Our Annual Summer Retreat will start on May 14th with the combined empowerments for The Heart-Essence of the Lake-Born Vajra and Orgyen Khandro Norlha, with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche. The following days we will receive Oral Transmissions (Lungs) and practice Tsokye T'huk T'hik (The Heart-Essence of the Lake-Born Vajra) and Orgyen Khandro Norlha, as Tseyang Khatrod, a uniquely uplifting combination of long-life and wealth-gathering practices.
This year's Drupchen will be special for several reasons. We will be focusing on the Dakini practice of Khandro T'huk T'hik, using a newly translated sadhana and jinsek manual. This will also be a Mendrup Drupchen, where special sacred substances will be gathered, prepared and consecrated through intensive group practice, and the dudtsi, or mendrup, will be distributed to practitioners as a support for their individual practices.
A means toward ultimate liberation, mendrup practice increases meditative experience and realization and offers protection from outer, inner and secret obstacles. Because of the time it takes to complete the mendrup, we are starting the Drupchen earlier in our Summer Retreat. [We are sorry if this is inconvenient for families with school-age family members who usually attend Drupchen.]
Troma Ngondro & Four Feasts Empowerment with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche, Oral Transmissions (Lungs), Teachings and Practice. These practices are generally undertaken only after completion of the general Preliminary Practices, students who have an interest in the Troma Cycle, or in Dzogchen in general, are urged to attend the retreat. “Through this practice we can accomplish the Great Transference Rainbow Body in this very lifetime, just as thirteen of Dudjom Lingpa’s disciples did, and just as followers of this lineage continue to do up until now.” [Lama Sonam Tsering Rinpoche]
Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche compiled this 100 Peaceful and Wrathful Deity practice based on a Karma Lingpa treasure, as a method for practitioners to achieve fully enlightened Buddhahood by removing obstacles to the path, through restoring all broken precepts, vows and tantric commitments. Included in this retreat is a Neydren ceremony to help sentient beings who have passed and are wandering in the bardo.
Lama Sonam Rinpoche reminds us that, "Our teacher, the perfect Buddha, through his great skillfulness and limitless compassion, gave an unimaginable variety of nectar-like Dharma teachings according to the different predispositions, faculties, and fortune of beings. The most supreme, the very best of all those teachings, is this complete and deceitless clear light Secret Mantra Vajrayana vehicle through which one can accomplish buddhahood in one lifetime, in which there is the path of diligent practice for those whose are inclined to gradual progress, and the supreme sudden path for those of the sharpest faculties and who have a karmic connection from past lives.
"We have the good fortune and karmic connection to have faith in the Lama, Guru Rinpoche, and to be able to practice this Collection of Seven Treasures, the most supreme among all Lama Accomplishment (Ladrup) practices. It was compiled by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche from seven great treasures of the Nyingma Lineage.
Pema Osel Ling's Children's Retreat is an opportunity for children to learn about the Dharma with age-appropriate activities in a supportive and fun environment while their parents attend Drupchen retreat.
Children's Retreat at Pema Osel Ling, held June 11-15, in conjunction with Guru Rinpoche Seven Treasures Retreat, June 10-16, offers families a means of connecting with the Dharma in an authentic, practice-oriented environment, while providing special care and attention to the needs and capacities of young family members ages 4-15. Children must have at least one parent in attendance at Drupchen. Parents take turns assisting with the Youth Retreat.
June 16th is Guru Rinpoche's Birthday, when we welcome the Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche with ritual dance and song. Join us in the morning for the offering of siddhis (accomplishment ritual and sacred substances) and tsok (feast offering) for the conclusion of the Summer Retreat. The traditional Tibetan sacred dancing and Lingdro folk dances will occur throughout the day in the shrine room.
May 21 - May 30
Khandro T'huk T'hik (Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal) Empowerment May 21
and Oral Transmission (Lung) May 22
with Tulku Thadral Rinpoche
Text List (To Follow)
About the Retreat
The empowerment and oral transmission (lung) can be received in person or by live streaming in real time. Tulku Thadral Rinpoche says there is no special samaya for receiving the empowerment.
Drupchen (Great Accomplishment) is an elaborate ritual practiced as a group, which draws on the full array of the skillful means of Vajrayana practice, such as the creation of the mandala, group sadhana practice, tsok offerings, continuous mantra recitation, ritual music, mudra, fire pujas, and sacred dance.
This year's Drupchen will be special for several reasons.
"Mendrup dudtsi (dharma medicine), an inner tantric practice, is one of Vajrayana’s most profound techniques, as it has the power to connect all beings, whether practitioners or non-practitioners, humans or animals, living or in the bardo, to enlightenment. Dudtsi (samaya substance or amrita) offers this connection to liberation without requiring faith or devotion. Of this skillful means, Dudjom Rinpoche said that one could “search the entire world and all the realms and would never find anything like the tantric technique of Mendrup.
"Dudtsi will benefit any being who can taste, smell, or be touched by this sacred substance. For liberation through taste it can be eaten at any time, but the best is in the morning. You can put it in hot water and drink it or you can chew it or let it dissolve in your mouth before eating any food. For the ill or dying it can be dissolved in hot water, left to cool and then used to moisten the lips or put in the mouth with an eye-dropper. Dudtsi can also be given to pets and other animals as well.
"For liberation through smell, dudtsi can be burned, either with other substances in a fire puja or smoke offering, or by itself. While it is burning, any prayers and aspirations one wishes can be dedicated to the alleviation of suffering and the liberation of living beings who may be touched by the smoke, beings in the spirit realms, hell realms or who those have died. If burning dudtsi for those who have passed, it can be dedicated so that they be reborn in a pureland, or, if they are already born, that they connect to the dharma in that life and become enlightened.
"For liberation through touch, dudtsi can be dissolved in water and applied to the body or it can be put into the ocean or lakes for all beings in the water.
"While it is true that dudtsi will connect all beings to enlightenment, it is especially powerful for practitioners. It will remove obstructions to enlightenment for those who are trying to practice dharma but are meeting with obstacles. Practitioners can visualize their practice deity and hold the dudtsi between their ring finger and thumb, while visualizing the ring finger as a vajra and the thumb as a lotus, as the dudtsi is put into a cup, directly into the mouth, into water or burned. If it is eaten or dissolved in hot water to drink, visualize your tongue as a vajra and think that the dudtsi is filled with blessings from special substances and enlightened teachers. Believe that it is nectar going through your whole body, cleaning all your channels, purifying all defilements, pacifying negative emotions and healing all illnesses on the deepest level.
"The vast benefits of mendrup dudtsi are especially needed in these degenerate times, when emotions are turbulent and elements are imbalanced. Good fortune, health, merit and prosperity will one day come to all those who have contact with it on this earth and it will alleviate suffering for beings of all realms with our intention. Most importantly, every sentient being that comes into contact with it in any way will definitely be connected to the inexpressible liberation of enlightenment. This sacred substance is truly one medicine for all.
"Guru Rinpoche said:
The benefits of eating (dudtsi) are inexpressible.
Externally, it will cure your bodily illnesses and remove obstacles.
Internally, it will purify the five poisons of the passions.
It will repair all your broken and damaged samaya.
You will realize wisdom, the all-pervasive secret.
"This is a short reminder for all of you who want to enter the extraordinary mandala of the group gathering practice connected with the profound ripening and liberating samaya substance dharma medicine nectar here at Pema Osel Ling."
- Lama Sonam Tsering Rinpoche
For a description of the Mendrup, please click here
Make offerings for Tsok, Butter Lamps, Streaming or personal offerings for the teachers or the translator.
