The great Vajra Yogini practitioner and devotee of His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, the Lady Lhalu Lhacham Yangdzom Tsering seated on chair in a garden.

Whilst legendary tales of Kyabje Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, one of the most revered Gelug lamas of the 20^th Century and his many great tulku and ordained disciples are aplenty, information about his numerous lay disciples are few and far between. Hence, it is nothing short of remarkable to hear about the spiritual success of Lady Lhalu Lhacham Yangdzom Tsering, who is also known as the Lady Lhalu, the Lhacham or simply Yangdzom Tsering, one of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s principal aristocratic disciples.

It is not exactly clear when Lady Lhalu crossed paths with Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche but the earliest record of Lady Lhalu’s interaction with him is found in his biography, “The Melodious Voice of Brahma”, in relation to her requesting a series of Lamrim teachings. The teachings which were requested and sponsored by Lady Lhalu in order to accumulate spiritual merit for her deceased husband, Jigme Namgyal, and her son Phuntsok Rabgye, culminated in a compilation of such teachings aptly entitled “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand” which is now one of the primary Lamrim texts in the Gelugpa tradition and still widely used to date.

Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, as taught by Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche and recorded and edited by his student, Trijang Rinpoche. You can order a copy online here.

According to oral accounts, Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche restored Lady Lhalu’s faith in Buddhism and from then on Lady Lhalu became one of his principal lay disciples. Lady Lhalu was so devoted in the practices she received from her guru that by the time she passed away, she showed signs of being a great practitioner of Vajra Yogini, and entered into clear light meditation with total control. Her physical end showed the signs of a person with high attainments and entering Kechara Paradise.

Lady Lhalu’s life journey as relayed by Joona Repo is not only very telling of her great patronage and devotion to her beloved guru but also serves as a testament to the effectiveness of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s lineage. Many high lamas feel indebted to her patronage of many teachings that helped to preserve the lineage at a critical period. She is well remembered by many great saints of the time, high lamas, yogis, geshes, aristocrats and ordinary practitioners.

Privileged Life

Prior to marrying into the Lhalu household, one of the wealthiest and influential clans in Lhasa at that time, Lady Lhalu herself hailed from the equally high-standing aristocratic Shatra family. Lady Lhalu was brought in as the wife of Lhalu Jigme Namgyal, head of the prestigious Lhalu household (famed for producing not one but two Dalai Lamas) in order to produce heirs for the family. However, her husband died without having any offspring with Lady Lhalu or any of his other wives. To produce a Dalai Lama in one’s family in Tibet automatically propels you into honor, respect, aristocracy and high standing.

The Lady Lhalu Lhacham (third from left), in the traditional garb of a Lhasa noble woman, with members of her family in the garden of Dekyi Lingka (c. 1936-1950).

Upon the passing of her husband and subsequent death of her adopted son and heir apparent, Phuntsok Rabgye, Lady Lhalu rose to become the matriarch of the Lhalu clan and thus had vast material resources at her disposal. Although this situation provided her the freedom to indulge in materialism, Lady Lhalu was known to be unwavering in her Dharma practice and oral accounts of her devotion to her gurus are still alive today. When many would have primarily applied such immense wealth to materialistic pursuits, Lady Lhalu commendably and actively sponsored Dharma teachings and publications; restored Buddha images (such as her sponsorship for the gilding of the sacred Jowo Shakyamuni in the Jokhang Temple); and made generous offerings for the benefit of others and sponsored the food and robes of thousands of sangha members, all of which reflected the depth of Lady Lhalu’s embodiment of the Dharma teachings received from her gurus. She was a very devoted practitioner in all aspects of her life and times.

Trials and Tribulations

Lhalu Mansion (March 14, 1921). Taken at a time when photography was incredibly expensive and not commonplace, the fact the Lhalu family had both the financial means and opportunity to photograph their home is reflective of their great wealth and status.

His Holiness Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche or also known as Kyabje Dechen Nyingpo

Such deep understanding and application of Dharma clearly served her well in the later part of her life, when her family wealth was totally wiped out by the political turmoil that swept through Tibet. From being one of the wealthiest women in Tibet, Lady Lhalu was rendered to living in a dilapidated storeroom with just one person to help her. Admirably, no matter how bad the situation, she never gave up her commitments to her guru, Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche. Instead of wallowing in anguish, Lady Lhalu channelled her time and energy towards her spiritual practice. When she eventually passed away at the age of 83, she passed away with full control. She sat in an upright posture, went into meditation, and entered into clear light. This is only seen in very high beings who have achieved control of their psychic winds and indicates control over their impending rebirth. When they found her, she was still meditating and remained that way for many days. This was confirmed by the high lamas and even Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche did rituals on some of her remains as a blessing.

Vajra Yogini as she appeared to Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, looking directly at him. This differs slightly from the Mahasiddha Naropa’s vision of Vajra Yogini, but it shows both great masters had a strong connection to Vajra Yogini and she appeared to them on many occasions. Click on image to enlarge.

Exemplary Devotion

It is clear from Lady Lhalu’s spiritual journey that she remained steadfast to the practices given by her guru, in particular, the practice of Vajra Yogini Naro Kechari, a solitary female meditational deity derived from the Chakrasamvara Tantra; and also the protector deity Dorje Shugden. She was very steadfast towards Dorje Shugden as he had shown her many signs. Lady Lhalu, who received the Dorje Shugden sogtae (life entrustment) together with Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, a student of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche and one of the most influential Gelug lamas, evidently shared a close affinity with the protector as attested by a number of textual sources including Pabongka Rinpoche’s biography, Trijang Rinpoche’s autobiography and the colophons of several Shugden-related works.

Lady Lhalu was also instrumental in the preservation of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s teachings and the spread of his works; the spread of the works of his immediate students and his teachers to a wider audience through her generous sponsorship of the lineage and its publications. Undoubtedly, many of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s precious works such as his Collected Works, both sutric and tantric in nature, and the leading texts relating to Dorje Shugden practice such as “The Victory Banner Thoroughly Victorious in All Directions: A Presentation of the Approach, Accomplishment and Activities of Shugden, Fulfilling all Needs and Wants” are still available now due to Lady Lhalu’s efforts and contributions. We have many of these teachings today because of her.

Dorje Shugden. Click to enlarge or click here for more high resolution Buddha images.

Lady Lhalu’s generosity for the spread of Dharma extended to other teachers and beyond the works of her guru or his direct students. For instance, Lady Lhalu was the principal sponsor of His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso’s conferral of the Kalachakra initiation at the Norbulingka Palace in the spring of 1954. This was the first Kalachakra initiation by the Dalai Lama when he was 19 years old. This would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars into today’s terms as many offerings are required to the thousands of attendees including meals.

In conclusion, Lady Lhalu’s spiritual success serves as a prime example of the extraordinary power of Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s lineage and teachings which are still extremely potent to this day. They are proven to have a transformative effect, even on a worldly aristocratic lady such as the Lady Lhalu who lived a life of leisure till she met Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche and still found liberation. Her remarkable story gives confidence in the teachings, lineage and especially in the deities that are central to Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s lineage – Vajra Yogini and Dorje Shugden.

Her full story is amazing, inspirational and touches any practitioner deeply to the core. Her life, practice and tragedies are a must read for any student serious in Buddhism as well as tantric practice.

For more interesting information:

• The Vajra Yogini category on my blog
• Four Sacred Sites of Vajra Yogini in Nepal
• H.H. Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche’s category on my blog
• Mahasiddha Naropa: The Indomitable Disciple
• Sakya Lopon Sonam Tsemo – The One Who Ascended to Kechara Paradise
• Vajra Yogini Ugra-Tara in Sankhu, Nepal
• Tsarchen Losal Gyatso: Lineage Holder of Vajra Yogini’s Tantra
• Stunning Vajra Yogini Altar
• Shimmering Vajra Yogini from Ms. Wahyu
• Pilgrimage Through India & Nepal
• Starting On Vajra Yogini NOW! | 今天就开始修习金刚瑜伽母
• Power Place: Jog Falls
• Vajra Yogini – The Powerful Divine Red Lady
• Twenty-Four Holy Places & Eight Great Charnel Grounds
• 6 Yogas of Naropa by H.H. Kyabje Zong Rinpoche
• Make Offerings to Vajra Yogini in Kechara Forest Retreat
• Getting Closer to Vajra Yogini
• The Miraculous Vajra Yogini of Ditsa Monastery | 支扎大寺殊胜的那洛空行母
• Kechara Forest Retreat’s Vajra Yogini
• TRANSCRIPT: How Lama Tsongkhapa transforms to Vajra Yogini | 宗喀巴如何转化成金刚瑜伽母

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