Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo

Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo will tell you that she is “just a girl from Brooklyn.” His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, Supreme Head of the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingmapa), will tell you that she is the reincarnation of an ancient Tibetan holy woman who helped establish and develop Buddhism in Tibet. Her students will tell you that she is a wise, witty, and compassionate teacher who draws on her own experiences as a modern American woman in making accessible to them even the most profound Buddhist teachings. From childhood, Jetsunma has devoted herself to meditation and the alleviation of the world’s suffering. She is the first Western woman to have been recognized and enthroned by Tibetan lamas as a tulku, an enlightened teacher who reincarnates in whatever form can most benefit all beings. Over the years, Jetsunma has gathered around her a large traditional Buddhist community. As her previous incarnations helped the Dharma, the Buddhist teachings, reach and flourish in Tibet, Jetsunma now is among those planting the seeds of Dharma in the West. To hear her teach is to hear age-old teachings brought to life for modern Americans. In Sanskrit, female “wisdom beings” are called “dakinis,” and Jetsunma is truly an American Dakini.