Khandro Lhamo in 1987 (Photo by Matthieu Ricard, The Spirit of Tibet: The Life and World of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Aperture.)

BY VIVIAN KURZ

Khandro Lhaiuo, the wife of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche passed away on Sunday, March 30, 7:20 PM in Nepal after a brief illness. She was 90 years old. Her grandson, Rabjant Rinpoche, and other teachers, as well as her daughter, Chime Wangmo, were with her when she died. She clearly indicated her wishes and prepared herself fully for death. As of April 2, her body still had signs of warmth indicating that she was in a meditation state (thugdam).

Fulfilling his teachers' predictions, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche married Khandro-la when she was a young girl. She stayed in retreat with him for many years and traveled with him throughout Tibet, receiving all the empowerments and teachings. In the late fifties, accompanied by their two daughters and a small group of disciples, they escaped from Tibet on the arduous journey to Bhutan.

Khandro Lhamo was a devout and highly attained practitioner, a powerful presence, yet humble. She was an accomplished doctor of Tibetan medicine, and helped build and maintain Shechen Monastery in Nepal. Khandro-la was a wonderful raconteur, witty and straightforward, who told fascinating stories about her life with Rinpoche.

After Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's passing in 1991, she lived at the Shechen Orgyen Chozong Nunnery in Bhutan and worked with Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche on expanding those facilities for women.

According to instructions from Trulshik Rinpoche, her body will be preserved until the cremation sometime in late June. Prayer services are presently being performed at Shechen Monastery in Nepal and Bhutan.

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