Starting on the path to Mahamudra means rolling up the sleeves and diving into the heart of ngöndro—the foundational toolkit that polishes body, speech and mind until clarity shines through like a mountain stream. Traditionally, four main practices are counted, each repeated 100,000 times:

1. Taking Refuge & Generating Bodhicitta
   Bowing physically (or visualizing your whole self prostrating) while reciting refuge verses brings the body into harmony with the awakened mind. Cultivating bodhicitta—the wish to benefit all beings—sets the compass pointing toward wisdom and compassion.

2. Vajrasattva Purification
   Chanting the hundred-syllable mantra of Vajrasattva is like sweeping out dusty corners of the psyche. Each recitation neutralizes obstacles from past actions, creating a more spacious inner landscape for Mahamudra’s subtleties.

3. Mandala Offerings
   Offering countless universes in mandala form tunes the mind toward generosity and abundance. By visualizing layers of precious Mount Meru, the practice loosens the grip of scarcity, so richness of awareness can flow freely.

4. Guru Yoga
   Uniting one’s mindstream with the lineage maestros—marvelous beings from Tilopa to the present—rekindles timeless blessings. Here, devotion and insight dance together, igniting the spark of recognition that “mind itself is the guru.”

Some Kagyu centers add a Vajrakilaya practice for clearing obstacles or a White Tara component for longevity and healing—tailoring ngöndro to individual needs. In this age of virtual sadhanas, recent online ngöndro marathons have drawn students across time zones, proving that old treasures travel just fine over fiber-optic cables.

Diligence, patience and a dash of humor keep the journey lively. Sticking with ngöndro often feels like chipping away at a granite wall—slow going, but each chip reveals more of the luminous rock within. Once these preliminaries are woven into daily life, the door to Mahamudra’s spacious, radiant awareness swings wide open.