r/Dzogchen • u/Personnenon • 29d ago
Preliminary practices.
Can anyone recommend a good book on the preliminary practices for dzogchen. I have good grounding in Buddhism having studied most schools to some degree but initially took refuge in the Galug tradition so tibetan buddhism is pretty fundamental to my understanding. I don't have a teacher at present but would like to make a start.
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u/tsultar1 29d ago
A cascading waterfall of nectar by Thinley norbu Rinpoche is a essential text for preliminary practices in ngondro
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u/Ap0phantic 28d ago
Just preview-read the first three sentences, and I'm already blown away.
Well, then.
Philosophy is characterized by making categories.
But synthesizing into the essence is updadesha.3
u/tsultar1 28d ago
White sail is another great one of his. Enjoy
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u/EducationalTry6408 12d ago
You've named the two I happen to own by him. Both are extremely profound. I love Norbu Rinpoche's take-no-prisoners style. His refutations on eternalism and nihilism are brutal (in the most compassionate sense).
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u/GaspingInTheTomb 29d ago
Great Perfection Buddha in the Palm of the Hand, Dusting Off Your Buddha Nature: The Purpose of the Dzogchen Preliminaries, Words Of My Perfect Teacher, Not For Happiness.
The most common Nyingma cycles all include ngöndro, tsa lung, and Dzogchen. Namchö, Longchen Nyingtik, Dudjom Tersar, etc. Basically any Nyingma ngöndro book is preliminaries for Dzogchen.
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u/NangpaAustralisMajor 29d ago
What we typically know as "preliminary practices" is the ngondro. There are many great commentaries on those. My favorite are:
- Words of My Perfect Teacher, Patrul Rinpoche.
- A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche.
- A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom, Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje.
The first is a commentary on the Longchen Nyingthig ngondro. The second on the short Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, and the third on the sa gter ngondro or Dudjom Rinpoche.
A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar is profound beyond words.
One comment, is that these are not "preliminary practices".
One, some teachers will not present them as antecedents to other subsequent "higher" teachings and practices. As my late root teacher said, complete the ngondro in the view as it develops and unfolds. Other teachers-- not so much.
Also-- all of the "higher" teachings are contained and complete in the ngondro. This is more explicit in some ngondros. The view or trekcho and togal are complete in the ngondro.
There is also an approach to dzogchen that doesn't focus on this style of ngondro, but rather practices like the semdzins and rushens. I never encountered it with my own teachers, but there seem to be converts dead set against the traditional ngondro. In my own tradition we take a middle path and practice both.
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u/LeetheMolde 28d ago
You'll need a Ngondro empowerment/initiation from a qualified Lama to study and practice Ngondro preliminaries for subsequent Dzogchen practice.
Before empowerment, to can learn about and practice the Outer Ngondro, also known as The Four Thoughts That Turn The Mind.
https://tricycle.org/dharmatalks/special-retreat-four-thoughts-turn-mind/
https://youtu.be/Hkcah_usCvM?si=02235eN8ZiJm-iMg
https://lamalenateachings.com/the-four-thoughts-that-turn-the-mind/
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u/Quick-Product4511 22d ago
Also, the general preliminaries,
Taking Refuge, Four thoughts, Raising bodhicitta. Lotsawa House may have these as a practice to down load
The special preliminaries include generation and completion stages.
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u/genivelo 28d ago
I have only started reading it, but so far, https://www.shambhala.com/authors/a-f/orgyen-chowang/from-foundation-to-summit.html is very good. Much more accessible than Cascading waterfall of nectar, which it is based on.
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u/tired_now 29d ago
The preliminary practices for Dzogchen aren't necessarily traditional ngondro. Do you mean Rushen?
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u/Quick-Product4511 22d ago
People are listing vajrayana ngondro. Please tell me the name of the ngondro specifically for the Semde ngondro.
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u/tired_now 22d ago edited 22d ago
Hi la. I don't have much experience with semde. It seems most accessible through Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche's group, but this is not exclusive. My teacher mainly focuses on direct introduction and some trekcho instruction. There are retreats on Korde Rushen and trekcho according to our lineage transmission that are held and taught regularly. Completion stage with signs have similarities to some Semde practices. A well known set of instructions that includes Korde Rushen is Yeshe Lama, if you want to seek out instructions for that.
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u/Quick-Product4511 22d ago
Thank you, would you mind sharing the name of your practice community and / or teacher
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u/Ancient_Naturals 29d ago
As others have pointed out, you’ll eventually want a teacher to help guide you as it’s not really something to learn from a book on your own, but Dr Nida published a book that goes through the preliminary practices from his lineage’s approach: https://skypresspublications.com/product/foundations-of-vajrayana-buddhism
Also, there’s a group of us that are beginning to practice the Yangti Nagkpo ngondro, with Chung Rinpoche giving the empowerment in about a year for those that have completed the first 10-11k accumulations by then: https://www.yangtiyoga.com/
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u/Ap0phantic 29d ago
Patrul Rinpoche's Words of My Perfect Teacher is extremely popular, something like Liberation in the Palm of Your Hands for Nyingmapas. It's a commentary on the Longchen Nyingthik ngöndro of Jigme Lingpa, which is the most widely-practiced Dzogchen cycle today.
I wasn't clear from your post, but I personally wouldn't recommend starting ngondro on your own, if that's your thought - it certainly makes the most sense to do so in the context of having a relationship with a teacher. Not every teacher will accept every form of ngondro, for starters, so it might not really open the doors for you that you would ideally open.