Seven Line Prayer Teaching E3 with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

Seven Line Prayer Teaching E3 with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche 

As part of the Monthly Ngondro Teachings, Tulku Thadral Rinpoche begins a new series with “The Seven Line Prayer”. This prayer was revealed as a terma by great master Guru Chöwang (1212–1270) and is considered a condensation of Guru Rinpoche’s enlightened activity. It is said to be so powerful that even hearing or reciting it invokes Guru Rinpoche’s presence.

The Importance of the Seven Line Prayer
“Of all the devotional prayers used as a support for Dharma practice, the Seven-Line Prayer is the most essential, often repeated many thousands of times by practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. This concise prayer invokes the blessings of Padmasambhava, also called Guru Rinpoche (“Precious Teacher”) and known as the Buddha of our time.” ~ Khaybje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, SolePanacea
Lama Sonam Rinpoche has requested (but not required) that those who are wanting to start their Ngondro practice begin by accumulating 10,000 recitations of the 7 Line Prayer. This is very important because these recitations can remove obstacles to accomplishing Ngondro and are a way of making a deeper connection to Guru Rinpoche.
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Vajrayana Method for Uniting One’s Mind with the Awakened Mind of Padmasambhava

~ DudjomTersarNgondro
The Seven Treasures Thangka commissioned by Lama Sonam Rinpoche in 2018 to honor Dudjom Rinpoche III Sangye Pema Shepa’s visit and the conferring of the Dudjom Tersar Empowerment at Pema Osel Ling. The main figure of the thangka, Guru Rinpoche is surrounded by Guru Rinpoche’s manifestations in the five Buddha families as well as the eight manifestations of Guru Rinpoche, dakinis, and dharma protectors. Above his crown are important lineage figures as well as the seven tertons who revealed the termas on which The Seven Treasures is based.

 

The Daily Practice of the Gathered Secret Heart Essence of the Guru
(Thuk Drub Sangwa Dupa) by Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje
༄༅། །ཐུགས་སྒྲུབ་གསང་འདུས་རྒྱུན་ཁྱེར་བཞུགས། །

The daily practice is said to:

  • establish an unbroken connection to Guru Rinpoche

  • magnetize his blessings continuously

  • remove obstacles

  • ripen one’s mind for recognition of the nature of awareness (rigpa)

  • accumulate both merit and wisdom

  • purify obscurations

  • stabilize the view of Dzogchen

Dudjom Rinpoche taught that:

“The essence of all sutra and tantra is Guru Yoga.
The swift path is the Guru.
And the heart of the Guru is Sangwa Düpa.”

Join Tulku Thadral Rinpoche for a concentrated period of Guru Rinpoche practice, centered on Guru Yoga — the essential Vajrayana method for uniting one’s mind with the awakened mind of Padmasambhava. Through visualization, mantra recitation and resting in awareness, this retreat offers a direct path to deepen devotion, receive blessings and cultivate realization.

Practice will be based on the Collection of Seven Treasures Guru Rinpoche The Daily Practice of the Gathered Secret Heart Essence of the Guru (Thuk Drub Sangwa Dupa)  Rinpoche will give the lungs for the Collection of Seven Treasures Guru Rinpoche Sadhana and Daily Practice, the associated jinseks (fire pujas), and other related practices. 

Held over the Thanksgiving weekend, November 27 ~ 30, this retreat is an opportunity to step back from worldly busyness and immerse yourself in the heart of Vajrayana practice. Whether you’re new to Guru Yoga or returning to it, this is a chance to stabilize devotion and connect more deeply with the living presence of Guru Rinpoche.

Registration and Information

Ngondro and Trekchö

~ DudjomTersarNgondro
I was able to create and maintain the disciplined practice.

I was in my mid-forties when my husband, our two very spirited children, moved to California from Ohio. It was a difficult move which left me upended on several fronts. During this turbulent time, I was given a book which addressed the meaning of life and the main tenets of Buddhist thought. It was so sensible and logical: there was nothing about, “having to take the teachings on faith”, which I heard many times in my Christian upbringing. Buddhism opened my mind to the vastness and beauty of a reality that I had no idea existed, and yet, was accessible. This gave me a path to follow in a difficult time.

Soon after I found a sangha and a teacher and became dedicated to pursuing Dharma. As I progressed on the path I started Ngondro. What an undertaking! My kids were needing more attention and between them, and a full time job, life was becoming more complicated. Even though I set aside time in the morning for practice, it was rather hit or miss. Yet, reading the Ngondro liturgy and explanations on how to practice, gave me comfort and confidence in my life, and the hope that one day I’d figure it out how to get more practice time in.
I was able to attend retreats over the years, which were so inspiring. I had the opportunity to receive teachings from some of the greatest masters alive. This gave me such an appreciation for the wisdom that has been preserved, and the hard work that was done by the lamas and lineage masters, for our benefit.
Then one day I “woke up” to find that I was 68 years old and realized I really had been just fooling around in my practice. Because of a serious situation in my sangha, my practice had become quite disrupted. I found myself a bit lost in the wilderness. Additionally, I had become more involved in the mundane world because of more demands at work. Despondency temporarily overcame me, when I realized by adding up, how much more I had to do to complete my Ngondro.
Soon after that, I went to a weekend teaching at Pema Osel Ling and found out about their Ngondro Program. I had heard a few online teachings from Lama Sonam Rinpoche and about 3 weeks later got to meet him at a Treasure Vase consecration. I was enamored by his joyful and humble presence and thought to myself, “this is the Lama for me.”
Because of Lama Sonam Rinpoche’s perfect teachings, the support of my mentor, and the Ngondro Program staff, and the monthly online accumulation meetings, I was able to create and maintain the disciplined practice I had been hoping for. Finally, at the age of 72, I completed all my accumulations. So, it’s never too late to invest in present and future lifetimes!
One bit of advice – try not to be intimidated by prostrations. 
I was truly astounded by the flexibility and strength I acquired, and not spiritually. As Rinpoche said to a young frustrated student, during one of online Question and Answer sessions, “They’re better than plastic surgery.”
Thank you a million times over to Lama Sonam Rinpoche and the Ngondro Program (Choying Wangmo, Stefan and Sonam) for sharing the teachings and your support and experience with this wonderful community of Ngondro practitioners that you have created.

Resharing Kristie’s heartfelt testimonial from 2023. She completed her Ngondro in 2022.

Kristie accomplished her Ngondro just in time so that she attend the 2023 Trekchod Retreat with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche.  If you are close to completing your Ngondro contact the Vajrayana Foundation office.


This year the hybrid Trekchö ~ Rushen Retreat will take place December 28, 2025 – January 6, 2026 with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche.  This rare 10-day retreat will focus exclusively on Rushen, the preliminary practices from “The Vajra Essence” (Neluk Rangjung) — the most extensive of Dudjom Lingpa’s five Dzogchen treatises. Tulku Thadral Rinpoche will teach this foundational section in depth, offering direct guidance on recognizing and resting in the nature of mind.

As Lama Sonam Rinpoche says:
Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche recognized Tulku Thadral Rinpoche and said many times how he is really different from other tulkus and will be of great benefit to sentient beings. All of the lamas see him as a precious jewel… He is a bodhisattva. [Read his biography here.]

Prerequisites:
Prior completion of Ngöndro is required. If you have not yet completed Ngöndro but feel a sincere and compelling connection to this retreat, please contact our office to share your background and request consideration. You must attend the full 10-day retreat.

Streaming:
Tulku Thadral Rinpoche is permitting qualified participants to attend by streaming in real time. There will be no recordings of the sessions to view at a later time. Rinpoche requests that streaming participants attend the full 10 days.

More Information and to Register for The Vajra Essence Retreat