Notes on the Nalandabodhi Practice Curriculum for the Coming Year

The Nalandabodhi Practice Curriculum, designed by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, can be found in the Practice Instructor’s Manual I. Students should receive information about it from their Practice Instructors. Practice Coordinators, Center Directors, and At-large Sangha Directors also have this information.

As the teachings of Ponlop Rinpoche proceed toward the Dzogchen curriculum, students who attended sangha retreat may be confused about what they should be practicing. However the Practice Curriculum has not changed and students are encouraged to allow the flavor of dzogchen to support, but not supplant, their practice path(s).

Below are some current guidelines about the curriculum to assist you in supporting students of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche:

 Shamatha/vipashyana/Mind Trainings: generally this curriculum is accomplished in a period of approximately 16 months. During this time the student is expected also to be progressing through the Study Curriculum.

 Ngondro: After the shamatha/vipashyana and Mahayana curriculum, Rinpoche requests students to practice the Kagyu ngondro, “Chariot for Traveling the Noble Path” (Track A) unless special arrangements have been made between himself and the student. In Nalandabodhi the accumulation is 11,000 of each of the ngondro practices. Our Acaryas, Lamas, and Western Teachers, as well as Norma Burke in Canada, are authorized to permit students to begin this ngondro and to give the reading transmission.

 When a student has completed the ngondro he or she may email Lee Worley (leew@mho.com) and request the Mahamudra Shamatha Practice Manual and Tracker. Lee will include a letter which provides information about additional resources available from Nalandabodhi and Vajra Echoes for the study of Mahamudra.

 If a student is interested in receiving the Vajrasattva Abhisheka, an option upon completion of the Kagyu ngondro, they should begin by doing the Mahamudra curriculum which, in Rinpoche’s words, is a good ground for deity yoga and prepare to receive the Vajrasattva Abhisheka the next time Rinpoche offers it.

 If a student is practicing Mahamudra and deity yoga in alternation, they may “count” the deity yoga day as a mahamudra session. However this does not work in reverse. Rinpoche has said that Nalandabodhi’s main yidam practice, Vajrsattva, along with other yidams, such as Vajrayogini and Chakrasamvara, may be used in this way. Tara, however, is not a substitute for Vajrasattva and should only “be done occasionally.”

 Tara Sadhana: The empowerment that students received at the sangha retreat was a blessing empowerment. Students or Centers wishing to practice Tara can continue using the Nalandabodhi Tara Sadhana. For individual practice, students who received the empowerment may also choose to practice the “Ritual for the Visualization of Khadiravani Tara” that was distributed at the time of the 2007 Sangha Retreat Tara empowerment. If a Tara practice shorter than the above two options is desired one may do the supplications and visualization for the Nalandabodhi Tara Sadhana, but omit the songs at the beginning and end.

 Those who have completed the Mahamudra Enhancement year and received the lung (given at Sangha Retreats 2006 and 2007) are authorized to begin the Longchen Nyingtik Ngondro. Currently our translators are working to clarify which ngondro liturgy is appropriate for our sangha. Rinpoche says that the commentary to be used is found in Patrul Rinpoche’s The Words of My Perfect Teacher. As soon as we have more information we will make it available to you.


If there are other questions or unclear aspects of this information, please email Lee or Norma or discuss your concerns with our Western teachers. And please help us encourage the Nalandabodhi Sangha to actively work with their Practice Instructors or Practice Buddies so that our mandala may continue to deepen its connection to our beloved guru and to the precious Kagyu and Nyingma lineages.

Lee Worley (leew@mho.com) and Norma Burke (normatsultrim@shaw.ca)
NEC Practice Directors
July, 2007