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Khandro Thrinlay Chodon
was born in Lahoul, which is known in the dharma texts as the
'Land of the Dakinis'. She was born into a family of great Tibetan
yogis who were renowned for their extensive and pure practice.
She has therefore been trained since childhood in the practices
of Vajrayana Buddhism, and grew up in an environment where spirituality
was an integral part of everyday life. |
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Due to a generous
sponsorship from an Australian man named Laurie Seaman, and
also to the visionary encouragement of her parents, Khandro-la
was able to attend a catholic boarding school in Kullu. The
school was only two hours from her family home so she could
keep regular contact with her family and ancient culture. At
the school she learnt English and received the beginnings of
her excellent western academic education. Khandro-la went on
to earn her B.A. in Psychology from Punjab University in Chandigarh,
India, in 1986 and then in 1998, she graduated with an M.A.
in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral
Studies, San Francisco, USA. |
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Khandro-la's family
holds the lineage of the Drukpa Kargyud tradition. Her great
grandfather, Togden Shakya Shri, was a realized master in both
Dzogchen and Mahamudra, and was widely renowned for skillfully
combining these two views. Her father Apho Rinpoche, a widely
respected master, was responsible for strongly reviving the
Drukpa Kagyud tradition in Lahoul, Ladakh, Manali, Zanskar and
Pangey, where he established several retreat centers in these
Himalayan regions. He was also one of the first Dharma teachers
to teach western students. Khandro-la's mother Sangyum Urgyen
Chodon, was her constant guide and source of inspiration both
in her spiritual and worldly life. It was Khandro-la's mother
who first sowed the seed for Khandro-la's enduring passion for
the Buddhist teachings and practice in daily life. She was an
accomplished yogini, a loving mother and a friend to all. |
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Khandro-la trained
as a child with the late Gegen Khyentse Rinpoche, a master of
the Six Yogas of Naropa and Mahamudra. She received from him
all the empowerments, transmissions and teachings of her Drukpa
Kargyud lineage. Khandro-la also studied with the late Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche, the greatest Tibetan Buddhist master of the
modern era. She has practiced in solitary retreat in the mountains
of Nepal, at Tato Pani Bhakang under the guidance of Sengdrak
Rinpoche - a master known for his humbleness and ascetic practices. |
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In 1998, Khandro-la
married His Holiness the 9th Shabdrung Ngawang Jigme. It was
a marriage of pure love and devotion. Khandro-la tirelessly
assisted Shabdrung Rinpoche with the many duties of his role
as head of the Drukpa Kargyud lineage of Bhutan. In so doing
she was an inspiration to many. As consort of this great master
Khandro-la cared for and assisted not only Rinpoche but also
his projects and all those connected to them and him. Khandro-la
intimately assisted in the establishment of Shabdrung Rinpoche's
monasteries in Bodhgaya, Kalimpong and Manali. Very sadly His
Holiness passed away on 4th April 2003. Khandro-la derives her
current title through her marriage to Shabdrung Rinpoche. "Khandro"
(also known as dakini in Sanskrit) refers to the wisdom quality
within the feminine essence. It is literally translated as "skygoer". |
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Since the unfortunate
death of her late husband Khandro-la has fully devoted herself
to bringing to life her long time vision of Khachodling. She
sees this project as an outer and inner spiritual practice.
In order to bring this project to life she has been traveling
and teaching in Europe, Argentina, the United States, Australia
and Taiwan. In her travels she has inspired many people by the
depth of her devotion and wisdom of her lineage. |
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Khandro-la's western
education, together with her profound knowledge of the Tibetan
Buddhist practices and culture has meant that she has always
been able to provide a bridge for westerners seeking spiritual
understanding of the Tibetan Buddhist teaching. Both Gegen Khyentse
and His Holiness Shabdrung Rinpoche always entrusted Khandro-la
as their translator for western students. Khandro-la provided
invaluable input to Tsultrim Allione's book "Women of Wisdom",
which is a unique chronicle of the lives and teachings of some
of Tibet's great women yogis. In recent years Khandro-la has
been leading pilgrimages to sacred sites and ceremonies as an
invaluable introduction and training for her Western students
and friends. Now her biggest project and in fact her life's
work is Khachodling - a project that seeks to bridge east and
west in spiritual training and social action. Please click to
read more about the Khachodling Projects |
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One of the many aims
of Khachodling is to support the training of women in spiritual
practice, particularly the nuns of her lineage in the Himalayas
where support is much needed in the face of extinction. Seeing
the quiet and pure practice of her own mother has inspired Khandro-la
since she was a child. Then under the supervision of her master
Gegen Khyentse, Khandro-la guided nuns and laywomen in their
practice. Her late husband also encouraged her to offer similar
support to the nuns and laywomen of his lineage. Khandro-la
continues this important work and has vowed to help both nuns
and laywomen wherever possible to deepen their practice in retreat
and daily life. |
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Khandro-la's journey
has taken her to this point in time when another chapter of
her life is opening. She has articulated that her joy in and
love for her family, teachers and husband, and the grief she
has suffered as they have passed away have caused her to fully
realise the impermanence and transcience of this life experience
and has reinforced to her the preciousness of the Buddha Dharma
as the only source of happiness in this world. Her focus in
this chapter of her life is to realise the potential of her
vision for Khachodling, to reach out to students across the
world and share her experience and deep connection with her
precious lineage in order to inspire them and support their
own spirtitual awakening to further benefit beings in this age. |
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"All this I offer to
my gurus"
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