The preliminary practices

Ngöndro (a Tibetan word meaning "that which goes before"—the preliminary practices) is the demanding warm-up of the Tibetan Buddhist path. It belongs to Vajrayāna—the "diamond vehicle," the esoteric, ritual-rich stream of Buddhism that took root in Tibet and uses visualization, sacred sound, and devotion to a teacher as tools for awakening. Before a student is given the more advanced tantric practices, they first complete ngöndro to purify the mind and build a stable foundation.

Ngöndro is usually a set of four core practices, each repeated an enormous number of times—classically 100,000 repetitions of each. They commonly are: full-body prostrations (stretching flat on the ground in reverence) while "going for refuge," the act of entrusting oneself to the Buddha, his teaching, and the community; recitation of a purification mantra (a sacred phrase) to clear away the effects of past harmful actions; symbolic offerings of the entire universe, to loosen grasping and cultivate generosity; and guru yoga, devotion to one's teacher as a living source of blessing and inspiration. (Many traditions also place a set of reflections—on the preciousness of human life, impermanence, and suffering—just before these.)

The point is not box-ticking. Doing tens of thousands of prostrations is physically and mentally humbling; the sheer repetition is meant to wear down pride, settle restlessness, and ripen the heart so that later practices can take hold. Many practitioners spend months or years on ngöndro. It is a vivid example of how, in some Buddhist traditions, the body and its labor—not only quiet sitting—are enlisted in the work of transforming the mind.