Samsara

The Essence of Great Perfection Practice

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

“O sir, the essence of Great Perfection practice is this:
All phenomena of samsara and enlightenment are only your own mind’s magical display. Primordially, your mind’s nature lacks substantiality;
It is unconditioned empty luminosity, the essential nature of awareness. It dwells primordially and eternally as dharmakaya’s essence. Yet not recognizing your own nature, transitory dualistic clinging creates delusion,
deceptive attachment to perceptions of happiness and suffering in samsara and enlightenment. In fact, your mind’s nature transcends the bounds of good and evil, hope and fear. In this space of great emptiness, free from transition and change, self-manifest awareness is present knowing. This relaxed settling in the uncontrived natural state is the view, and is also the key to meditation. When meditating, as soon as thoughts arise from awareness’s dynamic energy, use mindfulness to identify them: Self-arising, self-liberating, like waves on water. Recognize them as such and let them go without prolongation. “Meditation” is just the meager term we use to designate this. Continuously maintain boundless conduct free of action. Discard the six collections of consciousness; leave them as they are, without fixation. Do not hope for a result at a later time. It is in the present itself: reaching the unassailable state, attainment of self-mastery.

I, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, wrote this, corresponding to the request of Ngawang Zopa. May this virtue become the cause for simultaneous realization and liberation!”

— Wisdom Nectar: Dudjom Rinpoche’s Heart Advice by Dudjom Rinpoche

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samsara

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

“The nature of samsara (cyclic existence) is is like a dance which is continually moving and changing. On the inner level, the state of our mind is in a state of constant flux. Sometimes we are happy, but that never lasts. Then we are sad, but that doesn’t last either. Then we become angry and that changes too.

On the outer level, samsara is a reflection of our own inner deluded mind which never stays the same. Clearly, the outer level is also a continual process of change. In relation to time, impermanence is reflected in the four seasons of the year. Summer changes to autumn, autumn changes to winter, winter changes to spring, and spring again changes to summer. We may feel the universe is unchanging, by virtue of its vastness, but it too is impermanent. The outer universe changes four times within each aeon. first, there is only emptiness, and from this emptiness the universe is born. Then it exists, and finally it dissolves back into emptiness. This whole process is called one aeon. ”

~ Lama Tharchin Rinpoche

An excerpt from A Commentary on the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro: The Preliminary Practice of the New Treasurer of Dudjom

Purchase commentary from Dharma Treasures

📸 Rachel Fresco ~ Nepal

 

April 13 – 21, 2019 Annual Ngondro and Personal Accumulation Retreat

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

Dudjom Tersar Ngondro Retreat at Pema Osel Ling with
Acharya Sam Bercholz, Lama Sonam Rinpoche,
Frederico Trancoso and Amy Green

 

“If there are any wise persons who desire to be completely freedFrom the hot torments of the fire pit of samsara, they should Rely on this supreme path, Ngöndro, which, like the king of trees, Will revive one in its cool, dense shade, enlightenment.”

~ His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche

 

 

We have been wandering in delusion in samsara since beginningless time, like being trapped in a dream. The dharma is the method that the Buddha taught to wake us up from this dream. For that purpose he taught the 84,000 teachings of the dharma for beings of lesser and medium capacities, and the 6,400,000 tantras for disciples of the highest faculties. They all have one purpose, to tame the five passions of desire, anger, ignorance, jealousy, and pride in each individual being’s mindstream. The teachings are extremely vast, but the condensed essence of all of them, the pith instruction that encompasses all spiritual traditions, is Ngondro.

All Buddhist and non-Buddhist spiritual traditions see samsara as not a good place to remain and seek to end suffering according to their own capacities and methods. The outer preliminary practices are the four ways to turn the mind to dharma and away from samsara (four thoughts).

The inner preliminary practices begin with going for refuge, the foundation of the path of liberation from Hinayana through Vajrayana. The essence of the path from Mahayana through Vajrayana is to arouse in the mind the thought of supreme enlightenment, Bodhicitta.

In order to attain enlightenment we need to perfect the two accumulations, and mandala offering is the method to quickly accomplish this. The outer mandala offering is the billionfold universe, the inner mandala offering is one’s own body, enjoyable possessions, and accumulations of virtue, and the secret mandala offering is the Dharmadhatu Clear Light Vajra Essence Buddhafield. Actually, everybody needs to accumulate merit, it is not just for those who want to attain Buddhahood. It is the foundation of all worldly happiness, and it gathers the favorable circumstances for attaining enlightenment.

In order to purify unfavorable circumstances we do Vajrasattva meditation. It is a complete tantric practice that includes shamatha and vipassana according to the Vajrayana tradition of the two stages of creation and completion.

Guru yoga is the heart of all practices in the Great Perfection tradition which is the essence of all dharmas and spiritual paths.
Ngondro also includes Phowa, a Great Perfection teaching for swiftly transforming consciousness at the moment of death, even if one dies before being able to accomplish the creation and completion stage practices.

Chod is the practice of severing all types of clinging such as the four maras which create obstacles to samadhi, wisdom, accomplishing meditation practice in this life, and attaining Buddhahood.

As Dudjom Rinpoche said,
“This profound revealed treasure, this preliminary practice arranged here, is the noble path which leads Swiftly and easily to the level of the union of the Four Kayas; It is a chariot, perfectly clear and easily entered, that is brought up here;
All fortunate ones, enter now with joy!”


Written by Lama Sonam Tsering Rinpoche
and Translated by Cyril Kassoff
March 2015

We have expanded the annual retreat to include the opportunity for students to attend group teaching and practice sessions OR to practice Ngondro independently in private self-paced sessions.

Traditionally, the format of the retreat, has been group teachings and practices for those who wanted to begin or were already doing Ngondro. This year we are offering the same opportunity to receive teachings and guidance from Lamas and senior students, with and additional option for those who want to focus more on personal accumulations in a private retreat setting.

Everyone is invited to attend the teachings and group practices, but it isn’t required. A separate space will be provided for personal practice.

In order to guide your practice more directly, individual interviews will be available. It is also possible to have a private room on a first come first served basis.

More Information here
Register here

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