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

Meditation 101: Meditation on the mind like the sky

Explanation of the meditation on the mind like the sky followed by a guided meditation.

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Introduction to Tantra

Unique features to tantra

The unique features of tantra as compared to the Paramitayana teachings.

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Introduction to Tantra

How to practice well

Important prerequisites to tantra and methods to develop bodhicitta.

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Introduction to Tantra

What is samsara and nirvana?

The proper foundation on which we should practice tantra and the meaning of samsara, nirvana,…

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Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

The eight worldly concerns

An outline of the eight worldly concerns, what happens at death and the three unfortunate…

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

Meditation 101: Meditating on the breath

Instruction on posture and techniques of breathing meditation and bare attention meditation for mindfulness.

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Peaceful Living, Peaceful Dying Retreats

Preparing for death

Various spiritual practices to help us prepare for our own and others' death.

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Peaceful Living, Peaceful Dying Retreats

Dealing with grief

The mindfulness of death practice and how to deal with grief over losing loved ones.

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Peaceful Living, Peaceful Dying Retreats

Rebirth and the uncertainty of the time of death

Evidence supporting rebirth, and instruction on the second root of the nine-point death meditation—that the…

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Peaceful Living, Peaceful Dying Retreats

Facing fear of death

How to face the fear of death and practical methods to decrease fear and anxiety.

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Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

Death and impermanence

An explanation of the samsaric realms and Buddhist cosmology, plus discussion on impermanence and the…

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