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

Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

Bodhicitta

More on the great scope practices and the final steps in the seven-point cause and…

View Post
Cultivating Compassion

Embracing common humanity

A talk about the practice of equalizing self and others, its benefits, and overcoming fear…

View Post
Cultivating Compassion

Self-compassion

What self-compassion is and what it is not, plus a discussion on obstacles to self-compassion…

View Post
Cultivating Compassion

Compassion, empathy, and attachment

Guided meditations on compassion, the difference between compassion and empathy, and compassion practice in Mahayana…

View Post
Cultivating Compassion

When compassion arises

A talk about what compassion is, where the word comes from, and what happens when…

View Post
Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

Equanimity and bodhicitta

The great scope practices with a meditation on equanimity, plus the first steps in the…

View Post
Know Your Mind with Venerable Sangye Khadro livestream banner.
Mind and Mental Factors

Know your mind: Virtuous mental factors

Explanation of the virtuous mental factors of nonattachment, nonhatred, nonconfusion, joyous effort, pliancy, conscientiousness, equanimity,…

View Post
Know Your Mind with Venerable Sangye Khadro livestream banner.
Mind and Mental Factors

Know your mind: Object-ascertaining and virtuous men...

Explanation of the five object-ascertaining mental factors and the first three virtuous mental factors —faith,…

View Post
Know Your Mind with Venerable Sangye Khadro livestream banner.
Mind and Mental Factors

Know your mind: Omnipresent mental factors

The similarities shared by main minds and mental factors, and the five omnipresent mental factors…

View Post