Delog Dawa Drolma

Delog Dawa Drolma, courtesy of Padma Publishing

Delog Dawa Drolma (?-1941) was a great female teacher of Tibet, a Delog, and the mother of Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche.

According to Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche:

My mother was revered throughout Tibet for her extraordinary powers as a lama, but she was more famous for being a delog (pronounced DAY-loak), one who has crossed the threshold of death and returned to tell about it. Hers was not a visionary or momentary near-death experience. For five full days she lay cold, breathless, and devoid of any vital signs, while her consciousness moved freely into other realms, often escorted by the wisdom goddess White Tara. She undertook her journey as a delog according to instructions she had received from Tara in visions, but against the wishes of her lamas, who pleaded with her not to take such a risk. It is remarkable that she, a young woman of sixteen, had so much confidence in her meditation that she prevailed over very wise, much older lamas. However, she herself had been recognized as an emanation of White Tara, a powerful force of enlightened mind for the longevity and liberation of all sentient beings.

Delog Dawa Drolma received teachings from Dudjom Rinpoche.

Further Reading

• Delog Dawa Drolma, Journey to Realms Beyond Death, Padma Publishing, 1995.