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

Ven. Sangye Khadro laughs in the teacher's seat of the Meditation Hall.

Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience with Venerable Sangye Khadro

Teachings on the stages of the path to awakening by Venerable Sangye Khadro hosted by Thubten Norbu Ling Center in New Mexico, USA.

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Venerable Sangye Khadro teaching a group at Sravasti Abbey with a Vajrasattva Thangka

Introduction to Tantra with Venerable Sangye Khadro 2021 and 2023

Teachings on Tantra (Vajrayana), including its relationship with other Buddhist practices, the correct motivation, preparation for practice, and extensive topics covering emptiness. Covers two series from 2021 and 2023.

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

Middle-Length Lamrim with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2023-present)

Ongoing teachings on the Middle-Length Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment by Lama Tsongkhapa. Streamed live on the Sravasti Abbey YouTube channel on Thursday mornings at 9 am Pacific Time.

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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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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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Easy Path to Travel to Omniscience

Preparing for lamrim meditation

How to prepare for lamrim meditation and meditation on precious human rebirth.

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Full Ordination for Nuns

Researching the bhikshuni lineage

Can the bhikshuni ordination be traced back to the time of the Buddha? Bhikshuni Sangye…

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