Khandro Déchen
May, 2002
Khandro Déchen Tsédrüp Rolpa’i Yeshé (mKha’ ’gro bDe chen Tshe grub Rol pa’i Ye shes) sits and watches a group of apprentices engaged in Phurba Dance. This photograph is typical of Khandro Déchen in terms of her beauty and naturalness. Khandro Déchen is a profoundly gentle presence – yet straight incisive comment is always readily available when needed. She works mainly on an individual basis with apprentices – providing life advice, and feedback in terms of view, meditation, and action.
Khandro Déchen is pictured here sitting on the steps of Plas Taliaris in West Wales, where Sang-ngak-chö-dzong held its Open Teaching Retreats for Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen (and Ngala Nor’dzin and Ngala ’ö-Dzin) and where Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen held their apprentice retreats for many years. The retreat venue was excellent for Tantric craft work and also for sKu-mNyé in the Summer months – as there was a generous lawn on which these Dzogchen psycho-physical exercises could be performed. Sadly the centre closed in 2006. Khandro Déchen is the main holder of the sKu-mNyé teachings and she is currently working with Ngak’chang Rinpoche on the compilation of the second set of 35 sKu-mNyé exercises. The Aro gTér sKu-mNyé contains 111 exercises and the first 35 are to be published by Aro Books in 2007.
Khandro Déchen sits with her bell and vajra (drilbu and dorje – dril bu and rDo rJe; ghanta and vajra) which she has just used singing Seven-line Song for the sKu-mNyé practitioners.
