vajrasattva both face the same\ndirection. Above your head is a one thousand petal white lotus. Above\nthe lotus is a moon disk, and on the moon disc sits Vajrasattva in\nvajra posture. This visualization is not of solid objects.\nVajrasattva and his consort appear in wisdom rainbow bodies.\nVajrasattva and his consort are in union. Both are white in color. It\nis a rich white color, like when a snow covered mountain is touched by\nmoon light, a very rich, bright white. Seeing Vajrasattva as the\nembodyment of all the Buddhas, of all the Buddha families, know that\nVajrasattva is also of the same nature as Guru Padmasambhava.\nThen remain just as you are, in meditation, nothing else has to\nchange. Recite the 100 syllable mantra of Vajrasattva. When you\nbegin the recitation of the mantra, invoke the blessings of the male\nand female bodies of Vajrasattva as they extend bliss in all\ndirections. Blessing nectar starts to descend from Vajrasattva in the\nform of light and enters your central channel through the crown\nchakra. The light fills your crown chakra, pushing away all\nobscurations, obstacles, and diseases. The light nectar gradually\ndescends to your speech chakra, filling that chakra and pushing out\nall negativities, diseases and obstacles. The light nectar then fills\nyour entire body, and you become as completely pure and clean as\nVajrasattva. Your entire body is filled with the wisdom light nectar\nof the Vajrasattvas.\nEach time you say the 100 syllable mantra, see yourself receiving\nmore and more nectar, becoming more and more purified, losing more and\nmore obscurations, obstacles, and diseases. Continue reciting this\nmantra with a single pointed mind, great devotion, and sharp\nconcentration.\n\"OM VAJRASATTVA SAMAYA MANU PALAYA\nVAJRASATTVA TE NO PA TISHTHA DRI DHO ME BHA WA\nSU TO KHAYO ME BHA WA\nSU PO KHAYO ME BHA WA\nANU RAKTO ME BHA WA\nSARWA SIDDHIM ME PRA YATTSA\nSARWA KARMA SU TSA ME\nTSITTAM SHRE YAM KURU HUNG\nHA HA HA HA HO!\nBHA GA WAN\nSARWA TA THA GATA VAJRA MA ME MUNTSA VAJRI BHA WA\nMAHA SAMAYA SATTVA AH\"\nSupreme praise to the Vajrasattva samayas. Grant your protection\nVajrasattva. Remain firm in me. Make me totally satisfied. Increase\nthe positive within me. Be loving towards me. Bestow all the\nAccomplishments as well as all the activities. Make my mind virtuous!\nFrom my heart I will have great joy in the Four Boundless, Four\nEmpowerments, Four Joys, and the Four Kayas.\nBhagawan, All the Tathagatas, Vajrasattva, don't abandon me. I\npray that I may become a Vajra Holder. Great Samaya Sattva! AH!\n(signifying the non-duality of all.)\nAfter recitation of the long mantra, you should feel that\nVajrasattva smiles and says \"oh norbu daughter (or norbu son).. now\nyou have been completely purified of all obscurations, obstacles, and\ndiseases.\" After saying this both Vajrasattvas melting into light and\nthe light flows down to your heart center. In that moment you become\nVajrasattva, and the entire universe is transformed into the pure land\nof Vajrasattva. Understanding this fully, recite the short mantra of\nVajrasattva for as long as you have time.\n\"OM VAJRASATTVA HUM\"\nVisualize yourself as Vajrasattva dissolving into the primordial\nnatural state. You have no more perceptions, no more concentration, no\nmore thinking. You merge with the primordial natural state and remain\nin that state for as much time as you can.\n\"OD ZHU DAG NANG DANG DRE RO CHIG GYUR\"\n(Vajrasattva) melts into light and becomes mingled in one taste with\none's own perceptions.\nNow comes the practice of Guru Yoga.\n\"RANG NYID DORJE NALJOR DUN KHA RU\"\nOneself (is) Vajrayogini and in the sky in front\nWhen we practice Guru Padmasambhava Yoga, our task is to\ncompletely change our frame of reference. This means that we ignore\nour mundane conceptions of who we think we are. These self-\nimpressions exist only on the surface. In Guru Yoga we return to our\nprimordial natural state. We stop seeing ourselves and all things\naround us on the surface level. We see ourselves as Vajrayogini. We\nsee all external things as part of the pure land of Vajrayogini.\nVajrayogini is the primordial natural wisdom state. We appear as the\nwisdom rainbow body Vajrayogini, wisdom mother of all the Buddhas,\nmother of all the realization beings. With an understanding of this\nprimordial wisdom nature, we can invoke the true nature of the Buddha.\nLogically therefore, our understanding the true nature of the\nBuddha is dependent upon our understanding of the true primordial\nwisdom nature. Guru Padmasambhava and Vajrayogini are of the same\nnature. Every time we practice Guru Yoga with this understanding, we\ngain more experience of the primordial wisdom nature.\nAs we end our Ngondro practices we must dedicate the benefits we\nhave gained for the welfare of all sentient beings. Dedication\nmotivation is very special. It is part of Bodhicitta practice as\nwell. Dedication is very powerful. Even though you can't see its\neffect immediately, dedication definitely has an effect on subtle\nlevels. Do not ignore good motivation and dedication. These\ndefinitely help on subtle levels and blossom into the gross levels.\nThe Buddha always mentioned how important dedication was.\nEven in the regular world in which we live, we should have good\nintentions for others. If somebody has best wishes for us, we might\nfeel happy. Our happiness is an effect of the intention of the good\nwish. If somebody curses you or has bad wishes for you, you feel\nupset. So the bad wishes also have their effect. It is your intention\nin your actions that is very special, for intention goes much deeper\nthan physical activity. Our intention really changes the focus of our\nactions and speech. Therefore our intention must be very pure and\npositive. Pure and positive intention leads to beneficial activities\nthat will change the world, will bring peace and harmony to the world.\nThis is the teaching on the Ngondro Practice.","title":"The Ngondro Practices by Lobsang Tashi","type":"page"}