Drikung Kagyü Fivefold Mahamudra Preliminaries & Main Practices: A Special Three-Year Program

Led by Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche

In- Person and Online

Drupon Rinpoche would like to announce his long-term vision to establish an experiential training program which introduces the progressive stages of the Buddhist path as practiced in Drikung Kagyü lineage. To clarify the scope of the program, during the next three years Drupon Thinley will be teaching and leading focused practices on the entire path of the vajrayana preliminaries as well as the main practices of Fivefold Mahamudra.

Precious Human Life
August 17th, 2024- November 9th, 2024

Impermanence
November 10th, 2024- January 11th, 2025

The common preliminaries consist of contemplating our precious human life, death and impermanence, cause and effect, and the sufferings of cyclic existence. The uncommon preliminaries consist of going for refuge, Vajrasattva practice, mandala offerings, and guru yoga. The main practices of Fivefold Mahamudra consist of meditating on bodhichitta, the yidam deity (in this case Chakrasamvara practice), four kaya guru yoga, mahamudra, and dedication.

This program will help people to develop a comprehensive understanding of the step- by-step approach to each phase of practice along with an in-depth knowledge of the wealth of teachings and instruction that accompany each phase. This is an extremely rare chance to access the treasure like instruction of meditation practice at the heart of the Kagyü tradition in such depth outside of long retreat.

The program will cover two aspects: traditional teachings and experiential practice.

  1. The first aspect is a series of teachings, based primarily on the Vajradhara Dharmakirti's Fivefold Mahamudra Oral Instructions (the main text used for hundreds of years to instruct traditional three-year retreatants), which Drupon Rinpoche will lead every Sunday he is in residence, beginning with teachings on Precious Human Life, starting August 18th, from 10 to 12pm.

  2. The second aspect has a corresponding experiential component, providing opportunities to gain direct experience through group practice weekend retreats at regular intervals over the course of three years. The first retreat on the Precious Human Life will be held from Saturday, August 31st, to September 1st, 2024. The curriculum will take people through both the preliminary and all the main practices of the Fivefold Mahamudra. This will give participants a clear road map to the stages practice and provide them with a direct experience of how to engage in the practices based on the introduction they receive through the group retreats.

From that basis people can make personal decisions on whether to pursue a condensed path of completing a week-long personal intensive retreat for each section or the traditional elaborate accumulations. For the main practices of Fivefold Mahamudra there will also be streamlined options of condensed practice for those that want to experience the depth of practices in a more accessible way. Those that finish the preliminaries and Fivefold Mahamudra, either through the condensed or elaborate approach, will then be likely prepared to learn the Six Dharmas of Naropa and more.

For many, living in contemporary society with a full-time job, family, and many other commitments, the traditional practice of elaborate accumulations may feel overwhelming and might not be the most practical approach to integrate into our lives. It is for this reason that Drupon Rinpoche would like to offer people the option to complete a full course of the preliminaries (ngöndro) and Fivefold Path of Mahamudra by offering a special streamlined approach under the guidance and direction of His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche tailored to the specific needs of our modern times.

Special Three-Year Program Begins with Vajrayana Preliminaries

The vajrayana preliminaries make up part of the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and lay the foundation for all the practices of Fivefold Mahamudra and the Six Dharmas of Naropa. In the Drigung Kagyü, they are especially cherished. Jigten Sumgön taught in the Single Realization (Gongchig) Root Text: What may not be profound to others is profound here.

Common Preliminaries

The profound nature of these practices comes when we take the mind trainings and practices of the preliminaries to heart. To the degree that we realize and hold the profound common preliminaries in our minds, we can cultivate true renunciation from our deluded experience in cyclic existence and hold the keys to accomplish the authentic goals of Buddhist practice. These contemplations are not just for beginners but are treasured by those who have reached the highest stages of practice. These consist of the four thoughts that turn the mind: contemplating our precious human birth, death and impermanence, cause and effect, and the sufferings of cyclic existence.

Uncommon Preliminaries

The profound uncommon preliminaries consist of practices that are at the heart of vajrayana Buddhism. They include (1) going for refuge to sincerely enter into the gateway of practice and path to enlightenment, (2) Vajrasattva meditation and recitation to purify our past negative actions, words, thoughts, and obscurations, (3) mandala offerings to accumulate merit and lessen our attachment to illusory worldly material objects, and (4) guru yoga to open our minds to the stream of blessings that flows from the lineage masters starting with the Buddhas themselves all the way to our own root teachers. These are wonderfully suited for those who are just beginning vajrayana Buddhist practice as well as those who have been practicing for decades in retreat.

Special Preliminaries

The profound special preliminaries consist of training in the cultivation of love, compassion, and bodhichitta. Through these, we develop the unshakable wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Bodhichitta, in particular, is the life-force of the Mahayana, the great vehicle of Buddhist practice. With it, we have the means to make use of the unique skillful methods of vajrayana practice. It is also the direct source of Buddhahood itself. As such it is absolutely invaluable to all sincere practitioners.

Streamlined Experiential Training Curriculum

Historically, in Tibet and the Himalayas, the vajrayana preliminaries were often practiced in retreats or in monasteries where a great deal of time could be devoted to them. In many of the old practice manuals, there are extensive prescriptions of doing 100,000 recitations for each of the uncommon preliminaries for example. While this extensive tradition is still alive today, many people in the modern world find it difficult and even discouraging to try to find the time to fulfill all these practice goals. Likewise, even for those who do find the time to do such elaborate practice, it can often devolve into a game of accumulating numbers of recitations, where the main meaning of the practice becomes a lesser priority. In our modern world, it is essential that we never forget that the point of the preliminaries is not about accumulating mere numbers of mantras and prayers, but ultimately about merging the meaning of these practices inseparably with our minds. Just because we lack the immediate opportunity to perform these practices elaborately, does not mean that they cannot be meaningfully accomplished.

Drigung Chetsang Rinpoche has compassionately recognized this modern predicament and has cited important practice manuals in the Drigung tradition that go back hundreds of years, which present a variety of options to match the needs and immediate capacities of the many varieties of practitioners. Following Chetsang Rinpoche's guidance, Drupön Thinley has kindly agreed to present this special style of streamlined training. Furthermore, Drupön Thinley will not only be bestowing a complete series of instructions on these practices but will also be leading retreats to directly experience these practices as a community. This is a very rare opportunity for both beginners and long-term practitioners to cultivate and renew a connection with these preliminary practices alongside Drupön Thinley, who has extensive traditional training in these methods. By participating in this unique curriculum, practitioners will have the ability to gain real experience of the entire path of the vajrayana preliminaries in this special streamlined approach tailored to the specific needs of our modern times. This is likewise an opportunity to set an effective foundation for the entire path of Fivefold Mahamudra and the Six Dharmas of Naropa.

Fivefold Mahamudra Preliminary Practices, Main Practices, and Six Dharmas of Naropa Outline

I. Four Common Preliminaries of the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind from Cyclic Existence

  1. Contemplating this Precious Human Birth with its Freedoms and Advantages
  2. Contemplating Death and Impermanence
  3. Contemplating Karma, Actions, and their Effects
  4. Contemplating the Sufferings of Cyclic Existence

II. Four Uncommon Preliminaries

  1. Entering the Gateway of the Dharma through Going for Refuge
  2. Purifying Obscurations and Negative Deeds through Vajrasattva Meditation and Recitation
  3. Accumulating Merit through Mandala Offerings
  4. Receiving the Blessings of Realization through Guru Yoga

III. Fivefold Mahamudra Main Practices

  1. Special Preliminaries of Cultivating Love, Compassion, and Bodhichitta
  2. Meditating on the Yidam Deity
    2.1. Chakrasamvara Empowerment, Instructions, and Practice
  3. Accomplishing the Four Kayas of Guru Yoga
    3.1. Nirmanakaya Guru Yoga
    3.2. Sambhogakaya Guru Yoga
    3.3. Dharmakaya Guru Yoga
    3.4. Svabhavikakaya Guru Yoga
  4. Mahamudra Meditation Beyond Concepts
  5. Dedicating Merit towards the Enlightenment of All Sentient Beings

IV. Six Dharmas of Naropa

  • Vajrayogini Practice
  • Meditation on Channels, Subtle Winds, and Bindus
  1. Tummo, Inner Fire Meditation
  2. Luminosity of Deep Sleep
  3. Practice of Dreaming
  4. Illusory Body
  5. Phowa, Transference of Consciousness at the Time of Death
  6. Bardo, Navigating the State After Death

Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche

Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche was born in 1962 into a nomadic family in the region of Nag-chu in Eastern Tibet at the height of the religious and cultural persecution of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 and the subsequent Buddhist revival in Tibet, Drupon Rinpoche became inspired to devote his life to the spiritual path. He was thoroughly involved in the work of rebuilding the monastery in his local community, and in 1988 he went on a year-long pilgrimage, visiting holy places throughout Tibet. This journey culminated in his dramatic escape from Tibet, a perilous journey on foot across the Himalayas from Tibet to India. Once safely in India, he entered Janchubling Monastery in Dehradun where he studied Buddhist philosophy and served as a disciplinarian for six years. In 1996, he entered a rigorous period of solitary meditation and contemplation known as the traditional Three-Year Retreat. Soon after, he was given the title “Drupon” which means “master of spiritual attainment.” Motivated by his deep and constant desire to help others to attain liberation, Drupon Rinpoche traveled to America, where he served as resident teacher and retreat master of the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick, MD. He now travels extensively with the blessing of HH Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, teaching the precious Dharma and leading Dharma students in retreat. In 2012 Drupon Rinpoche relocated to Wesley Chapel, where he established a Dharma center for study, practice, and retreat.

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