Five-Year Ngöndro Program

LTC Ngöndro Program

Embarking on a Transformative
Spiritual Journey

We are pleased to announce a unique opportunity for serious practitioners: a comprehensive five-year Ngöndro program under the guidance of Geshe Tenzin Zopa. This program offers a structured path to deepen your Buddhist practice and prepare for advanced tantric initiations. This course is an introduction to the Ngöndro journey, and everyone is welcome. Come along and clear your mind, open your heart, and set yourself on the path to enlightenment.

What is ngöndro?
Ngöndro is a fundamental practice in Tibetan Buddhism, serving as a crucial foundation for spiritual growth. These preliminary practices, common to all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, are designed to purify obstacles and accumulate merit, setting the stage for deeper spiritual realizations. While often referred to as “preliminary,” it’s important to understand that Ngöndro represents a profound and comprehensive path in itself.

A comprehensive program
To plant the seed of Enlightenment, begin with refuge ngöndro. To purify obstacles and cleanse our aggregates, practice the purification of Vajrasattva. To accumulate resources and grow the enlightened seed, engage in the ngöndro practice of mandala offering. To receive blessings swiftly and directly from the Buddhas and deities, perform guru yoga. These are the four major ngöndros that prepare us for successful tantric practice, especially highest yoga tantra practices such as Vajra Yogini.

It’s helpful to view the spiritual path as a great adventure. Like any significant journey, it will have its challenges. Ngöndro practices prepare us for these challenges, much like gathering supplies for a long expedition. They build up a positive force and wear away clinging negativities, creating an integrated practice to support our spiritual growth.

“The purpose of doing preliminary practices is to purify obstacles to achieving realizations of the path to enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings—defilements, negative karmas, and downfalls—and collect extensive merit.”

– Lama Zopa Rinpoche

The transformative power of ngöndro
Ngöndro practices offer a unique opportunity to examine our past actions and experiences through the lens of Dharma. They help build positive force, wear away negative potentials, and create new neural pathways that support our spiritual growth. On a psychological level, these practices can alleviate long-held guilt and uncomfortable feelings, offering a chance to honestly address and resolve past actions under the compassionate gaze of the Buddha.

“The purpose of preliminary practices is to clear and enrich our minds, allowing our practice to progress smoothly and our heart to become the path to enlightenment.”

– Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron

The Focus for Each Year

A key component of Ngöndro is the practice of taking refuge. While we often seek temporary refuges in life, the ultimate refuge is buddhahood itself. By sincerely taking refuge in the Three Jewels, we open ourselves to the blessings and transformative power of the Buddha’s teachings. You can consider yourself a Buddhist if you feel that buddhas are really present and if you are confident in their power to free you definitively from suffering; and not only you but all other beings. If you feel this intensely, strongly, this is the real, actual taking refuge.

We have planted the seed of Refuge, but in order for the seed to grow, you need to clear all the weeds, the obstacles of past negative karma, and any limitations to future potentials. To do this you need the preliminary practice of Vajrasattva purification. Practicing this at the end of the day prevents negative karma from multiplying. It is an unbelievably powerful method. It makes your life very light and easy and keeps you happy and peaceful inside—in your heart and in your inner life. Furthermore, it purifies not only that day’s negative karma but also that created in this life from the time you were born and in all your previous lives as well.

Once obstacles are cleared, the seed in the continuum needs to grow, much like how a normal seed needs water, sun, and fertilizer. This growth is nurtured by merit. For us t make sure we nurture this enlightened seed, we must gather merit. Although many practices exist to accumulate merit, our lineage, including Lama Tsong Khapa, favours the mandala offering. He used this practice to amass merit. Upon exploration, it becomes clear that this is one of the most profound and straightforward methods to accumulate merit.

To actualise and receive the blessings of the Buddhas and the deity, you need to channel them, like a pipe channels water. We channel the nectar from the deity to us, from the nearest and most effective source—the guru. The guru has already served as the foundation of our path and all realisations, is the creator of our path and enlightenment, and is also our ultimate objective. So now the ngöndro of Guru Yoga is introduced.

The four uncommon ngöndros above prepare us well for tantric practice – the swiftest path to enlightenment so as to liberate all sentient beings from their suffering. If you are practicing father tantra, you would practice Yamantaka, Guyasamaja. For mother tantra, practices include Heruka, Vajra Yogini. Practicing mother tantra requires an additional step—taking an initiation such as Yamantaka, Kalachakra, or any other highest yoga tantra initiation. In preparation this stage of the Ngöndro, we recommend you do a general Introduction to Tantra course first (part of the Discovering Buddhism series).

We are so fortunate that our precious teacher, Geshe Tenzin Zopa has committed to teaching students for a 5-year period whilst they complete their Ngöndro practices under his guidance. Geshe-la’s approach will be to ensure the maximum benefit to students in an atmosphere of flexibility and mutual support rather than rigidity. The program culminates in instruction on Highest Yoga Tantra practices, providing a comprehensive foundation for advanced spiritual practice.

What If You Missed the First Ngondro?
As we complete each Ngöndro, Geshe-la’s teachings and all the associated resources will become part of a package that you can access to work through in your own time. (Please email us about purchasing a package or you can access them in the Member’s Area).

Who should consider this program?
This program is ideal for students with a basic understanding of Buddhist concepts who are ready to commit to a structured, long-term practice. It’s particularly suited for those who:

  • Seek a strong foundation for their spiritual journey
  • Feel the need to reinvigorate their practice
  • Are ready for experiential realisations beyond study
  • Want to stabilise an inconsistent practice
  • Wish to prepare properly for tantric initiations

Refuge Practice Group

  • Regular evening talks and catch-up
  • Guided retreat days
  • Extensive resource materials drawn from Geshe-la’s teachings
  • Meditations for a progressive practice
  • Video and soundfiles from the teachings as well as the guided meditations
  • Transcripts from Geshe-la’s teachings

Come along when you can, purchase a practice package, or access materials from the Member’s Area.

On-going classes in this series

Support and community
Following on from the course, regular group practices and discussions will help you stay motivated and engaged. We understand the challenges of long-term practice and are committed to supporting you every step of the way.

As we embark on this journey, it’s crucial to approach these practices with the right attitude. The main pitfall to avoid is allowing the practices to become mechanical. These practices should not become mere repetitions, but enjoyable, enriching, and a profound opportunity for transformation.

Teachings in This Series (so far)

You can join the program at any time. Practice at your own pace with the course package or access materials in the LTC Member’s Area, and come along to the regular practice days.

Going for Refuge 2024

  • Video and soundfiles of the 2024 weekend teachings
  • Teaching transcripts
  • Refuge booklet (FPMT)
  • Refuge visualisation booklet (LYWA)
  • Links to images of the Refuge Field
  • Links to videos on 9-round breathing
  • Extensive resource materials drawn from Geshe-la’s teachings
  • Meditations for a progressive practice
Purchase a package

Vajrasattva Purification 2025

  • Friday 18 July, 2025 (7 pm) Introductory talk, all welcome (in-person & online)
  • Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 July Teachings and initiation (in-person only, registration essential)
  • For those of you completing the Refuge Ngöndro, we will be offering our recitations to Geshe-la on Thursday 17 July.
Details & Registration