Konchok Paldron, biographical details

Blessed by Arya Tara, Ratna Shri.

This line refers to Chokgyur Lingpa’s daughter Konchok Paldron (my grandmother). She had three visions in which she met Jetsun Tara, as if in person, and reached perfect realization before she passed away.
Dechen Chodron was a quite wrathful woman. Occasionally, she set her will against the great terton, not seriously, but she was sometimes stubborn enough to start a quarrel. Someone later said that it was her obstinacy that caused her child to be born a girl, but I feel that Konchok Paldron’s life actually fulfills Padmasambhava’s prophecy.
She was taken in marriage by Orgyen Chopel, a Vajrayana master of the Tsangsar family, with whom she had four sons and two daughters. From eldest to youngest, they were Samten Gyatso, Chimey Dorje, Lama Sang-ngak Rinpoche, Tersey Tulku, then Tashi Chimey and finally Rigdzin Paldron. The continuation of Chokgyur Lingpa’s terma teachings was primarily due to her having borne four sons who performed an immense service in propagating the lineage. This was all possible because she was an emanation of Vajrapani — which is something remarkable in itself.
Konchok Paldron was a very profound meditator and the local people had deep trust in her. Often they would ask for some grains of barley, that she had blessed, to carry in a small amulet bag. They would also tie her protection amulets around the necks of their goats and sheep. Some people even tested whether her protection actually worked by shooting rifles at their goats. They would say, “Each time I hit the goat, after the impact it would cry out in pain, ‘baaaaah!’ but upon closer inspection, I could find no bullet wound anywhere. The amulet made my goat bulletproof and I’m not lying!” Actually, this was not such a bad quality, for it increased people’s trust.
One interesting point is that her guru was her own son — Samten Gyatso. He was the one who pointed out mind essence to her, so that she recognized it unmistakenly. Samten Gyatso told me that he was amazed by her level of meditation. Near the end of her life, she had reached the level known as ‘collapse of confusion’ at which point there are no more dreams during sleep — the dream state is totally purified. In the scriptures, it is said that at a certain point the stream of dreaming ceases so that throughout day and night the continuity of luminous wakefulness is uninterrupted. She was quite amazing; people said that one’s conceptualizing thoughts would immediately diminish the moment one entered her room, they simply quieted down. One would feel very lucid and quiet. It was extraordinarily palpable.
Konchok Paldron was 70 or 71 when she died. There was a surprising amount of sindhura powder on the bones which remained after the cremation. I also heard that one of these bones had an image of Tara on it. Dzongsar Khyentse and other masters considered this image very important and I believe that Dzongsar Khyentse still has it in his possession.

--extract from Blazing Splendor, the momoirs of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

Chokgyur Lingpa and Degah also had a daughter, Konchok Paldron. When she asked Chokling whether she should become a nun, he told her she should marry. She married Orgyen Chopel, a son of the Tsangsar family. “Your yidam is Jetsun Tara,” Chokling told her. She practiced the Tersar sadhanas a great deal, and especially recited many mantras of her yidam, Jetsun Tara. She had actual visions of Jetsun Tara three times. She later said, “Although I lead a worldly life, I have no delusion during the day, and only slightly at night.” She was very skilled in the rituals and tantric traditions.
Konchok Paldron received many teachings from the two Jamgons, Chokgyur Lingpa, Mipham Rinpoche, Paltrul Rinpoche and the Karmapas. She brought great benefit to Chokgyur Lingpa’s Tersar teachings.
Konchok Paldron often blessed grain by reciting mantras and blowing on it. People wore the grain in their amulets, tied around the necks of goats, these amulets made them immune to bullets. Women like Konchok Paldron are true dakinis.
Thanks to Konchok Paldron and Tsewang Norbu the tradition and the teachings still exist. When she died at Kela she was absorbed into the mind of Jetsun Tara. She had four sons: Samten Gyatso, Chimey Dorje, Lama Sang-ngak and Akhu Tersey. Before she died all four were summoned together. At that time the incarnation of Jamgon Kongtrul, a son of the 15th Karmapa named Palden Khyentse Özer, resided at Kela. He and the four sons performed the funeral ceremony and a drubchen. A small stupa was erected to hold her remains.

--extracted from "The Life of Chokgyur Lingpa" as told by Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche:
Translated by Tulku Jigmey Khyentse and Erik Pema Kunsang, 1983