Venerable Thubten Semkye
Ven. Semkye was the Abbey's first lay resident, coming to help Venerable Chodron with the gardens and land management in the spring of 2004. She became the Abbey's third nun in 2007 and received bhikshuni ordination in Taiwan in 2010. She met Venerable Chodron at the Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle in 1996. She took refuge in 1999. When the land was acquired for the Abbey in 2003, Ven. Semye coordinated volunteers for the initial move-in and early remodeling. A founder of Friends of Sravasti Abbey, she accepted the position of chairperson to provide the Four Requisites for the monastic community. Realizing that was a difficult task to do from 350 miles away, she moved to the Abbey in spring of 2004. Although she didn't originally see ordination in her future, after the 2006 Chenrezig retreat when she spent half of her meditation time reflecting on death and impermanence, Ven. Semkye realized that ordaining would be the wisest, most compassionate use of her life. View pictures of her ordination. Ven. Semkye draws on her extensive experience in landscaping and horticulture to manage the Abbey's forests and gardens. She oversees "Offering Volunteer Service Weekends" during which volunteers help with construction, gardening, and forest stewardship.
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Venerable Thubten Semkye Far-reaching ethical conduct
The three types of ethical conduct and four ways in which ethical errors occur and…
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Bringing compassion to prison
A meeting of community volunteers, including Venerable Chodron, discuss compassion-based approaches to help incarcerated people…
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Untimely death
How practicing the White Tara sadhana can purify negativities that can cause untimely death.
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The three characteristics
Understanding the three characteristics of cyclic existence can help us to see things more realistically.
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The three characteristics
A look at the characteristics in life that are unsatisfactory, and how to relate to…
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Dedication for a meaningful life
This talk is dedicated to the purpose and meaning of the life of Don Wackerly…
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Review: Conventional bodhicitta
A review of the text covering conventional bodhicitta and the two methods for developing bodhicitta.
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Review: Object of negation
A review of the commentary on identifying the object of negation: the reasoning used to…
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Fearlessness and refuge
The Buddha cannot remove our fears for us but has provided the road map that…
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Review: Transforming adversity
A review of recent talks on the taking and giving meditation and transforming adversity into…
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Practicing with a year of illness
Venerable Thubten Semkye shares on how embracing a physical ailment challenged her concepts of the…
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The noble eightfold path
How the noble eightfold path is organized under the three higher trainings; practices related to…
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