Sera Khandro Kunzang

Dekyong Wangmo b.1892 - d.1940

Name Variant! Kunzang Chonyi Wangmo; Kunzang Dekyong Wangmo;
Sera Khandro Dewai Dorje; Uza Khandro Kunzang Dekyong Wangmo
http://www.treasuryofi!es.org/"iographies/!iew/Sera#Khandro#Kunzang#
Dekyong#Wangmo/$%%&'
(SS)*
+()C,(-S . S+UD(/+S
0/C)-/)+01/S
1220C(S ,(3D
Sera Khandro Kunzang Dekyong Wangmo
(se ra mkha' 'gro kun bzang bde skyong dbang mo) was
born into a wealthy, politically powerful family in hasa!
"er father, hase #ampa $onpo (lha sras byams pa mgon
po), was descended from %ongolian royalty! "er mother,
&sering 'hodzom (tshe ring chos 'dzom), was from the
powerful &ibetan (ub clan!
)rom an early age, Sera Khandro was drawn towards
religion* instead of playing games with other children, she
recited the si+,syllable mantra and encouraged other
children to practice religion! She reported that re-ealed her
first treasure when she was se-en, pulling a ritual dagger
part,way out of a rock at Drak .erpa (brag yer pa) near
hasa! /n her biography she records that throughout her life
she had many -isionary e+periences interacting with 0kin1s
and siddhas and tra-eling to many e+traordinary
2uddhafields! (3ll ages from her biography ha-e been
ad4usted to accord with the international standard!)
Despite Sera Khandro's procli-ity towards leading a
religious life, her father insisted that she be educated in
literary 'hinese in order to follow his footsteps into the life
of the hasa political elite! When she was only ten years old,
her father arranged a marriage to a 'hinese leader's son, a
union the religiously,minded young girl opposed!
Despondent at the prospect of losing her chance to practice
the dharma, Sera Khandro attempted suicide by drinking a
mi+ture of opium and alcohol!
&raumatized by this and by the death of her belo-ed
mother, at the age of twel-e, Sera Khandro e+perienced a
-ision of 5a4ra-0rah1 that changed the course of her life!
5a4ra-0rah1 empowered Sera Khandro in the two &reasures
that would be her life's main teachings6 The Secret
Treasury of Reality kins (chos nyid mkha' 'gro gsang
mdzod) and The kins' Heart Essence (mkha' 'gro thugs
thig)!
7mboldened by 0kin1s' prophecies, Sera Khandro
courageously escaped from her home and her imminent
marriage to 4oin a group of $olok (mgo log) pilgrims, ne-er
to return to hasa or see her family again! )rom the
moment she saw the $olok pilgrims' lama, Drime 8zer (dri
med 'od zer, 9::9,9;<=), great faith and de-otion arose in
her! .et the road ahead was full of obstacles! Sera Khandro's
wealthy upper,class hasa upbringing was no match for the
harsh terrain and sub,zero temperatures of life on the road
as a tra-eling pilgrim! She nearly star-ed and froze to death
en route to $olok!
When the group finally arri-ed at Dartsang (brda>r tshang)
the religious encampment of Drime 8zer's fatherDud4om
ingpa (bdud '4oms gling pa, 9:?@,9;A=) in the high pasture
lands of $olok, Sera Khandro's presence was met with
4ealous hostility from Drime 8zer's consort 3kyongza (a
skyong bza'), and she was forced to li-e elsewhere! Sera
Khandro worked as a ser-ant girl for a local nomadic family
and began her preliminary practices! Buickly, she became
renowned for her diligent practice, eloCuent speech, and
religious de-otion!
Sera Khandro later became the consort of $arra $yelse
(mgar ra rgyal sras), son of the treasure re-ealer $arra
&erton Dudul Wang4uk ingpa (mgar ra gter ston bdud 'dul
dbang phyug gling pa, 9:@D,9;9A) of 2annak %onastery
(ban nag>pan nag) in $olok! &hey had two children, a
daughter named .angchen Dronma > 'hoying Dronma
(dbyangs can sgron ma > chos dbyings sgron ma, b! 9;9?),
and a son, Eigdzin $yurme Dor4e (rig 'dzin 'gyur med rdo
r4e, 9;9;,9;<=), who did not li-e past childhood!
ife with $yelse pro-ed difficult for Sera Khandro* he
disappro-ed of Sera Khandro's calling as a treasure re-ealer
and forbade her from writing or propagating religious
teachings! "er health worsened as she became increasingly
afflicted with an arthritic condition in her legs! %eanwhile,
her de-otion for Drime 8zer only grew stronger! &hese
factors contributed to $yelse's decision to send her back to
li-e with Drime 8zer when she was twenty,nine years old!
Sera Khandro credited her reunion with Drime 8zer with
curing her of her illnesses! &ogether they re-ealed many
treasures! 3fter Drime 8zer's death only three years later,
his disciple Sotrul (atsok Eangdrol (bsod sprl sna tshogs
rang grol, d! 9;?@) in-ited Sera Khandro to li-e at his
monastery in $olok named Sera %onastery, the place from
which she deri-es her title!
Sera Khandro tra-eled widely throughout $olok with her
attendants, the monks &upzang (thub bzang) and her scribe
&sultrim Dor4e (tshul khrims rdo r4e)! "er main teachings
were the treasures of Du4om ingpa and Drime 8zer as well
as her own! She died in Eiwoche at the age of forty,eight!
/t is said that before her body was burned, it dissol-ed into
light until it was the size of a se-en,year,old child's body!
Sera Khandro's main disciples include the )irst 3dzom
Drukpa Fawo Dor4e (a 'dzom 'brug pa dpa' bo rdo r4e) and
his son $yurme Dor4e ('gyur med rdo r4e) and daughter
'hime Wangmo ('chi med dbang mo)* Du4om ingpa's sons
Fema edrel>Drime 8zer (padGma las 'brel> dri med 'od
zer) and Dor4e Dradul (rdo r4e dgra 'dul)* the )ourth Katok
'haksa Fema &rinle $yatso (ka" tog phyag tsha padGma
'phrin las rgya mtsho)* Felyul $ochen &ulku #iktrel 'hokyi
odro (dpal yul sgo chen sprul sku '4igs bral chos kyi blo
gros)* the Eiwoche Hhabdrung &ulku &sewang Drakpa (ri bo
che zhabs drung sprul sku tshe dbang grags pa)* 3bo Soge
&ulku (atsok Eangdrol (a bob sod dge sprul sku sna tshogs
rang grol) and #ikga &ulku ('4igs dga' sprul sku) from Sera
%onastery in Serta* &rakya ama Sherab 8zer (khra skya
bla ma shes rab 'od zer), &romge Khandro Dawa Dronma
(khrom dge mkha' 'gro zla ba sgron ma)* Dzogchen Khenpo
(orbu Wangyal (rdzogs chen mkhan po nor bu dbang
rgyal)* 'hadral Sanggye Dor4e (bya bral sangs rgyas rdo r4e,
b! 9;9?)* the king and Cueen of ing (gling)* and her own
daughter 'hoying Dronma (chos dbyings sgron ma)!

Sources

2de ba'i rdo r4e! 9;?=! Dbus mo bde ba'i rdo rje'i rnam ar
thar a nges 'byung 'dren a'i shing rta skal ldan dad a'i
mchod sdong! Inpublished manuscript!
2ya bral sang rgyas rdo r4e! 9;DJ! Dbus bza' mkha' 'gro bde
ba'i rdo rje'i rnam thar chen mo'i mjug gi kha skong nyung
du g!yu yi hra tshom! Inpublished manuscript!
#acoby, Sarah! <AA;! K&o be or not to be 'elibate6 %orality
and 'onsort Fractices 3ccording to the &reasure Ee-ealer
Sera KhandroLs (9:;<,9;=A) 3uto>biographical
Writings!K /n #acoby, Sarah, and 3ntonio &errone
(eds), "uddhism beyond the #onastery$ Tantric %ractices
and their %erformers in #odern Tibet! eiden6 2rill!
#acoby, Sarah! <AA;,<A9A! K&his /nferior )emale 2ody6L
Eeflections on ife as a &reasure Ee-ealer &hrough the
3utobiographical 7yes of Se ra mkhaL Mgro (2de baLi rdo r4e,
9:;<,9;=A)!K &ournal of the 'nternational (ssociation of
"uddhist Studies, -ol! ?<, no! 9,<, pp! 99@,9@A!

Sarah #acoby
3ugust <AAD

No one ha "ommented on thi biogra#hy yet.