15. Prayers, practices and rituals
OVERVIEW
To achieve enlightenment, it is not enough to merely study, reflect, and meditate. Just like the sun, water, and loose soil free of obstacles are essential for a seed to transform into a tree, a set of complementary conditions are necessary for the qualities of our mind to appear and flourish. So it is essential to dispel the veils which obscure it - in other words, to purify it, and to give it strength - that is to say to collect merits, while opening it to the blessing of the Buddhas and of all lineage masters who have passed the teaching down to us. This is the purpose of the rituals: to prepare our minds for the emergence and then the blossoming of spiritual realizations such as love, compassion and wisdom.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THESE TEACHINGS?
The first teaching that Rinpoche gave outside Tibet, after taking the time to observe our societies for seventeen years, was on the Six Preliminary Practices, the fundamental ritual that prepares to the meditation of the stages of the path to enlightenment, the lamrim. This shows the importance of such practices, and Rinpoche has never ceased to enlighten them, while gradually introducing his students to other rituals. It is this thousand-year-old heritage that these teachings propose us to discover. They also invite us to observe their immense benefits for ourselves, by putting them - if we wish - into application.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
You will learn the art of visualizations - from the simplest to the most complex, the beauty of the maṇḍala offering, the harmony that permeates prostrations, the grace of melodies sung spontaneously by great meditators as their minds open to deep realizations, but well beyond that, Rinpoche reveals to us through his instructions the very spirit of these rituals, the way to practice them so that they accompany and favor a deep inner transformation.
Available teachings

<div class="row">
            <div class="subcategory-block col-xl-4 col-lg-4 col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-6 col-sp-12" id='at55'>
            <div class="subcategory-image">
                <a href="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/en/55-prayer-to-encounter-the-teaching-of-je-tsongkhapa-veneux-2014" title="Prayer to encounter the teaching of je tsongkhapa - Veneux - 2014" class="img">
                <div class="subcategory-files-types">
                                                                        <i class="material-icons" title="Contains audios">music_note</i>
                                                                                                <i class="material-icons" title="Contains videos">videocam</i>
                                            </div>
<img loading="lazy" class="img-fluid" src="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/c/55-category_thumbnail_default/prayer-to-encounter-the-teaching-of-je-tsongkhapa-veneux-2014.jpg" alt="Prayer to encounter the teaching of je tsongkhapa - Veneux - 2014"/>
                </a>
            </div>
            <div class="subcategory-meta">
                <h3><a class="subcategory-name" href="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/en/55-prayer-to-encounter-the-teaching-of-je-tsongkhapa-veneux-2014">Prayer to encounter the teaching of je tsongkhapa - Veneux - 2014</a></h3> 
                <div class="subcategory-description">Rinpoche comments on a prayer entitled The Prayer to Encounter the Teaching of the Three Realms' Dharma King, The Great Tsongkhapa: The Gift of Care and Compassionate Protection , composed by Pabongkha Dorjechang Jampa Tendzin Trinle Gyatso (1878-1941). Over time, it has become a major prayer in...</div>   
            </div>
        </div>
            <div class="subcategory-block col-xl-4 col-lg-4 col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-6 col-sp-12" id='at41'>
            <div class="subcategory-image">
                <a href="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/en/41-the-six-preliminary-practices-bordeaux-2015" title="The six preliminary practices - Bordeaux - 2015" class="img">
                <div class="subcategory-files-types">
                                                                        <i class="material-icons" title="Contains videos">videocam</i>
                                                                                                <i class="material-icons" title="Contains audios">music_note</i>
                                            </div>
<img loading="lazy" class="img-fluid" src="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/c/41-category_thumbnail_default/the-six-preliminary-practices-bordeaux-2015.jpg" alt="The six preliminary practices - Bordeaux - 2015"/>
                </a>
            </div>
            <div class="subcategory-meta">
                <h3><a class="subcategory-name" href="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/en/41-the-six-preliminary-practices-bordeaux-2015">The six preliminary practices - Bordeaux - 2015</a></h3> 
                <div class="subcategory-description">Rinpoche comments on a collection of Buddhist instructions entitled The Necklace of the Fortunate , whose author was the renowned master Dagpo Lama Rinpoche Losang Jhampäl Lhündrup Gyatso (1845-1919). This work is based on the Tibetan kadampa tradition, precursor of the gelukpa school. It...</div>   
            </div>
        </div>
            <div class="subcategory-block col-xl-4 col-lg-4 col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-6 col-sp-12" id='at244'>
            <div class="subcategory-image">
                <a href="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/en/244-les-six-pratiques-preparatoires-bordeaux-2016" title="Les six pratiques preparatoires - Bordeaux - 2016" class="img">
                <div class="subcategory-files-types">
                                                                        <i class="material-icons" title="Contains audios">music_note</i>
                                                                                                <i class="material-icons" title="Contains videos">videocam</i>
                                            </div>
<img loading="lazy" class="img-fluid" src="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/c/244-category_thumbnail_default/les-six-pratiques-preparatoires-bordeaux-2016.jpg" alt="Les six pratiques preparatoires - Bordeaux - 2016"/>
                </a>
            </div>
            <div class="subcategory-meta">
                <h3><a class="subcategory-name" href="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/en/244-les-six-pratiques-preparatoires-bordeaux-2016">Les six pratiques preparatoires - Bordeaux - 2016</a></h3> 
                <div class="subcategory-description">Rinpoche comments on a collection of instructions entitled The Necklace of the Fortunate , whose author was the renowned master Dagpo Lama Rinpoche Lobsang Jampäl Lhündrup Gyatso (1845-1919). This work is based on the Tibetan kadampa tradition, precursor of the gelukpa's. It consists of a set of...</div>   
            </div>
        </div>
            <div class="subcategory-block col-xl-4 col-lg-4 col-md-6 col-sm-6 col-xs-6 col-sp-12" id='at277'>
            <div class="subcategory-image">
                <a href="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/en/277-homage-to-the-twenty-one-tara-s-practice-vincennes-2018" title="Homage to the twenty one tara&#039;s practice - Vincennes - 2018" class="img">
                <div class="subcategory-files-types">
                                                                        <i class="material-icons" title="Contains audios">music_note</i>
                                                                                                <i class="material-icons" title="Contains videos">videocam</i>
                                            </div>
<img loading="lazy" class="img-fluid" src="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/c/277-category_thumbnail_default/homage-to-the-twenty-one-tara-s-practice-vincennes-2018.jpg" alt="Homage to the twenty one tara&#039;s practice - Vincennes - 2018"/>
                </a>
            </div>
            <div class="subcategory-meta">
                <h3><a class="subcategory-name" href="https://www.dagporinpoche.org/en/277-homage-to-the-twenty-one-tara-s-practice-vincennes-2018">Homage to the twenty one tara&#039;s practice - Vincennes - 2018</a></h3> 
                <div class="subcategory-description"></div>   
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>

