Jetsunma is currently on retreat at the Palyul Retreat Center in McDonough, New York. Her intention while on retreat is to connect with her Palyul family, and to spend time with His Holiness Karma Kuchen. Jetsunma has been doing her heart practice, Chime Tsog Thig and Guru Yoga every day.
Jetsunma has encouraged her students that have never attended Palyul Retreat in New York to please do so, indicating that the Palyul Retreat center built by Kyabje Penor Rinpoche in 1998 will help her students to receive the entire cycle of Nam Cho teachings. Terton Migyur Dorje revealed the Nam Cho termas (hidden teachings) hundreds of years ago. These are the same teachings taught at the New York Palyul Retreat Center during the annual summer retreat.
Jetsunma has also invited all retreatants at the Palyul Retreat Center to come to KPC throughout the year, to help them continue their practices in an environment that supports their Path. While in retreat, Jetsunma has continuously spoken of the countless blessings His Holiness Penor Rinpoche brought into the world, and has written beautiful prayers for His Holiness Penor Rinpoche and His Holiness Karma Kuchen. She vows to uphold Kyabje Penor Rinpoche and work to ensure that His blessings continue to thrive in the world.
How did His Holiness Penor Rinpoche meet Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo?
In June of 1985, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche came to the United States and visited an American woman in Kensington, Maryland. It was his first trip to the United States, and this was his only stop. They had a wonderful summer meal outside on a patio, and many have talked about the laughter and joy that was shared that day. His Holiness then proceeded to interview the students this American woman had gathered and began asking these students what she was teaching them. After the interviews were completed, he called the American woman in to speak with her. He told her that that she was teaching her students, no matter what she called it, were the basic teachings of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is characterized by the bodhisattva ideal in which one seeks enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, not just oneself.
While in Maryland, His Holiness bestowed refuge and bodhisattva vows on the American woman, and her students. He also approved the refuge vow that she had been giving to her students as an authentic refuge vow and authorized her to conduct the refuge ceremony using that vow rather than the traditional one.
When requested, His Holiness prophesied the location of the new World Prayer Center for which members of the center were actively searching at the time. He told the students that it would seem to be too costly but that they should get it anyway as their center would grow in the future. In October of that year, settlement was made on the present location of Kunzang Palyul Chöling near Poolesville, Maryland, in a building that exactly matched the prophesy of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche right down to the four white pillars on the front porch. And it was more expensive than anyone imagined they could handle, but devotion won out in the end.
After this amazing visit, events proceeded and a number of high lamas of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism visited the new center to give teachings, including the Khenpo brothers, Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche, Chagdud Tulku, Ven. Gyaltrul Rinpoche, and others. In February, 1987, the American woman traveled to India at the invitation of His Holiness where he officially recognized her as the incarnation of Genyenma Ahkön Lhamo, the Tibetan saint and sister of Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, founder of Palyul Monastery. After formally recognizing her, he gave her many teachings and transmissions and fully empowered her as a lineage holder in the Nyingma tradition. He also gave her a name, Ahkön Norbu Lhamo. The honorific title of Jetsunma was added later.
The next year His Holiness returned to Maryland to bestow the Rinchen Terdzöd cycle of empowerments for the first time in the West. The Rinchen Terdzöd is a compilation by Jamgon Kongtrul the Great of all known terma revelations in the Nyingma tradition and takes three full months to confer. Near the end of the empowerments, His Holiness formally enthroned Jetsunma as a tulku and lineage holder in the Palyul tradition. This startling recognition of an American woman as a reincarnate Tibetan lama was picked up by news services around the world.
Migyur Dorje was only a young boy, about 12 years old, when he began spontaneously revealing the terma cycle known as the Nam Chö (Space Treasure) from his mind. Although he died young at age 23 in 1667, Migyur Dorje did have students, and his closest heart students were Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab and his sister, Genyenma Ahkön Lhamo. Kunzang Sherab was the first throne holder of the Palyul lineage that continues to this day, and Palyul is now considered to be one of the six principal mother monasteries of the Nyingma tradition.
Genyenma Ahkön Lhamo spent most of her life in retreat in a cave in the mountains above Palyul. She was widely considered to be a saint because of her renunciate lifestyle and her accomplishment in her practice. Held in particular by the ordained nuns (or anis) of Palyul, the valley in which her cave was located became known as the Red Valley because of the red-robed nuns who gathered there daily to seek blessings from Ahkön Lhamo. It is said that Ahkön Lhamo never bathed or otherwise tended to her personal hygiene, yet the sweet smell of flowers always emanated from her cave.
When Ahkön Lhamo died, she was cremated, as was the tradition. As the fire burned her body, suddenly the skull cap, or kapala, flew from the body and through the air, landing on her brother’s throne in the monastery about a kilometer away. Upon examination, the kapala revealed a number of seed syllables – ultimate condensations of the Dharma into a single syllable, such as “AH.” Such manifestations are only associated with practitioners of very high attainment. This event was considered a miracle by those who witnessed it, and the kapala became the most sacred relic of Palyul Monastery. For centuries it was used to distribute the blessed amrita during empowerments and large group practices or pujas.
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche often passed out the amrita to the gathered monks using this precious relic. It so impressed him that he made prayers to find the reincarnation of Ahkön Lhamo if she lived in the world. When the Chinese invaded and annexed Tibet, they destroyed nearly all the monasteries and temples in Tibet and killed many monks and lamas. Among the monasteries destroyed was Palyul, and one of the many sacred objects destroyed was the kapala of Genyenma Ahkön Lhamo. His Holiness Penor Rinpoche was able to recover a piece of the kapala, and after recognizing Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, he gave it to her. This relic rests today at Kunzang Palyul Choling, and is shown on specific Buddhist holidays. The piece of the kapala that His Holiness was able to recover displays the miraculous “ah” on the kapala itself.
For Jetsunma, recognition occurred at a much older age than was traditional in Tibet. It also involved the recognition of a woman and a Western woman. Jetsunma also had no formal training in Buddhism, instead teaching directly from her mind. Such a recognition caused some controversy because of its nontraditional aspects. Yet His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, who was widely venerated as a Living Buddha, was adamant in his recognition, and he was supported by His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, also a former Supreme Head of the Nyingma tradition, and the Second Dzongnang Jampal Lodro Rinpoche, the most senior Palyul tulku.
His Holiness Penor Rinpoche enthusiastically supported Jetsunma’s efforts until the end of his life in 2009. His successor, His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, has also stated on numerous occasions that he supports her just as His Holiness Penor Rinpoche did and that her activity and her center must continue. Jetsunma has fully fulfilled His Holiness Penor Rinpoche’s trust in her, and countless sentient beings have benefitted.
While at the Palyul Retreat His Holiness Karma Kuchen indicated that he knows and understands that Jetsunma and the late His Holiness Penor Rinpoche were very close and that he would like for her to consider their relationship to be the same as hers with Kyabje Penor Rinpoche; that they both want to uphold Palyul in the world and His Holiness Penor Rinpoche’s legacy.
Khenpo Tenzin Norgay has kindly accepted an invitation from KPC Australia to conduct a retreat at the new Centre in Buninyong. Scheduled to run from 9th to 19th March 2012, there are flexible options to suit all.
His Holiness offered four empowerments: Guru Rinpoche (or Precious Teacher), Vajrakilaya (wrathful remover of spiritual obstacles), Dorje Phagmo (the feminine mind of enlightenment), and Amitayus (Buddha of Long Life). Here two Palyul monks, accomplished musicians, blow the long horns to signal the point at which the empowerment is transferred to those present.
His Holiness was very pleased with a gift that Jetsunma brought: an empowered miniature stupa with a crystal bhumpa . The crystal contained a precious relic, carefully sealed inside.
At the end of the empowerments, Manny herded everyone outside for a group photo with His Holiness.
Of course, some people don’t need to be herded! We’ve watched Ani Dolma (a former U.S. Army major, now retired) organize a crowd! Here she seems bemused by the goings on. (TEN HUT!)
