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

How to Keep your Hair on Fire

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-pvqqg-199fbde

This is a question asked of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche by a participant online during the first Dudjom Ngondro Webcast in early 2012. 

About Lama Tharchin Rinpoche 

The photo is by Don Farber and cropped in square format for this post.
See original for mat here: https://dudjomtersarngondro.com/by-don-farber

DHARMA HERITAGE PROJECT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DON FARBER

To contact Don Farber
Phone: 1-310-829-6002 or 1-310-963-4266 cell
Email: d.farber@dharmaheritage.org
Address: 1029 19th St., Santa Monica, CA 90403 USA

 

The Benefits of Cultivating Faith

~ DudjomTersarNgondro

 

Seat of Dudjom Rinpoche Jigdral Yeshe Dorje ~ Pema Osel Ling Shrine Room ~ Santa Cruz Mts CA

There are boundless virtues in cultivating and increasing one’s faith. It is the foundation for all virtuous practice.

It clears away all the sufferings of cyclic existence and is the first step on the path to liberation. As a result of your faith, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will constantly keep you in mind. You will have a sense of shame, a sense of decency, and wisdom. In all your lives, as soon as you are born, you will meet a sublime teacher, the sacred teachings, and spiritual companions, and you will thus be able to practice the Dharma. You will be protected by those gods who delight in virtue. Falling asleep peacefully, in your dreams too you will have pleasant visions of encountering your teacher and the Three Jewels and practicing the Dharma, and you will wake in a happy frame of mind.

You will accomplish all your wishes and die peacefully, guided by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. You will have none of the terrifying experiences of the intermediate state. You will be reborn wherever your aspirations lead you, and uphold the lineage of the Three Jewels. Swiftly, you will attain Buddhahood. Such are the infinite benefits of having faith, as we read in the Sutra of the Precious Lamp:

Though for kalpas one might venerate beings
Numerous as the atoms of the universes in the ten directions,
Bringing them every kind of happiness, In comparison, nothing is more sublime Than the merit of faith in this Dharma.


A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom
Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practice of the Profound and Secret Heart Essence of the Dakini
Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje
Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group
Published by Shambhala Publication