Remembering our must kind Lama on the anniversary of his passing. Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche (1938–2018), a beloved Dudjom Tersar master whose kindness, humility, and unwavering devotion touched sangha at Pema Osel Ling.
Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche was a highly respected lineage holder in the Dudjom Tersar tradition and a close Dharma friend of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche and Lama Sonam Tsering Rinpoche. Through that connection he visited Pema Osel Ling over many years, offering teachings, empowerments, transmissions, and encouragement to the Pema Osel Ling sangha.
His relationship with Pema Osel Ling was not simply that of a visiting teacher. He was deeply supportive of the vision established by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche: preserving and transmitting the Dudjom Tersar Lineage. After Lama Tharchin’s passing, Lama Pema Dorje continued to guide and inspire students with great warmth and simplicity.
Many who met him remember his gentle presence, his devotion to Guru Rinpoche, and his constant encouragement to practice with sincerity and perseverance. His visits to Pema Osel Ling remain a treasured part of our history.
May we remember Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche with gratitude and renew our own commitment to the Dharma and to the lineage he so faithfully embodied.
During one of Rinpoche’s Trekchö retreats, he gifted us a recording of his chanting of the Dudjom SaTer Ngondro. Save it to your playlist.
The following are excerpts from a beautiful letter that Lama Sonam Rinpoche wrote upon hearing about the parinirvana of our kind teacher in 2018.
“𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘋𝘰𝘳𝘫𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘨𝘪 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘶.
“𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮! 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘶𝘥𝘫𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘶 𝘠𝘰𝘨𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦.
“𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘝𝘢𝘫𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯/𝘗𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘖𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘸𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘋𝘰𝘳𝘫𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦.
𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘋𝘰𝘳𝘫𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘗𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘖𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘨’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘴𝘢-𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴.”
