Dorje Drolö Dzogchen Immersion with Mingyur Rinpoche

About the Course

These hidden treasure teachings (terma) were concealed by Guru Rinpoche specifically for a time like ours, one marked by societal turbulence, conflict, and deep uncertainty. At the center of this transmission is Dorje Drolö, the fiercely compassionate manifestation of Guru Rinpoche, whose indestructible wisdom cuts through obstacles of every kind. Through these instructions, we learn to release dualistic clinging without pushing experience away, allowing confusion itself to dissolve into natural wisdom.

LEADING BUDDHIST TEACHERS

Meet Your Teachers and Guides

Mingyur Rinpoche was born in 1975 in the border region between Tibet and Nepal. The son of the great Dzogchen master Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, he received nature of mind transmissions from his father, as well as from Tai Situ Rinpoche and Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, among other remarkable teachers. He entered his first three-year retreat at thirteen, and in 2011 embarked on a four-and-a-half-year wandering retreat. Today, Rinpoche leads all organizations in the Tergar mandala, oversees monasteries in Nepal and India, and guides students in more than thirty countries.

Khenpo Kunga is a senior monastic teacher in the Tergar lineage. He studied at Namdroling Monastery in South India under Penor Rinpoche and holds the title of khenpo (professor of Buddhist philosophy). Having just completed a three-year Vajrayana retreat at Tergar Osel Ling in Kathmandu, Nepal, he now continues to teach worldwide and plays a vital role in guiding Tergar monastics and lay practitioners in both philosophical studies and meditation. Dorje Drolö Dzogchen is among his heart practices.

Matthieu Ricard is a French Buddhist monk, humanitarian, and author who has lived in the Himalayas for decades. A longtime student of Kangyur Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he has devoted his life to fulfilling his teachers’ vision. Originally trained as a molecular geneticist at the Pasteur Institute, he is renowned for bridging science and meditation, and for his work on altruism and compassion. He cofounded the humanitarian organization Karuna-Shechen and collaborates with Tergar and other global initiatives.

Cortland Dahl is a scientist, translator, author, and meditation teacher with over twenty-five years of meditation experience, including deep training in Vajrayana under Mingyur Rinpoche. Fluent in Tibetan, he has published twelve translations of classical Buddhist texts. He holds a PhD in Mind, Brain, and Contemplative Science from UW-Madison, where he was mentored by Dr. Richard Davidson. Cort is Executive Director of Tergar International and Chief Contemplative Officer at Healthy Minds Innovations.

LEARNING EVERY MOMENT

Video Teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche

Exclusive new teachings from Rinpoche on Dorje Drolö Dzogchen — with audio and transcript

Live Teachings with Khenpo Kunga

Weekly live teachings on the Dzogchen instruction manual, followed by Q&A

Practices for Daily Life

Short times, many times — simple ways to bring the teachings into everyday moments, anytime, anywhere

Live Guided Meditations

Step-by-step instructions from Cortland Dahl to deepen your experience on the cushion

Journaling and Community Resources

Invitations for integrating the teachings through personal reflection and discussion groups

Weekly Live Sessions

Live sessions with experienced guides to ask questions, share experiences, and stay connected

The seven-point posture of the path of liberation, along with the “mental posture” of renunciation, bodhichitta, and resting in the empty, lucid quality of the mind
How to practice shamatha in the Dzogchen tradition
The vipashyana practice of Dorje Drolö, a style related to trekchö, often translated as “cutting through”; and the Tibetan term zang tal, which means the quality of mind that is transparent or not stuck
Naked awareness: the very heart of the Dzogchen tradition
How to apply the teachings of Dorje Drolö to navigate the challenges of daily life, transforming anxiety, anger, and emotional and societal turbulence into opportunities for growth

AWAKENING TOGETHER

Recordings

We strongly encourage you to join us live.
If you’re unable to attend, the recordings will be made available in the Dorje Drolö Dzogchen Immersion course.

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The Heart Essence of the Primordial Secret
by Guru Rinpoche

Clarifying the Vidyadhara’s Intention
by Karme Khenpo Rinchen Dargye

Working translations of both texts will be available as part of the course and will continue to be revised as we receive the teachings from Khenpo Kunga.

THE JOURNEY AHEAD

Course Outline

LIVE WEBINARS

There will be an additional free webinar with a guest teacher in 2027

The Dorje Drolö teachings are considered a terma, a Tibetan word for a hidden teaching revealed by a treasure revealer (tertön). Termas come in “cycles of teachings” (kor in Tibetan) and encompass the entire path, from ngöndro and sadhana practices all the way to Dzogchen.

This particular terma centers on Dorje Drolö, the wrathful eighth manifestation of Guru Rinpoche. Dorje or vajra means “indestructible,” representing unshakable wisdom. Drolö means “wrathful liberator” or “one who subdues obstacles.” So Dorje Drolö is the powerful energy that cuts through confusion and negativity.

These teachings were concealed by Guru Rinpoche for a time like ours, when ignorance, war, and emotional disturbance intensify, and they carry methods designed to remove obstacles and meet such conditions directly. Within this cycle, the Dzogchen instructions help us further by revealing pure, nondual awareness that is always present in the midst of any experience, even when the mind is unsettled or hard to stabilize through gradual methods.

Mingyur Rinpoche was recognized by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as the seventh incarnation of the first Yongey Mingyur Dorje (1628/41–1708), a remarkable Nyingma tertön and Kagyu master. The first Yongey Mingyur Dorje founded Tergar and revealed these Dorje Drolö teachings in Tibet while still very young, in accordance with Guru Rinpoche’s prophecies. He is also said to have been one of Padmasambhava’s direct disciples in a previous life.

In the beginning, his students gathered in a camp (gar) and teachings were given in a tent. Eventually, they built a monastery (Tergar Rigdzin Kacholing) near Derge in the eastern Tibetan province of Kham. As the first Mingyur Rinpoche had no worldly attachments, his sons looked after the monastery, leaving Mingyur Rinpoche free to spend much of his time spreading teachings that helped to revitalize the Kagyu tradition in Tibet, which had been waning due to political turmoil. The most significant of these termas were Dorje Drolö, Pema Benza, and the Union of Wisdom and Method Longevity Practice, which Mingyur Rinpoche transmitted to the 10th Karmapa, the 8th Tai Situ Rinpoche, and other lineage masters. All subsequent incarnations of the Karmapa and Tai Situ Rinpoche have continued to hold these transmissions.

The first Mingyur Dorje spent much of his life in retreat, devoted to study and practice, and was known for his clairvoyance and accomplishments. As Tsoknyi Rinpoche recounts, “In the later part of his life, Yongey Mingyur Dorje followed the yogic lifestyle of a mahasiddha. He subjugated and brought to the path of liberation many beings who violated samaya or who embodied evil influences and obstructing forces, and who harmed the Buddhadharma and beings. In these ways, Yongey Mingyur Dorje brought immense benefit to the Buddhadharma and beings.”

Learn more about Rinpoche’s lineage:

Transmission holds a profound place in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Preserved in an unbroken lineage from teacher to student since the time of the Buddha, transmissions represent living expressions of the deepest truths that we gain through meditation. Since 2019, Mingyur Rinpoche has generously imparted a complete lineage transmission to our community following a rich three-year cycle, progressing through sutra, tantra, and nature of mind teachings.

By joining Vajrayana Online, you will gain access to all past transmissions. Learn more on this page.

To participate in the Dorje Drolö Dzogchen Immersion,
you only need to meet ONE of the following:

Choose this option if you have financial hardship or a currency exchange rate that makes the standard rate unaffordable.

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25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
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10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App

By choosing the sponsor rate, you help us offer a reduced rate to someone who needs it.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App
Includes free access to the Joy of Living online program

Choose this option if you have financial hardship or a currency exchange rate that makes the standard rate unaffordable.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App

By choosing the standard rate, you keep Vajrayana Online alive and flourishing.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App

By choosing the sponsor rate, you help us offer a reduced rate to someone who needs it.

10-day free trial
25+ self-paced courses, including new content every month
Weekly live sessions
Vajrayana Online App
Includes free access to the Joy of Living online program

You will make the first payment after the free trial period. The membership will automatically be renewed in accordance to the frequency you have selected. You can cancel anytime, and no additional fees will be charged. For more questions about the membership, please visit our FAQs section.

Tergar is committed to making the benefits of Buddhist teachings and practices available to everyone. If the membership rate of $29 USD per month is a hindrance for you financially, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via volsupport@tergar.org to ask for a further reduced rate. We offer financial assistance rates for certain countries, for students with limited budgets, and for the monastic community.

We are lost in samsara because we are not recognizing our true nature. It is like your home becomes dark, with no light. It is full of garbage, and there are shadows from outside. Some of the garbage is rotten, and there are some things like ghosts, scorpions, and spiders. There are shadows from outside, and it is all mixed. But you can turn on the light, and actually maybe some of them are diamonds, some are gold. There is not really a spider, not really a snake. It is like a wonderful home when the light is on. If the light is off, you bump into things and get injured, and you feel like it is like a ghost house. But it is actually a perfect, wonderful, beautiful home. Therefore, the text says it is not recognized.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! You can join at any time and access all the materials. You won’t miss anything.

You can find the prerequisites here.

Mingyur Rinpoche’s teachings make it easy to integrate the Dorje Drolö Dzogchen teachings into the practices you already do. Your daily practice will be enriched, and there’s no extra homework!

Dorje Drolö Dzogchen Immersion: The Heart Essence of the Primordial Secret

About the Course

Meet Your Teachers and Guides