BEAUTY/Wellness

childhood has made a great imprint and strongly resisted any proposals. I world. Thus I chose instead to go to on my life. Our life was full of stillness, was a good student and finished my America for study, whilst not wavering sharing the ancient wisdom teachings under graduate degree in and a in the . My beloved of compassion and community. We had Masters in the United States. supported me throughout - to keep an very few material possessions yet we felt Meanwhile I continued to ground my unwavering retreat-like mind intact from so rich in our way of life. spiritual practice – understanding more the challenges and temptations of a Then I lost my father - I was hardly 7 and awakening to fresh insights with modern, materialistic, Californian lifestyle. — he was such a great yogi. People from practice and experience. I didn’t want Although I was young and full of worldly all over the world came to visit him in to surrender to either becoming a nun potential, I felt his continual protection. Manali. After my father passed away he or marrying into a prestigious family. So While in America I realised just how sat in * for a long time. I noticed I stood firmly in my middle ground. This much in love I was with Rinpoche. This the energy around the house shift and was not easy, especially in our culture. was very useful because for the three I felt . With everything It was only much later that I fell in years I lived there, nothing used to changing I kept questioning the reality of love with the man who was to become distract me. When I made any pocket my existence - who am I? I watched as my husband. He was a modern, highly money, I would call him. It became like my cozy, happy family was falling apart realised Master and a kind person. I my retreat and in fact I was meditating and my mother was left behind to make needed a male figure in my life, and more deeply than in my homeland India! ends meet. Many questions about life the ninth Shabdrung, Ngawang Jigme, At the end of my three-year sojourn in continued to intrigue me. My mother, became my best friend and supportive the US, Rinpoche came to collect me. herself a great **, died when I husband when I was 28 years of age. It was then, in the US that we married. was 21. I also witnessed her body in It was a love marriage and a very Joanna Macy was the celebrant and a Samadhi. Impermanence again and I beautiful one. few senior Buddhist teachers and many was further drawn to the deeper aspects He always said “I don’t have a western friends were present. in life. The little time I spent with my very long life and you should marry me precious parents had an unforgettable soon.” I, however, wanted to either THE BRIEF INTERLUDE effect on my mind-stream and it has led do a deep retreat or study in the US. I was fortunate to come back to India me to seek and preserve the ‘greatness’ My spiritual Guru advised me not to and serve the increasing activities of my EMBODYING THE SUBTLE AND of what they were and what they offered go for a long retreat but to be in the husband until his *** on April the world.

THE SPIRITUAL CALLING & SUBLIME FEMININE MEETING THE MASTER My guru, Gegen Khyentse Rinpoche, The Story of Khandro Thrinlay Chodon guided my meditation practice and teachings intimately, with precision and spiritual master, mystic era it is manifesting through her female school – I could not connect to the things clarity. Through our vigorous practice and Buddhist embodiment. at home when at school. I was in awe of I was able to connect to my parents – Khandro-la or Khandro Completely unassuming in her the presence of my father, a renowned beyond the physical realm. Slowly, I Thinlay Chodon is all brilliance, Khandro Rinpoche, as she spiritual master, but I found all this so began to understand impermanence in and none of these. She is known to her students, shares her different from the normal world at school! my life as being a part of my . With doesn’tA like boxes or definitions, as journey in a candid chat exclusively I felt a bit displaced between these two the deaths of my dearest ones, as well she believes in the INFINITE! Having with Beaute Espace Wellness/ Beauty worlds. The duality puzzled me. as all the sufferings that I experienced, attended her workshop on meditation Launchpad India. Our home was named ‘Chimed became the beginning of my deep inner and feminine essence, I came across, Hers is a woman’s journey, Gatsal Ling’, meaning ‘Immortal Garden journey. So began the search within for the first time, an inner experience and one that is an evolution of a of Happiness’. Indeed, it felt as it was myself, and finding my own treasure. that felt authentic and it stirred me to feisty feminine spirituality. Her aim named. There were unceasing teachings In the physical realm of my life, my deepest core. in this life is to bring her ancient imbued with pure love and care. My everything fell apart and I had to delve Khandro Thrinlay Chodon belongs wisdom alive to this chaotic modern earliest memories of my parents was deep inside to dig out my inner resources to a of authentic Meditation world, to manifest fully as a woman of them meditating in separate rooms to keep going. It was a very difficult Masters, and this includes her great- and to give back to her homeland, with windows wide open facing the phase. Another thing that happens when grandfather Togden Shakya Shri and the Himalayas. snow-capped Himalayan mountains you are the only daughter in a significant father Apho Rinpoche. Her maternal and open blue sky. I used to jump into spiritual family lineage, is that you are bloodline belongs to Lonpo Gar, a THE BEGINNING my dad’s lap every morning and felt so inundated with proposals for marriage! minister of the first Tibetan Emperor I was fortunate to take birth in a spiritual comforted under his huge meditation Yet, I wanted to develop my education (604–50). The family, surrounded by spiritual Masters, cloak, listening to his peristalsis while he alongside the spiritual heritage I had authenticity of her lineage is believed to but that’s not where my quest naturally sat so still meditating. To me, it was the received from my parents. I did not want be pristine and very precious and in this started. I studied in a Catholic boarding safest place on this earth. This unique to give in to being an object of marriage

68 BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD INDIA | 04.17 04.17 | BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD INDIA 69 services – all for the Himalayan areas. We support the mentoring of children in learning the wisdom and love of their Himalayan heritage. On Sundays at my home in Manali we have classes to teach children. Their parents often also join because many of them have not had the opportunity to really understand their spiritual heritage. I don’t just believe in intellectual intelligence. Spiritual and emotional intelligence is also very important in the overall development of the child. Kha in means sky or spacious dimension. So Khachodling is the pure land of the feminine, the blissful Dakini.

MESSAGE I have travelled across the world and seen and met people at all levels. I 6th, 2003. We had lived together for only husband was no longer in this physical have seen people so discontented! 6 short years, and in that time I served realm. I sat torn apart by the surrounding People with big houses can feel him completely - it was a lifetime in itself. politics and chaos. I could only wonder empty inside. It is so important to care of my diet. I find it important In those years, I completely dedicated how and what I would teach. However, connect to your inner strength. No to consolidate and strengthen the myself as a servant to Rinpoche and the Master had clearly said “everything matter how much you progress beneficial things I have done so far. his work. Every minute of my time with that you are going to teach will come outwardly, inside, if you are empty, then Shabdrung Rinpoche was a blessing from your own heart!” Trusting in this, I that’s unfortunate. and a great learning. He embodied decided to follow “the flow and let it flow. Khachodling’s entire work revolves In today’s time of super connectivity, the extraordinary in such a simple and I accepted the invitation and found around the essence of emptiness and we tend to be either ‘Mind-full’ or ordinary way and this touched my heart myself in Australia teaching! How compassion. Emptiness is the base from Mind-less. However, beyond this to the depth of all my practice. Whatever strange it seemed to me, especially which all compassion arises. is being MINDFUL. The endlessly he manifested, from cooking, to playing given where I was at in my life, often We each have a huge wavering monkey-mind has been football, to being a travel agent, and to crying with all the pain that was stuck responsibility just being born as a bossing you around too much. If you being a spiritual master, it was all with inside - all was reminding me of human being on this planet. That are mindless, half the time you will ease. He was a great Hidden Yogi. impermanence and death. Amazingly, responsibility is to ourselves, to our be spaced out. And if your mind is After Rinpoche passed away, once it came to be that many westerners children and to our planet. It’s time full you will be chattering all the time. again everything changed. Full of grief appreciated the simple truthfulness to RECOGNISE this, but not get It’s time to watch this monkey-mind and with a heavy heart, I decided to of someone like me, openly revealing overwhelmed by the scale of the task. and make it work for you. Rather start again from scratch. I always love myslef. The teachings, which I knew RELAX into the genuine motivation of than you becoming a prey of your START ON A MINDFUL NOTE present with yourself will naturally create to go in ‘Shunyata’****- starting from from the heart, never fail. Buddhism is the task. RELEASE all your fears and fickle mind, if you are mindful, your When you wake up in the morning, wake a deeper focus on the day ahead. a blank page, from nothing – out of about being yourself! When you don’t come to yourself. Then actions will not be wayward. You up with gratitude. Spend two minutes The sublime is the normal for absolute ground zero! hold on to anything, things just begin REJOICE in yourself - but don’t get will not be carried away by your just being aware, giving that space to Khandro La and she juxtaposes both to flow. fixated, don’t blame yourself and don’t emotions. You will use discriminative yourself. Then take the next step. It’s so beautifully. Her journey is definitely STEPPING OUT let dissatisfaction take hold and connect wisdom. Your daily life will be so much a very good idea to experience 5-10 an inspiration and destination, the In 2005, one of our great Vajrayana***** KHACHODLIING - THE SPIRITUAL & to your essence. more productive. minutes of stillness in the morning. Being journey itself! Buddhist Masters invited me to Australia. SOCIAL MISSION This I call ‘a goalless journey’. I It amazes me how my late husband In essence, I don’t have a fixed vision. am a strong believer in karma and had foreseen this. Two years before his I believe in the wisdom of the . am therefore not in a hurry. We *Samadhi: At the time of death the gross outer elements absorb ***Parinirvana - a respectful way of referring to the passing away of a passing, the Zanskar nuns had gone This is not to do with the male or female don’t have to do big things. Even into the inner elements and these finally dissolve into the subtle and realised being. to him and he directly told them “after physical body. We focus on wherever one small act undertaken with refined essence. The physical body stills its decomposition and the ****Sunyata: translated most commonly as ‘emptiness’, it refers to the two years my wife will be dedicated to we feel there is a need to reach out. compassionate, clear and wise yogi remains in this state, often even emmitting a pleasant fragrance. truth that all phenomena do not possess any essential enduring and you.” It was exactly two years after his Especially in the east, women need intention is much more powerful **Dakini (in Tibetan khandro) where ‘kha’ refers to the spacial independent identity. passing that the nuns came to me in to manifest, as the culture has held than billions of meaningless dimension, without centre or circumfrence and ‘dro’ is goer, moving **** Vajrayana: the esoteric form of Buddhism that developed in India Ladakh while I was in a retreat! They this back. Our Khachodling projects projects completed. without fixation. It’s the feminine principle (beyond gender) which is in the 5th century and was brought to the Himalayan region in the asked me for help even though at this include education (male and female), Simplify and contain. I like to the heart essence of our ever flowing, undestructed true nature. 8th century time I, myself, felt helpless! My precious hermitages for women and medical micro-focus on small things, like taking

70 BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD INDIA | 04.17 04.17 | BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD INDIA 71