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Ngondro Retreat

Dates:Dec 28, 2021 – Jan 3, 2022|

Location: Online: Hosted by Pema Osel|

Teachers: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche and Dungse Jampal Norbu

[This program will be held online.]

In our Longchen Nyingtik lineage, we study the ngondro practice from Patrul Rinpoche’s nineteenth-century text, The Words of My Perfect Teacher.  Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche and Dungse Jampal Norbu will lead an online retreat in which a full reading of this text and a detailed commentary are given. The transmission for the Longchen Nyingtik Ngondro liturgy, a terma revealed by Jigme Lingpa, will also be bestowed. 

The retreat includes two talks a day by either Rinpoche and Dungse-la, as well as daily practice review sessions led by senior students designed to help practitioners understand and become more familiar with the practice. In addition, a three-hour guided practice session will be held each morning.

Patrul Rinpoche wrote The Words of My Perfect Teacher in a retreat cave high in the mountains of Tibet. His observations about the human condition and his steadfast encouragement to spiritual practice in the Longchen Nyingtik tradition are so direct that even today it feels as if he is speaking straight to us. All attendees are encouraged to have a copy of The Words of My Perfect Teacher. 

 
Prerequisites
This retreat is intended for MSB members who have attended sessions and are practicing ngondro or who would like to begin the practice. Rinpoche also encourages disciples who have completed their ngondro accumulations to attend this retreat since ngondro is a lifelong practice.
 
The Ngondro retreat is restricted to disciples in the MSB lineage, however practitioners of any of the Nyingma ngondros are welcome to apply through this form to attend the retreat.
 

To Formally Begin Ngondro, full attendance is required before beginning the ngondro practice. Please check with your lineage instructor or SPR for more information. 

Ngondro Orientation Meeting on November 9th
On Tuesday, November 9th, at 6 pm MT/ 8 pm ET, Suzy Greanias and Joey Waxman will lead a ngondro orientation session. The aim is to help students understand the purpose of practicing ngondro and to answer questions about attending the ngondro retreat. The orientation will be geared toward newer students, but older students are welcome to join and ask questions. 

Register in advance for this meeting here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Registration Information
Live Stream: $245
Study Set: $245 (audio download with one-year access to video recordings)
Live Stream plus Study Set: $295
Audio Download only: $55 

See Ngondro retreat announcement email for the access code. 
 
Liturgies and Visualization Photos
If you are just starting the ngondro practice, please order the ngondro liturgy and visualization photos right away so that you will receive them through the mail before the retreat begins. You must first sign into the Member’s site on the MSB website, then click this link to take you to the product.  The last day to order  is December 16th. 
 
To purchase a digital liturgy: MSB members must login to the member’s site first and then go to this link. For non-members, contact an event coordinator at pemaosel@mangalashribhuti.org.
 
Financial Aid
The proceeds from this retreat cover all of the retreat expenses, as well as support for our teachers and Pema Osel, our center in Vermont. We hope that most people are able to pay the full amount. However, no one will be turned away for financial reasons. If you can’t pay in full, don’t let that be an obstacle. 
Contact us here by Dec. 21, 2021
 

Retreat Schedule for December 28th through January 1st, and for January 3rd
(Mountain Standard Time)
6:00am-9:00am Guided practice session 
10:00am-11:30pm Practice review with senior students
1:00pm-3:00pm  Transmission & commentary 
4:00pm-6:00pm  Transmission & commentary

Schedule for January 2nd
On January 2nd, Dungse Jampal Norbu will give the New Year’s Address Link. So that we will have an opportunity to listen to his teaching, we have changed the day’s schedule to the following:
(Mountain Standard Time)
6:00am-7:30am  Guided practice session 
8:00am-9:00am Practice review with senior students
10:00pm-11:00pm  New Year’s address Link* 
1:00pm-3:00pm  Transmission & commentary 
4:00pm-6:00pm  Transmission & commentary
 
*Please note that you must go to this link  to register for the New Year’s Address Link separately. This talk is not included in your registration for the Ngondro Retreat and like all of the link talks, there is no charge. 
 

The Logistics Document for 2021-22 Ngondro Retreat  contains important information on the retreat, including links to all the sessions and talks. Please take time to review it prior to the start of the retreat. 

Link for Guided Practice and Practice Review Sessions 
The two morning sessions will be run as Zoom meetings. This format provides us with the opportunity to have face-to-face contact with other participants as well as the ability to have discussions during the practice review session. The link will be the same for both sessions, and will be provided in the Welcome email registrants will receive prior to the beginning of the program.

Resources

If you are currently practicing ngondro, we highly recommend the Ngondro Compilation, a remarkable collection of teachings, carefully selected and compiled from over twenty years of Rinpoche’s commentary on The Words of My Perfect Teacher.

 If you have further questions, please email Pema Osel’s Event Coordinator.

“When we practice ngondro, we truly step into
and connect with the Longchen Nyingtik lineage.
It is with this practice that we will put down the roots
of Dharma in our mind, and in the West.”
~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche 
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