A young nun from the newly established Gephel Shadrubling Nunnery, 2012. Photo by Mary Wellhoner.

Dr. Mary Wellhoner, a student of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, writes about the growing number of opportunities for Ladakhi nuns to access education and health care.

“Supported by the progressive policies of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, advanced Buddhist education for girls and women in Asia is taking a foothold in Ladakh. A somewhat revolutionary concept for traditional Tibetan culture and developing Asian countries, His Holiness and Lama Zopa Rinpoche have promised equal education for girls and women. As a result, a cohort of bright, energetic young female geshes is on the horizon at Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery, FPMT’s largest nunnery in Kopan near Kathmandu, and at nunneries in Dharamsala under the guidance of the Tibetan Nuns Project.”

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From Mandala January-March 2013