Vajrayana foundation

The Vajrayana Foundation Ngondro Program

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

Early Beginnings…. 
      by Becky Loy for Vajrayana Foundation

Photographer unknown. Taken at the Pema Osel Ling Retreat Center


Lama Tharchin Rinpoche and Lama Sonam Tsering Rinpoche began planning the Ngondro Program with Vajrayana Foundation staff in the fall of 2012, with the objective of providing to serious students of the Dharma the structure and guidance needed to complete their Dudjom Tersar Ngondro from start to finish.

The Program was announced in February 2013 with an email detailing the unique Program components:
• A Personal interview with one of the lamas once a year
• Senior student advisors to give personal support by email or phone
• Video webinar teachings by one of the lamas every other month
• Video study and discussion groups led by senior students on alternate months
• Annual in-person Ngondro Retreat.

 

Photo by Jeremy Umal Espino ~ Ngondro Participants 2013

Students began signing up immediately, and many attended the Ngondro Retreat in March, which began with Sam Bercholz’s first teachings at Pema Osel Ling: Establishing the View: The Golden Key to Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche’s  A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar.

On April 21, 2013, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche gave the first Ngondro Program video conference teaching to a group of 36 Program members from the US, Europe, Mexico and the Pacific Islands. In it he welcomed the “new Tersar Lineage Holder guys”.  He said,

 “I want to say how much I’m happy all of you are willing to do Dudjom Tersar Ngondro. In this generation, by His Holiness Thinley Norbu Rinpoche’skindness, we established pretty well all the Dudjom Tersarteachings. But [for the] next generation we have to keep these things going. 

“His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche told me to take care of the Tersar tradition. My life meaning is only I want to serve dharma. People who do practice, that is my main focus, the meaning of my life.  All our sangha is my special friend; and particularly, those who do more practice, that is closestto my heart. All of you willing to do Ngondro, please continue. I am dedicating my body, speech and mind,anything I can, to the Dudjom tradition. We have to be willing, responsible, to hold that doctrine lineage.”

This talk was part of a very auspicious weekend at the Pema Osel Ling Retreat Center in the Santa Cruz Mountains, beginning with Yangthang Tulku Rinpoche (1930-2016) giving sublime Dzogchen teachings on Garab Dorje’s Three Words That Strike the Vital Point, and concluding with a Kurukulle jinsek (fire puja) led by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, Tulku Jamyang Rinpoche, and Lama Sonam Rinpoche in order to magnetize all positive circumstances for Pema Osel Ling and the whole sangha.

The Ngondro Program has expanded in scope and offerings and has continued without interruption from 2013 to the present.

 

9th Annual Ngondro Retreat streaming online in 2021 … In the Box: (top) Lama Sonam Tsering Rinpoche with Lotsawa Cyril Kassoff, (middle box left) Amy Green (middle right) Drubpon Pema Wangyal Rigdzin (lower Left) Choying Wangmo (lower right) Stefan Graves

 

Ngondro Online Retreat with Lama Sonam Tsering and Sam Bercholz

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

April 4-5 with Sam Bercholz
April 6-12 with Lama Sonam Tsering

The first weekend will feature teachings by Sam Bercholz, senior student of Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, who personally authorized him to teach. Sam has called the weekend, Meditation and the Development of Faith: Essential Teachings from H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche and Thinley Norbu Rinpoche. The weekend will be a combination of teachings from Dungse Rinpoche’s The Cascading Waterfall Of Nectar and also Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche’s teachings on meditation, The Play of Thought. Sam requests that each participant have a copy of The Cascading Waterfall of Nectar, available at Dharma Treasures. The Play of Thought can be downloaded for free here.

Sam has said, “The Play of Thought by Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche is one of the best teachings you can study to help stabilize your mind. It is an important aspect of dharma that sometimes is easily forgotten, especially for Ngondro and Vajrayana practice. It gives a necessary foundation for preliminary practices and advanced practices alike.”

The two days with Sam will also include teachings and practice on Shinay (calm abiding) and Lhakthong (penetrating insight) meditation. Participants will be able to submit questions that Sam will answer during one of the sessions on the second day. Sam is also giving participants the opportunity for a personal interview by Facetime or Zoom for up to one week after the teachings.

The retreat will continue with Lama Sonam Tsering Rinpoche, who will teach on “How Ngondro Can Support You in This Difficult Time”. Lama Sonam will give a series of one-hour teachings each day from April 6-12.

To receive the links for streaming, please make your offering through PayPal according to your circumstances. All donations will cover not only the cost of streaming, but will help support the ongoing expenses of Pema Osel Ling. If you are not able to offer at one of the suggested levels, please contact office@vajrayana.org. The links are not currently posted; please mark the URL (web address) of the page PayPal directs you to; we will also send the links to all participants in the days before the event. Thanks for your patience, Vajrayana Foundation

The recorded teachings will be available for at least one month after the conclusion of the weekend, so participants can review or access the teachings at their convenience.

Preliminary Practices of the New Treasure of Dudjom

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

This Dudjom Tersar Ngondro Text published by Bero Jeydren Publications, contains both A Concise Recitation of the Preliminary Practice of the New Treasures of Dudjom and the longer Ngondro: The Chariot of the Path of Union: Recitation of the Preliminary Practice of the Profound Secret Heart Essence of the Dakini, along with additional prayers. This text is in Tibetan, phonetics and English translation. There are two formats available:

1). digital ~ https://sellfy.com/p/bGqP/

2). hard copy ~ http://www.dharmatreasures.com/preliaminary-practices-of-the-dudjom-tersar/

 

 

On Sunday, December 8th at 3:00pm Pacific, Lama Sonam Rinpoche will give the Oral Reading Transmission (Lung) at Pema Osel Ling and YouTube livestream. If you are not currently a Participant of the Vajrayana Foundation Ngondro Program, you must register to attend the livestream broadcast. By making a donation of any amount, you will automatically be directed to the link to the YouTube channel streaming.