Dorje Drolö Dzogchen:
The Heart Essence of the Primordial Secret

Dorje Drolö Dzogchen:
The Heart Essence of the Primordial Secret

A year-long transmission with Mingyur Rinpoche

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FEARLESS WISDOM

About Tergar’s 2026–27 Transmission

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For the first time ever, Mingyur Rinpoche will begin a year-long transmission of the Dzogchen teachings from The Heart Essence of the Primordial Secret (ye sang tuk tik, in Tibetan), a precious terma (treasure teaching) centered around Dorje Drolö and originally revealed by the first Mingyur Dorje.
Through courses, retreats, and live sessions with Mingyur Rinpoche, Khenpo Kunga, Tergar guides and guest teachers, we will explore in-depth instructions for discovering our indestructible nature — a fearless, unimpeded presence available at any moment.
This year’s 11-month immersion features a new weekly live series with Khenpo Kunga, designed to guide the Vajrayana Online community through the curriculum. In these warm sessions, Khenpo blends deep instruction with interactive Q&A, providing a supportive space to explore Mingyur Rinpoche’s new teachings, meditations, and study materials together.
It is a rare gift to encounter authentic Dzogchen teachings, and rarer still to receive them from a living master. This direct connection to an unbroken stream of wisdom is what transforms study into genuine, realized experience.

This historic transmission starts on August 1, 2026!

If you are not a Vajrayana Online member, please join the community to access the courses and live sessions in this transmission.

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All courses and live sessions in this transmission are included in your Vajrayana Online membership. Please register separately for the online retreats.

Thank you! You are registered! See you soon.

LEADING BUDDHIST TEACHERS

Meet Your Teachers and Guides

In this transmission, you will receive teachings from Mingyur Rinpoche, Khenpo Kunga, Vajrayana Online guides, and special guest teachers.

Mingyur Rinpoche
TEACHER
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
TERGAR LAMA
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.
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche
GUEST TEACHER
His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is widely revered as one of the most deeply realized Tibetan Buddhist masters alive today. Born in 1937 in eastern Tibet, he was recognized as the eighth incarnation of the great yogi Gar Chodingpa, a heart disciple of Jigten Sumgön. He trained in the Drikung Kagyu lineage, and during twenty years of imprisonment he met his root teacher Khenpo Munsel, from whom he received essential Dzogchen instructions and practiced in secret under extreme hardship. He is an eminent master of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, Tummo, the Six Yogas of Naropa, the 37 Bodhisattva Practices, and many other profound teachings.
Richard Barron (Lama Chökyi Nyima)
GUEST TEACHER 
Richard Barron is a Canadian translator who specializes in the Dzogchen writings of Longchenpa. He has served as an interpreter for many lamas from all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, including his first teacher, Kalu Rinpoche. He completed a traditional three-year retreat in 1980 at Kagyu Ling in France and later became a close student of the late Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. His published translations include Buddhahood without Meditation, The Autobiography of Jamgön Kongtrul, and several of the Seven Treasuries of Longchenpa.
Sangye Khandro
GUEST TEACHER
Sangye Khandro is one of the pioneering Western translators of Tibetan Buddhist texts and a respected teacher in the Nyingma tradition. She has trained closely with great masters such as Dudjom Rinpoche, Penor Rinpoche, and Gyatrül Rinpoche. With Lama Chönam, she translated Jigmed Lingpa's Yeshe Lama, the seminal practice manual of the Great Perfection, along with many other essential Dzogchen texts. She cofounded Light of Berotsana, a translation organization, and continues to teach and translate extensively in the U.S. and beyond.
Erik Pema Kunsang
GUEST TEACHER
Erik Pema Kunsang is a Danish translator and teacher who has translated over sixty volumes of Tibetan Buddhist texts. For over forty years he served as translator and close student of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. His accessible language and direct style have shaped how seminal works on Mahamudra and Dzogchen are studied in the West. He cofounded Rangjung Yeshe Publications and the Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Nepal, and now guides practitioners through retreats at Gomde Denmark.
Cortland Dahl
VAJRAYANA ONLINE GUIDE
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.
Antonia Sumbundu
VAJRAYANA ONLINE GUIDE
Antonia Dorthea Sumbundu is a dharma teacher, clinical psychologist, and mental health specialist. She has been practicing Vajrayana for over thirty-five years and has studied with the 3rd Jamgön Kongtrul Rinpoche, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Chokling Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and Mingyur Rinpoche. She holds an MA from the University of Copenhagen and an MSt in MBCT from Oxford.

THE JOURNEY AHEAD

Dorje Drolö Dzogchen Transmission
Calendar and Learning Path

Throughout the year, participants will enjoy live and recorded video teachings with Mingyur Rinpoche, guided meditations, weekly live sessions with Khenpo Kunga and Vajrayana Online guides, webinars with world-renowned Buddhist teachers, study material, readings, and experiential instructions for daily life.

Vajrayana Online Courses

AUG 2026

Voices of Dzogchen

Live webinars with Mingyur Rinpoche, Richard Barron, Sangye Khandro, and Erik Pema Kunsang

  Open to everyone

SEP 2026 – JUL 2027

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

An experiential journey into Dorje Drolö’s treasure teachings on pure awareness

  Restricted

Online Retreats

Please note that the online retreats are not included in your Vajrayana Online membership.

AUG 14–16, 2026

The Primordial Secret:

Dzogchen Teachings on Resting in the Natural State

with Mingyur Rinpoche

  Restricted

DEC 11–14, 2026

The Primordial Secret:

Dzogchen Teachings on Trekchö Meditation

with Mingyur Rinpoche

  Restricted

JUN 11–13, 2027

The Primordial Secret:

Dzogchen Instructions for Realizing One Taste

with Mingyur Rinpoche

  Restricted

Webinars

AUG 1, 2026

Fearless Wisdom: An Introduction to Dzogchen

with Mingyur Rinpoche

  Open to everyone

OCT 10, 2026

Live Webinar with His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche

  Open to everyone

FEB 28 and APR 11, 2027

Live Interviews with Mingyur Rinpoche on Dzogchen 

Conducted by Cortland Dahl

  Restricted

There will be two more free webinars with guest teachers in 2027.

Cortland Dahl on the First Retreat of the Dorje Drolö Dzogchen Transmission

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AWAKENING TOGETHER

Vajrayana Online Live Sessions

EVERY WEEK
Weekly Sessions
with Khenpo Kunga
We are delighted to share that, as part of the 11-month immersion course, Khenpo Kunga will offer weekly live teachings on the Dzogchen instruction manual, followed by Q&A.
Wednesdays, 10–11:30 AM US ET
ONCE A MONTH
Nature of Mind Dharma Geek with Cortland Dahl
Cortland Dahl will continue to lead us in studying traditional texts and integrating their wisdom into our life and practice.
Tuesdays, 11 AM US ET
TWICE A MONTH
Nature of Mind Heart-to-Heart with Antonia Sumbundu
Antonia Sumbundu will lead intimate, heartfelt sessions to explore the teachings through our own experience, opening space for reflection and questions.
Thursdays, 10 AM US ET
 
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.
If you are not a Vajrayana Online member, please join the community to access the courses and live sessions in this transmission.

Already a member? Log in!

Dorje Drolö is depicted in many forms across Buddhist lineages, all expressing the same awakened energy.

Requirements for Participation in This Transmission

The first online course, Voices of Dzogchen, is open to everyone. The three online retreats and the 11-month immersion course (including all live sessions) have prerequisites.


To participate, you only need to meet one of the following:

Option 1:
To have attended a Tergar
Path of Liberation Level 2
in-person retreat
with Mingyur Rinpoche
or Khenpo Kunga.

Option 2:
To have received ngöndro transmission and nature of mind pointing out in person from a qualified lineage holder, and to have had at least 5 years of regular meditation practice.

The requirements for participation were set in consultation with Mingyur Rinpoche. In turn, we ask that you honor them. Thank you!

Questions about the prerequisites? Contact studysupport@tergar.org

Don’t Meet the Requirements?

If you don’t meet the prerequisites for this transmission, we warmly invite you to join a parallel year-long immersion with Mingyur Rinpoche on the bardo teachings. It’s open to everyone and includes online courses, retreats, and biweekly live sessions.

BECOME A MEMBER

Join Vajrayana Online

All courses, webinars, and live sessions in the Dorje Drolö Dzogchen transmission are included in your Vajrayana Online membership, which also gives you access to our full platform of over 25 self-paced courses, weekly live sessions, live programs, personal interviews with Tergar guides, guided meditations, and much more. We aim to make Vajrayana Online accessible to everyone by offering three different pricing options. Feel free to choose the one that best suits your needs.
Annual Plans
Monthly Plans

Reduced

$2900

USD billed monthly after a 10-day free trial.
Cancel anytime.

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

Standard

$5000

USD billed monthly after a 10-day free trial.
Cancel anytime.

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

Sponsor

$7500

USD billed monthly after a 10-day free trial.
Cancel anytime.

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

Reduced

$2400

USD per month, billed annually at $288/year after a 10-day free trial.
Cancel anytime.

You save $60

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

Standard

$4167

USD per month, billed annually at $500/year after a 10-day free trial.
Cancel anytime.

You save $100

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

Sponsor

$6250

USD per month, billed annually at $750/year after a 10-day free trial.
Cancel anytime.

You save $150

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.
The essence of Dzogchen practice has two key points. The first is cutting through the root of suffering: the dualistic mind and ego-clinging that give rise to anxiety, loneliness, and all kinds of emotional turbulence, which manifest in our life, in society, and even between countries, creating war and so many conflicts. The second is transforming negativity into awareness without object, wisdom without concept, and love and compassion without reason, discovering what is always here, spontaneously present.

— Mingyur Rinpoche (from his first lesson in the immersion course)

The Tergar Lineage Society

Preserving Wisdom Traditions
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The Tergar Lineage Society honors a centuries-old tradition in Vajrayana Buddhism, where patrons help ensure precious teachings flourish. Donors who contribute annually at the $7,500 level or above play a vital role in supporting Tergar International’s mission to make the ancient wisdom of meditation accessible to the modern world. The Lineage Society creates a powerful way for practitioners to contribute to preserving and sharing these transformative practices with our global community.
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Frequently Asked Questions

I’m already a Vajrayana Online member. What should I do?

No action is required to access the courses and live sessions in this transmission. You will receive all links and updates in the weekly email we send to Vajrayana Online members.

To attend the retreats with Mingyur Rinpoche, please register for each retreat separately.

Can I join at any time?

You can join the transmission courses at any time. New material will be released monthly; you can engage in it at your own pace.

What if I miss part of the year-long transmission? Can I still participate?

Absolutely! The elements of the transmission function together as a cohesive whole, but each one also stands alone.
Join in whatever elements work for you!

I’m already practicing the Path of Liberation. How can I integrate this new transmission into my practice?

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!

What are the prerequisites for joining this transmission?

You can find the prerequisites here.