LOSAR – Tendrel Nyesel Drupchö
Dates: 16 – 23 February 2027
Tendrel Nyesel is famed as a practice dedicated specifically to averting the inauspiciousness of the times and is said to be one of the most powerful practices for bringing peace and stability in the world. The Rigpa community is one of very few sanghas who uphold the lineage of this practice. We hold a special responsibility to keep the lineage of this practice alive!
Participating in a Tendrel Nyesel practice intensive—drupchö—during the Tibetan New Year (Losar) period, is the best and fastest way to become familiar with or deepen your practice of this profound sadhana!
With global events hanging in the balance, this powerful practice is considered by many lamas to be particularly timely and of very great significance. Through seven days of intensive practice together, we can direct the power of this practice to the current world situation, for the success of all Rigpa’s projects and for the many individual prayer requests offered during this drupchö.
The empowerment of Tendrel Nyesel was recently given by Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche in Lerab Ling (November 2024, September 2026) and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (December 2025). This enables those who received the empowerment to fully participate in the practice.
All practice sessions will be held and guided by Rigpa Senior Practice Holders and each year an updated collection of short evocative teachings are shared to inspire our practice.
Highlights will include
• Tuesday 16 February: Guru Rinpoche day & Tertön Sogyal’s anniversary
• Saturday 20 February: Chotrul Düchen (one of the four major annual Buddhist festivals which occurs on the 15th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar. The first fifteen days of the year celebrate the fifteen days on which, in order to increase the merit and the devotion of future disciples, Buddha displayed a different miracle each day.)
• Monday 22 February: Siddhis day
• Tuesday 23 February: Jinsek (Fire Ceremony)
The Tibetan New Year (Losar) period is traditionally a very important time for practice in all Tibetan Monasteries. Holding annual drupchös during this period in Lerab Ling was very much initiated by Sogyal Rinpoche, and the Lerab Ling practice team does its utmost to continue this annual tradition of group Vajrayana practice for the benefit of the whole sangha and all beings.
In particular, during the first month of the Tibetan calendar (this year 7 February – 8 March), the Holy month of Bumjur Dawa, the effects of positive actions are said to be multiplied 100,000 times. Therefore practice is emphasized during this period.
It is said that several days participating in a drupchö or drupchen can yield the same results as years of solitary retreat, and great contemporary masters such as Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche have made a point of encouraging and reviving the practice of drupchen, because of its power of transformation.
WHO THIS EVENT IS FOR?
The Tendrel Nyesel drupchö is recommended for established Ngöndro students and Dzogchen Mandala students who have already received a Tendrel Nyesel or Guru Rinpoche empowerment.
WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN?
Drupchös are most suited for students who:
- Have a firm grounding in the practice of ngöndro, which includes having received all the ngöndro teachings, up to and including guru yoga,
- Have started their ngöndro accumulations;
- Have already received some instructions for sadhana practice, including a basic understanding of the key principles of the Vajrayana. This means you have either followed:
- Rigpa’s study and practice programme of the Vajrayana cycle from the Three-year retreat, Home Retreat or Vajrayana online retreats streamed from Lerab Ling,
- Or you received these instructions during previous drupchens with Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche,
- Or you are a student from a sangha other than Rigpa and have received these instructions from a qualified Vajrayana teacher.
Please note – To participate in this drupchö, a Tendrel Nyesel or a Guru Rinpoche empowerment is absolutely required.
PREPARING YOURSELF FOR THIS EVENT
You can support your practice by studying the Kyerim and Tendrel Nyesel sections of A Guide to Vajrayana Practice for the Rigpa Sangha which is available at ZAM. This will help make your participation as meaningful as possible.
Which texts to bring:
- Medium Tendrel Nyesel for Drupchö practice
- Daily Sadhana Book
Read more information: How to access Vajrayana materials on ZAM.
TEACHERS
This event is held and presided by Lerab Ling’s team of Senior Practice Holders, with the help of the whole Practice and Chopön team.
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE
Please note that on Day 1 for Terton Sogyal’s Anniversary the schedule will be completely different, still starting at 8am, but also including Yang Nying Pudri, another terma revelation of Terton Sogyal, and possibly an evening streaming for the sangha.
Daily Schedule
08.00 – 10.00 Medium Tendrel Nyesel session 1
short break
10.30 – 12.30 Medium Tendrel Nyesel session 2
lunch break
14.30 – 16.15 Riwo Sangchö, Brief Tendrel Nyesel session 3,
Additional Practices, Extended Dharmapalas
short break
17.00 – 18.45 Narak Kong Shak,
Medium Tendrel Nyesel Tsok & Conclusion
Please note that on the second last day – for the Drupchö siddhis the schedule will be different, and might start earlier in the morning. On 23 February we will conclude this Losar drupchö period with a Jinsek (fire ceremony), to help the results to ripen more quickly.
MORE INFORMATION
• Rigpa’s Study & Practice page on Tendrel Nyesel
• Rigpa Shedra Wiki articles on: drupchö
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
START Tuesday 16 February at 8am
END Tuesday 23 February at 7pm
REGISTRATION AND BADGE/KEY COLLECTION
Monday 15 February: 2pm – 6pm
Tuesday 16 February: 12pm – 2pm
If arriving after 6pm on Monday, please notify registration@rigpa.org
