Vajrayana Program: Ngöndro and Beyond

*Our new Vajrayana Program began in January 2024

Openings Available for 2025

Our Vajrayana Program is the 3rd program in Sukhasiddhi Foundation’s Depth Practice Program structure. The Vajrayana Program is a deep dive into Vajrayana practices and the teachings that support them. These brilliantly designed practices provide a profound method that guides us in recognizing ours and others’ innate awakened qualities as they support us in recognizing the sacred in every aspect and moment of our lives.

In this program, students will undertake the Shangpa Kagyu ngöndro as well as a rich curriculum of other Vajrayana practices such as Medicine Buddha, Amitabha, White Tara, Four Tantric Deities, and more. In addition to in-depth study of Vajrayana theory, students will also study and contemplate the philosophical basis of the teachings.

This program is designed to prepare students for the primary practices traditionally undertaken in the Shangpa three-year retreat.

Fee: $450 per quarter or $1800 for the year; payment plans available

Program Structure

The 7-year program curriculum will be delivered in the following way: 

  • Six 1-2 day weekend retreats per year – beginning in January

  • Four 2 to 3 hour meetings per year

Program Commitments:

  • 1 year commitment which can be renewed annually

  • Daily individual practice. Students will consult with the program teacher on the time commitment to daily practice.

  • Quarterly interviews with the teacher

  • June Sukhasiddhi Sangha Retreat

  • Sukhasiddhi Foundation Membership

  • Attend required empowerments when scheduled

Students will also be strongly urged to attend special teachings of a few retreats by teachers at Sukhasiddhi Foundation.

Financial Requirements:

Fee: $450 per quarter or $1800 for the year; payment plans available. All fees paid to Sukhasiddhi Foundation are tax-deductible as religious contributions.

Teacher:

Lama Döndrup

Curriculum Includes:

Study Topics

  • Living Life from a Vajrayana Perspective

  • Mandala Principle

  • Teacher-Student Relationship at the Vajrayana Level

  • Samaya in Vajrayana and Mahamudra

  • Vajrayana Theory

  • Empowerment

  • Death and Dying: Bardo Study 

  • Two Truths

  • View, Conduct, and Meditation

  • 5 Texts of Maitreya (initiating this study)

Practices:

  • Shangpa Ngöndro

    • Refuge & Prostrations

    • Vajrasattva

    • Mandala Offering

    • Guru Yoga

  • Medicine Buddha

  • Amitabha

  • White Tara

  • Four Tantric Deities

  • Milarepa

  • Lujong

Prerequisites

  • 7 years meditation experience including:

    • Shamatha

    • Vipashyana

    • Tonglen

    • Basic Vajrayana practice (Tara and/or Chenrezig)

  • Foundational Studies in Buddhism:

    • 4 Noble Truths

    • 5 Skandhas

    • 8 Consciousnesses

    • Dependent Origination

    • Karma

    • Two Truths (basic understanding)

    • 5 Buddha Families

Specific Mahayana Studies:

  • Bodhicaryāvatāra by Shantideva

  • 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva

  • Lojong & 7 Point Mind Training

  • Madhyamaka and Analytical Meditation

TEACHER

Lama Döndrup oversees the curriculum and offerings at Sukhasiddhi, in collaboration with the lamas and dharma leaders on the teachers council.

Lama Döndrup has been practicing and studying in the Buddhist tradition since the mid-1990’s. After five years of Theravadin Buddhist training, she immersed herself in the teachings and practices of the Shangpa and Kagyu Vajrayana lineages. In 2005, she completed a traditional three-year retreat under the guidance of Lama Palden and Lama Drupgyu with the blessing of her root guru, Bokar Rinpoche and was authorized as a lama. Upon her return to Marin County, she began teaching at Sukhasiddhi Foundation. In January 2020, as Lama Palden’s successor, she stepped into the role of Resident Lama, guiding the Center’s ministerial work. 

Lama Döndrup’s teaching style is thorough and clear yet with light touch as she supports the natural unfolding of each student’s innate wisdom and compassion. She aims to preserve the authenticity of the tradition while making the teachings and practices relevant and accessible to the lives of 21st century Westerners. 

In addition to her Buddhist practice, Lama Döndrup trained the Ridhwan School’s Diamond Approach for seven years and has a Master of Fine Arts degree in piano performance. She is an active classical pianist and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area.