Venerable Sangye Khadro

California-born, Venerable Sangye Khadro ordained as a Buddhist nun at Kopan Monastery in 1974, and is a longtime friend and colleague of Abbey founder Ven. Thubten Chodron. Ven. Sangye Khadro took the full (bhikshuni) ordination in 1988. While studying at Nalanda Monastery in France in the 1980s, she helped to start the Dorje Pamo Nunnery, along with Venerable Chodron. Venerable Sangye Khadro has studied Buddhism with many great masters including Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, and Khensur Jampa Tegchok. She began teaching in 1979 and was a resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore for 11 years. She has been resident teacher at the FPMT centre in Denmark since 2016, and from 2008-2015, she followed the Masters Program at the Lama Tsong Khapa Institute in Italy. Venerable Sangye Khadro has authored several books, including the best-selling How to Meditate, now in its 17th printing, which has been translated into eight languages. She has taught at Sravasti Abbey since 2017 and is now a full-time resident.

Featured Series

Venerable Sangye Khadro stands next to a wooden statue of Kuan Yin.

37 Practices of Bodhisattvas with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2019)

Short talks by Venerable Sangye Khadro on "The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas" by Gyelsay Togmay Zangpo.

View Series

70 Topics with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2022)

70 Topics is an important study of the entire sutra path to enlightenment as presented in Maitreya's "Ornament for Clear Realization," including all the fundamental features of the basis, path and goal in the Mahayana.

View Series
Venerable Sangye Khadro smiles while teaching.

Art of Transforming Suffering Retreat with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2017)

Teachings by Venerable Sangye Khadro on the art of transforming suffering given at Sravasti Abbey in July 2017.

View Series
Know Your Mind with Venerable Sangye Khadro livestream banner.

Know Your Mind with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2021)

An introduction to Buddhist psychology by Venerable Sangye Khadro. The course explores topics such as what the mind is, perception and conception, types of awareness, and the mental factors.

View Series
Venerable Sangye Khadro smiling while teaching in front of a thangka.

Meditation 101 by Venerable Sangye Khadro (2021)

Teachings by Venerable Sangye Khadro suitable for people encountering both meditation and Buddhism for the first time.

View Series
A path in the meadow that leads into the forest.

Mind and Mental Factors with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2019)

An overview of the Buddhist psychology of mind and mental factors given during a course on Buddhist reasoning and debate in 2019.

View Series
Blue sky with wispy clouds above a meadow.

Seven Kinds of Awareness with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2019)

An overview of the seven kinds of awareness according to the Buddhist philosophy of mind taught as part of a course on Buddhist reasoning and debate in 2019.

View Series
Venerable Sangye Khadro smiles while speaking into a microphone.

Tenets with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2022)

Weekly teachings on the text "Presentation of Tenets" by Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen by Venerable Sangye Khadro.

View Series

View Posts

Stages of the Path

Great value and rarity of a precious rebirth

Explaining the great value and the difficulty in having a precious human birth, teaching from…

View Post
Stages of the Path

Identifying 18 freedoms and endowments, their great ...

Explaining 8 freedoms and 10 endowments for a precious human life, teaching from Chapter 6.

View Post
Qualities of a Spiritual Teacher

Remembering the kindness of the guru with Ven. Khadro

Stories about Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe from Venerable Sangye Khadro’s experience.

View Post
Stages of the Path

Analytic and placement meditation

Explaining the misconceptions about analytical meditation and placement meditation and how to refute them, completing…

View Post
Stages of the Path

What to do between sessions

Explaining the four causes to restrain the mind as what to do in the periods…

View Post
Stages of the Path

What to do during the actual session

Explaining how to practice mediation in general, continuing the teaching from Chapter 5.

View Post
Stages of the Path

The six preparatory practices

Explaining the six preparatory practices and describing the seven-limb prayer, from Chapter 5.

View Post
Stages of the Path

Reliance on a teacher

Explaining the benefits of reliance and the faults of improper reliance in relation to the…

View Post
Stages of the Path

The way to rely on a teacher

Leading a guided meditation on relating to a spiritual teacher in a healthy, realistic way…

View Post
Stages of the Path

How to see the spiritual mentor

Explaining the characteristics of a student and describing how to develop faith and three ways…

View Post
Stages of the Path

The importance of a teacher

Explaining the qualities of a spiritual mentor, continuing the teaching from Chapter 4.

View Post
Stages of the Path

How to explain the Dharma

Continuing teaching from Chapter 3, explaining the benefits of teaching the dharma and the proper…

View Post