Khandroma
The Tibetan name for the Indian dakini, she is a female embodiment of enlightened energy who, as one of the Three Roots, fulfills the enlightened activities of transmission lineages while protecting both the doctrine and its practitioners—ranging from wrathful wisdom deities to revered human masters such as Yéshé, Tsogyal, held in the Nyingma tradition as equal in stature to Guru Rinpoché himself, and Machig Labdrön, founders of living lineages still practiced today. While the Nyingma tradition distinguishes karmic, wisdom, and worldly khandromas and the Sarma schools speak of pureland, mantra, and innate khandromas, these classifications reflect terminological variation upon a shared recognition of the khandroma as the quintessential feminine principle of awakened mind.
Since the early 8th century, Tibetans and Himalayan people have treasured "Namtars" as written or spoken narratives that demonstrate the realization of the Buddhist path by exceptional practitioners. These namtars, or spiritual biographies, serve as inspirational guides on the path to enlightenment.
Today, Namtars Foundation aims to record, preserve, and freely offer the world a written and electronic treasury of the oral wisdom of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism.
