The Importance of Repetition

For my teachers within the Nyingma school of Vajrayana Buddhism, the preliminary practice (Ngondro) must be repeated many times before and student is considered ready to move on to other trainings and practices. The five sections of the preliminary are generally repeated at least 100,000 times.

This seems like a lot of repetition of the same thing. Afterall, I grew up in a culture where most of I would not even read all of my text books once, no less many times. In Buddhism, it is important to have more than just understanding. We must eventually get to the point where we realize. With time we establish stability with the realization until it become part of us.

I compare it to learning to drive a car. First we learn the rules. We spend time in training classes where the critical rules are repeatedly taught. One must absolutely know what a stop sign means or we really risk getting into real problems. Second, we then spend hours observing and practicing driving with an instructor followed by obtaining a drivers permit where we get more practice time. Eventually we are given the opportunity to obtain a drivers license after a written and driving exam.

Even then the training to be a competent driver does not stop there. Only after years of driving (hopefully) we become a competent driver. It is all of the small things that we learn and experience over time that provides us with the training to be a good driver.

The same is true in Buddhism. We cannot stop with reading a practice one time and then think that it is time to move on to something else. We must listen to teachings and learn a practice inside and out. Second, we need to have experience with the practice by working with the practice, contemplating what each sentence means. Finally, we need to gain stability in the realization of the practice with time and more repetition.

Hearing, reading, and studying a practice results in learning.
Contemplating the meaning of a practice and applying it results in experience.
Meditating on the practice results in realization.

So the repetition of a practice gives us the opportunity to fully learning the words and give us the opportunity to obtain some experience. There are stories of great masters who even at a young age were able to fully realize a teaching/practice and manifest signs of realization within a very very short period of time. However, it is probably not wise to think that we are part of this select group of masters.

I repeat my primary practice every day – at least once. It seems that every day, I learn or see something new that I had never understood before. This is even though I have done this particular practice daily for over three years.

Secondly, the teachings seem to have begun to become part of my thinking. All of a sudden something happens and I remember, “When I am troubled, I am happy to practice fearless peace.” Maybe, its working?

My teacher has told me that it is only over time that we can see if the practices are benefiting our minds and benefiting our thinking. I keep on training on the practice.

With repetition we are given the great opportunity to truly change our thinking. We are given the ability to remove our misunderstanding and the opportunity to be of great assistance to all sentient beings.

Many Dharma Blessing

Geoff