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IT HAS BEEN MY VERY GREAT PRIVILEGE to compile these ngondro instructions from a wealth of oral teachings offered by His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Since coming to the United States in 1979, Rinpoche has given these teachings repeatedly, each time with a wonderful warmth of verbal style and each time highlighting different points. In this commentary, the qualities of his spoken words and some of the rich elaboration he provides have yielded to brevity. The goal has been to make extensive information clear and accessible, offering a convenient reference book for practitioners. This, of course, is not meant as a substitute for a direct oral explanation from Chagdud Rinpoche or some other qualified teacher. Rather, I hope the teachings compiled in this volume will instill confidence in those who undertake the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro and support their accomplishment of the full commitment of these preliminary practices.

Even a small book such as this one has required the dedicated effort of many people, beginning with Chagdud Rinpoche himself, who has consistently stressed the importance of completing ngondro as the foundation of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist practice. His teachings flow from his own completion of ngondro practices, from extensive knowledge of commentaries on the subject, from carefully retained oral teachings on the Tersar Ngondro received from His Holiness Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, and from his profound meditative realization.

Rinpoche made numerous corrections and extensive editorial suggestions while reviewing the manuscript of this book. Although its style falls somewhere between his engaging verbal presentation and the strict conventions of a classical commentary as he would write it, I believe that its contents have not drifted too far from his intention to offer these precious teachings to Western students in straightforward English. I feel a heavy burden of responsibility for any mistakes, omissions, or lack of clarity in the text, for which I apologize in advance.

In addition to the profound debt of gratitude I owe to Chagdud Rinpoche for entrusting me with this project and supporting its completion, I wish to thank translators Tsering Everest and Richard Barron; transcriptionists Joan Szoboky and Angie Ponder; and the editing and production team at Padma Publishing: Mary Racine, Kimberley Snow, Barry Spacks, and Linda Baer. I am also deeply appreciative of others who read the manuscript and made suggestions, and of my sangha friends at Rigdzin Ling who carried my share of tasks so I would have time to write.

Anything written as a “ngondro commentary” must present itself most humbly, given the existence—though not yet in English—of the superb ngondro commentaries by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche and other Tibetan masters, and the recent availability of the beloved commentary by Patrul Rinpoche, the Kunzang Lama'i Shelung (Words of My Perfect Teacher), in two English translations. Chagdud Rinpoche himself suggested that another commentary was unnecessary. Still, many who find special pleasure and inspiration in his teachings have often requested a book such as this one. May this brief commentary strengthen understanding and meditative experience and support the accomplishment of ngondro. May it serve as a step toward ultimate compassion and enlightenment.

ALL TRADITIONS OF TIBETAN VAJRAYANA BUDDHISM have ngondro practices, but among these the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro of the Nyingma tradition is probably the most concise in terms of recitations and sadhana practice. Hidden in the eighth century by Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), it was intended for these degenerate times when few people have leisure to practice. His Holiness Garwang Dudjom Lingpa (1835—1904) revealed this treasure; his incarnation, His Holiness Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje (1904–1987), clarified the text and taught it widely.

The history of the successive incarnations of Dudjom Lingpa represents an extraordinary demonstration of spiritual potential. He first appeared on this earth, many centuries ago, as the lord among yogins known as Nüdan Dorje, who prayed with enormous aspiration to benefit beings. Specifically he prayed, “Until the succession of one thousand buddhas of the fortunate aeon has come to an end, may my emanations appear without interruption, accomplishing vast benefit for beings to be tamed!” Accordingly, he appeared as Shariputra, one of the Buddha Shakyamuni's foremost disciples; as the prodigy translator Drogban Khye'uchung Lotsawa; and as Dampa Desheg, who founded the great Kat'hog Monastery in Eastern Tibet.

His incarnation as Dudjom Lingpa manifested in response to the explicit command of Guru Rinpoche, who exhorted an emanation to appear as his direct emissary in order to protect beings in these times of spiritual degeneration. He was conceived amid wondrous signs, and at his birth in a small felt tent, the environment was filled with rainbows and delightful fragrances, and a rain of blossoms fell.

Embodiment in nirmanakaya form did not hinder his complete realization of the three kayas, and through his pure vision he had access to the wisdom of the enlightened ones in other realms. Many of his visionary experiences are richly recorded in Buddhahood Without Meditation (Nang-jang). He also revealed twenty-two volumes of teachings and practices, treasures (terma)* that had been hidden by Guru Rinpoche and his consort Yeshe Tsogyal so that fresh, uncorrupted dharma transmissions would be available to future practitioners.

The practices Dudjom Lingpa offered were so replete with dharma potential, and the faith of his disciples so strong, that thirteen of the disciples attained rainbow body. At the end of his life, Dudjom Lingpa instructed his students to go to the Padma Kod region of southeastern Tibet. They set out, and one month later heard that their revered teacher had passed from this realm. Having no reason to hurry, they continued their pilgrimage for several years. At last they arrived at a house in Padma Kod. A toddler ran out, welcomed them by name, and invited them inside to enjoy a meal he had instructed his mother to prepare the day before “for special guests.” The little boy proved to be the incarnation of Dudjom Lingpa.

His Holiness Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje took birth with all the qualities of his predecessor intact. He, too, was inseparable from Guru Rinpoche. Yet, just as Guru Rinpoche has eight emanations, some peaceful, some wrathful, so there were contrasts in the display of these two masters. Dudjom Lingpa embodied awesome wrath, as brilliant as lightning or an explosion of flames. Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje remained utterly peaceful—soft-spoken, charming, as refined and handsome as a peaceful male deity. Dudjom Lingpa was a supreme yogi and prodigious treasure revealer (terton). In Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje these qualities, though very great, were subordinated to his qualities as a scholar and teacher.

He compiled, corrected, and reprinted many old treasures, including the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, and offered wonderfully lucid oral explanations and precise written commentaries. He served as a fountain of empowerments, thereby upholding the Nyingmapa lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism, which was disrupted and dangerously thin after the Chinese Communist conquest of Tibet in the 1950s. In the latter part of his life, he traveled to many countries, gathering his disciples. Indeed, he fulfilled the prophecy that whoever should see him, hear him, remember him, or be blessed by his hand would find liberation.

I had the excellent fortune to receive teachings on the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro directly from H.H. Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, and at that time I made notations where his oral explanation varied somewhat from the text. These variations are slight and it would not be incorrect to practice according to the written text. However, I have incorporated the instructions from the oral explanation into my own oral instructions and into this commentary.

Although quite concise, the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro provides an extremely powerful practice for turning the mind toward dharma, for purification, and for bringing forth the qualities of realization. It enhances devotion to the dharma and a receptivity to the highest level of teachings. I require the Tersar or some other ngondro practice for my students who aspire to receive transmission of the mind teachings of Great Perfection (Dzogchen). These days lamas sometimes offer the Great Perfection teachings to those who have not undertaken ngondro. This I have grave doubts about. Until students have purified their minds and developed receptivity through the two accumulations—of merit and pristine awareness—and until they have established a profound level of guru yoga, the direct mind-to-mind transmission of Great Perfection cannot take place. Although practitioners do exist who attain realization as soon as the Great Perfection teachings fall upon their ears, they are ones who have rendered their minds completely receptive in past lives. Such practitioners may sit down, listen to the teachings, and stand up totally transformed by the spiritual perspective of Great Perfection.

Most people must develop their practice step by step, beginning with ngondro. Unless they have ripened their minds through practice, the oral transmission that should lead to a state beyond concept leads instead to more concepts. If students who could benefit from the Great Perfection teachings hear them too early, the teachings do not have the impact they otherwise would. For this reason I require ngondro before the full presentation of Great Perfection.

Some years ago a student, having assured me that he had fulfilled the ngondro requirements, attended a six-week Great Perfection retreat. As the retreat progressed, this student frequently asked questions that made no sense in the context of the teachings. He seemed impervious to my transmission. No light shone from his eyes. One day I confronted him: “I think you didn't do much ngondro.” Defensive, he again assured me that he had. I regretted his reply because obviously he had locked himself into a lie. For him, retreat ended sourly, and I did not hear from him for some time afterward—not until he called to tell me that it was true that he had not completed his ngondro requirement, though he was now working on it. I felt the relief parents feel when their child levels with them on an important issue.

However, for practitioners with receptive minds, the Great Perfection perspective can evolve from ngondro itself. Its essence can be glimpsed each time the mind rests in intrinsic awareness (rigpa), in each experience of the absolute nature of Vajrasattva and the absolute lama in guru yoga. The Dudjom Tersar Ngondro—concise, unelaborate, and grounded in guru yoga—provides a superb means to open the door to recognizing the nature of mind. I hope that all who undertake it will transcend the rigors of the practices and find true joy in them.

NGONDRO PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION for all Buddhist practice until enlightenment. The Buddha taught eighty-four thousand methods of taming the mind. We would have difficulty listening to eighty-four thousand different teachings, let alone applying them as practices. Ngondro condenses the essence of all of these into a few practices that are relatively easy to accomplish and profoundly transformative. The meditative realization gained through ngondro continues as an integral support of practice, particularly Vajrayana practice. In this respect the preliminaries resemble the alphabet, which is not simply learned and cast aside, but is utilized constantly as the basis of all written communication.

The Tibetan word ngondro means “to go before” or “preliminary,” and these preliminary practices fall into two basic categories. The first, that of the outer preliminaries, common to both the Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhist paths, consists of contemplation of the four thoughts that turn the mind. Then there are the extraordinary preliminaries special to the Mahayana and Vajrayana paths: refuge, bodhicitta, mandala offerings, Vajrasattva purification, guru yoga, and transference of consciousness.

The vehicles (Skt. yanas) of Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana evolved from the Buddha's teachings to meet the different needs of practitioners according to their individual capabilities. At the Hinayana level, weariness with the suffering of cyclic existence (Skt. samsara) leads to renunciation of worldly attachments and care in maintaining moral discipline. Practitioners hope that they as individuals will find liberation from samsara and achieve the peace of nirvana.

Mahayana practitioners likewise see cyclic existence as an ocean of suffering and long for liberation, but they recognize that countless others are also helplessly foundering and drowning in samsara. Compassion wells forth and, with it, the powerful wish to alleviate their suffering. Liberation for themselves alone cannot satisfy the spiritual aspirations of Mahayana practitioners. They vow to benefit all others through their practice of the Buddhist path and to attain enlightenment in order to lead them to ultimate liberation.

Vajrayana subsumes both Hinayana and Mahayana, particularly the Mahayana commitment to lead all beings to enlightenment. Vajrayana, however, cultivates ongoing recognition of the mind as both the source of suffering and the source of liberation. Although mind is the source of the entire spectrum of experience, if we look for mind itself we cannot find it. Mind's actual nature is emptiness. We cannot point to any substantial entity and say, “That is mind.” At the same time, we cannot deny the phenomena that arise in the mind, the continual experience of emotions, thoughts, and perceptions. Mind's nature remains beyond limiting concepts of existence or nonexistence. For the Vajrayana practitioner, this means that all experience is viewed as inseparable from its source, mind's pure, empty nature. Thus, whatever arises is perceived as a sacred display of pure appearances.

Practice of the outer and the extraordinary preliminaries provides a strong foundation for spiritual development. The teachings on the four thoughts give rise to the renunciation of ordinary attachments and guide us toward what is beneficial. Refuge creates a sense of protection and blessing. Bodhicitta clarifies our motivation and arouses our compassion—we acknowledge our highest spiritual aspirations. Mandala offerings generate the accumulation of merit and the revelation of pristine awareness that we will need to fulfill our aspirations. Vajrasattva provides a method by which we can purify the obstacles to enlightenment—the mind's poisons, habitual patterns, negative karma, and intellectual obscurations. Guru yoga enables us to receive the pure qualities of the lama's realization. Transference of consciousness allows us to continue our path uninterrupted after this lifetime by finding rebirth in the pureland.

As we undertake ngondro, we acquire certain skills that we will use again and again in Vajrayana practice. We learn to contemplate, to develop a visualization, to recite prayers and mantra, to perform prostrations and mandala offerings, to dissolve the visualization, and to rest in nonconceptual meditation. We begin our practice with pure motivation, follow the lineage instructions in each section, redirect our attention whenever it wanders, and close with the pure dedication of virtue to all sentient beings.

In general we learn how to meditate. Meditation means directing the mind, training it by repetition until it complies with our highest spiritual intentions. At first, hindered by mental poisons, habits, and obscurations, we must exert great effort. But once we have freed ourselves from tangles and confusion, meditation becomes effortless and carries over from formal practice into daily life, from day into night, from one life to another. No moment exists apart from the enriching revelation of meditation.

However, most practitioners find ngondro rigorous, strenuous, sometimes frustrating. Even to begin ngondro, we must have some measure of faith in the Buddhist path. Practice itself increases faith, which in turn carries us through all the challenges ngondro poses. Faith is an unsurpassed quality for a spiritual practitioner. Initially it may awaken when we hear some fragment of a teaching, when we see a lama or an image. The mind is momentarily jolted out of its ordinary habits and experiences a freshness, a clarity and joy. This first level of faith is called “clear faith.”

If that first awakening propels one into spiritual practice, faith will deepen through the transformative experience of hearing the teachings and applying them. This is called “deep faith.” Someone who sincerely contemplates and meditates on the dharma usually feels positive changes day by day, or certainly week by week. These changes include a lessening of the mind's poisons and habitual tendencies, as well as increased compassion for others and a clearer perspective.

The faith that develops when we fully rely on spirituality to guide our lives is called “irreversible faith.” Once such faith develops, we will not turn back no matter what obstacles arise on the path. Actually, since our practice becomes stronger in the face of obstacles, we may no longer fear obstacles or even feel an aversion to them. We acquire confidence that we can transform whatever life brings us into an opportunity for spiritual growth.

In classical Vajrayana practice, the student, inspired by some facet of Buddhism, would approach a qualified lama and request teachings. The lama would first explain contemplation of the four thoughts. If this contemplation succeeded in ripening the student's interest in dharma, the student would next ask for refuge and bodhisattva vows. These would be followed by teachings on ngondro, empowerments for Vajrasattva and Guru Rinpoche, and an oral transmission in which the lama would read the practice in Tibetan so that the blessing of the words fell on the student's ears.

Upon completing the ngondro, the student would be examined by the lama, who, if satisfied, would give the student empowerment (wang), oral transmission (lung), and teachings (tri) for the practice of a special meditational deity (yidam). Other empowerments would follow, and when the lama felt the student's mind had been sufficiently ripened through blessing and practice, the empowerment and oral transmission for Great Perfection practice would be offered.

Great Perfection transmission pivots on the accomplishment of guru yoga. The term “guru yoga” literally means “union with the nature of the guru,” and through the practice we blend our own mind with the enlightened mind of the lama. Guru yoga surpasses every other method as a direct, exalted means to reach enlightenment. All buddhas in the past relied on a spiritual teacher to achieve buddhahood; all buddhas in the future will likewise do so. Both unwavering devotion for the teacher and recognition that the teacher's qualities are no different from those of an enlightened buddha signal mastery of guru yoga. Ultimately, the blessing of guru yoga expresses itself through full transmission from the lama's enlightened mind to the student's mind.