Khandro Rinpoche
Encyclopedia
Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche (birth name Tsering Paldrön, born August 19, 1967) is a rare example of a female Tibetan Buddhist
lama. Born in Kalimpong, India
and the daughter of His Holiness the late Mindrolling Trichen
, Khandro Rinpoche was, at the age of two, recognized by Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
the 16th Karmapa
as the re-incarnation of the Great Dakini
of Tsurphu
, Khandro Ugyen Tsomo, who was one of the most well known female masters of her time. Khandro Urgyen Tsomo was the consort
to the 15th Gyalwa Karmapa Khakyab Dorje
(1871–1922) and an incarnation of Yeshe Tsogyal
.,. Her name is in fact her title, Khandro being Tibetan for Dakini
and Rinpoche
being an honorific usually reserved for Tulku
s, willfully incarnate lama
s, which means "precious one."
Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche is a teacher in both the Kagyu
and Nyingma
schools of Tibetan Buddhism
. She speaks fluent English, Tibetan, and Hindi dialects and has completed a Western education at St. Joseph's Convent, Wynberg Allen, and St. Mary's Convent, both in India. Rinpoche has been teaching in Europe, North America and Southeast Asia since 1987. She has established and heads the Samten Tse Retreat Center in Mussoorie
, India, and she is also resident teacher at Lotus Garden Retreat Center in Virginia, USA. She is also actively involved with the administration of the Mindroling Monastery in Dehradun
, India. Additionally, she is interested in interfaith dialogue and currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute
.
According to Judith Simmer-Brown:
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
lama. Born in Kalimpong, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the daughter of His Holiness the late Mindrolling Trichen
Mindrolling Trichen
The eleventh Mindrolling Trichen , Trichen Jurme Kunzang Wangyal was a lama of the Nyingma-school, the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism and had been responsible for the administrative affairs for the school in exile as the ceremonial head of the lineage...
, Khandro Rinpoche was, at the age of two, recognized by Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
the 16th Karmapa
Karmapa
The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....
as the re-incarnation of the Great Dakini
Dakini
A dakini is a tantric deity described as a female embodiment of enlightened energy. In the Tibetan language, dakini is rendered khandroma which means 'she who traverses the sky' or 'she who moves in space'. Sometimes the term is translated poetically as 'sky dancer' or 'sky walker'. The dakini, in...
of Tsurphu
Tsurphu Monastery
Tsurphu Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery which served as the traditional seat of the Karmapa. It is located in Gurum town of Doilungdêqên County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, 70 km from Lhasa. The monastery is about 14,000 feet above sea level...
, Khandro Ugyen Tsomo, who was one of the most well known female masters of her time. Khandro Urgyen Tsomo was the consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
to the 15th Gyalwa Karmapa Khakyab Dorje
Khakyab Dorje
The fifteenth Karmapa, Khakyab Dorje , spoke the mantra of Chenrezig "Om mani peme hung" at his birth in Sheikor village in Tsang province in Central Tibet. Five years later he was able to read the scriptures....
(1871–1922) and an incarnation of Yeshe Tsogyal
Yeshe Tsogyal
Yeshe Tsogyal , was the consort of the great Indian tantric teacher Padmasambhava, the founder-figure of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Nyingma tradition considers her equal in realization to Padmasambhava himself. The meditational practices related to her, stress her enlightened...
.,. Her name is in fact her title, Khandro being Tibetan for Dakini
Dakini
A dakini is a tantric deity described as a female embodiment of enlightened energy. In the Tibetan language, dakini is rendered khandroma which means 'she who traverses the sky' or 'she who moves in space'. Sometimes the term is translated poetically as 'sky dancer' or 'sky walker'. The dakini, in...
and Rinpoche
Rinpoche
Rinpoche or Rinboqê is an honorific used in Tibetan Buddhism. It literally means "precious one," and is used to address or describe Tibetan lamas and other high-ranking or respected teachers. This honor is generally bestowed on reincarnated lamas, or Tulkus, by default...
being an honorific usually reserved for Tulku
Tulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
s, willfully incarnate lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
s, which means "precious one."
Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche is a teacher in both the Kagyu
Kagyu
The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...
and Nyingma
Nyingma
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
schools of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. She speaks fluent English, Tibetan, and Hindi dialects and has completed a Western education at St. Joseph's Convent, Wynberg Allen, and St. Mary's Convent, both in India. Rinpoche has been teaching in Europe, North America and Southeast Asia since 1987. She has established and heads the Samten Tse Retreat Center in Mussoorie
Mussoorie
Mussoorie is a city and a municipal board in the Dehradun District of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is located about 35 km from the state capital of Dehradun and 290 km north from the national capital of New Delhi...
, India, and she is also resident teacher at Lotus Garden Retreat Center in Virginia, USA. She is also actively involved with the administration of the Mindroling Monastery in Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
, India. Additionally, she is interested in interfaith dialogue and currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute
The Elijah Interfaith Institute
The Elijah Interfaith Institute is a nonprofit, international, interfaith organization which was founded by Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein in 1997. Its mission is to foster peace between the world's diverse faith communities through interfaith dialogue, education, research and dissemination...
.
According to Judith Simmer-Brown:
Rinpoche has always been careful not to cast herself as a feminist in the Western sense. One could think that she has been careful in this way for political reasons, but I think it’s more than that. I think she understands something very deep about her Western students: we need to go more deeply, egolessly, into our own gender issues so as not to be ensnared by genderGenderGender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
. Then we could embrace our gender and act without the kind of confusion and resentment that usually haunts us. I really learned that from her.
Other Texts online
- Compassion and Wisdom by Venerable Khandro Rinpoche
- Living the Dharma by Khandro Rinpoche