Due to his great kindness and compassion and wish to provide platforms for both study and practice of the Dharma in particular to the lay Himalayan community, H.E. Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche established Dharma Gyan Vidyalaya and the Ngöndro Retreat at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery.

 

Since 2013, under Rinpoche’s guidance and with the kind support of Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery and senior monks at the monastery, Dharma Gyan Vidyalaya has been offering a four-month summer course each year on Fundamental Buddhist Studies and how to read and write Tibetan (Sambhota) script.  This is offered daily and free of charge and is attended mostly by lay Himalayan practitioners.  In the future, it is Rinpoche’s wish that these classes be translated into English and other languages and made accessible online.

 

The practice component of the program is the month long Thukdrub Barche Künsel Ngöndro Retreat (preliminary practices on Accomplishing the Guru’s Wisdom Mind, Dispeller of All Obstacles). This is an opportunity for the retreatants to receive teachings and learn detailed practice instructions from senior monks at the monastery.  The focus is mainly on Ngöndro, but there are also sessions on Chöd and Mönlam prayer sadhanas.

 

Ngöndro is a collection of preliminary or foundational practices of Vajrayana sadhana. This is further divided into the outer preliminaries and the inner preliminaries. The outer preliminaries are practices that turn our mind towards the Dharma with the help of four topics: reflections on our precious human rebirth, the truth of impermanence and death, the causes and effects of karma, and the shortcomings of samsaric existence. The inner preliminaries are practices that are performed to purify negativity and accumulate merit. These include the 5 times one hundred thousand practices of refuge with the performance of 10 branches of Merit accumulation, Bodhicitta cultivation, Vajrasattva recitation, Mandala offering, and Guru yoga.

 

Around 600 participants attend the Ngöndro Retreat each year, mostly Himalayan practitioners, but also some international practitioners including students from Rangjung Yeshe Institute.  The retreatants follow a very rigorous schedule without any break throughout the month, starting each day at 5:30 am and concluding at 6:30 pm.  The program is offered free of charge and the monastery provides breakfast, lunch, tea, and snacks each day to all attendees.

 

 

May everyone rejoice in this noble and virtuous event and dedicate the merit for the benefit of all sentient beings.  If you would like, your support of the Ngöndro Retreat would be very welcome.