N. Lodrö Drolma
Dharma teacher for Khachod Dechenling
Embracing the Ineffable
Ordained in 1996 in the Nyingma (ancient, esoteric) school of Tibetan Buddhism, Ngawang Lodrö Drolma is a longtime practitioner who also enjoys giving the gift of dharma; she was authorized by Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche as “lama” in 2009. Her way of teaching is simple, playful and direct. In February 2024, she established the Khachod Dechenling Foundation, a nonprofit, educational 501c(3) organization incorporated in New York State. The foundation carries the name that Semo Saraswati Rinpoche gave to N. L. Drolma’s retreat residence which has also served as a sanctuary in NYC for Buddhist practitioners and guest lamas since the 90s.
At the 1991 Kalachakra Initiation for World Peace led by HH the 14th Dalai Lama in New York, N. L. Drolma received her first dharma teaching (“Dzogchen and the Nine Yanas”) from Trulshik Rinpoche, the late Nyingma tutor to the Dalai Lama. The translator for that teaching was Sogyal Rinpoche, spiritual director of Rigpa, the sangha she subsequently joined for study and practice. Five years later, taking Alak Zenkar Rinpoche’s guidance to heart, N. L. Drolma flew to Nepal and was ordained by Trulshik Rinpoche at his monastery in the foothills of Mt. Everest, then relocated to the mountain village of Pharping (on the outskirts of Kathmandu) to continue her training under the peerless Dzogchen master HH Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche.
It has also been Ngawang Lodrö Drolma’s good fortune to receive instruction and transmission from other highly esteemed rinpoches, most particularly: Thinley Norbu, Nyoshul Khenpo, Semo Saraswati and the 10th Bhakha Tulku. N. L. Drolma has traveled widely—to Nepal, Bhutan, India, Hong Kong, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, and across the U.S.A— for teachings, empowerments, and retreat.
Greeting card image of HH Chatral Rinpoche’s monastery, Rigdzin Drupbe Ghatsal, Pharping, Nepal (circa 2000)
HH Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche, Yolmo, Nepal (Photographer: unknown)
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Lodro Drolma’s first job after college was at The New Yorker magazine where she summarized its articles on index cards and cut/pasted the cartoons onto cardboard sheets; all dutifully stored in ancient, metal file cabinets for posterity. Soon thereafter, she threw out her TV. Fifteen years later, on meeting the buddhadharma, Lodrö Drolma felt she had won the lottery.
Prior to embracing the dharma, N. L. Drolma received a B.A (in English) with honors from University of Rochester; was Visiting Scholar at Columbia University where she studied with poet Kenneth Koch (“Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?”); enrolled in SVA (School of Visual Arts) and subsequently earned a Master’s in Fine Arts from Hunter College. Years later, she was awarded an Artist-in-residency Yaddo Fellowship; a grant from Robert Rauschenberg’s foundation, Change Inc.; garnered NYC gallery representation and enjoyed group and solo shows of her paintings.
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*Photo of N. L. Drolma (1985) courtesy of Sandy Skoglund.
Images a. and c. from Blog Episode 4: Toto, We’re not in Kansas Anymore. Image b. from Blog intro: Wisdom Magic.