檢視 Ngöndro 前行法的原始碼

[[Image:LNNRefuge.jpg|thumb|320px|[[field of merit|Field of Merit]] from the [[Longchen Nyingtik Ngöndro]]]]
'''Ngöndro''' ([[Wyl.]] ''sngon ‘gro'') — the preliminary or ‘foundation’ practices of [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism. The ngöndro practices are profound and powerful means for effecting a deep purification and transformation, at every level of our being. Not only do they prepare the practitioner for the profound path of [[Vajrayana]] and teachings of [[Dzogchen]], but they also lead him or her gradually towards the experience of [[enlightenment]].

[[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]] said:
:When we take our first steps on the Path, we are not yet capable of helping others. To accomplish the good of others, we must first perfect ourselves, by purifying and transforming our minds. This is the aim of what we call the preliminary practices, which establish the foundations of all spiritual progress. You may feel like dispensing with these foundations in order to practice teachings that you think are more profound, but if you do so, you are building a palace on the surface of a frozen lake.<ref>Dilgo Khyentse, ''The Excellent Path to Enlightenment'', Snow Lion Publications, page 10. </ref>

==Etymology==
In Tibetan, ''ngön'' means ‘before’, whilst ''dro'' means ‘to go’. So ngöndro is usually translated as ‘preliminary practices’, or ‘foundation practices’.

==Stages of the Practice==
===The Outer Preliminaries===
The foundation practices begin with a series of life-changing contemplations—the outer preliminaries—embracing: 

*the uniqueness and opportunity of human life;<br>

*the ever-presence and deeper meaning of [[impermanence]] and death; <br>

*the infallibility of the cause and effect of our actions, [[karma]]; and<br>

*the repetitive cycle of frustration and suffering that is [[samsara]]. 

These contemplations are known as the "[[four thoughts]]".

===The Inner Preliminaries===
These reflections inspire a strong sense of renunciation, an urgent desire to emerge from [[samsara]] and follow the path to liberation, which forms the foundation for the specific practices—the inner preliminaries—of:

*[[taking refuge]] in the [[Buddha]] as the guide, the truth of his teaching (the [[Dharma]]) as the path, and the example of his practitioners (the [[Sangha]]) as companions on the path, so awakening a confidence and trust in our own inner [[buddha nature]];

*giving birth to love and compassion—[[bodhichitta]], the heart of the enlightened mind—and training the mind to work with ourselves, with others, and with the difficulties of life;

*removing [[obscurations]] of all kinds through the purification and healing practice of [[Meditation and Recitation of Vajrasattva‎|meditating on Vajrasattva]] and reciting his [[mantra]];

*accumulating merit and wisdom by developing universal generosity and creating auspicious circumstances, through the [[mandala offering]];

*finally, in the practice of [[guru yoga]], which is the most crucial, moving and powerful practice of all, we unite our mind with the wisdom mind of all the buddhas and so awaken the wisdom of realization.

====Purifying the obscurations====
It is sometimes said that
*[[prostrations]] remove the obscurations associated with the '''body''', 
*recitation of the [[hundred syllable mantra]] removes obscurations associated with '''speech''',
*mandala offering removes obscurations associated with '''mind''', and 
*guru yoga removes the obscurations of all three: '''body, speech and mind'''.

==Versions of the Ngöndro==
The two principal ngöndros that the Rigpa sangha practise are:<br>

*the Brief [[Dudjom Tersar Ngöndro]], and <br>
*the [[Longchen Nyingtik Ngöndro]].

==External Links==
*{{LH|topics/ngöndro|Ngöndro Series on Lotsawa House}}

[[Category:Key Terms]]
[[Category:Prayers and Practices]]
[[Category:Ngöndro]]

==Notes==
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