Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro

Brief Introduction

• The Excellent Path to Omniscience: A Liturgical Arrangement for the Preliminary Practices of the Great Perfection, Longchen Nyingthig
• rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying thig gi sngong 'gro'i ngag 'don khrigs su bsdebs pa rnam mkhyen lam bzang

The Longchen Nyingthig Preliminary Practices (ngondro) are the introductory practices to one of the most well-known lineages in the Nyingma tradition, the Longchen Nyingthig. This liturgy was arranged by Jigme Trinle Ozer, the main disciple of the Terton who revealed these teachings, Jigme Lingpa. Most of the material contained in the liturgy comes from the Longchen Nyingthig itself and from the Nyingthig Yabshi, the famous Dzogchen teachings compiled by Longchenpa. Numerous commentaries have been written on these preliminary practices, most notably Patrul Rinpoche's The Words of My Perfect Teacher.

The Sequence of Practice

• Session preliminaries:
  • Physcial preliminary - Seven-point posture of Vairochana
  • Speech preliminaries - Clearing of stale breath and recitation of the speech purification liturgy
  • Mental preliminaries - Correct motivation and invocation of the guru's blessings
• Outer Preliminaries:
  • Contemplation of the freedoms and endowments
  • Contemplation of death & impermanence
  • Contemplation of karma: the principle of causality
  • Contemplation of the sufferings of samsara
  • Contemplation of the benefits of liberation
  • Contemplation of how one studies with a spiritual teacher
• Inner Preliminaries:
  • Going For Refuge - The foundation of the Buddhist path
  • Developing Bodhicitta - The root Mahayana practice
  • Meditation And Recitation Of Vajrasattva - Purification of obstacles, obscurations & negativity
  • Mandala Offering - Gathering the accumulations of merit and wisdom
  • Chod - Cutting through the Four Maras
  • Guru Yoga - Invoking the blessings of the guru's enlightened mind
• Dedication of merit and concluding prayers
  

Tibetan Literature on the Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro

• In addition to the liturgical arrangement itself, the primary texts for this practice were written by Jigme Lingpa:
  • thun mong gi sngon 'gro sems sbyong rnam pa bdun gyi don khrid thar ba'i them skas
  • rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying thig gi thun mong gi sngon 'gro khrid kyi lag len la 'debs lugs
  • rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying thig gi thun mong ma yin pa'i sngon 'gro'i khrid yig dran pa nyer gzhag
• Other important works are:
  • rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying thig gi sngon ‘gro’i khrid yig kun bzang bla ma’i zhal lung, by dpal sprul O rgyan chos kyi dbang po (Patrul Rinpoche)
  • rdzogs pa chen po klong chen snying thig gi sngon ‘gro’i khrid yig kun bzang bla ma’i zhal lung gi zin bris, by mkhan po ngag dbang dpal bzang (Khenpo Ngaga)
  • sngon ‘gro dmigs rim bsdus pa by dpal sprul O rgyan chos kyi dbang po (Patrul Rinpoche)
  • sngon ‘gro’i ngag ‘don rnam mkhyen lam bzang gsal byed by mkhyen brtse dbang po (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo)
  • sngon ‘gro’i dmigs rim zab don bdud rtsi’i nying khu by mkhyen brtse dbang po (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo )
  • sngon ‘gro’i khrid yig thar lam gsal byed sgron me by ‘gro ‘dul dpa’ bo rdo rje (Adzom Drukpa)
  • klong chen snying thig gi sngon ‘gro’i ngag ‘don gyi ‘bru ‘grel rnam mkhyen lam sgron by chos kyi grags pa (Chokyi Drakpa)
  • sngon ‘gro’i rnam bshad mtshungs med bla ma’i byin rlabs ‘char rgyun by theg mchog rdo rje (Thekchog Dorje)

Translated Literature on the Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro

Published Books

• Patrul Rinpoche (1994). Words of My Perfect Teacher. Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. San Francisco: HarperCollins.
• Ngawang Pelzang, Khenpo (2004). A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher. Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala Publications.
• Thondup, Tulku (1982). Dzogchen: Innermost Essence Preliminary Practice. India: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.
• An Elucidation of The Path To Excellent Omniscience. Translated by the Vajravairochana Translation Committee. Halifax: Vajravairochana Translation Committee, 1996.
• Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche Tantric Practice in Nying-ma, Translated and Edited by Jeffrey Hopkins Co-edited by Anne Klein

Others Texts

• A Torch for the Path to Omniscience: A Word by Word Commentary on the Longchen Nyingtik Ngöndro by Chökyi Drakpa
  
• Longchen Nyingtik Ngöndro Commentary by Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol
  
• Illuminating the Excellent Path to Omniscience: Notes on the Longchen Nyingtik Ngondro by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
• Brief Guide to the Stages of Visualization for the Ngöndro Practice by Patrul Rinpoche
  

Internal Links

• See Longchen Nyingthig for more information on this lineage
• Longchen Nyingtik
• Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro Text in Wylie transliteration

Other References

• Thondup, Tulku (1996) Masters of Meditation and Miracles. Boston: Shambhala Publications. - The most complete reference on the lineages and practices of the Longchen Nyingthig in the English language.

Alternate Names & Spellings

• Longchen Nyingtik Ngondro
• Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse Preliminary Practices
• Heart Essence of the Great Expanse Preliminary Practices
• Heart Essence of Lonchenpa Preliminary Practices

External Links

TBRC page on the Longchen Nyingthig
TBRC listing of the treatises contained in the Longchen Nyingthig root texts