Machig Labdron:
Jungney Drak, named after Guru Pema Jungney, stands perched on a steep cliff in the Haa Valley, Bhutan is often referred to as the second Taktsang.
This temple is revered as one of the most sacred sites associated with the renowned lady saint Machig Labdron (1055–1149), who hailed from the Labdron region in the Yarlung Valley, Tibet. Rigorously trained by esteemed masters like Drapa Ngonshe (གྲྭ་པ་མངོན་ཤེས་), Kyoton Sonam Lama (སྐྱོ་སྟོན་བསོད་ནམས་བླ་མ་), and Phadampa Sangye (ཕ་དམ་པ་སངས་རྒྱས་), Machig Labdron played an unparalleled role in disseminating Vajrayana Buddhism across the Himalayas. Her ego-cutting Chod ritual which is a reformation of the Wisdom Perfection practice continues to thrive today.
Role of Women:
At a critical time when women were marginalized, Machig Labdron’s enlightened guidance challenged societal norms, paving a greater way for gender equality in Buddhism. Her legacy, alongside other venerable women like Khandro Yeshe Tshogyel and Monmo Tashi Kheudren, remains instrumental in shaping a more inclusive spiritual landscape of Bhutan.
Machig Labdron’s footprint:
The Jungney Drak temple enshrines Machig Labdron’s right footprint that she left on a rock. Machig Labdrön’s left footprint can be seen in the Machig cave temple above Paro Taktshang.
Three Year Retreat Center:
The people of Bhutan, especially of Haa, are truly blessed. Under the selfless Royal initiatives of Her Majesty the Queen Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck and Her Royal Highness Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, along with the visionary patronage of His Royal Eminence Vairochana Rinpoche Ngawang Jigme Jigten Wangchuck, a three-year retreat center for nuns has been established at Jungney Drak. Sixteen fully ordained nuns (Bikshunis) have already commenced their three-year retreat starting this year.
The Machig Labdron Tshogpa:
A committee was formed to facilitate the seamless and successful operation of the Jungney Drak retreat, and to host dharma events celebrating women practitioners in particular. The Tshogpa warmly welcomes those who support its initiatives.
Activities and services:
Currently, the Tshogpa is conducting the 45-day Tara Ritual Practice (Drolchog) at Lhakhang Karpo, Haa. This ritual involves invoking and propitiating the blessings of the goddess Tara. The event is presided over by the venerable Lam Neten of Haa and takes place daily from 5 pm to 6 pm. Once, this practice is completed, the Tshogpa plans to perform this Tara ritual routinely on every 25th Day of the Bhutanese lunar calendar at the Jungney Drak temple.
The benefits of participating in this ritual are manifold. Temporally, it can pacify various challenges related to health, fears, relationships, business, and agriculture. Ultimately, engaging in this practice brings us closer to attaining Tara’s level of realization and accelerates our journey toward freedom from Samsara.
