During Tulku Thadral Rinpoche’s recent teaching on Calling the Lama fun Afar,  part of the Dudjom Ngondro Program’s NEW SERIES of monthly teachings, Tulku Thadral Rinpoche spoke about the succession of lives of Kyabje Dudjom Rinpcohe Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, recalling the continuity of this extraordinary lineage.

As part of his commentary, Rinpoche drew attention to a short supplication composed by Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche himself:

Supplication to Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche

In the past you were the Vidyadhara Nuden Dorje,
In the future, the Sugata Möpa Taye,
Now, the representative of Pema Jungne, Drokben himself—
To you, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, I pray!

I wrote this myself for those with faith.

The prayer is brief, yet within these few lines Dudjom Rinpoche points to a succession extending across past, present, and future—a continuity through which enlightened activity appears again and again for the benefit of beings.

Rinpoche’s comments brought to mind another beloved prayer composed by Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche: the Pearl Necklace, a supplication recalling the great masters of the lineage. For practitioners of the Dudjom tradition, reciting such a lineage prayer is not simply remembering figures from the past. It is a way of bringing the lineage to mind and reconnecting with the living stream of blessing and transmission that has been passed from teacher to student.

Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, the eldest son of Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, later illuminated the Pearl Necklace through his commentary The Ruby Rosary: Joyfully Accepted by Vidyadharas and Dakinis as the Ornament of a Necklace.

Through The Ruby Rosary, the names within the lineage prayer open into something much larger. Thinley Norbu Rinpoche recounts the lives and qualities of the great beings being invoked, helping us understand the profound connections through which the Dudjom lineage has continued.

This feels especially meaningful as we begin our new monthly teachings with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche on Calling the Lama from Afar. Calling the lama from afar is itself an act of remembrance—not merely remembering a person, but turning the mind toward the source of blessing and recognizing the connection between teacher, lineage, and our own practice.

The lineage is remembered because it is alive in the transmission we receive and in the practice we carry forward today.

May remembering these great masters strengthen our faith, devotion, and connection to the lineage, and may whatever virtue arises benefit all beings.

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Review Part 1 of Calling the Lama from Afar given on September 30th.

Save the date and join Join Tulku Thadral Rinpoche for these precious teachings on Calling the Lama from Afar written by HH Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje and receive the oral reading transmissions for the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro, Dudjom SaTer Ngondro and the Dudjom Troma Ngondro at Pema Osel Ling or YouTube live for Part 2 of Calling the Lama from Afar on October 14, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm. Free and open for everyone.