About Illuminating the Path to Liberation – A Preliminary Practice (Ngondro)
"Illuminating the Path to Liberation – A Preliminary Practice (Ngondro)" is a significant practice text authored by the enlightened master Ju Mipham Rinpoche, an emanation of Bodhisattva Manjushri, for the benefit of practitioners of all calibers of all three vehicles. It is the pith instruction that naturally emerged from Mipham Rinpoche’s profound Dzogchen wisdom, not a composition based on conceptual mind.
This sadhana encompasses the essential teachings of the three vehicles, both exoteric and esoteric, and is extremely concise and easy to hold and practice. Each verse contains countless profound meanings, akin to a spring continuously giving rise to inexhaustible waters.
Practitioners with different capacities will understand and benefit from it to varying degrees: those with superior faculties can directly enter profound states and swiftly accomplish the merits of practice by relying on this sadhana; while those with lesser faculties can easily comprehend its straightforward and accessible language, gradually mastering the essence of actual practice through diligent and sequential cultivation.
The term "Illuminating the Path to Liberation" signifies the elucidation and elaboration of the authentic path to liberation. By following the guidance of this sadhana, beginners can generate the aspiration to liberate themselves from the great ocean of cyclic existence and attain any of the three types of enlightenment. This clear path to liberation helps practitioners give rise to unmistaken certainty and understanding of the path to liberation.
Ordinary beings, due to ignorance and karmic obscurations, cannot comprehend the path to liberation accurately on their own. It is only through the guidance of those who have already attained liberation, endowed with the eyes of wisdom, that the sequential stages of practice leading to liberation can be clearly explained and followed, allowing practitioners to achieve liberation.
H.H. Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche said in 1998, “Anyone who wishes to practice Dzogchen should focus on perfecting their five preliminary practices first.” Once we stabilize our foundation through the preliminary practices, we would develop experiential wisdom while engaging in the actual practices, thereby attaining the uncommon fruition and merit”. H.H. jokingly stated that, “Once you establish solid foundation and accomplish the guru yoga practice, achieving Dzogchen would be as easy as eating tsampa if not easier. However, this is not possible unless one establishes unshakable foundation in their preliminary practices”.
《前行念誦儀軌•開顯解脫道》介紹
《前行念誦儀軌•開顯解脫道》是文殊菩薩的化身、前譯寧瑪派傳承祖師全知麥彭仁波切為了利益三乘根基所造的儀軌，是全知於甚深的大圓滿智慧自然流露出來的竅訣，並非以分別念所著。
這個儀軌遍攝大、小、顯密諸乘的三藏心要，又非常精簡、易持易修，每一個偈頌都含有無量的妙義，就像湧泉一樣輾轉生發，無窮無盡。
不同根基的修行人依此修持，會有深淺不一的領會：上等根機者依儀軌來修，可直接進入甚深的境界，修法的功德能迅速獲得圓滿；下等根機者 因為儀軌文句通俗易懂，要義明了，亦無有困難便能趣入，如此循序漸進地精勤修持，也會逐漸掌握實修的竅訣精華。
“開顯解脫道”是開示、明顯解脫之正道的含義，意思是依靠儀軌的引導，能夠讓初學者生起從輪迴大苦海中解脫的願望，從而獲得三種菩提中任何一種果位 。明顯解脫的正道，使得修法者有法可依，有道可行，無誤地生起對解脫道的定解。
凡夫人因無明業障不能如實了知解脫之道，只有通過已經獲得解脫的明眼者來開示明顯修持的道次第，依法行持才能獲得解脫。
法王如意寶在1998年講過，凡是想听聞大圓滿的人，每個人都要修持五加行。
如果打好前行的基礎，修正行能夠非常地相應，肯定能獲得不共的修證功德。 法王如意寶還幽默地說道：如果基礎很好，能與上師相應，證悟大圓滿比吃糌粑還要容易。 但前提條件是基礎必須要穩固。
