Tashi Khyidren

Statue of Mönmo Tashi Chidren, Bumthang, Bhutan, courtesy of Dr Nida

Tashi Kyidren (Wyl. bkra shis khyi 'dren), aka Tashi Khyé'u dren (Tib. བཀྲ་ཤིས་ཁྱེའུ་འདྲེན་, Wyl. bkra shis khye'u 'dren), or Mönmo Tashi Chidren (Tib. མོན་མོ་བཀྲ་ཤིས་སྤྱི་འདྲེན, Wyl. mon mo bkra shis spyi ‘dren) was a princess of Mön (Bhumtang, in Bhutan) and one of the five principal consorts of Guru Rinpoche.

She was born with the name Tashi Kyidren, which was later changed to Tashi Chidren after she became a disciple of Yeshe Tsogyal. At the age of thirteen, Mönmo Tashi Chidren met Yeshe Tsogyal who was meditating in a cave in Bhutan, and she was deeply impressed by the yogini’s wisdom and spiritual power that she became her lifelong disciple. Under Yeshe Tsogyal’s guidance, Mönmo Tashi Chidren developped a strong renunciation to the dharma and eventually became one of the five great principal consorts of Guru Rinpoche. He took her as his consort and her under his care as he practised Vajrakilaya at Paro Taktsang. This ensured the flourishing of the Buddhist teachings in Tibet.

Mönmo Tashi Chidren played a crucial role in spreading the teachings in Vajrayana in Bhutan and is famous for her spiritual accomplishments. In Bhutan, Guru Rinpoche took the form of Dorje Drollö to subdue demons that were troubling the people. He flew there mounted on the back of his consort Tashi Kyidren who transformed herself into a flying tigress. Mönmo Tashi Chidren’s life and wisdom have been an inspiration to many, and her legacy continues to be celebrated in Bhutan and beyond. She is revered as a great female master and a symbol of devotion, spiritual power, and the importance of women’s role in the transmission of Buddhist teachings.