Ngakpa Training: Level 1

VAJRA

Purpose

• To establish a solid basis for a daily spiritual practice.
• To learn practices that have a full range of benefits for one’s spiritual life, including the beginning of Light Body development, clearing obstacles, creating protection, etc.
• To begin to develop and refine the human qualities of compassion and concern for others, fearlessness, even-mindedness, inner calm and joy.
• To begin to integrate these practices, their inner workings and their results into one’s daily life experience, and in relation to work, play, waking, sleep and even dreams.
• To lay the groundwork for all advanced work and a lifetime of spiritual progress.

Foundation: Ngondro

The Ngondro, or Preliminary Practices are the foundation of all advanced practices, including those with form (such as Yidam practices, see below) and those that work with pure energy to broach the borders of enlightenment. Taking a year or more to complete, the Foundation Practices consist of five sets of meditations that must each be repeated 100,000 times. These are very practical mental and physical exercises that clear negative imprints, accumulate positive karma, and clear obstacles that would otherwise impede spiritual development. All lineages and sects of Tibetan Buddhism have Ngondro as a prerequisite. The Ngondro of PeGyal Lineup is particularly pithy and profound, so one may enter the practice with a minimum of liturgical “red tape”, the hallmark of the Yogic (as opposed to monastic) path.

Yidam 1: Tara

The Meaning of Yidam

Unique to the Vajrayana system, Yidam practice is agruably the most accessible and powerful spiritual technique on earth. First appearing in the tantric crucibles of Southern and Northwest India from the 4th-8th centuries, these methods were brought to a high level of sophistication and development in the hidden valleys of Tibet. Here, in isolation from disruptive and chaotic forces of technological civilization, they flourished and were perfected to their present form.

The Process

There are three aspects of Yidam practice: Visualizing one’s body as an enlightened form, hearing all sound as mantric vibration, and experiencing all thought, sensation and emotion as Wisdom Mind. This immediatley takes one out of a false, karma-based identity, with its biographical and biological trappings, and brings us close to our true identity of brilliance, purity and freedom.

Tara

While there are literally hundreds of archetypal forms one may use, Tara is the most widespread of all Yidam practices. Yet it is an extremely profound spiritual practice, with the ability to cut through obstacles on all levels. PeGyal Lingpa’s Tara was received as a treasure from Guru Rinpoche, and contains a condensed version of the usual, extensive Praise of the 21 Taras; The full activity of Tara is accomplished with a  concise liturgy with “fresh” and fast-acting blessings.

Chö 1: PeGyal Lingpa Chö

Chö is a remarkable spiritual method developed by MaChik Labdron, perhaps Tibet’s greatest female saint. Through this practice one quickly cuts through both egoistic fixation and selfishness, as well as attachment to all our petty hopes and fears. We are introduced directly to our Wisdom self, while clearing mountains of karmic debt from many lifetimes.
PeGyal Lingpa’s chö terma was received as a visionary instruction from MaChik Labdron, the creator of this remarkable practice. Since this great sage lived very recently, and his lineage has not yet been dispersed far and wide, it carries great blessings and power. Its value also lies in the fact that it is very concise, easy to practice, and yet extremely profound in its Dzokchen view and activity. And as a complete chö practice, it can be used as a base to which other specialized chö rituals can be appended. This includes the PeGyal Lingpa healing practice, or Changbu, which is taught in Level 2, allowing one to help many beings clear deep-seated karmic obstacles.

Protectors 1: Short SolKa / Ma Dza Dam Sum

Protector practices are essential to our spiritual life. There are so many forces of disruption, deviation and blockage, that without these approaches, our path becomes particularly arduous. These obstacles are both external and internal. On the outer level, sickness, poverty, stress, social and cultural impacts, and all kinds of life demands can hinder and distract us from our true path. Internally, we have a burden of suffering, emotional baggage, ripening karmic seeds and mental confusion that threatens our success in many subtle ways. Protectors are highly wrathful, extremely powerful and uncompromising Wisdom beings that blast through these problems and obstacles. By engaging in these rituals daily, we create a healthy protective “spiritual immune system” which acts as an effective barrier against breaches by anti-spiritual, anti-transformative forces from without and within.

Offering 1: Mar Sur Offering

Smoke offerings are a way of repaying vast karmic debts, as well as sanctifying and pacifying the environment where we do our spiritual practice, as well as where we eat, live, work and play. During Sang or Sur practices, smoke is used a vehicle to transport our visualizations, prayers and spiritual energy into invisible realms. In this way, we can make vast spiritualized offerings to all levels of beings throughout the universe, classified in the Tibetan path as the Four Classes of Guests. This includes both the highest guests, representing all enlightened beings, Buddhas, male and female realized masters and so on. It also extends to all sentient beings: human, animal, and those suffering the greatest hell-like existences, as well as those in the tender trap of false luxury in god-like wealth and richness. Finally it touches on beings that exist in a demonic, ragefull form, caught in cycles of ill-will and desire to destroy, harm and vampirize others without compassion. Karmic debts can thus be repaid, great positive merit accumulated and beings without limit can receive potential benefit, as our practice goes from training to actualization.