Dear students and Dharma friends,

This session of the Fivefold Path of Mahamudra will included teachings on the Ngondro practice of the Mandala Offering. This is the next step AFTER Vajrasattva practice accumulations have been completed. Please check with Khenpo Tenzin or Ani Chodron if you have questions in advance.

This session is for those who are ready to begin, as well as those who want to review (have a “refresher” ) for their mandala offering practice, which includes making the mandala offering along with keeping count of the accumulations. In this practice, we have the opportunity to accumulate vast amounts of merit and offer it to the field of Refuge, to all the supreme Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

The 5-Fold Path of Mudra offers step-by-step instructions and practice to progress along the Buddhist Path towards Enlightened Mind encompassing Bodhicitta, Wisdom, Compassion, Loving Kindness and progression in Meditative concentration and absorption. The curriculum includes all the practices of the traditional 3-Year Retreat. As started by Drupon Samten Rinpoche, and with guidance from HH Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, we will follow the 3-Year Retreat “Home Study” approach. This means that you primarily continue in your place of residence, as your time permits between other commitments you may have with work and family. In accordance with His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgo Chetsang, we have flexibility as to the number of mantra accumulations for each practice during the “Home Study” program.

By engaging in these practices, one receives the blessings of the precious root and lineage lamas and gives us support to bring clarity and stability in our Dharma practices and in our minds.

The FiveFold Path according to this ancient system, contain the five “folds” of this profound path of Mahamudra are: 1. bodhicitta — the altruistic intention of liberating all sentient beings from samsara, 2. yidam — practice of visualizing oneself as a supremely enlightened being, 3. guru-yoga — seeking union with the wisdom-mind of the Teacher, 4. mahamudra — actual engagement of Mahamudra and finally, 5. dedication — perfect dedication of one’s virtues. Before one can begin to engage in the practices laid out in this system, one first needs to focus on the foundational practices. Practice of the first “fold” assumes the prior completion of what is known as the “foundational practices” (Tib. ngondro). These foundational practices are divided into the outer and inner. The outer foundational practices refer to the “Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind” taught by Gampopa. These are establishing in one’s mental-continuum the four realizations of: 1. the good fortune of obtaining a precious human birth, 2. the universality of impermanence, 3. the infallible workings of cause and eƯect and 4. the nature of samsara as unsatisfactoriness. After a firm foundation on these four thoughts has been established in one’s mental-continuum, one can begin to engage in the inner foundational practices. These are: 1. Going for Refuge which confirms and establishes one’s commitment to the Triple Jewel, 2. Vajrasattva purification practice for the eradication of one’s negative karma and karmic imprints, 3. Mandala-offering for the profound accumulation of merit necessary for attainment of complete Buddhahood and, 4. Guru-yoga for the inspiration-blessings of the root and lineage teachers. Only after these practices have been “completed” does one properly begin the first fold of the Five-fold Profound Path — Bodhicitta.

Hand mudra of the mandala offering