There was no personal crisis, dramatic setback, or life-altering epiphany that led Lama Aria Drolma, a successful model, away from the glamour of the fashion industry. Instead, it was a quieter force: a persistent longing for deeper meaning, purpose, and inner fulfillment.
Born in India, she was drawn into spirituality through the Hindu traditions of the Vedas and Advaita Vedanta while also exploring Christian contemplative practices. Over time, that search drew her toward Buddhism, and in 2011, she joined a three-year retreat at a monastery in New York to become an ordained Buddhist nun.
Buddhist teachings and meditation, she says, opened an inner landscape of peace and clarity that outward success alone could not provide.
Today, based in New York, she has grown into an internationally respected meditation teacher and speaker, known for making ancient Buddhist wisdom accessible to contemporary audiences.
Lama Aria, an admirer of A Lotus In The Mud and its mission to promote wisdom, resilience, and personal growth through thoughtful storytelling, will join the panel discussion at the magazine’s multifaith Yoga Day celebration on June 14 at the Vedic Heritage Hanuman Temple in Hempstead, New York. She will also conduct the Loving-Kindness Meditation for World Peace.
In this interview with Parveen Chopra, founding editor of A Lotus in the Mud, she reflects on her spiritual journey, the lessons of mindfulness, and the growing search for meaning in an age of achievement and distraction.
Parveen Chopra: Was there a defining moment when you felt “enough is enough” and decided to leave the glamour world behind to become a monk?
Lama Aria Drolma: There was no single defining moment. My career in fashion, advertising, and public relations in NYC was rewarding, and I am grateful for it. Yet, despite the outward success, I felt an increasing longing for a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.
Buddhist teachings and meditation opened a new inner perspective, bringing a sense of peace and clarity I had not known before. Through sustained practice, I experienced a profound sense of contentment I had not known before. It revealed that true happiness arises not from external achievements but from cultivating the mind and heart.
The decision to become a Buddhist nun was a natural unfolding of this inner spiritual journey, not a rejection of my past but an authentic move toward a life aligned with deeper purpose, mindfulness, and compassion.
When it comes to happiness and contentment, what sets your present life apart from your earlier life in modeling?
Lama Aria: During my early years as a model in the fashion industry, happiness was often tied to achievement, recognition, and external validation. There was excitement and creativity, but also a constant sense of comparison, where contentment was transient and conditional.
In my present spiritual journey, what feels different now is the quality of contentment; it is more enduring and less dependent on “doing” or “becoming.” It comes from being present, from inner alignment, and from a life oriented toward meaning, compassion, and service rather than performance or image.
You once spoke about feeling a deep emptiness and yearning for meaning in life. Did walking away from fame help resolve those feelings? How did you find purpose and inner fulfillment?
Lama Aria: What I once experienced as emptiness was, in fact, a deep inner searching for meaning that external success alone could not fulfill. It is this question that sometimes comes to mind: “What is the true purpose of our life?”
Buddhist teaching allowed me to turn inward and engage in learning and practice. The practice helped me understand that fulfillment cannot be acquired from the outside but cultivated within through awareness, compassion, and understanding of the nature of the mind.
In 2011, you joined a three-year retreat at a monastery in New York to become an ordained Buddhist nun. What were the most important lessons from that phase that shaped the person you are today? Was adapting to a minimalist lifestyle challenging at first?
Lama Aria: The Tibetan three-year retreat program was a profound period of inner training that shaped my life. Its core teachings centered on understanding impermanence, the mind, and the cultivation of mindfulness and compassion in daily life.
Adapting to a minimalist lifestyle was initially challenging, requiring me to let go of familiar comforts and habits. However, over time, it became liberating, bringing clarity, focus, and a sense of ease that comes from living with what is essential.
Having experienced both a worldly life and a spiritual life, how do you now view the world? In your opinion, what are the key reasons behind the growing mental health struggles people face today?
Lama Aria: I now see the world with greater equanimity and compassion. There is immense beauty in human creativity, ambition, and connection, yet a great deal of inner restlessness when life is driven primarily by external validation and not knowing your true purpose in life.
Many mental health challenges arise from disconnection, constant digital stimulation, and alienation. The pressure to achieve and project a certain image leaves little space for inner stillness or reflection.
When the mind is continuously outward-focused, it becomes easily overwhelmed. Practices that cultivate awareness, simplicity, and emotional balance are increasingly essential to restoring a sense of inner stability and well-being.
You have taught at prestigious institutions such as Harvard Business School and the University of Oxford. What is one common issue or inner conflict you notice among young people today?
Lama Aria: What I observe among young people is the tension between external success and inner fulfillment. Most of them are highly capable and ambitious, yet they face constant pressure from parents, society, and social media to perform and project a certain image. Despite their achievements, the pressure leaves them anxious, uncertain, or disconnected from themselves.
Since so much of life is shaped by our thoughts, what is the best way to calm the mind, strengthen it, and develop inner clarity?
Lama Aria: In Buddhism, the mind is strengthened through mindfulness, concentration, and insight. By creating awareness about the present moment, especially through mindful breathing, the mind gradually becomes stable and calmer.
Meditation teaches us to observe thoughts and emotions without grasping or aversion, recognizing their impermanent nature. This reduces mental agitation and weakens habitual patterns that disturb inner peace.
With the practice of the Buddha’s teachings, clarity arises naturally, supported by compassion and wisdom. The mind becomes more spacious, balanced, and calm, and inner peace and joy spontaneously arise.
What is the larger purpose behind this new phase of your life, and where do you see yourself spiritually and personally over the next 10 years?
Lama Aria: The larger purpose of my life is to deepen my spiritual practice and to be of benefit to others through the teachings of mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom.
I see myself continuing to grow spiritually, inwardly through study and meditation while also sharing these teachings more widely with those who are seeking balance and meaning in their lives. Spiritually, the aspiration is simply to remain steady on the path, with greater clarity, compassion, and wisdom
What do you think of A Lotus In The Mud‘s content and mission, any message for our readers?
Lama Aria: I deeply appreciate A Lotus In The Mud for its thoughtful content and its sincere mission of sharing wisdom, resilience, and inner transformation. It is meaningful to see a platform that highlights the growth possibilities and awakening even within the challenges of everyday life.
My heartfelt respect for your work in spreading the messages of peace, love, and understanding. May your efforts continue to inspire readers to cultivate kindness, awareness, and compassion in their own lives, contributing to a more peaceful and harmonious world.
Eminent Buddhist teacher and speaker
Lama Aria Drolma is an ordained Buddhist nun and meditation teacher in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Born in India, she began her spiritual studies in the Hindu traditions of the Vedas and Advaita Vedanta, alongside Christian contemplative practices, before dedicating her life fully to the study and practice of Buddhism.
Now based in Upstate New York, Lama Aria is an internationally respected meditation teacher and speaker known for bringing contemplative wisdom into modern educational, cultural, and corporate spaces. She regularly leads meditation programs and talks at distinguished institutions such as the Rubin Museum of Art, Google, and the United Nations. Her teachings have also reached communities at the University of Oxford, Harvard Business School Women’s Association, and Fordham University, among others.
Internationally, Lama Aria Drolma has contributed to major wellness and interfaith initiatives, including the Parliament of the World’s Religions and the IRIS Wellness Festival in Hong Kong. She also moderated the inaugural Asian Buddhist Summit in New Delhi, India in November 2024, and has facilitated executive meditation and leadership sessions for organizations such as Manipal Health Enterprises, Wipro, and the Harvard Club of Boston.
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