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A treasury of information about the joys and challenges of life as a Buddhist monastic.

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Lay people kneeling, taking precepts.
Exploring Monastic Life 2006

History of the eight Mahayana precepts

We take the precepts to stop gross harm to sentient beings and to reduce distractions…

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Painting of Siddhartha and disciple.
Exploring Monastic Life 2006

The Buddha’s life

Apply the lessons we learn from the Buddha's life. How he lived is a teaching…

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Group photo of participants in the twelfth annual Buddhist Monastic Conference.
Western Buddhist Monastic Gatherings

Western monastic life

Monastics from different traditions practicing in the West discuss aspects of training, precepts, community life,…

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Group of monastics at the 2013 WBMG.
Western Monastics

Whatever happened to the monastic Sangha?

Examining the role of monastics in Western culture, especially as torch-bearers of the Dharma.

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Tenzin Palmo at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, September 2006.
A Nun's Life

Equal opportunity for nuns

Interview with Buddhist nun Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo on her work to raise the self-esteem of…

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Tibetan nuns smiling.
Tibetan Tradition

Conference on gelong-ma ordination

Results of the third seminar of vinaya scholars meeting in Dharamsala, India, to discuss the…

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Group of Tibetan nuns waiting to take vows.
Tibetan Tradition

A seminar to be organised by the Department of Relig...

This paper is a summary of much of the research done on the bhikshuni ordination…

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Bhikshuni and bhikshunis walking in 2 rows, with lay person spreading flowers on the path.
Tibetan Tradition

Research regarding the lineage of bhikshuni ordination

Possibility and validity of introducing bhikshuni ordination into the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

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Ven. Chodron, Ven. Jampa Tsedroen , Ven. Heng-Ching Shih and Ven. Lekshe Tsomo sitting and discussing on a table full of papers.
Tibetan Tradition

A new possibility

The importance of having bhikshunis in the world and how bhikshuni ordination can be established…

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A tibetan buddhist nun standing beside a peach blossom tree.
Tibetan Tradition

Bhikshuni ordination

Tracing bhikshuni ordination from the Buddha's time to the present and how the existence of…

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Tibetan nun smiling.
Tibetan Tradition

Bhikshunis in Mulasarvastivada vinaya tradition?

A request to Tibetan vinaya masters to develop a system of bhikshuni ordination.

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Ven. Chodron, Ven. Jampa Tsedroen , Ven. Heng-Ching Shih and Ven. Lekshe Tsomo sitting and discussing on a table full of papers.
Tibetan Tradition

A means to achieve bhiksuni ordination

A request to all upholders of the vinaya traditions, to work together to find a…

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