Ngondro | Tibetan Buddhist Altar

Our Guide in Difficult Times

January 22, 2016 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Ngundro, or preliminary practice consists of several parts:

Refuge, or entering the gate of protection of the “three precious ones” – the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Bodhicitta, the practice of the six perfections and the generation of the aspiration to realize Enlightenment.
The offering of the Mandala, the accumulation of merit through skill.
Vajrasattva, the purification of obscurations through wisdom.
And Guru Yoga, receiving the blessings through which one can attain enlightenment in a single lifetime.

Nothing is more precious than this. Even a cache of jewels, a palatial home, a beautiful and healthy body, nothing is more precious than Guru Yoga, the means to awaken. I have always been taught this: that in these deteriorating times Guru Yoga is the swiftest and most powerful method as it is so easy to be distracted, make mistakes, forget to be mindful. Our Spiritual Guide is the method to keep our path as straight as an arrow and as powerful as the mightiest sword. One should always keep samaya with the Tsawei Lama, even at the cost of one’s very life. If one cannot do even that, even after the precious Dharma has been offered, there is absolutely no way to accomplish the path.

One should remain within their Lineage as well, as there is the certainty of receiving pure unstained empowerment. If we cannot do even that, we are in delusion and ignorance. The fruit of Enlightenment will not come to your mouth. Body, speech and mind, the three doors will be corrupted. Speech will be ordinary, and without any benefit or virtue.

This teaching is a combination of Kyabje His His Penor Rinpoche and my humble self. Forgive me, Guru Padma for any mistakes, and for my presumption. Lama Kyen No! To the lotus feet of the Guru I make extensive offerings! Happy Losar to all! Kye HO!

Terton Migyur Dorje: The Origin of Nam Chö by HH Penor Rinpoche

August 7, 2013 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is an excerpt from a teaching offering by Kyabje His Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche at Palyul Ling in New York:

First examine your mind and try to get rid of any afflictive emotions or negative thoughts. Try to give rise to devotion, faith, inclination, and in that way, carry through the Guru Yoga prayers with a very sincere mind. From the core of one’s heart do the supplication prayers.

All the practices that we are doing during the retreat were revealed by Treasure Revealer, Tulku Migyur Dorje. The history or story of Tulku Migyur Dorje starts before the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. There was a king called Akara. When he was the son of the king, he went to collect some jewels from the ocean and wandered. As he was wandering he carried with him a cloth net called Zarapa, which is why he is also referred to as Arapa. For a while he had been looking for the guru named Apara. Apara was a great mahasidda who wandered, so Akara had not been able to find him. One day the guru master, Apara, knew that the King’s son was coming, so he waited in a certain place. When the King’s son, Arapa met the master Apara, he didn’t know who he was, and asked, “Do you know where Apara is?”

Instantly Apara flew in the air and landed on a rock where he left a footprint, and stayed there. Instantly Zarapa developed tremendous devotion. He went there and started receiving teachings. He received all the teachings and based on his practice, he had accomplishment. Then Zarapa also had many disciples.

He was reborn as three masters who had great miraculous activities. And then he was reborn several times in India. He was reborn as Kungol during the time when Shakyamuni Buddha was just attaining enlightenment in India. Kungol attended all the Buddha’s teachings and maintained the Buddha’s teachings.

During the time when Guru Padmasambhava came to Tibet, he was born as a great yogi known as Shupu Palge Senge. He helped Guru Padmasambhava’s activity by translating all the teachings from Sanskrit to Tibetan and then also by bringing tantric texts and teachings to Tibet.

Tulku Migyur Dorje had about 500 different lives. For a long time he had been manifesting in the six realms and benefiting all sentient beings, especially beings in hell. Lots of hell beings were liberated. When he was in the hell realm, of course, he didn’t experience the suffering of hell because of his power and realization. He just benefited and liberated all those hell beings. He emptied many areas of hell. Sometimes the karma of some hell beings was so strong that he couldn’t help them, so he drew mantras on the sand and then threw them in the fire, which extinguished the fire, and benefited those beings.

Also he manifested in the animal realm just as very tiny animals like insects, and then huge animals, and birds and so forth. And then according to their own family, they started giving teachings and that way lots and lots of animal beings were benefited and liberated.

Later in Tibet he was born in a place called Ngam. When he was just three years old, he started giving teachings. His parents wouldn’t allow him saying, “What kind of ghost language you are speaking?” When he was 11 years old, his master, Chagmed Rinpoche, knew he was a special being and invited him to his place. Chagmed Rinpoche had a relative who was a very negative guy. The relative saw that Migyur Dorje was staying there for awhile and somehow obscured his mind a bit. So Chagmed Rinpoche gave Migyur Dorje lots of purification nectar, and with that the obscurations were purified. Later he had clear visions of many deities. That is how all the Namchö teachings were revealed.

Then Chagmed Rinpoche started teaching Migyur Dorje all the scripts. And Migyur Dorje told him, “I know all those scripts.” Then he asked Chagmed Rinpoche about the scripts from many different countries, and said, “Do you know these?” And Chagmed Rinpoche said, “I don’t know them.”

In the beginning Chagmed Rinpoche was Tulku Migyur Dorje’s master. Then later when Tulku Migyur Dorje started revealing the Namchö cycle of teachings, Chagmed Rinpoche took Tulku Migyur Dorje as his master. The whole complete revelation of the Namchö cycle of teachings were revealed in that way.

This Namchö is the exact Dharma teaching appropriate for this time. It is very condensed and profound, and has a great deal of blessings. In that way Tulku Migyur Dorje brought a lot of benefit. Then somewhere in another Buddhafield, a Buddha was going to pass into Nirvana, and so Migyur Dorje needed to go there then as a kind of representative and to attain enlightenment. He lived only about 19 years on this earth.

The complete revelation of this Namchö passed from Chagmed Rinpoche to Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab until our present day lineage holders. Many countless beings have become great mahasiddhas. It has been explained that there would be like 100 million masters who are honored with that banner. All the lamas who have the rank of Vajra Acharya, have great signs when they pass away. You are also following this tradition and practice. If you think properly and do the practice, then the same blessings are also there for you.

Guru Yoga: From “Excellent Path to Enlightenment” by H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

March 18, 2013 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is respectfully quoted from “Excellent Path to Enlightenment” by His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche:

In the so-called preliminary or foundation practice, the most extraordinary section is Guru Yoga, or “union with the Guru’s nature.” It is through this practice that primordial wisdom can arise instantly in one’s being.

Guru Yoga is the way to pray to an authentic teacher and express our deep and unchanging devotion. Through devotion, our minds and the Guru’s mind become one. Why is this practice necessary? Because there is not a single Buddha in the past, present, or future who has achieved or will achieve enlightenment without relying on a spiritual teacher. Whichever of the nine vehicles of the Buddhist teachings we practice, we have to rely on a spiritual teacher, receive his or her teaching and practice according to his or her instructions. There is no other way.

Even if we have met a teacher and received his instructions, however, we will never be able to receive his blessings if we do not have fervent devotion and complete confidence in him and his teachings. And without his blessings we will not progress along the path. First of all, therefore, we need to generate devotion.

Devotion rarely comes spontaneously in the beginning. We have to generate and nurture it. First, for example, when we hear about the teacher and his life, we think about his marvelous enlightened qualities. Then, when we meet him, we see that those qualities are authentic, and our confidence and faith grow stronger and stronger. Our prayers become more and more profound, and his blessings begin to penetrate us more and more deeply.

All accomplishments are due to the Guru’s blessings. We are not referring here to minor accomplishments like obtaining good health, long life, or wealth, but to the supreme realization of the Guru’s enlightened nature, which is none other than our own Buddha-nature.

THE VISUALIZATION

As an aid to generating devotion, the text contains the following verse:

Before me in the sky, in an expanse of rainbow light,
Is my root teacher, Pema Thötrengtsal,
Surrounded by the ocean of Knowledge Holders of the three transmissions.
He is the union of all objects of refuge.

Ngondro is the Antidote to the Mantra of Samsara: Full Length Video Teaching

December 27, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a full length video teaching offered by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

Since time out of mind, we have accumulated karmic causes – both good and not-so-good. To antidote these, we practice the purification practices of Ngondro. Through these we can find clarity of mind a space to deepen. This we do for those who have hopes of us.

Planting Your Dharma Garden: Full Length Video Teaching

December 13, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a full length video teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo offered at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

In a beautiful, concise introduction to the Vajrayana path, Jetsunma describes how the 5 senses delude us, and how we mut begin taking refuge in something unseen that seems illugical Ngondro offers the method of purifying these senses, so that slowly, we awaken from ignorance into bliss.

Offering Mandala and Chod: Full Length Video Teaching by Khenpo Tenzin Norgay

December 5, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a full length video of a teaching by Khenpo Tenzin Norgay offered at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

Khenpo Tenzin Norgey teaches from the Nam Cho Ngondro practices from Terton Migyur Dorje. Each of these has the capacity, if practiced diligenly, to accru a tremendous amount of merit.

Ngondro as the Antidote: Full Length Video Teaching

November 20, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a full length video teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo offered at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

All beings suffer from the dis-ease of desire. The mind of Enlightenment appeared in the world as the Buddha who prescribed the medicine. If taken deeply and applied consistently, cure is guaranteed. And yet, constantly engaged in an ongoing mantra of delusion and discursive thought, we think we know a better way. Jetsunma implores us, “Literally, there are beings right now who have no other connection to liberation than you. The more you dance around, the more they suffer, the longer they wait. These precious ones are the ones you should live and breathe for.” We have to take our medicine, for their sake.

Nam Cho Ngondro: Refuge Instruction Khenpo Tenzin Norgay

November 8, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a full length video recording of a teaching on Nam Cho Ngondro Refuge given by Khenpo Tenzin Norgay at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

Video streaming by Ustream

The Four Thoughts That Turn The Mind: Khenpo Tenzin Norgay

November 5, 2011 by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

The following is a full length video teaching on The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind given at Kunzang Palyul Choling by Khenpo Tenzin Norgay:

Video streaming by Ustream

The Power of Devotion: from a teaching by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso

August 15, 2011 by anisonam

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso on Ngondro given at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

Today, from The Great Perfection, Buddha in the Palm of the Hand, we are going through the Four Thoughts Which Turn the Mind, Refuge and Bodhicitta. There are many practitioners in Tibet who only accumulate prostrations and chant taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha who achieve purification and have some kind of experience. There are not just one or two, but thousands. Really! Tibetan lay people who could not enter monastic life or those who could not study like you guys. Here lamas come and give teachings and you all are very smart and want to understand everything step by step and you want to make everything clear. In Tibet, they have very strong devotion. When a lama is giving teachings, they all rush up there and listen. They are not so attentive, but they have so much devotion. Whenever a ngöndro teaching is given on prostrations, they have no doubt. They will do that accumulation. They will not consider whether it makes sense or not. They just practice it, thinking, “This must be something of benefit, so I have to do it.” They do it continuously. Even when they are working in the kitchen or tending the cows, they continue chanting “Lama la kyab su chi-o, Sangye la kyab su chi-o, Chö la kyab su chi-o, Gendun la kyab su chi-o,” like this. They are constantly chanting, and they don’t think, “Lama la kyab su chi-o, why do I have to say this?” They really don’t have that kind of thought. “Why do I have to take refuge in Buddha? Who is Buddha? What is Dharma? What is Sangha? Why do I have to do that?” They really don’t have that kind of thought. They just go on constantly chanting. And they really do have some kind of purification, and they could have many different kinds of experiences, dreams, clear understanding. I think it is due to the culture that they have that kind of belief and constantly do that. Nobody knows what kind of practice a very ordinary appearing human is doing, just that every time people see him he is chanting, “Lama la kyab su chio, Sangye la kyab su chio…” “I take refuge in the Lama, I take refuge in the Buddha…” People think he is just ignorant. But when death comes, he sits calmly with a smile and rainbows appear. Then people realize that this was a great practitioner. We didn’t know that.