The Essence of Ngöndro – Bodhicitta

The Ngöndro practice is very important for purifying negative karma and to generate wisdom. 
 
Our mind is often compared to a field, with the potential to bring forth bountiful harvest of wisdom and compassion. For the seeds of listening to teachings to grow easily and quickly, the field needs to be properly prepared: purifying negative karmic imprints is similar to clearing the field of rocks and debris, while enriching our mind with positive potential is similar to irrigating and fertilizing the field. The purpose of preliminary practices is thus to clear and enrich our minds, allowing our practice to progress smoothly and our heart to become the path to enlightenment. This process of clearing and enriching has multiple functions:
It clears away the karmic debris from previous unskillful actions that obscures our mind from understanding the Dharma. Sometimes we go to teachings and doze off. Other times we are distracted by the monkey mind chasing one thing after another. Sometimes we are awake and listen, but we don’t understand very much. Other times we listen to teachings and are filled with doubt or anger. These kinds of obscurations are cleared away by the preliminary practices and when we listen to teachings they are able to touch our hearts deeply.

• making prostrations remove the obscurations associated with the body
• 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 meditating on Vajrasattva and reciting his mantra; removes obscurations associated with speech

• accumulating merit and wisdom by developing universal generosity and creating auspicious circumstances, through the mandala offering; removes obscurations associated with mind

• 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. Removes the obscurations of all three: body, speech and mind
• Phowa
• Chöd

This course is intended for those who have already followed the basic meditation course or who have already a grounding in meditation practice.

Teacher: Lama Jigme Namgyal

Dates: Wednesdays from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm

January:   8, 15, 22, 29 (Lama in India; study and meditation practice)
February:  5, 12 (19, 26 Carnival holiday no class)
March:      4, 11, 18, 25
April:         1, 8, 15

(Due to the travel agenda of Lama Jigmé changes in dates might occur during the course).

Place: 1, rue Charlotte Engels L-1482 Luxembourg

Language: English

Price: €140 (€126 for sustaining members, €70 for students/unemployed/retired, free participation for donating members). The price includes all sessions on the above indicated dates. Fees shouldn’t be an obstacle. Please contact us if there is a problem.

Please pay by bank transfer to the Centre’s account:

IBAN: LU79 1111 2413 8246 0000 / BIC: CCPLLULL,
Centre Culturel Tibétain, Asbl
Reference: Wednesday Course, Winter 2020 (your name)