by Esther Oswald
As a Ngondro practitioner I highly recommend attending the Vajrayana Foundation’s Ngondro Retreat. Since I started my Ngondro practice at the end of 2019, I have been attending this retreat every year, initially online during the pandemic and last year and this year in person. Whilst participating in this retreat online has certainly great benefits, for me it made a huge difference to attend this retreat in person. Being at POL, connecting with the Lamas and the Sangha is a powerful experience. What comes to mind when I think about my experiences in the Shrine Room is that it is a truly magical place. Practicing in the Shrine Room felt so much more powerful than my practice at home. The blessings of Guru Rinpoche are palpable. If you’ve ever wondered what teachers and practitioners are talking about when they describe their experience of suddenly becoming tearful without knowing why or a specific reason, then all you’d need to do is come to Pema Osel Ling and practice in the Shrine Room! During my time at Pema Osel Ling, I felt such a connection with the Lamas, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, which has truly supercharged my practice again, and provided lots of inspiration and motivation to keep focused on the path. I also greatly benefitted from my personal interview with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche and from connecting with Amy and Ivan again and to tap into their wealth of experience and knowledge, which they (in addition to their wonderful teachings) were always so generous to share with us in between sessions as well, during breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. A big thank you also to Regina and Stefan for their super helpful accumulation sessions. The “less talking, more doing” mantra has definitely been ingrained in my mind stream!
Finally, I would also like to send my heartfelt gratitude to everyone at Pema Osel Ling who organized, participated, helped and shared this experience with me. I always learn so much by just being able to connect, hear about your path and to be able to bombard you with lots of questions.
May all beings benefit!
Esther is currently in our Dudjom Tersar Ngondro Program.
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