Machig Labdrön

Machig Labdrön (T. ma cig lab sgron མ་ཅིག་ལབ་སྒྲོན་) (1055-1149/53) — the female Tibetan teacher renowned for developing the the practice of Chöd, which combines the view of the prajnaparamita teachings with the skillful means of tantra.

Contemporary translator Malcolm Smith states:

Widely regarded as an emanation of Prajnaparamita the Great Mother of all the Buddhas, Aryatara, and Kharchen Yeshe Tsogyal, Machig Labdrön rightly takes her place in history beside eleventh and twelfth century Tibetan patriarchs such as Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, Milarepa, Desheg Dampa, Gampopa, and so on. However, she alone is credited with being the mother of an independent stream of Dharma in Tibet inspired by her visions of Tara and other deities. For this reason, Machig Labdrön’s teachings are considered to be unique amongst the eight practice lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. While never forming an independent school, the principles of Machig’s teachings were widely and enthusiastically adopted, especially amongst the Kagyu and Nyingma sects. Colleges for studying Chöd existed in Tibet until 1959, where students would gradually, over many years, first learn the liturgical melodies of Chöd by heart and later learn the instrumentation, dances, and ancillary rites.

Further reading

• Michelle J . Sorensen (2014). “Ma-chig Lab-dron: mother of Tibetan Buddhist Chod.” In Buddhists: Understanding Buddhism Through Biography. Ed. Todd Lewis. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Allione, Tsultrim (2008). Feeding Your Demons. Little, Brown and Company. 
• Harding, Sarah (2003). Machik's Complete Explanation. Snow Lion Publications. 
• Allione, Tsultrim (2000). Women of Wisdom. Snow Lion Publications. 
• Edou, Jerome (1995). Machig Labdron and the Foundations of Chod. Snow Lion Publications. 

External links

• TBRC profile
• Biography at Treasury of Lives
• Outline page at Himalayan Art
• Machig Labdrön (Wikipedia)
• ma_gcig_lab_sgron, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
• Machig Labdrön, Rigpa Shedra Wiki