Khandro Déchen

A Nyingma Lama and co-teacher of the Aro gTér lineage with her husband Ngakpa Chögyam. Co-author of Roaring Silence and Q&A-commentary co-voice of Spectrum of Ecstasy (identified in Phuntsog Tulku’s introduction as Ngak’chang Rinpoche’s sang-yum — “secret consort,” the Tantric spousal designation). Khandro (mKha’ ‘gro) is the Tibetan for ḍākinī — a female tantric adept / enlightened female principal.

Key Points

• Co-authored Roaring Silence (2002). The dialogue attributed to “KD” in the book’s Q&A sections is transcribed from teaching events given jointly with Ngakpa Chögyam.
• Sharpest formulations in the Introduction’s Q&A:
  • “The capacity for intellect itself arises from emptiness, and so in order to have free intellect, we need to move beyond intellect.”
  • “Thought is a sense. Concept consciousness is one of the sense fields.” (See Thought as Sense.)
  • “Most people’s feelings are impregnated by a thought. In fact, most people’s emotions are thoroughly governed by thought.” — inverting the intuitive thought/feeling split.
• On the experience of shi-nè withdrawal: “the discomfort always has the same kind of feelings associated with it. It’s simply the intensity that varies.”

Sang-yum

sang-yum (gSang yum) = “secret mother / consort”; the spousal term for the wife of a tantric master. In the Aro gTér lineage the sang-yum is not a subordinate role but a co-teaching Lama in her own right, and the Q&A sections of the books are the textual expression of this co-transmission.

Related

• Ngakpa Chögyam — co-teacher and co-author
• Roaring Silence — co-authored handbook (Sem-dé ngöndro / Four Naljors)
• Spectrum of Ecstasy — co-voice of the Q&A commentaries that distinguish this revised edition from the 1997 original
• Aro gTér — the lineage taught
• Nyingma — the tradition