BARDO TEACHINGS FROM THE DO GYUD DZOD New Member Series begins June 2025

Heart Teachings Monthly Membership Series

Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's 2001 Bardo Teachings from the Do Gyud Dzod

Beginning June 2025

A New Chapter in Heart Teachings

Since 2000, Heart Teachings (formerly Friends of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche) has preserved and shared Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's dharma teachings through a monthly video series. We're now expanding our approach to include the vast treasury of previously unavailable materials from Rinpoche's teaching archive. Along with periodic videos, we will offer audio recordings, transcripts, instructional documents, and related resources that we're excited to share with dharma practitioners. We will also provide streaming access to selections from our current catalog. 

If you are interested in becoming a supporting member, please visit our Membership page.

The Teachings: A Transmission of Liberation

The Focus: For the next six months, we present Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's profound 2001 teachings on the bardo states, drawn from the Do Gyud Dzod (The Precious Treasury of Sūtra and Tantra) by Repkong Choying Tobden Dorje. These teachings were given as part of the Shedra program at Pema Osel Ling in February 2001, delivered intensively over a week to serious dharma practitioners.

Why These Teachings Matter: The bardo section of the Do Gyud Dzod was the first section that Lama Tharchin Rinpoche personally chose to teach, as he felt its transmission would be of great benefit to his sangha practitioners. As described in the original retreat announcement: "Any complete 'bardo' teaching describes clearly the signs of death, experience of death, and life after death. This text provides more details than most other texts and stresses how we can use our understanding to attain enlightenment after death. Furthermore, its perspective is pure Dzogchen (Great Perfection)."

The Source: An Unprecedented Treasury

The Do Gyud Dzod (The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra) stands as one of the most comprehensive and authoritative collections in the Nyingma tradition. Composed by the great master Dzogchen Choying Tobden Dorje (1785-1848), one of the four spiritual heirs of the first Dodrubchen Rinpoche (Jigme Trinle Ozer), this monumental work spans 25 volumes and represents "the essence of the enlightened intention expressed in oceans of discourses and tantras." A Repkong ancestor of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, the author established the Dzogchen Namgyeling monastery in the Repkong valley. Bringing the wisdom of this text to the West was one of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche’s great visions and gong-dzok (fulfilling the lama’s wisdom intent) for his root lama and uncle, Lama Sherab Rinpoche. Thanks to the dedicated work of Alak Zenkar Rinpoche, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche, and the Tsadra Foundation, the Do Gyud Dzod has been preserved and is being made available in Tibetan with English translation.

Choying Tobden Dorje's bardo teachings draw particularly from Longchen Rabjampa's wisdom, offering a detailed exploration of the bardo states with special emphasis on the luminous bardo of dharmata (chönyi ösal gyi bardo)—the moment of greatest opportunity for liberation after death. The work also encompasses the natural bardo of this life (rang zhin kye-pay bardo), the painful bardo of dying (chikha nay chö kyi bardo), and the karmic bardo of becoming (si-pa lay kyi bardo).

As one contemporary master praised: "This eloquent composition... gathers in their entirety the essential points of the commentaries on the enlightened intention of oceanic discourses and tantras in general. And in particular, it articulates the profundity of the six million tantras of the path of Atiyoga, highest of the vehicles." (from Chenak Hūṃchen’s introduction to The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra, 2014)

Visit Shambhala Publications for more on The Complete Nyingma Tradition.

The Teachings Unfold

Teaching Structure: Rinpoche begins with an introduction to the natural bardo of this life, then explores the bardo of the time of death, building toward the central focus on the bardo of dharmata. The teachings progress systematically through the death process and the opportunities for liberation that arise in each phase. These teachings approach the bardos through the lens of the Great Perfection, pointing directly to recognizing the nature of mind.

What Members Receive

Core Content:

• Exclusive, edited audio recordings of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's 2001 bardo teachings for streaming and download
• Comprehensive teaching index for easy navigation and reference 
• Select transcripts of key portions or related material
• Additional material such as the Bardo Aspiration Prayer by Karma Lingpa

Supporting Resources:

• Streaming access to related video teachings from our library, such as Bardo Teachings from Esalen Institute 2005
• Early archival bardo teachings from Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's collection
• English translation of the bardo section from the Do Gyud Dzod will be available for purchase soon through Shambhala Publications (with Tsadra Foundation)

Evolving Content: Over the next 6-12 months, we will expand offerings to include additional resources for working with the bardos and time of death, as this approach continues to develop.

A Living Transmission

This series represents more than historical preservation—it offers a living transmission of essential wisdom for liberation. Whether you are a longtime practitioner familiar with Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's teachings or new to these profound instructions, these materials provide both foundational understanding and advanced guidance for one of dharma's most essential topics.

Honoring the Lineage

This expanded approach honors the complete scope of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's dharma transmission while acknowledging the ongoing support of our community in preserving and sharing these precious teachings. Through your participation, you join in making these rich resources available for heart students and Buddhist practitioners, continuing the lineage of wisdom that flows from Nyingma masters such as Longchen Rabjampa through Choying Tobden Dorje to Lama Tharchin Rinpoche and into our contemporary community.

The preservation and transmission of authentic dharma teachings require the dedication of the heart sangha. We deeply appreciate the continued support of our members and the Lama Tharchin Rinpoche Heritage Foundation in making Lama Tharchin Rinpoche's dharma legacy accessible to current and future generations of practitioners.

Photo of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche (probably Nepal, early 1980s; source unknown)