first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

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whitemonia
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Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 5:00 pm

first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by whitemonia »

hello everibody!

I have a question...i' m very interesting about the ngondro, especially the first preliminar practice: the 100000 prostrations with refuge. In a gelug tradition are they the 35 buddha?

thanks
winstonsalem
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Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 4:02 pm

Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by winstonsalem »

The preliminary practices are sometimes enumerated as five or nine:

Prostrations: These are done to the 35 Buddhas, together with reciting their names and the confession prayer.

Vajrasattva (Dorje Sampa) mantra: This is done with the Vajrasattva practice and visualization.

Refuge: This is reciting "Namo Gurubhya, Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya" while visualizing the field of positive potential.

Mandala offering: This involves reciting the refuge and bodhicitta prayer and the mandala offering verse, while visualizing offering the entire universe and everything beautiful in it to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Guru Yoga: This is meditating on the inseparability of the Buddha's mind, our spiritual mentor's mind and our mind, together with visualization and mantra recitation.

Dorje Khadro (Vajra Daka): Imagining black sesame seeds as the negativities of ourselves and others, we offer them in a fire to the mouth of the fierce deity Dorje Khadro, who swallows them with pleasure as if they were nectar.

Water bowls: This is offering water bowls to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, together with visualization.

Tsa-tsa: This is making clay or plaster images of the Buddha.

Samaya Vajra (Damtsig Dorje) mantra: This is reciting the mantra of this Buddha together with visualization.
Traditionally these practices are done 100,000 times, with an extra 11 percent to make up for any mistakes we may make in doing them. The number itself is not important. As one lama put it, "It's 100,000 opportunities to do the practice once with full concentration and faith." The number gives us a goal to work towards and a sense of accomplishment when we have reached it. However, it is essential not to become "business oriented", always calculating how many we've done in what length of time and then how long until we're done. It's also important not to compare the number we've done with that of our Dharma friends. We are not in competition here, and we are not trying to fulfill a quota set by an outside authority. Doing the preliminary practices is about transforming our hearts and minds. If we don't try to do this, then it doesn't matter how many recitations or offerings we've done, for we're still locked in our old ways of competition.

There are various ways of doing the preliminary practices. Some people do a little of each practice every day. What is more common is to select one practice to emphasize, either doing a retreat with four sessions of that practice each day or doing some of that practice each day while living one's regular life, until 100,000 are completed. With our teacher's guidance, we select one of the preliminary practices to focus on, and in this latter way, do the practice each day usually in the morning and/or evening before or after work. It is helpful to have a group of Dharma friends who also are the doing the practice and meeting together once a week or so to practice and share experiences.

http://www.thubtenchodron.org/PrayersAn ... actice.htm
whitemonia
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by whitemonia »

Thank you very much
JKhedrup
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by JKhedrup »

It is good to know the 35 Buddhas practice takes the names of the 35 from a Sutra known as the Three Superior Heaps, part of the Stack of Jewels Sutra according to my sources. it is included in the Kangyur. There are several different ways to visualize the 35 Buddhas.

Here are some brief comments on the practice by Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=324

Book covering the practice by the late Geshe Jampa Gyatso
http://www.amazon.com/Everlasting-Rain- ... 0861711068
KonchokZoepa
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Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 9:50 pm

Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by KonchokZoepa »

you can also buy the practice with good explanation and instructions from FPMT store
If the thought of demons
Never rises in your mind,
You need not fear the demon hosts around you.
It is most important to tame your mind within....

In so far as the Ultimate, or the true nature of being is concerned,
there are neither buddhas or demons.
He who frees himself from fear and hope, evil and virtue,
will realize the insubstantial and groundless nature of confusion.
Samsara will then appear as the mahamudra itself….

-Milarepa

OMMANIPADMEHUNG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls6P9tOYmdo
jmlee369
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by jmlee369 »

I guess it depends on the teacher, but in my own practice, the first one is refuge by counting the refuge verse (sang gye cho dang...), and prostrations are the third practice, using the 35 Buddhas text..
JKhedrup
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Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 8:28 am

Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by JKhedrup »

One of the reasons why I am doing the Kagyu ngondro- the refuge and prostrations are done together :oops:

The text is also easy to follow and very beautiful. I tied to get the instructions on how to do the Gelug ngondro accumulations in the context of a recitation text and was told this was possible with Ganden Lhagyama, but there were not so many resources that explain exactly how to do that. Fortunately for the practices themselves- prostrations using the Dung Shag (Confession of Moral Downfalls/ 35 Buddhas Practice), Vajrasattva etc. explanations are available. But more as self contained practices.
whitemonia
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Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 5:00 pm

Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by whitemonia »

Ok i have started to practice the 35 buddha in the morning and vaijirasattva in the evening.
I d like to know if i need to invocate a protector ( i dont have initiation)?

Namo gurube :namaste:
jiashengrox
Posts: 117
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by jiashengrox »

whitemonia wrote:Ok i have started to practice the 35 buddha in the morning and vaijirasattva in the evening.
I d like to know if i need to invocate a protector ( i dont have initiation)?

Namo gurube :namaste:
You can do that in the evening if you want to, there are protector prayers that can be recited without initiations (such as Praise to Six-Arm Mahakala, and Je Rinpoche's Praise to Inner Dharmaraja, and so forth). In the three great monasteries some khangtsens (not sure if all) do protector kangso on the 29th of the lunar month.

However, IMO I don't think there's a need to. The three jewels and karma are one's best refuge. :twothumbsup:
Homage to the Mother of Buddhas as well as of the groups of Hearers and Bodhisattvas
which through knowledge of all leads Hearers seeking pacification to thorough peace
And which through knowledge of paths causes those helping transmigrators to achieve the welfare of the world,
And through possession of which the Subduers set forth these varieties endowed with all aspects.

- Ornament of Clear Realisation
whitemonia
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by whitemonia »

Thank you! What is the mahakala prayer without initiation ?
:namaste:
ngodrup
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by ngodrup »

If you wish, especially if you like Chenresig for example,
you may pray to Six Armed Mahakala (who is a wrathful form
of Chenreig.) He can be understood as a yidam, therefore one
of the three roots-- an emanation of the three jewels at the
tantric level. There is no harm and only benefit. His activity
is very swift and nothing to fear. And, if you observe in your
practice that anger figures as a problem, then this would be
a very good idea.

It is a good idea to get lung or oral transmission from a
lineage-holder if you wish to do this particular recitation.
Empowerment is ideal, but you probably cannot get it in the
Gelug tradition unless you have already had a tantric
empowerment. It is widespread among the other orders,
and is generally accessible. Don't worry, it is not required
at this stage. While doing ngondro you *may* also practice
Chenresig, Tara, Manjushri, or even Mahakala if you like.
But it is generally a good idea to focus on just a few things
at a time. It depends on your time.
whitemonia
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 5:00 pm

Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by whitemonia »

In this period i have a lot of time and for this reason i like do a lot of practice. I like very much mahakala . I feel a good connection with him.

I find in the web this mahakala six arms mantra " Om benza nara trim trim hung hung phet phet soha". Is it ok without initiation? :namaste:
ngodrup
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by ngodrup »

Look for a PM
Kaung
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by Kaung »

Do Dorje Khadro and samaya vajra require initiation?
JKhedrup
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Re: first practice ngondro in a gelug tradition

Post by JKhedrup »

No, although it is good to receive the oral transmission (lung) for the texts.
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