My given name is Michael Ralph Allard.

I was born on June 11, 1961, in Manchester, New Hampshire, and raised in a family deeply shaped by the Roman Catholic Church. My father nicknamed me “Doubting Thomas”—a name that, while lighthearted, reflected my early and persistent questioning of inherited beliefs. That doubt eventually became a doorway.

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In my late twenties, that questioning led me beyond the bounds of my childhood faith and into the study of Buddhism. I was especially drawn to Tibetan Buddhism, and most profoundly, to Dzogchen Meditation. Its radical simplicity and its promise of being a direct path to our true nature—both individually and collectively—resonated deeply. The one in the many, without exception.

In 1994, I took formal refuge with Lama Kunzang Tenzin, also known as Lama Surya Das. He gave me the name Pema Vajra—Pema meaning “lotus” (soft), and Vajra meaning “diamond” (unbreakable). At that time, this name felt like a strange but reconcilable paradox. Only after three decades of meditation practice am I beginning to understand the view he held that day—and the fruit it would one day bear.

In 2022, I participated in my first ayahuasca ceremony at Great Spirit Farm in Brooksville, Florida, under the guidance of two wise shaman-like facilitators, Shannon Hernandez and Travis Moorehead. That ceremony—and the many that followed since then—revealed many secret truths of open awareness, affirming and expanding the insights I had encountered through years of Dzogchen and non-dual practice. Much of the artwork in this gallery emerged from that sacred intersection—where lineage, shamanic vision, and the pure presence of Vajrasattva converge.

It’s important to note that I don’t consider myself a traditional artist. I hold deep respect for those who create with their hands and honed skill. My path is that of a prompt artist—collaborating with AI to shape visions born from spiritual experience and insight. These images are not conclusions; they are invitations—expressions from the heart of meditation practice. May they speak to all the “I’s that See”—and to those still opening their eyes.

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I pray that all who enter here find great benefit in this offering,

Many Blessings!
Pema Vajra