Semo Saraswati Rinpoche, Pharping residence, Nepal 1997
Mahaguru Portraits
by N. L. Drolma
May these images of the Mahaguru herald auspiciousness for anyone new to spiritual inquiry or wishing to boost their practice, and for all who have been inspired by a master’s boundless compassion to actualize bodhicitta.
— Lodrö Drolma
Trulshik Rinpoche and Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, Tribuvan International Airport lounge, Nepal 1997 (Photo ©N. L. Drolma)
“All negativity arises in you, all negativity dissolves in you.”
— Semo Saraswati Rinpoche
Alak Zenkar Rinpoche, NYC 1993
Guru Yoga, or merging one’s mind with the wisdom mind of the lama, is a profound practice of devotion that inspired me to photograph Tibetan Buddhist masters of meditation.
Several of the precious teachers featured on this page and in the gallery also appear in blogged excerpts from Beyond Meeting or Parting, a memoir of dharma adventure. I wrote it at the request of Kyabje Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche who’s teased me (to good effect) for 20+ years. The blog is peppered with photos and highlights tales of travel, retreat, and provocative encounters with Tibetan lamas of great wisdom and blunt wit.
“The Maha Ati, which is beyond conceptions and transcends both grasping and letting go…is the unchanging state of meditation in which there is awareness but no clinging.”
— Jigme Lingpa
Dzogchen Rinpoche Jigme Losel Wangpo, Lerab Ling, France 1993 (Photo © N. L. Drolma)