Lama Chokden

Lama Chokden, whose full name was Jamyang Lodrö Chokden (‘jam dbyangs blo gros mchog ldan), was originally from Tsechu Monastery in Nangchen. He served as Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö’s shrine-master (chöpön) in later years and often acted as his scribe. He himself requested a number of compositions, including a recitation manual for the Vajrakīlaya Root Tantra Fragment, a guru yoga focused on Marpa Lotsawa, and a praise to Mañjuśrī called The Lute of Vajra Harmony.

When Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö’s writings were first compiled, it was Chokden who proofread them and put them in order. He also provided notes detailing some of his master’s visions to assist Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in the writing of his great biography of Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, A Wondrous Grove of Wish-Fulfilling Trees.

Sogyal Rinpoche wrote of him:

“My master’s closest assistant and master of ceremonies, Lama Chokden, had been with my master longer than anyone. He was a silent, serious, ascetic man with piercing eyes and sunken cheeks, and a dignified and elegant but humble manner. Chokden was known for his fundamental integrity, his deep, human decency, his courtesy of heart, and his extraordinary memory: He seemed to remember every word my master said, and every story, and he knew the smallest details of all the most intricate rituals and their significance. He was also an exemplary practitioner and a teacher in his own right.”