Konchok Yangchen came as a young girl to Gebchak in the 1980s and was raised by elderly nuns who had survived the Cultural Revolution and returned to re-establish Gebchak’s practice tradition. Here she remembers these impressive elderly nuns – affectionately called ‘Jogema’ – and the remarkable courage and spiritual accomplishments that they displayed while living and dying.
Some Tibetan terms she uses are:
DRUBCHEN: a sadhana practice undertaken by a group of people that continues uninterruptedly for seven or more days.
TSANGYANG GYAMTSO: the founder of Gebchak Nunnery. The first Tsang-Yang Gyamtso was a heart disciple of the first Drubwang Tsoknyi Rinpoche.
RATNA LINGPA: a 15th century treasure-revealer whose compilation of the inner yogas – ‘Sang-Tri Rig-Nga’ – is practised by the Gebchak nuns.
TSA-LUNG & TRULKHOR: inner yoga of psychic channels and energies, and hatha yoga style methods that prepare the body for channel and energy practice.