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 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.

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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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Ven. Sangye Khadro smiling while returning a white khata to a student.
Buddhist Meditation 101

Meditation on loving-kindness

A guided meditation to cultivate a feeling of loving-kindness for ourselves and others, to make…

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Ven. Sangye Khadro smiling while returning a white khata to a student.
Buddhist Meditation 101

Visualization meditation

Guided visualization meditation to bring out our positive qualities and build confidence in them.

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Ven. Sangye Khadro smiling while returning a white khata to a student.
Buddhist Meditation 101

How to meditate on the breath

An introduction to meditating on the breath with a guided meditation. Also an analytic meditation…

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Venerable Sangye Khadro smiling while teaching in front of a thangka.
Buddhist Meditation 101

Meditation 101: Equanimity meditation

Two guided meditations. A meditation on getting in touch with our positive qualities and another…

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Wisdom

What is Buddha nature? – Part 2

A teaching on Buddha nature, and the methods we can learn to gradually bring about…

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Venerable Sangye Khadro smiling while teaching in front of a thangka.
Buddhist Meditation 101

Meditation 101: Advice for daily meditation practice

Advice for establishing a daily meditation practice and the four parts of a practice session.

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Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

Karma and virtue

Karma and how it functions, including the ten virtues and non-virtues.

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Wisdom

What is Buddha nature? – Part 1

A teaching on Buddha nature, and the methods we can learn to gradually bring about…

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Venerable Sangye Khadro smiling while teaching in front of a thangka.
Buddhist Meditation 101

Meditation 101: Types of meditation

Instruction on the nine-round breathing meditation with guided analytical meditation on dealing with disturbing emotions.

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Cultivating the Four Immeasurables

Meditation on responding with compassion

A guided meditation to help bring more compassion to relationships and interactions with others.

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Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

Taking refuge

An extensive talk about refuge and various aspects of faith as it relates to the…

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Introduction to Tantra

Receiving an initiation

What does it mean to receive a tantric initiation? Types of initiation and the qualities…

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