Mahaguru Portraits
Part 1 | Drawings
Semo Saraswati Rinpoche Urgyen Tsomo. Watercolor, conté crayon, pencil (18”x 24”) Collection: Khachod Dechenling Foundation, NYC.
Selected Works (1992-2023)
by N. L. Drolma
Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche. Watercolor, conté crayon, (18” x 24”). Collection: Khachod Dechenling Foundation, NYC.
Khandro Yeshé Tsogyal. Watercolor, conté crayon, pencil (10” x 13.5”) Collection: Khachod Dechenling Foundation, NYC
“The awakened state is your own awareness which is naturally awake.”
—Guru Rinpoche
10th Bhakha Rinpoche Pema Rigdzin. Watercolor, pencil and conté crayon (18” x 24”). Collection: Khachod Dechenling Foundation, NYC.
Dodrupchen Rinpoche. Conté crayon, pencil (10” x 13”)
DoDrupchen Rinpoche’s inscription of the vajra syllables “Om” “Ah” “Hung” en verso.
Buddha. Watercolor, pencil, pastel (18” x 24”)
“If you desire what is sublimely meaningful—the way of abiding—put aside all factors that like so many childish games, fetter and exhaust you physically, verbally, and mentally.”
—Longchen Rabjam
Milarepa. Watercolor and pencil (18” x 24”)
HH Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche. Drawing (colored pencil). Collection: Kathok Situ Rinpoche, Nepal.
Guru Yoga, or merging one’s mind with the wisdom mind of the lama, is a profound practice of devotion that inspired me to draw my first portraits of the masters (back in the 90s). (Sometimes I used drawing as an excuse for skipping formal meditation sessions; try not to do as I did.)
Several of the precious teachers featured in these portfolio pages also appear in blogged excerpts from Beyond Meeting or Parting, the memoir I wrote at the request of Kyabje Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche who’s teased me (to good effect) for 20+ years. (The blog, peppered with photos, highlights tales of travel, retreat, and provocative encounters with Tibetan lamas of blunt wit and big heart.)
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 moved by a master’s boundless compassion.
— Lodrö Drolma
H. E. Minling Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche. Watercolor, conté crayon, pencil (18” x 24”). Collection: Samten Tse Retreat Centre, Mussoorie, India
Mahaguru Portraits - Part 2 | Photographs
Banner at top: Guru Rinpoche. Watercolor, conté crayon, pencil, pastel (24” x 36”)
Portraits displayed on this page (excluding images of Yeshé Tsogyal and HH Chatral Rinpoche) were rendered on Arches 100% cotton rag 140 lb cold press.