General question re: Nyang Ral's Narag Dongtrug

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Pema Rigdzin
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General question re: Nyang Ral's Narag Dongtrug

Post by Pema Rigdzin »

I don't think asking or answering this question is a violation, as it's a very outer, general one.

For anyone familiar with this practice, or similar ones from other transmissions, the question is: as the text mentions prostrating before the peaceful and wrathful deities and reciting their names, is the intent that while practicing the sadhana one actually stands up and physically performs prostrations while reciting the confession?
Pema Rigdzin/Brian Pittman
pemachophel
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Re: General question re: Nyang Ral's Narag Dongtrug

Post by pemachophel »

Yes.
Typically at this point the chopon (and choyok if there is one) stands up and does prostrations, but anyone else who feels like it can also do them. However, many Westerners don't know this and, therefore, I seldom see this done at Western centers. IME, in the Himalayas and Tibet, you will see this done more often.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
Pema Rigdzin
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Re: General question re: Nyang Ral's Narag Dongtrug

Post by Pema Rigdzin »

Thanks! Do you mean that prostration(s) is/are done at one particular point, or that one prostration is done every time the text says “I prostrate to [such and such]”? In either case, is a number greater than one prostration done? If you prefer to message me the answer if you feel you need to go into too much detail here, that’s fine.
Pema Rigdzin/Brian Pittman
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Re: General question re: Nyang Ral's Narag Dongtrug

Post by pemachophel »

Pema-la,

Yes, you continue doing prostrations through the whole section where it's naming Deities and then saying chag-tshal-lo. You'd have to be super speedy to actually do one prostration per line. So you do them as fast and as many as you can/want. If you have this section memorized, you chant along as you do the prostrations. However, many laypeople who do not have this section memorized just do the prostrations and let the "professional" cho-pa chant for them. Either way, a hugely effective practice.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
Pema Rigdzin
Posts: 1292
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:19 am
Location: Southern Oregon

Re: General question re: Nyang Ral's Narag Dongtrug

Post by Pema Rigdzin »

Thanks a lot! I’ve been getting into this practice a lot lately, so this helps a lot. Yeah, I don’t have it memorized yet, and currently I’m doing it solo, so it’ll be a little clunky, but I’ll make it happen.
Pema Rigdzin/Brian Pittman
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