Ngondro – Purifying Karma through Practice and Vajrasattva

Within the schools of Mahayana Buddhism, there is a practice known as Ngondro, literally "proceeding ahead", a means for purifying negativity and accumulating merit. In the formal Sakya tradition it is known as The Excellent Path of Two Accumulations (Merit and Wisdom).

Across the traditions, there are common and uncommon practices, but in essence they all require accumulations of a combination of elements. These include:

• Reciting the refuge prayer 100,000 times.
  
• Creating the bodhicitta thought 100,000 times.
  
• Making the 7 and/or 37 heap mandala offering 100,000 times
  
• Reciting the 100 syllable Vajrasattva prayer 100,000 times
  
• Reciting the Guru Yoga prayer 100,000 times.
  
• While reciting the shorter prayers, one should also accumulate 100,000 prostrations.
  

There are visualisations associated with each of these elements. The Vajrasattva visualisation is usually with the consort, as shown above.


The 100 syllable Vajrasattva prayer and visualisation is the primary vehicle for cleansing the karma carried forward from all previous lifetimes.

A little bit of arithmetic highlights that these accumulations will have to take place over a number of years, preferably in a number of dedicated retreats. But the promise is the elimination of all previous negative karma, surely a worthwhile aspiration! Some traditions require that these accumulations be completed before moving on to the more intensive Vajrayana practices.

And there are short form practices that enable one to achieve a great deal, even if the time is not available to undertake the complete set of accumulations.

Personally I find the Vajrasattva prayer a source of great comfort. There are many translations or interpretations of its meaning, but in essence with the right visualisation you can very quickly get a strong sense of washing away loads and loads of negativity. It can trigger energetic flows in the body and generate a strong feeling of wellbeing.


Don't fuss the 100,000 repetitions too much. I still have a long way to go, but by not fussing it, just being aware, I feel I am receiving great blessings.

Thus ends this post. May whatever virtue or merit that derives from this posting be for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Yours until next time, Vajramate.