Biography
Her Eminence Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche is the daughter of His
Holiness Mindrolling Trichen who was head of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism and one of
the most renowned Tibetan Lamas of our time up until his parinirvana in February 2008. Born into the Mindrolling
lineage, which throughout its history has had many accomplished female masters,
Khandro Tsering Paldrön was recognized at the age of two by His Holiness the 16th
Karmapa as the re-incarnation of the Great Dakini of
Tsurphu, Khandro Ugyen Tsomo, one of the most renowned female masters of her time. The present Jetsün Khandro
Rinpoche holds the lineages of both the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions.
Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche has received teachings and transmissions from some of the most accomplished masters of the 20th century, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness Kyabje Mindrolling Trichen, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, His Eminence Trulzhig Rinpoche, His Eminance Tenga Rinpoche, His Eminance Tsetrul Rinpoche and His Eminance Tullku Ugyen Rinpoche.
Rinpoche maintains a rigorous schedule, teaching from both the Kagyu and Nyingma tradtions in the USA including Hawaii, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Greece. She has established and heads the Samten Tse Retreat Center in Mussoori, India, which is home to 30 nuns and also provides a place of study and retreat for monastics and western lay practitioners. Rinpoche has established her North American seat at Lotus Garden in rural Virginia, USA, which provides retreat practice, the study of crucial Buddhist texts, and hosts visiting teachers from all lineages. Rinpoche is also actively involved with the administration of Mindrolling Monastery in Dehra Dun, India.
Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche also heads a variety of charitable projects that supply health care and Buddhist education for monastics and lay practitioners who work side by side in a variety of challenging settings — including a leprosy project.
Her first book, entitled This Precious Life: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on the Path to Enlightenment, was published by Shambhala Publications in 2003.
PHOTO GALLERY
Top left to bottom left: Rinpoche as a young child; as a young girl; as a young adult; Rinpoche with her sister, Jetsün Dechen Paldrön, head of the Dharmashri Translation Group.
Top right: Rinpoche and her family depicted on a decorative plate (circa 1980s): From left to right Khandro Tsering Paldrön, her father His Holiness Mindrolling with the family dog, her mother Sangyum Sonam Paldrön, younger sister Jetsun Dechen Paldrön.
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