A Series of Articles on Ngöndro
The Preliminary Practices of Tibetan Buddhism

1. Introduction
2. The Elements of Ngondro

3.  The Nyingma Traditiona

• • Longchen Nyingtik
  • Dudjom Tersar
  • More Nyingma Ngöndros

4. The Kagyu Tradition

5. The Sakya, Gelug, and Bön Traditions

6. Supporting Materials

The Dudjom Tersar is one of the most widely practiced lineages of the Nyingma tradition.  It is a short lineage, based on the terms of Dudjom Lingpa and Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje.  The writings of these two great masters span forty-five large volumes, including tens of thousands of pages of the most sublime dharma, encompassing eight major cycles of teaching. 

The Dudjom Tersar ngöndro came from one of the cycles that Dudjom Lingpa brought forth, the Daknang Yeshe Drawa, The Wisdom Net of Pure Visions, when he was 23 years old.  In The Clear Mirror, his secret autobiography, he recounts,

"For a while I stayed in retreat relying on the meditation and recitation practice of Jampal Mawé Senge, Gentle Splendor Lion of Speech. One afternoon, my house filled with a delicious aroma. At that time I actually saw the deity. He gave me a golden box the size of a small bird’s egg and told me to eat it. Immediately I swallowed it, and he said, ‘This is called Daknang Yeshe Drawa, ‘The Wisdom Net of Pure Visions’. Then he dissolved into me."

The ngöndro comes in a long version and a more concise version, though most of the Dudjom centers outside Asia use the concise version. 

There are four explanations of this ngöndro in English, the first by Dudjom Rinpoche himself.

A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practice of the Profound and Secret Heart Essence of the Dakini

Dudjom Rinpoche composed this exquisite commentary: A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom.  Hear Padmakra Translation Group's Stephen Gethin discuss the text as well as compare it to Patrul Rinpoche's Words of My Perfect Teacher. 

See also our Reader Guide to the works of Dudjom Rinpoche.

And the incredible account of Dudjom Rinpoche and his previous lives in Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche is Ruby Rosary Joyfully Accepted by Vidyadharas and Dakinis as the Ornament of a Necklace.

A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar by Thinley Norbu Rinpoche

This work is by Dudjom Rinpoche's eldest son, an emanation of Longchenpa himself and the rebirth of Dudjom Lingpa's son Tulku Drime Ozer.

This is not a straightforward commentary.  As with all of the author's writing, it is hard not to have the sense that these words come from beyond the horizon of ordinary experience,  perception, and knowledge.  This is a tour de force of the Nyingma view, meditation, and conduct.  Summarizing this work is not easy in the short space we have here.  While it does cover all the elements that other ngondro teachings do, this is something to experience, read, and re-read. 

Here is a sample:

"from distinguishing between past, present, and future, do not think what is called present awareness is another awareness contrived by the intellect. Without retracing the past and without anticipating the future, it is necessary to sustain awareness of the nature of great liberation from limitation. When it is sometimes mentioned that the fourth aspect of time is free from all three times, do not think that the fourth aspect is another actual time that is other than the distinction of the three times. Recognize that it is only the evenness time of original purity, absolutely beyond the limitation of eternalism or nihilism, free from thought or expression. When there is no movement whatsoever or when deluded habit is completely exhausted, this is the enlightened mind of Buddha. Until one has achieved stability, not allowing delusion, it is necessary to sustain the nature of awareness. Do not become discouraged, lazy, or confined by constriction, thinking that it is impossible to abide in the freshness of this present awareness for very long. Instead, it is necessary to sustain the nature of awareness with diligent endurance."

The second part of this book is another commentary by Thinley Norbu Rinpoche on the “Fulfillment (bsKang ba) Liturgy of the Dakinis”, often referred to as its opening lines: Tsok Khang Dechen.

A note on some important differences in the paperback and hardcover editions: Rinpoche made extensive changes and additions to the paperback edition, and  that is to be considered the definitive edition.

See also our Reader Guide to the works of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche.

From Foundation to Summit:  A Guide to Ngöndro and the Dzogchen Path

Written by Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche, this work is based on a set of teachings he gave on this at Pema Osel Ling in California in the 1990s, which were widely acclaimed by those in attendance.  Readers of this book will quickly discover why.

Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche was a disciple of Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, and when he went to Nepal  in 1995, he met Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, who later invited him to the United States. Thus, he is intimate with the Dudjom Tersar.

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche asked Orgyen Chowang to give a commentary in the as-yet untranslated A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar. 

Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche has this to say about Cascading:

"Thinley Norbu Rinpoche based his book on the teachings of three renowned teachers: Longchenpa, Rongzompa, and Dudjom Rinpoche, and especially on his own experience of the view, meditation, and action, or conduct, of Dzogchen. He has experience of the view, meditation, and action, or conduct, of Dzogchen, so we need not have any doubt whatsoever about the authenticity of his commentary. We can’t really say that this is just a commentary on the preliminary practice. This is really the main practice."

Practitioners have found this an extremely useful work to complement Cascading Waterfall.  It unpacks Thinley Norbu Rinpoche's work in a highly practical, penetrating manner, and many go back and forth between the two. 

Awakening Wisdom: Heart Advice on the Fundamental Practices of Vajrayana Buddhism

Tulku Pema Wangyal spent a great deal of his life with Dudjom Rinpoche and has long been the guiding light, along with his brother Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, of the Padmakara Translation Group, who translated many of the ngöndro works discussed here. 

Stephen Gethin who translated this work, conveys what makes it so special:

"While most of the topics introduced are the same as those described in Patrul Rinpoche’s The Words of My Perfect Teacher, the approach is quite different. Patrul Rinpoche was writing in the nineteenth century, in a land where Buddhism had been part of people’s lives for thirty-five generations. Addressing a European public brought up in a busy, intellectual, and often superficial world, Pema Wangyal Rinpoche generally dispenses with cultural references, yet he never loses the pith of the teachings of this more than one-thousand-year-old tradition."

Here is a sample of the audiobook:

Within the Dudjom Tersar, as in many other traditions,  there are separate ngöndros specific to particular practices, including Throma Nakmo (see heartteachings.com).

See also our Dudjom Tersar topic page for articles, videos, and all the books connected with this tradition.

The next article in this series will explore some of the other ngöndros in the Nyingma tradition, including from Mipham Rinpoche, the Namchö cycle, and more.