Adding practices to your Sadhana

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Ngondropa
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Adding practices to your Sadhana

Post by Ngondropa »

Tashi delek dear dharma friends. :namaste:

I am currently practicing Ngondro and have been encouraged to engage in Lamrim and Lojong practices as well.
According to my teacher I should practice them within the context of the Ngondro Sadhana. This is a very vague phrasing and after requestin more guidence I am non the wiser. My teacher is very relaxed about it and left it up to me.

I’m curious how one would go about doing it. It would seem to me that there might be some rules or guidlines about this if it's a common practice.
So where would you add aditional practices into your sadhana and still keep its integrity. After the Guru yoga perhaps? Before the Dedication of Merit?

Thank you for any aswers you can provide. :anjali:
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Ayu
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Re: Adding practices to your Sadhana

Post by Ayu »

I really recommend following the guidance of your teacher. Trust him.
If he says: "Don't be too picky about rules and better find your own way that fits to you", then this is the most wise advice he can give to you.
Ngöndro is a longterm project and you really need some endurance and patience for it. If you struggle with rules that do not fit to yourself, this can be a mighty hindrance.

If you need more framing that holds your hand (which is understandable), then set a dicipline frame by yourself. Like a daily schedule when to do which practice. If it doesn't work, you can negotiate with yourself and find adjusted rules.
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tobes
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Re: Adding practices to your Sadhana

Post by tobes »

Ngondropa wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 9:54 am Tashi delek dear dharma friends. :namaste:

I am currently practicing Ngondro and have been encouraged to engage in Lamrim and Lojong practices as well.
According to my teacher I should practice them within the context of the Ngondro Sadhana. This is a very vague phrasing and after requestin more guidence I am non the wiser. My teacher is very relaxed about it and left it up to me.

I’m curious how one would go about doing it. It would seem to me that there might be some rules or guidlines about this if it's a common practice.
So where would you add aditional practices into your sadhana and still keep its integrity. After the Guru yoga perhaps? Before the Dedication of Merit?

Thank you for any aswers you can provide. :anjali:
For example: when you take refuge & do prostrations, include Lam Rim contemplations on death and impermanence. When you offer mandalas, widen your view to encompass bodhicitta, so that you are sharing your merits etc with all sentient beings.
karmanyingpo
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Re: Adding practices to your Sadhana

Post by karmanyingpo »

tobes wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 1:04 am
Ngondropa wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 9:54 am Tashi delek dear dharma friends. :namaste:

I am currently practicing Ngondro and have been encouraged to engage in Lamrim and Lojong practices as well.
According to my teacher I should practice them within the context of the Ngondro Sadhana. This is a very vague phrasing and after requestin more guidence I am non the wiser. My teacher is very relaxed about it and left it up to me.

I’m curious how one would go about doing it. It would seem to me that there might be some rules or guidlines about this if it's a common practice.
So where would you add aditional practices into your sadhana and still keep its integrity. After the Guru yoga perhaps? Before the Dedication of Merit?

Thank you for any aswers you can provide. :anjali:
For example: when you take refuge & do prostrations, include Lam Rim contemplations on death and impermanence. When you offer mandalas, widen your view to encompass bodhicitta, so that you are sharing your merits etc with all sentient beings.
I guess this would depend on the ngondro too because for example some ngondros already have contemplations on death and impermanence as a section built in.. Good idea about including bodichitta in the mandal!!

KN
ma lu dzok pe san gye thop par shok!
PeterC
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Re: Adding practices to your Sadhana

Post by PeterC »

+1 on KN’s suggestion

If you look carefully at the ngondro sadhana I would expect that this is in the common preliminaries. In any case the common preliminaries will contain most of what you need in this area.

If you wanted to insert additional lojong practice, for instance the sending and receiving practice or contemplations on the seven points, that sort of thing can easily be inserted inbetween sections of the sadhana. But really you would want your teacher’s guidance on that. Saying “do more lamrim and lojong” is a bit broad - there’s a lot of specific contemplations within each of those.
karmanyingpo
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Re: Adding practices to your Sadhana

Post by karmanyingpo »

PeterC wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 2:32 am +1 on KN’s suggestion

If you look carefully at the ngondro sadhana I would expect that this is in the common preliminaries. In any case the common preliminaries will contain most of what you need in this area.

If you wanted to insert additional lojong practice, for instance the sending and receiving practice or contemplations on the seven points, that sort of thing can easily be inserted inbetween sections of the sadhana. But really you would want your teacher’s guidance on that. Saying “do more lamrim and lojong” is a bit broad - there’s a lot of specific contemplations within each of those.
Here's another thought... There are ways to incorporate ngondro into daily life. I am not sure what is okay to share or not but I believe some instruction can be found in texts like Words of my Perfect Teacher. I know that for example mandala can be incorporated into daily life because my teacher instructed us on how to do so.

So when you incorporate ngondro in this way you can also incorporate lojong slogans at the same time... those are very practical for daily life. One example: "don't expect applause". That one has been very good for me. Apply it everywhere. You do a good job at work, at school, do a good deed for someone. No thank you or praise or even acknowledgement? Just apply the teaching of, "don't expect applause." Just an example. They are great teachings and very helpful for bringing life onto the path and vice versa.

KN
ma lu dzok pe san gye thop par shok!
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DewachenVagabond
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Re: Adding practices to your Sadhana

Post by DewachenVagabond »

:good:
karmanyingpo wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 3:09 am
PeterC wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 2:32 am +1 on KN’s suggestion

If you look carefully at the ngondro sadhana I would expect that this is in the common preliminaries. In any case the common preliminaries will contain most of what you need in this area.

If you wanted to insert additional lojong practice, for instance the sending and receiving practice or contemplations on the seven points, that sort of thing can easily be inserted inbetween sections of the sadhana. But really you would want your teacher’s guidance on that. Saying “do more lamrim and lojong” is a bit broad - there’s a lot of specific contemplations within each of those.
Here's another thought... There are ways to incorporate ngondro into daily life. I am not sure what is okay to share or not but I believe some instruction can be found in texts like Words of my Perfect Teacher. I know that for example mandala can be incorporated into daily life because my teacher instructed us on how to do so.

So when you incorporate ngondro in this way you can also incorporate lojong slogans at the same time... those are very practical for daily life. One example: "don't expect applause". That one has been very good for me. Apply it everywhere. You do a good job at work, at school, do a good deed for someone. No thank you or praise or even acknowledgement? Just apply the teaching of, "don't expect applause." Just an example. They are great teachings and very helpful for bringing life onto the path and vice versa.

KN
:bow: :buddha1: :bow: :anjali: :meditate:
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