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At a period of time such
as we are now in, if there is a possibility to
do so,
then we the followers of Buddha must restore
the vow of fully ordained nuns
(bhiksunīs).
H. H. the 14th Dalai Lama,
Mundgod (India), January 6, 2008
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THE ISSUE:
The Present Status
of the Bhiksuni Ordination
By Bhiksuni Thubten Chodron
Buddhist men and women have aspired for
liberation and full enlightenment since the
time of the Buddha. Such an aspiration is rare
and precious in our materialistic world where
consumerism rules, and monastic life is an
important way to nourish this aspiration so
that it can be fulfilled. Therefore the Buddha
himself established both the bhiksu and
bhiksuni sanghas (communities of male and
female fully ordained ones), and together with
upasakas and upasikas (male and female lay
followers), they form the “four-fold
sangha.” The presence of the four-fold
sangha makes an area a “central
land,” that is, one where the
Buddha’s teachings are practiced,
preserved, and passed down to future
generations. In the sutras, the Buddha often
extols the importance and value of the
four-fold sangha. At present, some
traditionally Buddhist countries have the
four-fold sangha, while others lack it due to
the absence of a bhiksuni sangha. The lack of a
bhiksuni sangha, therefore, hinders the
preservation and spread of the Buddha’s
precious teachings in the world in general and
deprives many serious women from fully
practicing the path as they wish. >READ MORE
ABOUT US:
The Committee
for Bhiksuni Ordination
in the Tibetan Tradition (CBO)
The Committee of Western
Bhikshunis was formed in the autumn of 2005,
after His Holiness the Dalai Lama encouraged
Western bhikṣuṇīs to
become more involved in helping to establish
bhikṣuṇī ordination in the
Tibetan tradition. As Tibetan Buddhism has
become well-known in the Western world since
the 1970s, Western Buddhist women have noted
that although the Buddha introduced full
ordination for women, it is not available in
either the Theravāda or the Tibetan
tradition of Buddhism, which includes Tibet,
and also countries such as Thailand, Cambodia,
Laos, Burma, and Sri Lanka. >READ MORE
NEWS: FEBRUARY, 2025
BBC Podcast: Heart and Soul - Becoming a Buddhist Bhikshuni in Bhutan
In 2022 the kingdom of Bhutan ordained 144 women in an unprecedented ceremony. Among them was Emma Slade, also known as Lopen Ani Pema Deki, from Kent in the UK. She was the only Western woman to take part. Emma's faith has been a part of her life since she was held at gunpoint and robbed in Indonesia in 1997. She studied in Bhutan and set up a charity that supports children with special needs in the country. She talks to Julia Paul about life as a bhikshuni in the UK and Bhutan, her memories of taking part in the historic mass ordination and what it means for Buddhist nuns in Bhutan and other countries.
Listen to the Pocast: www.bbc.com/audio/play/p0ktk2c
NEWS: JUNE, 2022
Buddhist leader in Bhutan fully ordains 144 women, resuming ancient tradition
On Tuesday (June 21), the Je Khenpo, the senior Buddhist authority in Bhutan, began ordaining a group of 144 women as bhikshunis, or female monks, at the Ramthangkha monastery in the tiny Himalayan country.
The ceremony "is of historical importance for all women in Buddhism and brings Tibetan Buddhism into the 21st century," said Bhikshuni Jampa Tsedroen, a German Tibetan author. "For these nuns, it is a major opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to contribute to Buddhism.""
Read more:
- Article by Damcho Diana Finnegan and Dr. Carola Roloff (Bhiksuni Jampa Tsedroen)
- Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo shares a her experience of the historic Bhikshuni Ordination (Facebook video)
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- Dr. Tashi Zangmo, the executive director of the Bhutan Nuns Foundation: The Blessing of Bhikshuni Ordination in Bhutan
- Bhutan Nuns Foundation/
- religionnews.com/2022/06/21/buddhist-leader-in-bhutan-fully-ordains-144-women-resuming-ancient-tradition/
NEWS: NOVEMBER, 2021
New book by Professor Carola Roloff: The Buddhist Nun´s Ordination in the Tibetan Canon
The edition introduces the Tibetan texts and their English translations of two important chapters in the Tibetan Mulasarvastivadavinaya. Based on the presented materials, the author discusses ways in which the nuns ordination in the Tibetan tradition - from which full ordination for women has been absent for centuries - may be legitimately reinstated. This is a concern Carola Roloff has been supporting for more than two decades. Her edition and exegesis of the Tibetan texts and their Sanskrit parallels constitute a solid foundation for discussing why the Mulasarvastivada Bhiksuni lineage should be re-established and how concrete steps in that direction may look like.
Possibilities of the Revival of the Mulasarvastivada Bhiksuni Lineage
Open access ebook:
www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/4-publikationen/hamburg-buddhist-studies/15-roloff.pdf
Print version:
HAMBURG BUDDHIST STUDIES 15
375 Pages
ISSN 2190-6769
ISBN 978-3-89733-526-4
For Details see www.projektverlag.de/The-Buddhist-Nuns-Ordination-in-the-Tibetan-Canon
NEWS: February 8, 2018
Sravasti Abbey Hosts ‘Living Vinaya in the West’
By Ven. Thubten Chonyi and Ven. Thubten Chodron
Download the report (PDF, 94KB)
more info
NEWS: H. H.
the Dalai Lama's Statement of His Continued
Support for the Revival of the Mulasarvastivada
Bhiksuni Tradition delivered
during his Address to the Global Buddhist
Congregation 2011>VIEW VIDEO
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NEWS: June 6, 2017
Nuns in the Tibetan Tradition: Latest Developments and Future Prospects
NEWS: March 11, 2017
History in the Making: The First Step Toward Full Ordination for Tibetan Buddhist Nuns
NEWS: March 3, 2017
The Historic Revival of Full Ordination for Tibetan Buddhist Nuns
NEWS: November 10, 2016
6 North American Buddhist nuns, including Pema Chödrön and Thubten Chodron, receive "Global Bhikkhuni Award"
read more about this event on Sravasti Abbey's blog
NEWS:
Development of Educational Materials
The CBO is working to public educational
materials in both the English and Tibetan
languages that explain the bhiksuni ordination
issue and justify providing an opportunity for
full ordination for Buddhist nuns practicing in
the Tibetan tradition. >READ MORE
NEWS: August 18, 2016
Exclusive Interview: The 17th Karmapa and the Buddhist Nuns of the Tibetan tradition
NEWS: January 15, 2016
The Gyalwang Karmapa Teaches on Bodhichitta and Discusses Bhikshuni Ordination Plans
NEWS: January 24, 2015
Gyalwang Karmapa Makes Historic Announcement on Restoring Nuns' Ordination
NEWS: June 24, 2014
A first step towards full ordination.
The getsulma dhompa ceremony, presided over by HH the Je Khenpo, marks a watershed moment for the community
NEWS: Vinaya training for Monastics book
 Karmans for the Creation of Virtue: The Prescriptive Precepts in the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya - First extensive English Guide on how to practice monastic rites by the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya Master Bhiksu Benyin, edited by CBO member Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, Founder and Abbess of Sravasti Abbey, Newport, USA
Download the book flyer (PDF, 763KB)
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