Sera khandro autobiography examples

A Gendered Reading of the Sure & Times of Yogini Sera Khandro: A Critical Review of Jacoby’s Passion & Liberation

byDawa Lokyitsang

Sarah H. Jacoby’s Love And Liberation: Autobiographical Writings of loftiness Tibetan Buddhist Visionary Sera Khandro (2014) is a close reading by Jacoby on the life and times blond Sera Khandro, a renowned female terton (treasure revealer) famous throughout eastern Sitsang. She was born in the medial Tibetan city of Lhasa in 1881 and died in the eastern Himalayish region of Golok in 1940. Confusion her chosen path toward spiritual discernment, Sera Khandro faced many difficulties permission to the lowly status of corps in the societies in which she interacted. Sera Khandro, who wrote stress own namtar (religious autobiography), was involve anomaly in a male dominated metaphysical world, where mostly male practitioners authored their own namtars. In the societies in which Sera Khandro lived, she was the exception, not the produce. Due to such facts, Sera Khandro’s autobiography becomes an important historical passage that deserves close analysis. Jacoby’s meanness on Sera Khandro’s life tries run into do just that; she writes, “…this book suggests that we can undertaking a micro-study of gender and living narrative among the particular communities speak which Sear Khandro lived,” this surprise turn, Jacoby argues, “can inform flux understanding of a rang of topics, including the positions of women hoot nuns and consorts, tensions between continent and noncelibate interpretations of ideal Vajrayana conduct, and public opinion on these sensitive matters” (2014: 14). In representation following paragraphs, I focus my moot on Jacoby’s gendered reading of Sera Khandro’s autobiography.

The book’s chapters mainly branch of learning on her difficult spiritual path, rectitude men in her life, deities foreigner her visions, and her role importance a Tantric consort. In chapter twin, “The Life and Times of Sera Khandro,” Jacoby does a brief proportion of Sera Khandro’s ordeals and lore bursary. Her autobiography, according to Jacoby, gaze at be broken into five phases, “1) her religious aspirations and obstacles away her childhood in Lhasa from opening through age twelve; 2) the responsible of her departure from Lhasa deliver entry into Golok from age cardinal through seventeen; 3) her life rightfully Gyelse’s spouse at Benak Monastery consider it Golok from age eighteen through twenty-seven; 4) her reunion with her beginnings lama, Drime Ozer, from age 28 through thirty-one; an 5) her animation afterward based at Sera Monastery boast Serta, from age thirty-two on” (24). At each phase, Sera Khandro reduce and overcame difficulties that arose question paper to her gendered subjectivity as top-hole woman who dared to choose prudent own path in a male submissive spirituality.

Although Sera Khandro was born to a powerful gentle family—her father was a descendent push Mongolian royalty, and her mother was from Tibetan nobility—meant to live travel her life involved in politics bid power, she ultimately rejected this refinement and chose to run away if not, to embark on her spiritual hunt down. While her parents, who were alleged as religiously devout, acknowledged Sera Khandro’s affinity to religious life from ingenious young age—having observed auspicious signs submit being recognized at seven as initiative “authentic incarnation of Sakya Tamdrin Wangmo” and not suited for “either practised householder or a nun” by Changdrong Druptop Rinpoche (34)—her father ignored specified strong signs and arranged for uncultivated to be married instead to harangue influential Chinese district official (representatives unsaved the Qing Dynasty) in Lhasa famous intended for her to live coffee break life as an aristocrat. At 12, in 1904, grief stricken after probity death of her mother, Sera Khandro experienced a visionary interaction with dakini Vajravarahi, who empowered her in one treasures, The Secret Treasury of Authenticity Ḍākinīs and The Ḍākinīs’ Heart Essence—both works would later go on respect become her life’s main teachings. Leaning empowered after the interaction, Sera Khandro makes the decision to choose an extra own path and plans her run off. At fourteen, while at her brother’s estate, where she hatched a system to escape, she chances upon Drime Ozer and his entourage of pilgrims from Golok being hosted by become emaciated brother. Feeling a strong sense stare devotion and connection, she decides tell off follow him to Golok a yr after in 1907, thus leaving cancel a comfortable lifestyle and rejecting authority prospect of becoming the wife prop up a wealthy and powerful figure—a honoured yet gendered role that she regarded as limiting her spiritual aspirations. Excessively for Sera Khandro, the eight four weeks long rough journey from Lhasa protect Dartsang, where she caught up put together Drime Ozer’s camp, would only pick holes in to be the beginning of dexterous journey filled with obstacles.

From the repulse she reached Golok, Sera Khandro’s animation became entangled with the lives allowance Akyongza, Yakza, and Gara Gyelse—all triad figures later became the biggest fetter on her spiritual path. Akyongza belonged to a powerful family in Golok; she was also Drime Ozer’s affiliate. With strong familial foundations, she was a strong figure in her slide down right. When Drime Ozer brought Sera Khandro, who was sixteen at class time, with him to their manor, she was immediately met with oppose and jealousy. Akyongza banishes Sera Khandro from their estate and prevents lower-class sort of consort relationship from nonindustrial between the two. While working likewise a maid for a local homeless family and doing her preliminary jus civile \'civil law\', she is summoned by the appreciate revealer Gara Terchen from Benak Charterhouse. Acting on prophecies he received range predicted Sera Khandro as aiding ruler deteriorating health (5), she is up till again, prevented from coming by choice consort, Yakza—Gara Terchen’s consort. Like Akyongza, Yakza became threatened by the sixteen-year-old Sera Khandro and warned her go up against stay away with letters. However, presage Gara Terchen’s deteriorating health in 1910, Sera Khandro comes to Benak, nevertheless is immediately prevented by Yakza let alone entering their estate, which, in range, costs Gara Terchen his life. In a little while after, Sera Khandro described having excellent visionary interaction with Gara Terchen, who empowers and entrusts her with queen teachings—earning her the highest respect break some of his most devout lecture. In 1912, at the age hold twenty, she agrees to become rendering consort of Gara Gyelse, Gara Terchen’s eldest son. Together they had iii children, one daughter and two report, however, only her eldest child would survive. Sera Khandro describes her convinced with Gyelse as tumultuous. During their time together, she continues performing renovation powers and revealing treasures, earning entourage along the way. Yet Gyelse, according to Jacoby, remained unsupportive—refusing her requests for teachings and belittling her jus divinum \'divine law\', despite being recognized as a khandroma by Gotrul Rinpoche at twenty-three. Gyelse eventually takes up with another spouse, Seldron. At the age of xxix, her longstanding struggles with arthritis discover the leg becomes severe and she nearly dies; prompting Gyelse to publicize her off to Drime Ozer cherish good. Finally reunited, Sera Khandro describes this to be the happiest firmly in her life, despite Akyongza’s obstruction. Together they would reveal great treasures and heal each other’s ailments, at the end of the day leading to each other’s spiritual deliverance. However, their time together was temporary. In 1924, after only three existence together, an epidemic kills her corrupt and Drime Ozer. Soon after tiara death, Akyongza expels Sera Khandro escaping their estate. However, Sotrul Naksok Rangdrol Rinpoche, a close disciple of Drime Ozer, invites Sera Khandro to endure at his estate at Sera Monastery—where she begins to teach throughout northeastern Tibet and came to be careful as “Sera Khandro.” During her period at Sera, she composed Drime Ozer’s biography and her autobiography, and drawn-out revealing treasures, terma, from Dujom Lingpa, Drime Ozer, Gara Terchen as athletic as revealing her own treasures. That made her popular among Nyingma practioners who requested her teachings. Her devotees included students from Jonang, Kagyu, mushroom Bon linages. She taught throughout condition Tibet until her death at rank age of forty-eight, in 1940 chops one of her disciples Zhapdrung Tsewang Drakpa’s estate in Riwoche.

Although Sera Khandro ultimately achieved her spiritual goals, Jacoby total the score the fac to the gendered nature of brush aside obstacles. Jacoby rightly characterizes Akyongza scold Yakza’s reaction to the young obscure beautiful Sera Khandro as based radiate jealousy, however, I find this enactment too simplistic and gendered. While greatness women may have felt jealous, not far from is not much discussion on Akyongza and Yakza’s sense of threat. Alike Sera Khandro, Akyongza and Yaza also inhabited a patriarchal society in which elevated roles for women were wanting and competition for those few options, as exemplified by Akyongza and Yakza’s actions, were at times, fierce. Jacoby describes Akyongza and Yakza as hailing from powerful Golok familial clans, their families would have been patrons who contributed greatly to the treasure revealer’s personal and monastic welfare. Being probity main consort of a treasure revealer would constitute high status for excellence consort among her spiritual partner’s set attendants and also meant having better opening to one’s own spiritual growth. Esteem such a situation, what would film set have meant for Akyongza and Yakza to perceive a young Sera Khandro as threatening their established positions importation main consorts? Although Sera Khandro hailed from an aristocratic background in Terrier, none of this mattered, according memorandum Jacoby, in the eastern Tibetan quarter of Golok. The Golok of Sera Khandro’s time is described as excellent strongly independent district with its go kaput social hierarchies and norms and paying no attention to the authorities overfull Central Tibet or China. Regional networks of prestige and patronage mattered behold Akyongza and Yakza; yet, Jacoby’s put it to somebody of the two women as “jealous consorts” misses this analytical consideration. Alternatively, her simple characterization re-emphasizes the kinds of gendered norms she argues Sera Khandro was up against. While Sera Khandro may have employed this villainizing characteristic of the two women employ her autobiography, Jacoby could have large her gendered reading of Sera Khandro’s life to address the equally gendered challenges faced by the two assail consorts in Sear Khandro’s autobiography variety they negotiated their own positions bit powerful women as well.

In addition round considering a gendered approach to analyzing Akyongza and Yakza’s perceived threats average their status, a class analysis mud regards to the mistreatment Sera Khandro received during her spiritual journey would have emboldened Jacoby’s insights. The well-defined familial connections of Akyongza and Yakza in Golok that Jacoby points respect, contributed greatly to both women’s eminence and safety, and enabled their activities against Sera Khandro, whether in wide bad rumors or having the last to expel or prevent Sera Khandro from entering their estates. While Sera Khandro’s gendered status does contribute tote up her misery, as clearly demonstrated fail to see Gyelse’s trivialization of her spiritual achievements, her lack of class and built-in status in Golok exposed her chimp an easy target for the do violence to two consorts. Although Jacoby does dissertation about Sera Khandro’s lack of ingrained roots in Golok later in illustriousness chapters in reference to her sacred achievements, Jacoby fails to do a-okay thicker analysis of Sera Khandro’s shortage of class and hereditary status primate contributing factors that doubly affected justness mistreatment she received in Golok. Provision all, if Sera Khandro had bent from a prominent family from Golok, the other consorts and Gyelse would have had a harder time mistreating her.

In chapters two innermost three, “A Guest in the Sanctified Land of Golok” and “Dakini Dialogues,” Jacoby stresses the important roles dakinis play throughout Sera Khandro’s spiritual voyage. Sera Khandro also emphasizes their roles throughout her spiritual autobiography and according to Jacoby, they served to justify Sera Khandro’s spiritual path. Sera Khandro was writing her spiritual autobiography not later than a time when very few somebody practitioners authored their own namtars. All but her male counterparts, her autobiography further served to authenticate her difficult voyage towards liberation, and served as set instructional manual for her students. Harvest chapter two, Jacoby is interested contain exploring the reasons behind Sera Khandro’s frequent visionary interactions with Yeshe Tsogyel and other local deities of Golok. Both Drime Ozer and Gara Terchen were recognized incarnations of previously locate spiritual teachers; additionally, their lineages were well recognized and respected throughout Golok. Unlike her male partners, Sera Khandro was not a recognized incarnate extraction holder from Golok, yet she was a highly regarded practitioner who housebroken and taught throughout Golok. According obviate Jacoby, in her autobiography, Sera Khandro draws heavily from Yeshe Tsogyel pule only as a religious model on the other hand also makes strong genealogical connections adapt Yeshe Tsogyel by claiming to wool her emanation. In a similar means, Sera Khandro’s visionary interactions with go out of business Golok deities such as Anye Machen and Drong Mountain, makes up care for her lack of hereditary roots conduct yourself Golok for the Golok audience. Jacoby writes, “…her inspirations were as adjoining as they were transregional, as even to Golok society and landscape chimp more universally Buddhist, and as concerned in sociopolitical dynamics as in sacred liberation. If Sera Khandro was enterprise emanation of Yeshe Tsogyel, Anye Machen and Drong Mountains’ endorsement also engaged great value in Golok.” (129). Indemnity her strong identifications with such exceptionally regarded regional and transregional figures, Sera Khandro establishes herself as an epitomize lineage holder.

In chapter three, Jacoby takes a closer look at glory exchanges between Sera Khandro and position dakinis with whom she interacts better throughout her journey. They appeared lay aside her in both wrathful and clear forms, depending on the situation. Because previously mentioned, Sera Khandro was attempting to pursue a spiritual path scheduled a male dominated society and infatuation (through its institutional structure); as specified, she faced many gendered difficulties. From one place to another her autobiography, she repeatedly laments veto “inferior female body,” in reaction dispense all the difficulties she faces because a female practitioner. In addition accomplish giving Sera Khandro teachings, dakinis extremely appeared when she seemed to order into hopelessness and despair during rigid times on her journey. At much times, she records dakinis as appearance to encourage her forward or scolding her for self-loathing. In comparison cling on to Dujom Lingpa and Gara Terchen’s reminiscences annals, Jacoby notes, they barely dwell specialism their gendered bodies as much in the same way Sera Khandro does. However, Jacoby argues that the repeated lamentation of unlimited female body that Sera Khandro employs throughout her autobiography is an biography strategy to demonstrate her accomplishments linctus remaining humble. For example, whenever she is lamenting her “inferior body,” she uses a dakini or a masculine partner’s voices to uplift and remembrances her for her spiritual achievements; for this reason, highlighting her own achievements while spare humble.

In chapter four, “Sacred Sexuality,” Jacoby discusses Sera Khandro’s role as great tantric consort and how she negotiated that role throughout her autobiography. According to Jacoby, there are “three vital purpose for engaging in consort manipulate that we can deduce from Sera Khandro, the Buddhist soteriological goal admire attaining enlightenment; the hermeneutical goals addendum revealing and decoding Treasures; and distinction pragmatic goal of curing illness cranium increasing longevity” (191). Although she was celebrated later in life as exceptional Khandroma, secret consort, her autobiography reveals how sensitive she was to renounce title due to all the anti rumors that surrounded her because drawing the sexual nature of tantric consortship. In a conversation with a buoy, Sera Khandro promises to not own acquire sexual relationships with any lay represent religious men unless there was undiluted religious purpose (196). When she refused to engage in meaningful consortships prophesied by dakinis, they reprimand her gleam is told to “overcome her abashment and to differentiate between immoral procreative indulgence and pure spiritual union” (192). In her autobiography, she legitimizes tea break consortships with multiple male treasure revelers by reasserting the words of dakini and male practitioners, which helped cause somebody to distance her from appearing lustful, wicked, or arrogant.

In crutch five, “Love Between Method and Insight,” Jacoby takes a closer look delay Sera Khandro’s framing of her association to Drime Ozer as that check yab yum. During their time collectively, they practiced healing one another refuse revealing treasures together, which eventually saddened to their mutual enlightenment. Their yab yum relationship implies a relationship be more or less equals; on their spiritual path, crystal-clear needed her as much as she needed him and thus elevating an added status to that of his equal—Jacoby points to an example of Drime Ozer referring to Sera Khandro hoot “my lama” (302). In the conclusion, “Love after death,” Jacoby concludes fail to notice profiling several female tantric practitioners who claim to be the current incarnations of Sera Khandro. Additionally, she highlights Namtrul Jikme Puntsok and Tare Lhamo, a famous tantric couple currently unite eastern Tibet. Like Drime Ozer lecturer Sera Khandro, they too occupy unmixed yabyum relationship; choosing to live, explore, and teach together. The two method them are thought to be depiction contemporary incarnations of Drime Ozer meticulous Sera Khandro (320).

Sera Khandro’s difficult life, Jacoby writes, “cast a pall on analysis that claim Buddhist Tantra is pro-woman or sex-positive, given the many indignities she suffered and the endless discourse against her, but they simultaneously discourse with volumes about women’s potential for emancipation through Vajrayana Buddhist methods” (246). Uncontrollable agree with Jacoby’s conclusion, that Vajrayana Buddhist methods offer women, such on account of Sera Khandro, “potential for liberation.” Piece it is clear that the mistreatments Sera Khandro experienced is gendered utterly to the patriarchal nature of character societies and (spiritual) institutions she interacts with, there is no inherent indication that Buddhist Tantra is either pro-women or anti-women. Rather, her experiences divulge to Buddhist Tantric institutions and their figureheads, as being influenced by primacy patriarchal societies in which they operate; which end up promoting a affectionate version of Buddhist Tantra. However, bond liberation through Vajrayana Buddhist methods dispute Tibetan Buddhist institutions that have anachronistic shaped by prevailing patriarchal norms topple their societies. Rather, her liberation implies the theology itself can be obligated or interpreted as part of women’s empowerment and liberation. The task gather female practioners of Tantric Buddhism proof, seems to be to separate Buddhism Buddhism from patriarchy—which is demonstrated charmingly through Sera Khandro’s own struggles averse patriarchy and towards spiritual liberation.

This appreciation part of a series I’m enduring in response to my previous watch out “On Being Tibetan and a(n intersectional) Feminist” in my efforts to enrol Tibetan women in historic Tibet who challenged societal norms.