Dudjom Lingpa

… I go for refuge

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

HH Dudjom Rinpoche

“I go for refuge and take delight in the consummate expanse of your wisdom mind.
All sacred, supreme objects of refuge, please pay heed!
Through cultivating and training in the awakened mind,
May the glorious potential to empty the depths of samsara be achieved!

I completely confess all accumulated faults and obscurations of the body, speech and mind
And pray that all victorious ones do not enter nirvana but remain
The root of all virtue is dedicated to all beings
Together may we attain fully enlightened Buddhahood.”

~ Dudjom Lingpa / H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche

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

Happy Dakini Day!

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

“I’m not accumulating any suffering as a result
of attachment to wordly ambitions or dreams.”
~ Khandro Kunzang Wangmo SkyDancer

Enjoy this 45min film, SkyDancer by Jody Kemmerer, about Traktung Dudjom Lingpa’s granddaughter, Khandro Kunzang Wangmo

Synopsis:
“Sky Dancer” is a film about the daily life and teachings of one of Tibetan Buddhism’s great female masters. In a world where ethnic and political tensions are driving people apart, we are transportec to a community where Chinese and Tibetan students study together and are treated as equals. Khandroma Kunzang Wangmo the matriarch and spiritual leader of a remote area on the Tibetan plateau is one of very few women ever to receive a position of power in Tibetan Buddhism. Even more rare, she is the descendant of two extremely significant and highly respected masters of Tibetan Buddhism. The film is an inside look at the daily life and journey of this extraordinary woman who is a living example of wisdom and compassion in a world that so often seems to be lacking genuine examples of both.”

 

Who is ~ Khandro Kunzang Wangmo, also known as Khandro Tare Lhamo, was the granddaughter of Dudjom Lingpa, a highly revered 19th-century Tibetan tertön (treasure revealer) and teacher. Khandro Kunzang Wangmo is remembered for her deep realization, spiritual leadership, and close connection to the Dudjom Lineage.

She was known to be a realized yogini, carrying forward the teachings of her grandfather, Dudjom Lingpa, and maintaining the transmission of His wisdom and practices. Her contributions to the preservation and continuation of the Nyingma tradition, especially through her dedication to the Dudjom Lineage, have had a lasting impact on Tibetan Buddhism.

Her life serves as an inspiration to practitioners within the lineage, especially for her embodiment of the profound teachings of Dzogchen and her influence in upholding the spiritual legacy of Dudjom Lingpa.