Archivist's Introduction

If serious followers of the Buddha dharma in general and especially of the Vajrayana
have the aspiration to follow in detail and depth,
or even just to browse or bear witness to the expression of true mahasiddhas,
they can do no better than to read and practice the Dudjom Tersar.

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

(read the full letter)

It is with great joy that we welcome you to the Dudjom Tersar, a Tsadra Foundation Project website dedicated to presenting digital editions of the literary works of the incomparable masters of the Dudjom lineage, along with associated materials necessary for their transmission and practice. Envisioned as an ever-expanding archive and repository for all things Dudjom, it is our sincere wish that this site not only preserves these precious treasures, but acts as a catalyst for their continued dissemination and implementation for generations to come.

The Profound Treasures of Dudjom Lingpa

This site features the twenty-one volume collection entitled the Secret Dharma Series of the Profound Treasures of the Emanation Treasure Revealer Dudjom Lingpa (Sprul pa'i gter chen bdud 'joms gling pa'i zab gter gsang ba'i chos sde). Based on the earlier 1978 edition in twenty volumes published under the name Dupjung Lama and predominantly written in unheaded Tibetan script (dbu med), the 2004 edition printed in an easier to read typeface in headed Tibetan script (dbu can), also includes an extra volume of commentarial works related to some of Dudjom Lingpa's most celebrated Dzogchen revelations, namely Snang sbyang and the Shes rig rdo rje rnon po'i rgyud.

      The collection itself is initially structured around a series of practices drawn from his various treasure cycles, beginning with peaceful guru practices and progressing through an extensive list of yidam, ḍākinī, and dharma protectors. Nevertheless, the majority of the first nine volumes are drawn from his sole earth treasure (sa gter) the Zab gsang mkha' 'gro'i snying thig. Other major cycles included are his mind treasures (dgongs gter) Chos nyid nam mkha'i klong mdzod and the Ma ha a ti yo ga'i zab chos dgongs pa klong rdol, as well as his pure vision (dag snang) Dag snang ye shes drwa ba revelations. While, by his own account, he was an embodiment of the wrathful Guru Dorje Drolö, he is perhaps best known for his revelations of the deities Vajrakilaya (Rdo rje phur pa) and Krodikali (Khros ma nag mo), treasure practices that continue to be prized for their enduring potency.

      Though for the most ardent aficionados of Dudjom Lingpa's treasures, some of the most prized are the revelations found in volume seventeen. The extensive TTDL-ZABTER-17-TSA-001 is one of the most remarkable treasures of, not only, the Dudjom Tersar, but the Nyingma Terma tradition, on the whole. A Dzogchen text that embodies its subject matter so perfectly is rarely seen. Much like Dudjom Lingpa, himself, whose autobiographical works fill volume nineteen and are equally awe inspiring and precious.

      Then there are the works of his disciples that fill the last two volumes. Commentaries that open the door to the vast troves of Dudjom Lingpa's wisdom. Pema Lungtok Gyamtso's voluminous TTDL-ZABTER-20-WA-001 is an endless well of guidance for Thröma practitioners. And the TTDL-ZABTER-21-AA-002 and the TTDL-ZABTER-21-AA-003 commentaries by Sera Khandro and Pema Tashi, respectively, are like the best local mountain guides that know the secret paths to pristine hidden valleys and majestic vistas that would otherwise be unreachable without their intimate instructions.

      Simply put, Traktung Dudjom Lingpa was one of the last of the Great Tertöns, the likes of which we may never see again, and this collection is a glorious monument to that fact. Blessed be the scribes who worked tirelessly under his terrifying gaze so that we can still marvel at and imbibe these precious treasures.

The Collected Works of Dudjom Rinpoche Jikdral Yeshe Dorje

Also featured is the twenty-five volume collected works of Dudjom Jikdral Yeshe Dorje entitled the Jewel Treasury of the Precious Sacred Dharma (Dam chos rin chen nor bu'i bang mdzod) also published by Dupjung Lama and produced subsequently to the above collection from 1979-1985. More than just an emanation of his predecessor, Dudjom Rinpoche was one of the great luminaries of the last generation of Nyingma lamas trained in old Tibet who had an immensely impactful influence upon the Nyingma tradition that we see today. He not only ushered the Dudjom Lineage into the modern era, but the Nyingma tradition as well. A meticulous scholar and grammarian, in addition to his own encyclopedic works on Nyingma history, philosophical tenets, and the three disciplinary vows, he also oversaw the production of a fifty-eight volume edition of the expanded Nyingma Kama literature, the Snga 'gyur bka' ma rgyas pa. He was truly one of the great stalwarts of the Nyingma tradition and its literary heritage.

      To say that Dudjom Rinpoche was a prolific writer is an understatement. Beyond his historical and scholastic works that gathered together centuries of Tibetan literature into single volumes, and his treasures that burst forth onto paper when auspicious circumstances aligned, he also wrote on all manner of ritual subjects with clarity, purpose, and precision. His compilation of the Chos spyod kyi rim pa rnam par grol ba'i lam gyi shing rta, has become a ubiquitous source for common prayers recited before and after religious services. His liturgical arrangements range from expansively detailed frameworks (sgrub khog) for weeklong rituals, to concise notes (zin bris) that outline the order of a single session or days long retreats. From the empowerment bestowed to the sādhana practiced, Dudjom Rinpoche provided all of them in writing. Furthermore, he was constantly pressed upon to write short prayers or liturgies, which he often did spontaneously at the very moment he was requested. His collected works are filled with the outcome of such requests, and surely there must be many more pieces of his writings floating around that have yet to come to light. His collection of highly succinct daily deity practices, the Dngos grub 'dod 'jo'i gter bum, fills more than a hundred pages. Of course, he could not have written any of these without being extremely learned, a fact substantiated by the full three volumes of records of teachings he received (thob yig). Yet the beauty of his prose suggests a deeper well from which he could effortlessly draw. One that lies beyond ordinary intellect, or even genius, in the ethereal realm of the sublime.

      An eminent revealer of treasures in his own right, his contributions to the Dudjom Tersar are profound. From his revelations of Dorje Drolö and Vajrakilaya to the expansive Zab lam mkha' 'gro'i thugs thig cycle, his treasures possess a quality that is difficult to express but impossible to deny. Yet, he also made great efforts to preserve the transmissions of the revelations of long established and deeply cherished treasure traditions. Not only did he arrange and codify the treasures of his own incarnation line, such as those of Dudjom Lingpa and Dudul Dorje, he was also entrusted as a custodian of the treasures of his contemporary tertöns and became a conduit of the transmission of the old treasures of major tertöns the likes of Sangye Lingpa, Karma Lingpa, Orgyen Lingpa, Dorje Lingpa, Pema Lingpa and so on. Through his skills as a masterful liturgist he breathed new life into the treasures he received. His arrangements for the practices of the Thugs sgrub gter kha bdun 'dus, Bka' brgyad gter kha dgu 'dus, and the Thugs chen gter kha gsum 'dus divert the rivers of transmission of some of the most important ancient treasures into a single stream, ensuring their continued validity and vitality in the present day.

      The collected works of Dudjom Jikdral Yeshe Dorje lays bare the monumental achievements of an astoundingly prodigious master and peerless champion of the Nyingma tradition. The first four volumes are filled by Dudjom Rinpoche's historical and scholastic works, the next five volumes are dedicated to preserving the transmissions and practices of the major Nyingma tertöns of the past, followed by another four volumes solely on the treasures of Dudjom Lingpa. Two full volumes of which house the celebrated Bdud 'joms gnam lcags spu gri, Dudjom Rinpoche's reconfigured cycle on Vajrakilaya that he extracted from Dudjom Lingpa's massive four hundred and fifty page root treasure and meticulously arranged into a complete path unto itself with fourteen hundred pages of newly composed liturgical texts. The Dudjom Lingpa volumes are then followed by another dedicated to the treasures entrusted to him by his contemporary Zilnön Namkhai Dorje. Thus it is not until volume fifteen that we begin to see his own treasures and many of the practices we most readily associate with Dudjom Rinpoche. Considering that this collection was produced during his own lifetime and undoubtedly under his direction, this placement speaks volumes about his character and his committed service to the Nyingma legacy he had inherited. Though it is certainly possible to be a Nyingmapa without being a Dudjompa, Dudjom Rinpoche made it nearly impossible to be his follower and not be deeply connected to his vast and rich Nyingma heritage. He was truly the present day regent of Padmasambhava (da lta pad 'byung rgyal tshab).

Finally, I must of course acknowledge the shortcomings of my efforts to catalog and bring these texts to digital publication. The site is not finished and the process of improving existing content and adding more as it becomes available will continue indefinitely. I cannot guarantee that I have not introduced any mistakes, though I can guarantee that they will be quickly fixed once they have been brought to my attention.

Morten Ostensen, Boudhanath October 16, 2025