Building a foundation to the Great Perfection -Dzogchen teaching
Ngondro, the essential practice
Ngondro is a Tibetan word meaning preliminary. In the Yungdrung Bon tradition, the preliminary practices are essential to prepare for the Dzogchen teachings. Dzogchen means literally great perfection. To prepare for this practice of Great Perfection (Dzogchen), start with the Ngondro. The preliminary practice is a process of purification and perfection, taming our ego to help our minds to become more grounded and present. Join a weekly practice online where our chanting leader guides us through the many chants and visualizations.
The Dzogchen is the highest of all teachings in the Bon tradition. It is the most direct way to experience our true nature, our primordial mind. It is said to be secret, at one time it was passed from master to student directly, one to one. Now the Dzogchen teachings are spreading through the West and though they may no longer be secret they are sacred. The Dzogchen is also called secret because it requires us to go deeply into the secrets of our own hearts.
Intention
We always start with intention. Being mindful of our intentions before we set out to do something helps to clarify the path towards what we wish to accomplish. First we acknowledge that our wish is to benefit all living beings. We imagine them all sitting with us peacefully as we practice chanting and meditation.
Gratitude
We pay homage to the lineage masters in order to receive the blessings and empowerment of the teachings. This is guru yoga practice. Then we contemplate impermanence and confess our mistakes. This is how we begin to tame our ego to help our minds to become more grounded and present. We take refuge, offer the mandala and contemplate a chod offering where we imagine that we offer our bodies for the purpose of sharing with others to help relieve suffering and fulfill our deepest wishes.
Every Thursday evening at 7pm Sherab Chamma Ling hosts a one hour Ngondro practice session on Zoom, led by Larry Moss, a highly accomplished senior student of Geshe Yongdong. Larry has completed the 100,000 recitations of the Ngondro chants twice and has been leading this group for many years. We are so grateful to have this wise and knowledgeable guide to help us go deeper in our understanding and practice.
Before signing up for this online group practice it is recommended that participants have a copy of the Ngondro chanting booklet as well as some familiarity with the chants. The booklet is available on our website dharma items page. Ideally participants would commit to receiving transmission from our resident lama Geshe Yongdong for the Ngondro chants. Receiving transmission means hearing the sound of the chant directly from the teacher. This connects the practitioner to the lineage of the Tibetan Bon masters and sacred teachings. This brings the spirit of the chants more deeply into our hearts and transforms our daily spiritual practice.
Contact info@sherabchammaling for more information and to request transmission.
