Ngondro refuge/prostration question

[Grigoris]

When I was younger I could do two prostrations per prayer. Not anymore though.

If you are doing them, may I suggest a swimmer's lap counter instead of a hand male. It fits on your finger and is the 21st century way to keep count. Malas are fine for sitting practice still, but given the movement of prostrations you might as well go electronic.

Two? I used to do four!!! Mind you, I am rather fit. I found an electronic counter is the easiest. They make them nice and small nowadays so you can wear it like a ring. I've seen them sold around mosques in Muslim countries for the purpose of counting prostrations.

[Khyentse Yeshe]

Dear all.

I started my ngöndro practice 8 month ago, and i was also having trouble counting and concentrating at the same time.
I have found a devise that you place on the floor in front of the pillow i use to kneel on.
It has a little light and when the light is blocked it counts 1. It has a little display that shows how many you have done.
I bought it on taobao (the Chinese Amazon)
Www.taobao.com

Does anyone know where i can find audio file of the refuge prayer in Tibetan?

Thank you for a great website
Thomas Khyentse Yeshe

[Könchok Thrinley]

Dear all.

I started my ngöndro practice 8 month ago, and i was also having trouble counting and concentrating at the same time.
I have found a devise that you place on the floor in front of the pillow i use to kneel on.
It has a little light and when the light is blocked it counts 1. It has a little display that shows how many you have done.
I bought it on taobao (the Chinese Amazon)
Www.taobao.com

Does anyone know where i can find audio file of the refuge prayer in Tibetan?

Thank you for a great website
Thomas Khyentse Yeshe

Thanks that seems to be a really good device!

The audio depends on what ngöndro text you are using. There are tens of different ones.

[Palzang Jangchub]

By the way, if it is the standard Kagyu Mahamudra ngondro you are doing, then the commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul "Torch of Certainty" which is sold in book form, may be useful. Have you received the lung for the ngondro?

Kongtrul's text is a true gem that I believe would be helpful for anyone doing ngöndro in the Kagyu tradition, whichever particular lineage you may identify with. It is quite thorough and helps one to see the deeper significance of these practices, as well as why they are foundational to Mahamudra.

However, I do want to point out that there is a newer translation than The Torch of Certainty, as I know in a few places Judith Hanson's style and word choice left things to be desired. To me, a translator's job is to strike a balance between the beauty and meaning of the original in the new language, and I think this balance was lacking at certain points. I was not particularly fond of her use of impenetrable words like "trichilocosm," but suppose I should chalk this up to an earlier wave of translation that has room for improvement. I digress...

The new translation, done by Khenpo David Karma Choephel under the guidance of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa OTD, is entitled The Torch of True Meaning. Though it lacks the excellent interviews introduced in the Judith Hanson/Chögyam Trungpa version, it does include with it the gold standard of ngöndro texts, the 9th Gyalwang Karmapa's The Chariot that Travels the Noble Path, newly edited by 17th Karmapa himself.

http://www.ktdpublications.com/the-torc ... e-meaning/

I also highly suggest Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche's commetary, Turning Confusion into Clarity. That one's about ngöndro more generally, but is no less valuable if you'd benefit from a more recent take on the foundational practices by a highly revered modern lama.

https://learning.tergar.org/2014/06/04/ ... -rinpoche/

[Palzang Jangchub]

If you need to see someone demonstrate how to use a small mala alongside a larger one, as well as the proper form for prostrations, Trichen Rinpoche produced a short film a couple years back that shows this. While the film is about the Drikung Kagyu ngöndro specifically, the vast majority of the info is general to all Kagyu (and even ngöndro as a whole).

Personally I found the short teachings the lamas give on the deeper meaning of ngöndro to be particularly valuable. After all, if you don't get why you're doing those practices and know how to tell if you've truly accomplished them, why do them in the first place?


https://youtu.be/tYrecfhk_9g