Pema Khandro Rinpoche

Pema Khandro Rinpoche

Pema Khandro is a teacher and scholar of Buddhist philosophy, as well as a lineage holder in the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. She founded the nonprofit organization Ngakpa International and its three projects, the Buddhist Studies Institute, Dakini Mountain, and the Yogic Medicine Institute. She is completing a doctorate specializing in Tibetan Buddhism at the University of Virginia.

Recent Articles

The Swift Path to Buddhahood

Pema Khandro on the fascinating history, practice, and purpose of the Six Dharmas of Naropa.

Meet a Teacher: Pema Khandro Rinpoche

Pema Khandro Rinpoche gets personal with the Lion’s Roar readership.

How to Open Your Heart Further

Pema Khandro Rinpoche on a bodhisattva’s love.

Ask the Teachers: What separates secular mindfulness from Buddhism?

Myozen Joan Amaral, Rev. Marvin Harada, and Pema Khandro Rinpoche answer a question about secular expressions of Buddhism.

pema khandro rinpoche breaking open four points letting go milarepa longchenpa vajrayana tibetan emerging presence contrived self, the play of experience rupture bardo buddhadharma lion's roar teachings death dying in between groundless

The Four Points of Letting Go in the Bardo

It’s when we lose the illusion of control—a "bardo" state where we are most vulnerable and exposed—that we can discover the creative potential of our lives.

Cuando la tristeza arrasa como el fuego

Pema Khandro Rinpoche comparte la vida del yogui tibetano Shabkar, cuya práctica y enseñanzas fueron inseparables de la pérdida y la pena. Del número de Otoño del 2020 de Buddhadharma.

Abre tu corazón aún más

Pema Khandro Rinpoche nos habla acerca de cultivar el amor ilimitado de un bodhisattva.

Everything Is This Wisdom

Pema Khandro on the primordial knowing that, according to the Dzogchen teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, is the source and true nature of ourselves and all reality.

When We Have No Choice

Sometimes, says Pema Khandro, there’s no way out. It’s at those times that we can discover the depth and resilience of the mind.

You’re Ready Enough

Wherever you find yourself, says Pema Khandro, that’s the starting point of the bodhisattva path—all you need to do is take that first step.

Be Kind to Yourself

You have enlightened nature, says Pema Khandro Rinpoche. If you truly know that, you’ll always be kind to yourself.

Abriéndose en el bardo

Es cuando perdemos la ilusión de control -cuando estamos más vulnerables y expuestos- que podemos descubrir el potencial creativo de nuestras vidas. Pema Khandro Rinpoche explica cuatro puntos esenciales para entender qué significa el dejar ir, y lo que nace cuando lo hacemos.

When Sadness Rages Like Fire

Pema Khandro Rinpoche shares the life of the Tibetan yogi Shabkar, whose practice and teachings were inseparable from loss and grief.

Forum: Hear Our Voices

A panel of women teachers from different Buddhist traditions share their insights into being a female teacher and leader in today’s world.

A monk standing in a field, with a statue of Padmasambhava in the distance.

Is the Guru Model Broken?

Pema Khandro Rinpoche, Lama Rod Owens, Lama Rigzin Drolma, and Lobsang Rapgay discuss the guru model in the Tibetan tradition, in which the teacher is central to the path.

You’re Caught in a Dream. Wake Up!

When you see that much of your life is spent in dreamlike states, says Pema Khandro Rinpoche, you are freed from the suffering they cause.

A woman with a shaved head bows before the Buddha.

The First Women’s March

More than two-and-a-half centuries ago, Mahapajapati Gotami, the Buddha's aunt, set a precedent for the women's rights.

The Power of Buddhism

If you ignore power, you ignore powerful Buddhist teachings. Pema Khandro Rinpoche says that Buddhism teaches us how to be powerful and compassionate at the same time.