Khandro Tsering Chodron
Khandro Tsering Chodron was born in the Trehor region of Kham in the earth-snake year, 1929. Her mother, Dechen Tso (bde chen mtsho), was a princess from Ling (gling) who was married to two brothers,
Tutob Namgyel (mthu stobs rnam rgyal) and Sonam Tobgyel (bsod nams stobs rgyal), from the wealthy Aduk Lakar family (a sdug lwa dkar tshang).[1]
She had one sister, Tsering Wangmo (tshe ring dbang mo, b. 1925), and a brother who died in infancy. Her paternal grandmother, Tsering Lhamo (tshe ring lha mo), was an aunt of the Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpai Dorje (karma pa 16 rang byung rig pa'i rdo rje, 1924–1981).
Not much is known about Tsering Chodron's childhood, but she is said to have shown signs of the playfulness, independence, and humility that would be among her most commonly noted traits later in life. Sources also
say that she dressed simply and wore her hair short like a nun, although it is unclear whether she ever took any form of ordination.[2]
The Aduk Lakar family were wealthy traders who supported senior lamas from Kham and often hosted them at their home. It was on one such occasion, according to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (dil mgo mkhyen brtse, 1910–1991), that
Tsering Chodron, while still a young girl of about seven or eight, met Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse chos kyi blo gros, 1893–1959) for the first time.
A man named Yakze Terton (g.yag ze gter ston), who was also present, declared that the auspicious conditions were then created for Tsering Chodron to become Khyentse Chokyi Lodro's consort in the
future.[3] Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche tells a similar story but suggests that the meeting occurred even earlier, when Tsering Chodron was still only a baby, and identifies the terton who made the prediction as Drikung Terton Wosel Dorje ('bri gung gter ston 'od gsal rdo rje).[4]
In Tibetan Buddhism it is believed that union with a consort can extend one's lifespan. Chokyi Lodro, then fifty-five years old, had been ill for some time, and several lamas recommended that he take a consort for the
sake of his longevity. Tsering Chodron, then nineteen, was selected through a process of divination, which was apparently performed by Pelpung Situ Pema Wangchok Gyelpo (dpal spungs si tu pad+ma dbang mchog rgyal po, 1886–1952).[5]
Messengers were dispatched to her home and accompanied her back to Dzongsar (rdzong sar), Chokyi Lodro's seat. Dilgo Khyentse was among those who attended the wedding ceremony, during which she was formally invested
with the title of Khandro, and presented with lavish offerings and prayers for her longevity. Thereafter, Tsering Chodron was known as Khyentse Sangyum (mkhyen brtse gsang yum), or simply Khandro-la.
The union of Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, who held full monastic ordination, and Tsering Chodron was not without controversy. Some disciples objected on the grounds that it might set a dangerous precedent, especially for
younger lamas.[6] To dispel any doubts or misgivings among his students, Chokyi Lodro wrote a letter in which he emphasized the longevity-enhancing benefits of practices related to the third empowerment.[7]
The majority of Chokyi Lodro's followers accepted the identification of Tsering Chodron as an emanation of Shelkar Dorje Tso (shel dkar rdo rje mtsho), one of Padmasambhava's consorts, and regarded the marriage
as the fulfilment of prophecies made by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1820–1892), Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye ('jam mgon kong sprul blo gros mtha' yas, 1813–1899), and even Chokyi Lodro himself.
Soon after her move to Dzongsar, Tsering Chodron was assigned a tutor, Lama Tseten (bla ma tshe brtan, d.1956). She also began to receive teachings, empowerments, and reading transmissions from Khyentse Chokyi Lodro
and other senior teachers, including Gyarong Khandro Dechen Wangmo (rgya rong mkha' 'gro bde chen dbang mo, b. 1868?), an imposing female tantric practitioner and treasure revealer, whom Khyentse Chokyi Lodro relied upon for protection from black magic.
Khyentse Chokyi Lodro imparted advice to Tsering Chodron, sometimes in the form of songs, and composed a number of texts at her request, including a song of guru supplication in the genre of "calling the guru from afar"
(bla ma rgyang 'bod), a prayer to Gyarong Khandro, two torma offering liturgies, and a sādhana of Red Tārā. He also wrote a prayer for her longevity entitled "Removing Obstacles in the Life of the Ḍākinī" (Dā ki'i sku tshe'i 'phrang bzlog).
In 1953, Tsering Chodron was present when Gyarong Khandro is said to have "reopened" the sacred place of Khyungtak (khyung ltag) and revealed the Vajrakīla practice called Tsogyel's Whispered Transmission of Kīla (mtsho rgyal snyan brgyud phur pa) as an earth treasure (sa gter). Gyarong Khandro called upon
Tsering Chodron to assist her in the revelation, and thus the sādhana text refers to a "pair of ḍākinīs" (Dā ki zung) who extracted the treasure.[8]
When the Sakya Dakchen Rinpoche, Kunga Sonam (sa skya bdag chen kun dga' bsod nams, 1929–2016) visited Dzongsar Monastery in 1954, Khandro developed a close friendship with his wife, Dagmo Jamyang Sakya (bdag mo 'jam dbyangs sa skya, b. 1934). Together they received instruction in calligraphy, spelling, and drawing from the famed secretary Drungyik Tsering (drung yig tshe ring) and attended classes on tsa-lung (rtsa rlung) yoga.
Jamyang Sakya describes how they succumbed to fits of giggles as they attempted the more demanding physical postures.[9] Having acquired a sewing machine, the pair used it clandestinely to make clothes as gifts, continuing
to do so even after they were discovered by a lama who explained that such menial work was unbefitting for the wives of high-ranking lamas.[10]
In 1955 Jamyang Khyentse and Tsering Chodron left Dzongsar to escape the worsening situation in eastern Tibet under Communist Chinese occupation. They made their way to Lhasa, partly because Tsering Chodron and her sister Tsering Wangmo had never been and wished to visit its sacred sites. They also visited
Tsurpu (mtshur phu), where they met the Sixteenth Karmapa, and a number of other major pilgrimage destinations including Samye Chimphu (bsam yas mchims phu), Lhodrak (lho brag), Sakya (sa skya), and various other places en route to their final destination, Sikkim.
Along the way, Tsering Chodron's tutor, Lama Tseten, fell seriously ill. She cared for him in his final days before he died near the sacred lake of Yamdrok Tso (yar 'brog mtsho). The party reached Sikkim in 1956 and went on to India where they visited Bodhgaya and other sites connected with Buddha's life.
They then returned to Sikkim and took up residence in the Royal Chapel (gtsug lag khang) in Gangtok as guests of the royal family. Jamyang Khyentse was much in demand during this period, granting interviews and
teachings, bestowing empowerments, and performing rituals, most of which Tsering Chodron attended. She also accompanied him on his second trip to Bodhgaya and other pilgrimage places in India throughout the winter of 1957–58.
Khyentse Chokyi Lodro passed away on 12 June 1959. Tsering Chodron oversaw the offerings of provisions to the many lamas who carried out the ceremonial rites that followed. She was also among those who carried stones, earth, and sand up the hill at Tashiding in western Sikkim to the site where a stūpa was
constructed for his cremation. In the winter of 1960-61, she travelled once again to the sacred sites of India and Nepal, where she sponsored elaborate offerings dedicated to the fulfillment of all Chokyi Lodro's
aspirations. It was also around this time that she urged Dilgo Khyentse to compose Khyentse Chokyi Lodro's biography and begin the task of compiling and publishing her late husband's writings.
On September 2, 1968, some eight years after Chokyi Lodro's death, his reincarnation, Dzongsar Khyentse Norbu Tubten Chokyi Gyatso (rdzong sar mkhyen brtse nor bu thub bstan chos kyi rgya mtsho, b. 1961), was enthroned at the
Palace Monastery in Gangtok. Tsering Chodron participated in the ceremony and the rituals that followed. When she sang the feast song (tshogs glu) during one such ritual, Dilgo Khyentse remarked that he had never heard anything more beautiful in his life.[11]
Tsering Chodron lived for more than four decades at the Royal Chapel in Gangtok, in the presence of the stūpa that enshrined Khyentse Chokyi Lodro's relics. She lived in simple conditions and dedicated her time to reciting prayers, chanting mantras, drawing, and caring for animals. She is said to have read the entire Kangyur and Tengyur.
On the tenth day and twenty-fifth days of the Tibetan calendar she was often joined by other disciples of Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, or by his reincarnation, for a feast offering. Even though she never formally taught or gave empowerments, she was widely revered within the Tibetan Buddhist community and often received visits from people, including senior lamas, who sought nothing more than to spend time in her presence and receive her blessings.
Over the years, she made several trips abroad, mostly at the invitation of her nephew Sogyal Rinpoche (bsod rgyal rin po che, 1947–2019), the son of her sister Tsering Wangmo. She travelled to the United Kingdom a number of
times, beginning in 1981. In North America she visited Chogyam Trungpa (chos rgya drung pa, 1939–1987) and Tarthang Tulku (dar thang sprul sku, b. 1935), who were both former disciples of Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, and
she attended several large summer gatherings in France that included, among others, Dudjom Rinpoche (bdud 'joms rin po che, 1904–1987) and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
In April 1987 she visited Dezhung Rinpoche (sde gzhung rin po che, 1906–1987) in Kathmandu shortly before his death, and she was present at the inauguration of Dzogchen Monastery India (rgya dkar rdzogs chen)—
founded by her nephew the Seventh Dzogchen Rinpoche, Jigme Losel Wangpo (rdzogs chen 07 'jigs med blo gsal dbang po, b. 1964)—in Kollegal in South India in 1992.
In 2006, following concerns about her health, she travelled to Bir in northern India, and from there to Sogyal Rinpoche's center, Lerab Ling, in southern France, where her sister Tsering Wangmo was already
resident. There she lived out her final years, reciting liturgies, painting watercolors, attending feast offerings on special days, and meeting lamas, some of whom, such as Alak Zenkar Tupten Nyima (a lags gzan dkar thub btstan nyi ma, b. 1943), travelled regularly to visit her.
When her health deteriorated in 2011, Dzongsar Khyentse Norbu Rinpoche, the reincarnation of her husband Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, abandoned his teaching program in Australia in order to be by her side. Together with
several other lamas, he read Longchenpa's Treasury of the Dharmadhātu (chos dbyings mdzod) aloud in her presence. Following her death on May 30, a memorial website was created, hosting messages of condolence, reminiscences,
and prayers for her swift rebirth from lamas, friends, and senior figures in the Tibetan exile community.
An elaborate cremation ceremony led by Sakya Trichen Rinpoche (sa skya khri chen, b. 1945) took place in Lerab Ling on 2 September 2011, and a golden-domed stūpa was then constructed on the same site and consecrated by Sakya Trichen and other lamas in 2014.
[1] Note that the spelling of Aduk varies and Lakar is often spelt without the wa-zur as simply la dkar. It is generally thought that Tsering Chodron's biological father was Tutob Namgyel, while Sonam Tobgyel was the biological father of her sister, Tsering Wangmo.
[2] She is described as a nun in Dilgo Khyentse, Brilliant Moon p. 128, but this might be a mistranslation or simply a reference to her appearance. Orgyen Tobgyal relates in Life and Times (p. 159) that in her youth she denied wishing to become a nun but always kept her head shaved.
[3] Dilgo Khyentse, Brilliant Moon, p. 128.
[4] Dilgo Khyentse, Life and Times, p. 158.
[5] Dhongthog Rinpoche, p. 9.
[6] Dilgo Khyentse, Life and Times, p. 166.
[7] See Dilgo Khyentse, Life and Times, pp. 529–532.
[8] The text is included among the writings of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who received the transmission from Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. See Bkra shis dpal 'byor, "Mtsho rgyal snyan brgyud phur pa me yi spu gri," in volume 10 of his Collected Works, pp 33–41 (TBRC W21809).
[9] Jamyang Sakya, p. 170.
[10] Jamyang Sakya, pp. 172–173.
[11] Dilgo Khyentse, Brilliant Moon, p. 210.
_________________________________________________
Publication of this biography was made possible with the generous support of National Endowment for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Additional Bios Sponsored By National Endowment for the Humanities
Adam Pearcey is the founder of Lotsawa House. He completed his PhD at SOAS, University of London, in 2018 with a thesis on Dzogchen, scholasticism and sectarian identity in early twentieth-century Tibet. Read more at adamspearcey.com.
Published December 2021
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མཁའ་འགྲོ་ཚེ་རིང་ཆོས་སྒྲོན།
b.1929 - d.2011
AUTHOR
TRADITION
TEACHERS
The Second Dzongsar Khyentse, Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro
HISTORICAL PERIOD
20th Century
INSTITUTION
Name variants: Khandro Tsering Chodron
Wylie: mkha' 'gro tshe ring chos sgron
'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. 2021. Rje btsun bla ma 'jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros dpal bzang po’i rnam thar cha shas tsam brjod pa.In Gsung'bum/_'jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros,vol. 1, pp. 351-738.Bir, H.P.: Khyentse Labrang. TBRC W1KG12986.
'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. 2021. Shing lug gnas skor 'gro tshul gyi lam yig tshe yi 'phrang sgrol.In Gsung 'bum/_'jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros, vol. 2, pp. 27-236.Bir, H.P.: Khyentse Labrang. TBRC W1KG12986.
Bkra shis dpal ‘byor. 1994. Mtsho rgyal snyan brgyud phur pa me yi spu gri. In Gsung 'bum/_rab gsal zla ba, vol. 10, pp. 33-41.Delhi: Shechen publications.TBRC W21809.
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Dilgo Khyentse. 2017. The Life and Times of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. Boston: Shambhala Publications.
Dhongthog Rinpoche. 2004.Sde gzhung lung rigs sprul sku'i gsung zin phyogs bsgrigs. Seattle: Sapan Institute.
Gayley, Holly. 2018. ‘Revisiting the “Secret Consort” (Gsang Yum) in Tibetan Buddhism’. Religions 9 (6): 179.
Haas, Michaela. 2013. Dakini Power: Twelve Extraordinary Women Shaping the Transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. Boston: Snow Lion.
Jackson, David P. 2003. A Saint in Seattle: The Life of the Tibetan Mystic Dezhung Rinpoche. Boston: Wisdom Publications.
Jamyang Sakya and Julie Emery. 1990. Princess in the Land of Snows: The Life of Jamyang Sakya in Tibet. Boston & Shaftesbury: Shambhala.
Sogyal Rinpoche. 2002. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Revised ed. New York: HarperCollins. First published 1992.
Tulku Thondup. 1996. Masters of Meditation and Miracles: The Longchen Nyingthig Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Shambhala Publications.
