preliminary practice

Refuge

~ DudjomTersarNgondro
Photo by Sangharakshita, Kalimpong. 1958

There are seven benefits of taking refuge:
one becomes a Buddhist, a follower of the Buddha;
one will not fall into the lower realms;
one becomes a support for all vows;
one is not harmed by obstacles caused by humans and non humans;
one has few illnesses and a long life;
obscurations of actions performed in the past are purified;
and one will swiftly attain Buddhahood through the completion of its cause, the two accumulations.

a. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE BECOMES A BUDDHIST, A FOLLOWER OF THE BUDDHA

By renouncing the ways of non-Buddhists, who rely on Brahma and others for refuge, and taking the Three Jewels as one’s object of refuge, one will be included in the ranks of Buddhists, as the wise have declared, for it is said: The difference between Buddhists and non-Buddhists is the refuge.

b. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE WILL NOT FALL INTO THE LOWER REALMS

Taking refuge bars the entrance to the lower realms and places one, throughout one’s series of lives, in the blissful states of the higher realms and liberation. It is said that the son of a god who was going to be reborn as a pig was prevented from doing so when he took refuge, as is related in the Tale with a Sow, which declares: Those who have taken refuge in the Buddha Will not go to the lower realms.

c. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE BECOMES A SUPPORT FOR ALL VOWS

Taking refuge reinforces our intention to attain nirvana, this being the reason for our taking vows, and it is, therefore, the basis of all vows, as the Seventy Stanzas on Refuge explains: A lay practitioner’s going for refuge in the Three Is the root of the eight vows.

d. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE WILL NOT BE HARMED BY OBSTACLES CAUSED BY HUMANS OR NON HUMANS

The manner in which taking refuge dispels all kinds of fear and danger is described in the Supreme Victory Banner Sutra: Monks, wherever you are—in solitary places, cemeteries, empty wastes, and the like—take refuge in the Three Jewels and you will be free from fear, suffering, and hair-raising experiences. And in the Essence of the Sun Sutra we find: Beings who go for refuge in the Buddha Cannot be killed by ten million demons. Even if they have broken their vows and their minds are disturbed, They will surely go beyond birth.

e. THE BENEFIT THAT ONE WILL HAVE FEW ILLNESSES AND A LONG LIFE

It is said that as a result of taking refuge, one will be less affected by illnesses related to past deeds and obstacles, and one will live a long life of abundance and splendor, as we find in Ornament of the Sutras: Against all kinds of negative actions, Aging, illness, and death The Buddha gives complete protection. Because he protects from all kinds of harm, From the lower realms and wrong paths, From the view of the transitory composite,n and from lesser vehicles, He is the supreme refuge.

f. THE BENEFIT THAT THE OBSCURATIONS OF DEEDS PERFORMED IN THE PAST WILL BE PURIFIED

Every single one of the obscurations from deeds accumulated in the past will diminish and be exhausted. And even those who have committed crimes with immediate retribution (as did Devadatta, Ajatashatru, and others) will, by taking refuge in the Three Jewels, be liberated from the lower realms, as has been related in the scriptures.

g. THE BENEFIT THAT BY COMPLETING ITS CAUSE, THE TWO ACCUMULATIONS, ONE WILL SWIFTLY ATTAIN BUDDHAHOOD

In the soil of faith, watered by the rain of the two accumulations, the seed of the enlightened potential grows and ripens into the harvest of Buddhahood, as the Nirvana Sutra tells us: Those who take refuge in the Three Will acquire the supreme accumulations of merit and wisdom, Propagate the Buddha’s teaching in the world, And thereby attain Buddhahood. And when the Buddha said, in the White Lotus Sutra of Compassion, Those who have entered this my doctrine, even lay practitioners or those who assume the appearance of monks, will in this same Excellent Kalpa attain the full nirvana without residue in the absolute space, without a single exception, he was referring to beings who have taken refuge. Again in the Sutra of the Immaculate he said: If the merit of taking refuge were to possess form, it would fill the whole of space and still there would be more. And in the Condensed Transcendent Wisdom: If the merit of taking refuge were to take form, The three worlds would be too small to contain it. How could one ever measure that treasure of water, The great ocean, in cupfuls? There is no end to the explanations the Buddha gave on this. Taking refuge will create the dependent connection through which you will gradually come to accomplish ultimate Buddhahood, turn the Wheel of the Dharma, and gather around you a vast Sangha of Non returners.

— A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practices by Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje

On April 3rd, during the 2023 Ngondro Retreat, Thadral Tulku, Jigmed Namgyal Dorje Rinpoche, gave the Refuge and Bodichitta Vows to retreatants at Pema Osel Ling and streaming online.

Welcome our new Buddhist Sangha! (Computer screen on Rinpoche’s throne too!)

What is the sign that someone has received the teachings of the supreme Dharma and is practicing them?

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

What is the sign that someone has received the teachings of the supreme Dharma and is practicing them? Whoever has heard and absorbed the teachings becomes serene and self-possessed.

Ours is not a tradition that inculcates anger and encourages us to fight; it does not encourage us to get involved with our defiled emotions. On the contrary, the Buddha has taught us to get rid of our defilements as much as possible. The point is that, having received the Dharma teachings, we should find when we examine ourselves, that, even though we may not have been able to eradicate our defilements totally, our anger has at least diminished a little.

We should find that, even if we do get angry, we are less involved and are able to keep ourselves in check. This is the sort of sign we should be looking for. The sign that we are assimilating the teachings is an increase in serenity and self-control.

It is said that if practitioners do not examine themselves frequently, and if they fail to practice correctly, the Dharma itself will lead them to the lower realms. Some people claim to have received the teachings, but they don’t practice them. On the other hand, it is obviously impossible to eradicate defiled emotion just by listening to the teachings.

We have been in samsara from beginningless time and are immersed in the habits of defilement. These cannot be whisked away by the mere act of listening to something. So turn inward and examine your minds. You should at least have a glimmer of understanding!

In addition, we have all entered the Vajrayana. We have received profound empowerments and instructions of the Secret Mantra. This is said to be very beneficial but it is also very dangerous. Even if we are unable to bring our practice to accomplishment, if we keep our samaya unbroken, it is said that liberation will be achieved in seven lifetimes.

After crossing the threshold of the Secret Mantra, however, if we ruin our samaya by displeasing the Lama, causing havoc among our fellow Dharma practitioners and so on, the only possible destiny for us is the vajra hell.

The saying goes that practitioners of Secret Mantra either attain buddhahood or go to hell. There is no third alternative. It’s like a snake inside a cane: it must go either up or down. There’s no way out halfway! Think carefully about the benefits and hazards of samaya, and observe it purely and perfectly. To do this, it is crucial to keep a close watch on your mind, a practice in which all the essential points of the teachings are condensed.

It is vital to examine and watch your mind. You have all received instructions through the kindness of your teachers. This is what your Dharma practice should be like.

~ Dudjom Rinpoche, Counsels From My Heart

Water Bowl Offerings

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

Before We Begin Daily Meditation

Before we begin our daily meditation, we should clean our room and prepare our altar by cleaning it and making offerings. If we have no altar, we do not need to worry, we can simply visualize Padmasambhava in front of us.

The offerings which we make on the altar are symbolic. In our minds, we offer all pleasant things that we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. We offer the light of the sun and the moon, all fresh flowers, all pleasing smells, all delicious food, and so forth, everything wonderful. Since these offerings are made to the Three Jewels and the Three Roots, who do not have any greed or desire for these offerings, they are made for the benefit of all sentient beings. After we have prepared our room and our altar, we begin our meditation with the common outer practice which is the four thoughts to turn the mind.

These are:
🔸The preciousness of human birth,
🔸 Impermanence and death,
🔸the cause and effect of karma, and
🔸The suffering of saṃsāra.
By meditating on these four thoughts, the mind is subdued and one is led to renounce saṃsāra.

Then we do the extraordinary inner preparation, which is the preliminary practice. Within the Ngondro, there are:
🔸going for refuge,
🔸generating Bodhicitta,
🔸Vajrasattva purification,
🔸maṇḍala offering,
🔸and the prayer of Guru Yoga

Thinley Norbu
Small Golden Key
Translated by Lisa Anderson
Shambala ©️2012

Making the Seven Shrine Offerings
Water for drinking (Argham)
Water for washing hands and feet (Padyam)
Flowers for adorning the head or hair(Pushpe)
 Incense for smelling to please the nose (Dhupe)
Light: candlelight, butterlampsfor seeing to please the eyes (Aloke)
Perfume water to sprinkle on the body to refresh it(Ghande)
Food to please the taste (Naividya)
Music can be an eight offering to please the ears (Shabda)

Download the Water Offering written by Traktung Dudjom Lingpa called 
An Ocean of Blessings from Pure Vision
with compliments from Bero Jeydren Publications. 
This prayer was translated and published
by Bero Jeydren Publications.



How to Make the Water Bowl Offerings


Follow the instructions as indicated by Lama Sonam Rinpoche in the Video

How to Set up a Simple Shrine.


To make the water bowl offering, begin by wiping each bowl with a clean cloth and place the offering bowls face down on the shrine.


When “opening the shrine” fill the offering bowls beginning from the left hand side to the right side for the peaceful water offerings and from right hand side to the left side for the wrathful offerings. At the end of the day, “closing the shrine”, you will start emptying the offering bowls beginning from the right side moving to the left side for peaceful offerings and the opposite for wrathful offerings, emptying, wiping dry and placing the offering bowls face down on the shrine. Note: It is very inauspicious to have an empty offering bowl face up so remember to keep them face down when they are empty. 


Water Offering Prayer written by Traktung Dudjom Lingpa called An Ocean of Blessings from Pure Vision with compliments from Bero Jeydren Publications. This prayer was translated and published by Bero Jeydren Publications.


Note: Clicking on the link will open a new page and redirect you to Shopify for a free download. If you want to make an offering for the text, Click here to make a direct donation to Bero Jeydren Publications. Note: A new page will open and redirect you to the Vajrayana Foundation’s Bero Jeydren Publications’ web page.