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 Venerable Thubten Chodron. She took bhikshuni (full) 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 with many Buddhist masters including Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Yeshe, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, and Khensur Jampa Tegchok. At her teachers’ request, she began teaching in 1980 and has since taught in countries around the world, occasionally taking time off for personal retreats. She served as resident teacher in Buddha House, Australia, Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore, and the FPMT centre in Denmark. From 2008-2015, she followed the Masters Program at the Lama Tsong Khapa Institute in Italy. Venerable has authored a number books found here, including the best-selling How to Meditate. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Cultivating Compassion

Self-compassion

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

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Cultivating Compassion

Compassion, empathy, and attachment

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

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Cultivating Compassion

When compassion arises

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

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Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

Equanimity and bodhicitta

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

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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,…

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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,…

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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…

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Mind and Mental Factors

Know your mind: Introduction to minds and mental fac...

An overview of the definition of mind, sense and mental consciousnesses. Explanation of main minds…

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Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

The path to liberation

How to cease the twelve links, an outline of ethical practices, and the antidotes to…

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Cultivating the Four Immeasurables

Meditation on compassion for our enemies

A guided analytical meditation to cultivate compassion for those we have difficulty with or who…

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