Path of Liberation

The essence of the Path of Liberation is the nature of mind, the nondual, pure awareness that is present in every moment of experience, even when we are stressed out and overwhelmed.

When we recognize this pure awareness, it radically transforms how we see ourselves and experience the world. We come to see that we are not our thoughts, memories, or even the many roles we play in life. Pure awareness becomes our true home. This realization creates a profound sense of confidence, joy, and inner freedom.

Recognizing the nature of our own minds is at the heart of the Path of Liberation teachings. We begin by exploring our conscious experience through the practice of meditation and learn to see subtle qualities of mind that we normally miss. As our practice deepens, we experience pure awareness directly and then return to this recognition again and again, until it becomes so familiar to us that we never lose touch with it. We fully awaken to our true nature.

To start practicing the Path of Liberation teachings, you must attend a Tergar Path of Liberation Level 1 online retreat or Path of Liberation Levels 1+2 in-person retreat, led by Mingyur Rinpoche. There, you will receive the necessary transmissions for the practices. You can check our events page or Tergar International’s events page for a schedule of teachings.

Option 1 : To have attended all three Joy of Living levels – Calming the Mind Level 1, Opening the Heart Level 2, and Awakening Wisdom Level 3 – and completed the associated practice requirements; orOption 2 : To have completed the full preliminary practices the 4 x 100,000 ngöndro – prostrations, Vajrasattva practice, mandala offering and guru yoga; orOption 3 :To have had a daily meditation practice for at least 5 years and attended either group or solitary practice retreats for a total of at least 30 days, with 6+ hours of formal meditation practice per day, under the guidance of a Buddhist teacher.

The requirements for participation were set in consultation with Mingyur Rinpoche. In turn, we ask that you honor them. Thank you!

There are two tracks in the Path of Liberation series. Each track is designed for a different set of circumstances.

The first track Nectar of the Path track is based on a short practice liturgy written by Mingyur Rinpoche titled Nectar of the Path. It is designed for people who have roughly 30–60 minutes for their daily meditation practice or who want a simpler form of practice with more time to devote specifically to nature of mind meditation.

The second track ngöndro track is based on a traditional liturgy for ngöndro titled The Chariot for Traveling the Noble Path. This track works best for those who can practice between one and two hours each day.

Both tracks culminate in the practice of a White Tara sadhana written by Mingyur Rinpoche titled Radiance of the Heart.

Both tracks of the Path of Liberation include two different forms of practice: nature of mind practices and practices that involve contemplation and/or the imagination. Nature of mind practices put us directly in touch with our awakened nature – the radiant purity of awareness. Contemplations and practices that use the imagination bring us to the same place, but they do so by dissolving the habits that keep us from recognizing our awakened nature.

Both tracks include the four thoughts – four contemplations that turn the mind toward the path of awakening — as well as the practices of going for refuge, arousing the altruistic mindset of bodhichitta, and guru yoga. The ngöndro track also includes the practices of Vajrasattva and mandala offering.

Completion of either track will enable students to continue to receive advanced nature of mind teachings. Please note that certain practices in the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages require the completion of a ngöndro. If/when Mingyur Rinpoche teaches those practices in the future, completion of the ngöndro track will be required.

The total time commitment for the Nectar of the Path track is 500 hours.

The ngöndro track requires a total of 100 hours of contemplation, 111,111 repetitions of each of the four ngöndro practices, and 200 hours of nature of mind practice. Although it varies by individual, this path takes roughly 2,000 to 2,500 hours of practice to complete.

Thus, the Nectar of the Path track could be completed in roughly 3 years with 30 minutes of daily practice, while the ngöndro track would take roughly 4-5 years with 90 minutes of daily practice.

If you are unsure which track to choose, you can start with Nectar of the Path and switch to ngöndro later. Most importantly, select the option that works best with your circumstances. You can always adjust later.

Both tracks include five levels. Nectar of the Path meditators practice each part of the practice for 100 hours before moving on to the next level. Ngöndro meditators complete a specified number of repetitions, plus 50 hours of nature of mind practice for each level. Both tracks also require a certain number of days of retreat practice per level.

For details on homework requirements, please refer to the table below: