For generations, Tibetan culture has been sustained through its language, spiritual traditions, monastic institutions, and the dedication of Buddhist practitioners. Part of the Tibetan Nuns Project’s mission is to sustain Tibetan religion and culture.
In March 2026, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, patron of the Tibetan Nuns Project, wrote, “I appeal to every Tibetan to take personal responsibility and make dedicated efforts to cherish and preserve our Tibetan religion, culture, and language” as part of his annual message for March 10th, Tibetan National Uprising Day. Photos by Brian Harris
Our work is taking place against a backdrop of cultural genocide in Tibet. For the third year in a row, Tibet has received a global freedom score of 0 from the international human rights monitoring group Freedom House. Tibet remains “not free,” and its score of zero ties South Sudan for the second-lowest on the list of 208 areas examined.
Draped in the Tibetan flags, Tibetan Buddhist nuns in India take part in peaceful demonstrations to mark the anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day, March 10th. Photo courtesy of Olivier Adam
About 1 million Tibetan children have been separated from their families and placed into Chinese residential schools. Photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama are banned, and celebrating his birthday can lead to arrest. Peaceful calls for religious freedom are punished with imprisonment under vague charges like “separatism” or “endangering state security”.
On July 1st, a sinister new Chinese law promoting linguistic, cultural, and ideological assimilation came into effect. Part of it mandates a “national common language” and prohibits any organization or individual from obstructing its dissemination. In practice, this may criminalize efforts by Tibetan communities to preserve and promote their own language in their own land.
Preserving Tibet’s unique culture and religion is a service to the world. Your generosity helps protect a priceless heritage and empowers the women who are dedicating their lives to keeping it alive.
“The survival and identity of any people depends fundamentally on the preservation of their language,” said His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s representative in London. “Religion, culture, history, and collective memory are all preserved and transmitted through language. If a language disappears, the identity of that people gradually fades with it… With Tibetan children in Tibet being denied the right to learn their own language, we are approaching a critical threshold that threatens our existence as a distinct people in the world.”
Although we cannot directly change the situation inside Tibet, we can help Tibetans preserve their identity in exile.
Tibetan National Identity Preservation Week
The Central Tibetan Administration has declared the annual “Tibetan National Identity Preservation Week” to be observed from the fourth Wednesday of September through the following Wednesday. This year, the week runs from September 23 to September 30, 2026.
The week is part of a global campaign to confront and counter the Chinese Communist Government’s implementation of various methods and systematic policies aimed at eradicating Tibetan identity—specifically, its recently implemented so-called “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress.”
A Tibetan Buddhist nun sews prayer flags at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute. Our online store sells many Tibetan items made and blessed by the nuns.
It’s significant that the week runs from a Wednesday to a Wednesday because “White Wednesday” or Lhakar is the day the Dalai Lama was born and is known as his “soul day.” On Lhakar, Tibetans actively resist China’s occupation by supporting and promoting Tibetan culture, eating Tibetan food, wearing Tibetan clothing, speaking Tibetan and celebrating their Tibetan identity. Lhakar is about celebrating Tibetan culture and engaging in civil resistance.
So far, the governments of Canada, the United States, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Czech Republic, Japan, and the European Union have issued official statements declaring that the Chinese law violates international law, serves as a tool for forced assimilation, and poses a risk of transnational repression.
Nuns playing the dungchen, a long trumpet with a deep, low sound used to are played to welcome high lamas and Rinpoches to a monastery or temple. Photo by the Media Nuns.
The Tibetan language is the backbone of Tibetan culture and history and a mirror of the Tibetan people’s unique identity and traditions. It is the primary medium for expressing the Five Major Sciences—arts, medicine, grammar, epistemology, and Buddhist philosophy—and the Five Minor Sciences—poetry, lexicography, prosody, drama, and astrology. It is also a vast treasury for passing down Tibet’s history, politics, economy, military, society, and geography to future generations. It serves as a vital core for safeguarding social unity, collective rights, and the capacity to self-govern.
Wisdom and compassion. At Dolma Ling, Geshemas, nuns who hold the highest degree in their tradition, teach Tibetan refugee children how to read and write Tibetan during the school holidays. Photos by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns.
According to research by modern historians and linguists, the Tibetan script was created in the 7th century, modelled after the Gupta or Brahmi scripts prevalent in northern India. With a history spanning over 1,300 years, it is recognized as one of the world’s ancient languages with uninterrupted use.
The largest and most complete collections of Buddha’s teachings, Buddhist philosophy, epistemology, and psychology transmitted from India are found in the Tibetan language. Enriched by tens of thousands of volumes of treatises and commentaries, it has become a vital treasury housing crucial components of ancient Indian wisdom.
Studying the Tibetan language helps preserve and promote Tibet’s unique cultural heritage, benefiting all sentient beings. In line with the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, it helps us nurture individuals who can guide others along the path of non-violence and compassion and shoulder responsibility for the greater good of this world.
Nuns at Dolma Ling learn the sacred art of making Tibetan butter sculptures.
Calls to Action
Spread the word about what is happening inside Tibet
High in the Indian Himalayas is an ancient 14th-century Tibetan Buddhist nunnery known for its long tradition of meditating nuns, some famed for reaching high levels of realization. Dorjee Zong Nunnery is one of the seven nunneries supported by the Tibetan Nuns Project. Located on a remote mountainside in Zanskar, it is one of the region’s oldest centers for monastic education.
This is what Dorjee Zong Nunnery, founded in the 14th century, looked like before the expansion project started in 2019. The 700-year-old nunnery had one classroom and one main building. Photo courtesy of Olivier Adam.
Until recently, the nunnery had changed little over 700 years, but since 2019 it undergone a major expansion project. Thanks to the Betsy Gordon Foundation and other supporters, the nunnery now has a new school that serves both nuns and lay girls. With great happiness, the school was officially inaugurated in the summer of 2026.
The new school building at Dorjee Zong was started in 2019 and was officially inaugurated on July 30, 2026. It provides education and housing for 13 young nuns as well as 14 lay girls from the region.
The newly constructed school building provides a safe and comfortable learning environment. It includes four classrooms, a library, temple, a kitchen, a dining hall, and the necessary furniture for students and staff. The entire construction of the school building, along with furniture and essential facilities, was generously supported by the donors through the Tibetan Nuns Project.
Life at Dorjee Zong
Life at Dorjee Zong is shaped by extreme weather and high altitude. At over 12,000 feet (3,600 meters) above sea level, Zanskar experiences brutal winters lasting up to nine months, with temperatures plunging to -22°F (-30°C). Cut off from the rest of India for much of the year due to snow-blocked mountain passes and rugged single-lane roads, the nunnery operates with limited fuel and electricity, running water, and healthcare access.
The traditional kitchen in the old upper part of Dorjee Zong Nunnery. Thanks to generous donors, a new school building has been built lower down the slope with much-improved facitilies.
Life involves daily survival chores and sometimes heavy physical labor. During the short growing season, nuns tend to their small fields, manage greenhouses, gather yak or cow dung for fuel, and shovel massive snowdrifts during the winter storms.
Girls in the Himalayas have traditionally been given far less education than boys. They are often removed from school as early as Grade 4 if they are sent at all. The nunnery now educates both nuns and lay girls, giving them a chance for good education that they might otherwise not have.
Math class. Educational opportunities for young girls in the Himalayas have historically been limited. Now lay girls and young nuns study at the nunnery up to Grade 5 after which they take the TNP-funded school bus to continue their education.
Inauguration of the New School at Dorjee Zong
Dorjee Zong was accepted into the Tibetan Nuns Project’s sponsorship program in 2009. The construction of the new school and dormitory building began in 2019 with the aim of providing quality education, especially to young nuns, while also offering educational opportunities to young lay girls from the local community. After years of dedicated effort, the school was officially inaugurated on 30 July, 2026.
Dorjee Zong is currently home to 19 nuns. Six elder nuns, some in their 90s, continue to reside in the ancient nunnery in the upper hilltop site. The elder nuns spend their days reciting mantras, walking sacred paths, and tending small greenhouses or fields to prepare for harsh winters. The 13 younger nuns live and study alongside lay girls in the new school building below.
One of the bright new classrooms at Dorjee Zong Nunnery school where 27 students study: 13 young nuns and 14 lay girls.
The girls study up to Class 5 at the new Dorjee Zong school, after which they go to the local Phodrang school in the school bus which was paid for by Tibetan Nuns Project donors. The Tibetan Nuns Project also pays for a teacher and a cook.
Dorjee Zong is at 12,861 feet or 3,920 meters. In winter, the area can be cut off by heavy snow. The nunnery now provides primary education up to Grade 5 for both young nuns and local lay girls. Photo by Bryan Watt.
Building the new school took many years of support and hard work. Construction started in 2019, but progress was severely hampered by the pandemic during which travel restrictions made it difficult for laborers to travel to and from the site. Also, at this altitude, the long severe winters reduce the construction season to around five months a year.
Currently, the new school has 27 students: 13 young nuns and 14 lay girls. The school has been established to create a supportive learning environment where students can receive both modern education and basic Buddhism. Although the primary focus is on educating nuns, the school also welcomes and supports the education of young lay girls from nearby villages.
Inauguration of the New School
The official inauguration of Dorjee Zong Nunnery school on July 30, 2026 marked an important milestone in the development of education in the region. The school stands as a symbol of hope and opportunity for young girls, particularly nuns, by providing access to quality education while preserving Buddhist values and culture.
Young nuns celebrate the official opening of their school at Dorjee Zong. Access to education for girls in Zanskar has historically been limited by extreme geographical isolation and traditional gender roles.
A large number of people from the five surrounding villages attended the inauguration ceremony, making the occasion a memorable community celebration. The inauguration began with the rabney or consecration ceremony, performed by Drepung Gomang Khen Rinpoche together with several monks from Karsha Gompa. The religious ceremony blessed the new school building.
Villagers in Zanskar celebrate the inauguration of the new school at Dorjee Zong Nunnery. The school currently has has 27 students: 13 young nuns and 14 lay girls and marks an important milestone in the development of education in the region.
Here is a video made by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns showing highlights of the inauguration ceremony. Can’t see the video? Click here.
The event was attended by many distinguished guests and members of the local community. Among those who addressed the gathering were Mr. Sonam Namgyal, President of the Dorjee Zong Nunnery Cultural Welfare Society; Geshe Lobsang Tsetan, Advisor to the Dorjee Zong Nunnery Cultural Welfare Society; Mr. Stanzin Jigmath, Honorable Councillor of Karsha Region, Zanskar; and Ms. Youdon Aukatsang, Director of the Tibetan Nuns Project in India, who also shared her thoughts and best wishes for the future of the school.
A photo taken during construction showing the old part of Dorjee Zong on the hilltop on the left and the new school lower down.
The program was further enriched by traditional songs and dances and cultural performances presented by the young nuns and several local cultural groups. Their performances reflected the rich cultural heritage of the region and added great joy to the celebration.
The inauguration ceremony concluded with lunch served to all guests, villagers, monks, students, and participants, bringing the joyful celebration to a warm and memorable close.
This project would not have been possible without the generous support of the Betsy Gordon Foundation, the dedicated efforts of the Dorjee Zong Nunnery Cultural Welfare Society, the Deep Roots Himalayan Foundation, the members of the Contemplative Studies Program, the encouragement of the local community, and all those who have supported the expansion and improvement project and the creation of the new school.
Thank you for helping to build the new school at Dorjee Zong Nunnery. Photos courtesy of Olivier Adam.
The Tibetan Nuns Project and the entire Dorjee Zong Nunnery community expresses its deepest gratitude to the donors for making this dream a reality. Your generous support will always be remembered as an important milestone in the growth and development of the nunnery school.
Here’s another video made in the autumn of 2023, showing the school project under construction.
One of our biggest projects in 2026 is to build suitable accommodation for elder nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery, the largest of the seven nunneries we support in India. As one of the elder nuns said, “A proper senior home would transform our lives, giving us safety and dignity in the years we have left.”
The project was launched in April 2025. So far, thanks to you, we’ve raised $487,346, leaving $207,478 still to raise to complete the three-story building that will house 60 older nuns.
The initial plan was to build a two-story building, but the nuns appealed for a third floor so that more elder nuns could be accommodated. By adding a third floor, we increased the capacity from 40 nuns to 60 nuns at an extra cost of about $40,000.
As they age, the elder nuns have a number of special needs and mobility issues, but they remain an important source of inspiration and guidance. We need your help to create a comfortable living space for older nuns while fostering their sense of community and caring for each other. You can donate at tnp.org
The aim of this project is to provide more independent accommodation for elderly nuns who have been living in quite basic rooms in Dolma Ling for over 30 years. Having completed their education and many of them having worked for the nunnery or held positions of responsibility for many years deserve a safe and comfortable room in which to live. This building is set very much in the main campus of the nunnery, but offers a peaceful place with wonderful views up to the mountains and down over the nunnery.
Progress Report
Deepest thanks to the 392 donors to this project. As of August 25, 2026, we have $207,478 still to raise to help the elder nuns at Dolma Ling.
The foundation was completed before the monsoon season in 2025 and was left to settle until we restarted the project in December of the same year. The committee was not happy with the old contractor, and hired a new contractor. The new contractor repaired the foundation, established adequate drainage around the back of the building, and constructed the septic tank.
Geshema Delek Wangmo, the principal of Dolma Ling, shows Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, the foundations for the housing for elder nuns during his visit in late August 2025. Photo tibet.net
Work was well underway on the original two-story structure when the nuns’ committee appealed to us to increase the building’s height by one extra floor, thus providing an additional ten rooms to accommodate up to 20 nuns. Because the land prices are so high in this area now, it was felt that rather than later needing to find land on which to construct a further building, it would be better to add an extra floor of accommodation now.
In March, some of the senior nuns who will live in the new building, visited the building site with the team and the two nuns who are in charge of monitoring the work. The elder nuns were very happy to see the building’s progress and expressed their gratitude to the donors and for all the work being done for this project. At the end of the visit, they offered a short prayer at the site for the successful completion of the building.
In March, some of the elder nuns visted the building site to see the progress on what will eventually be their home within the nunnery. They offered prayers for the successful completion of the project.
Despite the monsoon, the work is continuing steadily. Now in August, the structure has reached its final height, and the contractor has started the brickwork to build up the rooms. At this stage, the nuns made a careful appraisal of the provision within the rooms for storage and windows and, in consultation with the architects, revised the lay out to increase the size of the windows, provide an alcove in which set wooden shelves to accommodate their religious objects, pictures, and books and to build in a brick and concrete closet which will have wooden doors made as part of the furnishings.
Here is a photo taken on June 26, 2026 showing the building progress for the three-story building to house 60 elder nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery.
The Need for Housing for Elder Nuns
The Tibetan Nuns Project was founded almost 40 years ago in 1987. The nuns are aging, some are ill, and others have mobility issues. The elder nuns need suitable accommodation so that they can live comfortably within the nunnery which is their permanent home.
Many older nuns have mobility issues. The elder nuns currently use Indian-style squat toilets with the aid of potty seats for support. Access to Western-style toilets would greatly ease their daily lives.
Dolma Ling is overcrowded. The nunnery was built to accommodate 200 refugee nuns in double-bed rooms, but is now home to 302 nuns, so the nuns are very cramped. The 55 junior nuns live three to a room, giving them very little space. Living three to a room is very difficult and requires cooperation as they cannot all stand up and dress at the same time! The majority of senior nuns continue to share two per room.
Archival photo of Tibetan refugee nuns before Dolma Ling was built in India. The nunnery is now home to about 302 nuns, but it was built to accommodate 200, so it is very cramped. The nuns want help to build safe, comfortable rooms for elder nuns.
As they age, the elder nuns have a number of special needs and mobility issues. but they remain an important source of inspiration and guidance. We need your help to create a comfortable living space for older nuns while fostering their sense of community and caring for each other.
This special building will:
Be wheelchair accessible on the ground floor
Have low-rise stairs for those who have difficulty climbing stairs
Have slightly larger rooms than the regular dormitory rooms
Have a private bathroom for each room with handrails and a Western-style toilet
Have a small kitchenette in each room
Be equipped with an alarm bell system for vulnerable nuns
The nuns have dedicated their lives to preserving and sharing the Buddha dharma and Tibet’s rich culture and religion. They have endured trauma and great suffering in escaping from Tibet and losing their homeland. Their lives as refugees leave them very vulnerable.
Here are the updated drawings of the room plan for the housing for elder nuns, a three-story building that will accommodate 60 older nuns.
One of the elder nuns is Ani Rigzin, pictured below. She spoke about the project and what it means to her. “I escaped Tibet after torture took everything from me, my family, my home, my culture. Even now, with failing eyesight and constant pain, I carry those scars. Dolma Ling is my only family, the only home I have left. With your support, a senior home here would mean I could spend my last years with dignity and peace, surrounded by my sisters. This would be the greatest gift of my life.”
Ani Rigzen is one of the elder nuns at Dolma Ling, carrying with her years of quiet devotion and peace. She said, “With your support, a senior home here would mean I could spend my last years with dignity and peace, surrounded by my sisters. This would be the greatest gift of my life.”
Ani Rigzen said, “As I grow older, my health weakens, my eyesight fails, my body aches, and even using the toilet has become a struggle. Many of my sisters are in their 70s and 80s, facing the same hardships. A proper senior home would transform our lives, giving us safety and dignity in the years we have left.”
Ani Tashi Yangzom, aged 77, rests quietly in her humble room. She lives with another nun while finding strength and serenity in her daily routine.
Despite the heartache of losing their homeland, the senior nuns at Dolma Ling have persevered through the hardships of life in exile, and some have attained the highest degree in their tradition, the Geshema degree. The nunnery is their permanent home. The nunnery is not like a university or college from which graduates pass out and leave. Many of Dolma Ling’s Geshemas are now working as teachers in schools and other institutions. However, Dolma Ling is their only home and they will return when their term of service is concluded or they retire.
We still need to raise roughly $207,000 to complete this big project.
Please help build safe, comfortable rooms for elder nuns! To help you can:
“Many years ago, I realized I couldn’t do much to change the world, but with the Tibetan Nuns Project, I could move the dial a bit for one woman on the other side of the world from me. I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.” Cathy
We are very happy to share that Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute has successfully purchased a new vehicle that will make a huge difference in the daily lives of the over 300 nuns there. We sincerely thank all our generous donors for their patience, understanding, and support throughout the process of fundraising and the purchasing the vehicle.
Why a New Vehicle Was Needed
For many years, Dolma Ling used a Mahindra Bolero that was inherited from the Tibetan Nuns Project Office. The vehicle was purchased in 2012 and had been in regular use for more than ten years. As the vehicle became older, its maintenance costs increased, its resale value decreased, and it became increasingly hard to get replacement parts.
The Bolero was also too small for the nuns’ daily needs. It was uncomfortable when three people travelled in the back seat and did not have enough space for shopping, supplies, or other materials needed for the nunnery.
The nuns are deeply grateful for your support in purchasing the new vehicle which will have a huge impact on their daily lift and will make their daily trips safer and easier.
As Dolma Ling now manages its own administration independently, the vehicle is used almost every day by committee members for official work. It is used for daily shopping, collecting materials for maintenance and small projects, visiting banks and government offices, travelling to other nunneries, and taking nuns to hospitals during medical emergencies. With a resident driver stationed at Dolma Ling, the vehicle plays an essential role in the nunnery’s daily operations.
The roads around Dharamsala in the foothills of the Himalayas are hilly, challenging, and lack proper shoulders. During the heavy monsoon rains, there are landslides, cracks, flash floods, and debris on the roads. Because of the steep road leading to McLeod Ganj, especially during the monsoon season when road conditions become very poor, the nuns requested a Mahindra Scorpio. Its stronger engine, higher ground clearance, and larger seating capacity make it much safer and more suitable for these daily journeys.
The roads in and around Dharamshala are highly risky during the monsoon. Heavy rains frequently trigger landslides, flash floods, and debris on the roads. The new vehicle with its higher clearance and stronger engine will make it safer for the nuns.
The nunnery is located down in the Kangra Valley, almost a 40-minute drive from the center of the Tibetan exile community including the Tibetan Delek Hospital, the main temple where His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives teachings, and all the offices of the Central Tibetan Administration. There is no bus service and it is not possible or safe for the nuns to walk. The elevation gain on the journey from the nunnery to the temple is over 1,800 feet or 560 meters.
New vehicle 2026 for Dolma Ling Nunnery
Why the Purchase Was Delayed
Although the funds for the vehicle were raised over two years ago, the purchase could not be completed immediately. The main reason for the delay was the documentation and registration process required under Indian government regulations. Since the vehicle was being purchased for the nunnery institution, several legal documents and approvals had to be completed before the purchase could proceed. This process took much longer than expected.
Once all the required documentation was completed, the nuns followed Buddhist tradition by selecting an auspicious day to purchase and welcome the new vehicle to the nunnery. Before making the final purchase, members of the team visited the showroom together with the driver, who carefully inspected the vehicle, compared different models, and confirmed that the Mahindra Scorpio would best meet the nunnery’s needs in terms of safety, performance, and reliability.
Tibetan Buddhist nuns celebrate new vehicle for Dolma Ling Nunnery. The Mahindra Scorpio was welcomed to the nunnery with prayers and blessings on June 15th, the final day of the holy month of Saga Dawa.
The new vehicle was officially welcomed to Dolma Ling Nunnery on 15 June 2026 with traditional Buddhist prayers and blessing rituals. The ceremony was held in the presence of Tibetan Nuns Project Founding Director and Special Advisor, Rinchen Khando Choegyal, making the occasion especially meaningful for the nunnery community.
The blessing ceremony marked the beginning of the vehicle’s service to the nuns and reflected the Buddhist tradition of seeking prayers for safety, good fortune, and the wellbeing of all who travel in it.
Impact of the New Vehicle
The new Scorpio will make a significant difference to the daily life of the nunnery.
The larger and more comfortable vehicle will allow the nuns to travel safely while carrying supplies and equipment. It will provide dependable transport for official work, shopping, maintenance activities, and visits to banks, government offices, and other nunneries.
An aerial photo of Dolma Ling Nunnery which is in the foothills of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh. The nunnery is home to over 300 nuns. The regions roads are steep and treacherous.
The vehicle will also be much better suited for driving on the steep, winding mountain roads and during the monsoon season. This will give the nuns greater confidence and safety while travelling.
We are deeply grateful to all our donors for their generosity, patience, and trust. Your support has made it possible for Dolma Ling Nunnery to purchase a vehicle that will serve the community for many years. It will improve the daily lives, safety, and well-being of the nuns for the future.
Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity!
This year, a record 173 Tibetan Buddhist nuns from seven nunneries in India and Nepal are taking various levels of the four-year Geshema exams. The Geshema degree is the highest level of training in the Gelug tradition and is equivalent to a PhD in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The degree was only formally opened to women in 2012.
The 2026 exams are being held at Geden Choeling Nunnery, the oldest nunnery in Dharamsala. Nuns travelled to Geden Choeling in late June to begin the one-month final study period before the exams begin on July 21st.
Tibetan Buddhist nuns departing on June 24th from Dolma Ling for 2026 Geshema exams at Geden Choeling Nunnery in Dharamsala. Photo courtesy of the Dolma Ling Media Nuns.
This year’s seven participating nunneries are Dolma Ling, Geden Choeling, Jamyang Choeling, Thukje Choeling, Kopan, Jangchup Choeling, and Jangsemling.
Wish Them Luck!
You can send the nuns a message of good luck and support using this form or by scanning the QR code below. We will gather together all your good wishes, print them out, and post them at the exam venue for all the nuns to see. The 2026 exams run from July 21st to August 17th, so send your good luck message today!
Use this QR code or the link above to send a message of support and good luck to the nuns taking Geshema exams. We’ll print out your message for the nuns to see at the exam venue.
It’s Another Record Year!
The number of nuns pursuing the highest degree in their tradition has more than tripled since 2019. The degree was only formally opened to women in 2012. Ten years ago, in 2016, the first Tibetan Buddhist nuns earned their Geshema degrees. That historic occasion was a dream come true for the 20 pioneering nuns, most of whom were illiterate when they escaped from Tibet.
2026 marks another new record of number of nuns taking various levels of the 4-year Geshema exams. Earlier we reported that 174 nuns were taking exams in 2026, but one nun had to postpone due to ill health.
As the number of nuns pursuing higher studies increases, we are struggling to keep up with the rising costs associated with the exams and higher study programs, including food and transport. In the spring of 2026, we created the Higher Studies for Nuns Fund with the goal of making both the Geshema exam process AND the Tantric Studies program eventually self-sustaining. Donate here.
The Geshemas are inspiring and paving the way for other nuns to follow in their footsteps. The degree makes them eligible to assume various leadership roles in their monastic and lay communities reserved for degree holders and hence previously not open to women. For instance, last year, a Geshema became the principal of Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute, home to over 300 nuns.
Two of the 173 Tibetan Buddhist nuns who are taking their Geshema exams this year. It’s another record year! Photo courtesy of the Dolma Ling Media Nuns.
The 2026 Geshema exams are taking place against the backdrop of China’s sinister new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which took effect on July 1st. This draconian law “legislating the erasure of Tibetans as a Tibetan identity, as a Tibetan culture, as a Tibetan language,” according to representatives of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamsala, India. They warn of a cultural genocide.
The new law mandates that all children be taught Mandarin before kindergarten and through the end of high school. Previously, Tibetan children could study most of the curriculum in Tibetan.His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s representative in London, England wrote, “The survival and identity of any people depends fundamentally on the preservation of their language… With Tibetan children in Tibet being denied the right to learn their own language, we are approaching a critical threshold that threatens our existence as a distinct people in the world.”
The nuns you are supporting through the Tibetan Nuns Project are helping to preserve Tibet’s unique religion, language, and culture, all under severe pressure inside Tibet. Thank you for helping the nuns!
Some Facts About the Geshema Degree
Photo of a Geshema holding the yellow hat signifying her degree. Detail of photo by Olivier Adam.
The Geshema degree is comparable to a doctorate in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.
It is the highest level of training in the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Geshema degree is the same as the Geshe degree for monks. The ending “ma” marks it as referring to a woman.
Until recently, this highest degree could only be earned by monks.
In 2011, a German nun, Kelsang Wangmo, who spent 21 years training in India, became the first woman to receive the Geshe degree. This was before the Geshema degree process was approved in 2012.
The historic decision to confer the Geshema degree to Tibetan Buddhist nuns was announced in 2012 by the Department of Religion and Culture of the Tibetan Administration, following a meeting of representatives from six major nunneries, the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, and the Tibetan Nuns Project.
Candidates for the Geshema degree are examined on the entirety of their 17-year course of study of the Five Great Canonical Texts.
To qualify to begin the Geshema process, nuns must score 75% or above in their studies to be eligible to sit for the Geshema exams.
On December 22, 2016, His Holiness the Dalai Lama awarded 20 Tibetan Buddhist nuns with Geshema degrees at a special graduation ceremony held at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, South India.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the 20 Geshema graduates at the degree ceremony in Mundgod, December 22, 2016. Photo courtesy of OHHDL.
The Geshema Exam Process
To be eligible to take their Geshema exams, the nuns must first complete at least 17 years of study. The Geshema examination process is rigorous. It involves four years of written and debate exams as well as the completion and defense of a thesis.
Each year, the nuns preparing to sit various levels of the examinations gather together for one month of final exam preparations and then at least 12 days of exams. The exams were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
“The remarkable achievements of these excellent women are an inspiration to all,” said one supporter in her message of good luck to the nuns. Photo of the 50 nuns taking their Geshema exams in 2019 courtesy of the Nuns Media Team. Since then, the number of nuns has more than tripled and we need your help to cover costs of food and transport.
Gathering in one place gives the nuns an opportunity to learn from different styles of teaching, questioning, and debate. Practising with nuns from various backgrounds helps strengthen their knowledge and better prepares them for the examinations.
Ani Dawa Choetso, a 4th-year Geshema student from Dolma Ling Nunnery, has been studying at Dolma Ling since 2000. She said that preparations are now in full swing. As this is her final year of the Geshema examination, she feels much more confident and excited compared to when she first appeared for the exams.
The Number of Geshema Graduates
A German nun, Kelsang Wangmo, graduated in 2011 with a Geshe degree, before the Geshema degree process was opened to women.
In 2012, a historic decision was made to allow Tibetan Buddhist nuns the opportunity to take examinations for the Geshe degree, known for women as the Geshema degree.
Here’s a list of the Geshema graduations since the formal approval in 2012:
2024: 13 nuns graduated as Geshemas at the 7th convocation ceremony
2025: 47 nuns graduated in Bodh Gaya
This brings the total number of Geshemas to 120 to the end of 2025. In the summer of 2026, 33 nuns are taking their fourth and final year exams and, all being well, will graduate in November 2026.
Did you know that the Tibetan Nuns Project’s online store sells four different types of Tibetan mantra prayer flags? Mantras are a sequence of words or syllables that are chanted, usually repetitively, as part of Tibetan Buddhist practice.
Tibetan prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras printed on the flags will be spread by the wind and bring goodwill and compassion to benefit all beings.
These special prayer flags are handmade and blessed by Tibetan Buddhist nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute near Dharamsala, India. Because they are handmade, sizes vary slightly, but each flag measures approximately 4″ x 5″.
Each set includes between 5 and 12 flags, depending on the mantra, with one or two syllables of the mantra per flag. The length of the sets of prayer flags also varies, depending on the mantra. The Tara and Vajra Guru sets are about 4′, the Mini Mani set is 2′ long, and the Buddha Shakyamuni mantra prayer flag set is 5′ long, with each set having about 1 1/2′ of string on each end.
Four designs of Mantra Prayer Flags
Mini Mani Mantra Prayer Flags
Set of mini Tibetan prayer flags with the six-syllable mantra of Avalokitesvara or Chenrezig, Om Mani Padme Hum.
Om Mani Padme Hum is the six-syllable mantra of Avalokitesvara or Chenrezig in Tibetan. Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying this mantra out loud or silently to oneself invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Avalokitesvara, a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Even viewing the written form of the mantra is said to have the same effect. This extremely popular and well-known Tibetan mantra is often carved into stones, creating mani stones that are placed for people to see them.
Buddha Shakyamuni Mantra Prayer Flags
Tibetan prayer flags with mantra of Buddha Shakyamuni, Om Muni Muni Maha Muniye Soha. This set of prayer flags has 12 flags with one syllable of the mantra per flag.
Om Muni Muni Maha Muniye Soha is the mantra of Buddha Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha. Also known as Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyanmuni Buddha was born in the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. The name Buddha means the “awakened” or “enlightened” one. Following his enlightenment, Shakyamuni taught a path which others can follow to be awakened to the true nature of reality and to be freed from suffering. Muni means sage and Maha means great. So the mantra means, “Om wise one, wise one, greatly wise one, wise one of the Shakyans, Hail!”
Tara Mantra Prayer Flags
Tibetan prayer flags with the Tara mantra.
These prayer flags are printed with the ancient Tibetan mantra to Tara, Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. Tara is considered to be a Bodhisattva or Buddha of compassion, relieving us of physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. Tara has 21 major forms, each of which has a different color and spiritual attribute, and this mantra is most associated with Green Tara. Of her 21 forms, two forms of Tara are especially loved by Tibetans – Green Tara, who is associated with abundance and enlightened activity, and White Tara, who is associated with compassion and long life.
Vajra Guru Mantra Prayer Flags
Tibetan prayer flags with the Vajra Guru mantra.
The 12-syllable mantra of Guru Padmasambhava is Om Ah Hung Benza Guru Pema Siddhi Hung. The Vajra Guru Mantra is the heart essence of Padmasambhava who is also know as Guru Rinpoche, the Precious Master. Padmasambhava was an Indian tantric master who played a major role in bringing Vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century and is considered as the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. This mantra is also the mantra of all the masters, buddhas, yidams, dakas, dakinis, and protectors. When you chant it, you are invoking the very embodiment of Padmasambhava.
About Tibetan Prayer Flags
You don’t have to be a Buddhist to hang prayer flags. Your motivation and intentions are key. Hang them with a wish for all beings to be free of suffering and the causes of suffering, or for a positive intention of your choice.
According to Traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements.
Blue symbolizes the sky and space.
White symbolizes the air and wind.
Red symbolizes fire.
Green symbolizes water.
Yellow symbolizes earth.
Prayer flags are made of block-printed fabric using traditional printing techniques going back hundreds of years. They come in various types and sizes and we have many other types of Tibetan prayer flags available in our online store here.
Here are some of the types of Tibetan prayer flags sold in the Tibetan Nuns Project online store. They are made and blessed by the nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery.
All our prayer flags are handmade and blessed by Tibetan Buddhist nuns in India. Your purchase of them helps to provide education, food, shelter, clothing, and basic medical care to over 900 Tibetan Buddhist nuns in India.
A Tibetan Buddhist nun makes prayer flags at Dolma Ling Nunnery. All the prayer flags sold in our online store are made and blessed by nuns in India.
A two-day “Conference on Women’s Empowerment in Tibetan Buddhism” took place on May 20–21, 2026 in Dharamsala, India. This landmark gathering sought to highlight His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s vision and contributions toward strengthening the education, ordination, and recognition of Buddhist women. The photos are by the Dolma Ling Media Nuns.
The two-day event was convened with three principal objectives: to reflect on His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s commitment to women’s empowerment in Tibetan Buddhism, to review ongoing developments in women’s education and recognition, and to strengthen collaboration among monastic institutions, educational centers, and lay communities.
Held at Dharamsala’s Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, the conference brought together 86 participants from 13 nunneries in India and Nepal, including 69 Geshemas and 17 nuns representing all schools of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the Yungdrung Bon tradition.
The Tibetan Nuns Project was represented by former Kalon Rinchen Khando Choegyal, our Founding Director and Special Advisor; Youdon Aukatsang, the Director of the Tibetan Nuns Project in India and member of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile; and Geshema Delek Wangmo, Academic Principal of Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute.
Rinchen Khando Choegyal, TNP’s Founding Director and Special Advisor second from left and Youdon Aukatsang, the Director of the Tibetan Nuns Project in India, far right.
Key discussions focused on the institutionalization of the Geshema degree, the recognition of 21 Tibetan and Indian female Mahasiddhis, and the possibility of establishing Bhikshuni ordination within the Tibetan Mulasarvastivada Vinaya tradition.
The conference also deliberated on the curriculum development in nunneries, institutional support for the Tibetan Nuns Project, the leadership role of Geshemas in society and monastic institutions, and prospects for greater international recognition of Buddhist women.
Geshema Delek Wangmo, Academic Principal of Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute, spoke at the conference.
The conference was inaugurated by Kyabje Kundeling Tatsak Jedrung Rinpoche and Sikyong Penpa Tsering attended the closing ceremony. Other attendees included the Department of Religion and Culture Secretary Dhondul Dorjee; Dalai Lama Trust Secretary Jamphel Lhundup; scholar and translator Geshe Thupten Jinpa; Tibetan Women’s Association President Tsering Dolma; Library of Tibetan Works and Archives Director Geshe Lhakdor; Ven. Thupten Yarphel; Additional Secretary of the Department of Education (CTA) Tenzin Pema; and Head of the Women’s Empowerment Desk at the Department of Finance (CTA) Tsering Kyi.
Recognizing His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Leadership and Vision
The event recognized the lifelong efforts of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to support gender equality and expand opportunities for women within Tibetan Buddhism. The conference aimed to examine “His Holiness’s vision and concrete contributions toward strengthening the education, ordination, and recognition of Buddhist women.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the patron of the Tibetan Nuns Project.
The conference brought together 86 participants from 13 nunneries in India and Nepal, including 69 Geshemas and 17 nuns representing all schools of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the Yungdrung Bon tradition.
“Within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has long been an advocate for the empowerment and equal rights of women, particularly nuns,” said Jamphel Lhundup, Secretary of the Dalai Lama Trust.
“He has given numerous teachings on the importance of equality and has taken significant steps to re-establish the lineage of women’s monastic ordination… Over time, he also reintroduced the historic title of ‘Geshema’, and in 2016, the first Geshema degrees were conferred by him at Drepung Monastery in southern India. Today, there are more than 120 Geshemas, and this recognition underscores the high esteem and respect accorded to Tibetan nuns. All these achievements bear witness to the profound impact of the grace and vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” Jamphel Lhundup said.
The conference included 69 Geshemas. Ten years ago, in 2016, the first Tibetan Buddhist nuns earned their Geshema degrees. That historic occasion was a dream come true for the 20 pioneering nuns, most of whom were illiterate when they escaped from Tibet. The Geshema degree is the highest level of training in the Gelug tradition and is equivalent to a PhD in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.
During the closing ceremony, Sikyong Penpa Tsering stressed that it was due to the astute and visionary leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama that Tibetan Buddhism has continued to be preserved in exile, including the unprecedented conferment of Geshema degrees, regarded as a landmark reform in Tibetan Buddhism.
Rinchen Khando Choegyal, the Tibetan Nuns Projects’s Founding Director and Special Advisor, spoke at the conference.
The Tibetan Nuns Project Higher Studies Fund
One of the projects that the Tibetan Nuns Project is working on now is the Higher Studies Fund, a quasi-endowment dedicated to supporting the Geshema degree process as well as post-graduate training in Tantric Studies.
An increasing number of nuns in the Gelug tradition are seeking higher education. They are taking the rigorous four-year Geshema exams in record numbers, and many also wish to pursue post-graduate training in Tantric Buddhism as part of a program launched by the Tibetan Nuns Project in 2017.
The number of nuns taking the four-year Geshema exams has tripled since 2019. The small fund we created in 2021 no longer covers the costs for the growing numbers or rising food and transport. Please support the Higher Studies Fund, a quasi-endowment that will support Tibetan Buddhist nuns who wish to become Geshemas, teachers, and leaders and to preserve their religion, culture, and language.
Unfortunately, the modest Geshema Endowment Fund that the Tibetan Nuns Project established in 2021 can no longer support the growing number of nuns and the rising costs of transportation and food. Our goal is to build up the Higher Studies Fund so that both the Geshema exam process AND the Tantric Studies program are self-sustaining.
Through higher studies, Tibetan Buddhist nuns can become fully qualified teachers of their traditions and help preserve Tibet’s rich religion and culture.
The mission of the Tibetan Nuns Project is to educate and empower nuns of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition as teachers and leaders; and to establish, strengthen, and support educational institutions to preserve the Tibetan religion and culture. You can see all our current projects here.
We are delighted to report that the retreat center at Shugsep Nunnery and Institute is built and fully furnished thanks to generous donors. Eight senior nuns have now started their retreats. This big project was launched in the fall of 2022 and completed in the spring of 2026. We are extremely grateful to all the donors who made this dream a reality.
The completed retreat center will elevate aspirations, set higher standards, and strengthen the confidence of the next generation of nuns. Here’s a detailed report with photos, videos, and a special message from the Khenpo or Abbot of Shugsep.
The Shugsep Retreat Center is an important place that supports nuns in deep spiritual learning and long retreats. It follows the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and offers a peaceful space for meditation, rituals, and personal spiritual growth. The nuns express their deep gratitude to the kind and generous donors who helped build and furnish the newly established retreat center.
The retreat center makes visible a clear path of progression: from study to retreat to teaching. This opportunity was previously limited because retreats had to be undertaken elsewhere. A lasting impact is the inspiration provided to younger nuns.
Now, for the first time in its history in exile, the nunnery has a purpose-built facility where senior nuns can enter long-term retreat within their own community. This achievement provides continuity for the nuns’ path of teaching while fortifying the belief that their years of rigorous training culminate in meaningful opportunities for spiritual growth and integration.
The Shugsep Retreat Centre was formally inaugurated on 18 February 2026, coinciding with the first day of Tibetan Losar. The ceremony was led by Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche.
Eight Nuns Start Retreat
On March 30, 2026, eight nuns began their retreat following an initial ritual ceremony led by Rinpoche Jigme Namgyal from Tso Pema at Rewalsar. He also conducted the first three days of basic teachings on retreat practice for the nuns entering retreat.
Part of the ceremony for the nuns entering retreat on March 30, 2026 at the new retreat center at Shugsep Nunnery. Until now, the nuns had to travel to Nepal or Tso Pema to practice retreat.
All eight nuns on retreat have previous retreat experience, so they are prepared for long and intensive practice. The initial group of nuns includes six newly enthroned Khenmos and two Lopenmas who are trained teachers and practitioners.
Before entering retreat, one of the Khenmos spoke about her happiness and readiness to begin. She said that, as a retreat continues, she feels more happiness, inner peace, and mental clarity. As the mind settles and distractions fade, practitioners feel a deeper sense of contentment through simplicity, discipline, and steady awareness. She also said that practicing retreat helps turn intellectual understanding into direct experience, giving her and the other nuns the focused, disciplined time needed to truly absorb and apply what they’ve learned. Thus, the retreat is not merely an academic or ritual engagement, but a deeply experiential process aimed at transforming the practitioner’s mind at its core.
Here are the 8 nuns (6 Khenmos and 2 Lopenmas) who entered retreat on March 30, 2026 – the first to use the new retreat center.
The most enduring benefit is the strengthening of teaching capacity within the nunnery. Many of the nuns who will use the retreat center are holders of the Loponma degree, the highest degree in their tradition. Following their retreats, they will be fully qualified to guide junior nuns and contribute to the wider community. This creates a sustainable cycle of study, retreat, and teaching that secures Shugsep’s role as a respected Nyingma institution.
Here is a video made by the nuns explaining the importance of practicing retreat. If you can’t see the video, click here.
A Special Message from the Khenpo
After spending years learning and contemplating the sutra and tantra texts, one has to gain direct insight by applying the teachings to one’s personal experience. For this, one has to consciously distance oneself from the outer world, which will help retreat from the distractions of the mundane world. Retreat is considered a powerful and essential method for cultivating inner peace, wisdom, and ultimately, liberation.
The example of Buddha himself serves as a powerful illustration; he spent six years in intensive retreat prior to his awakening. Post his liberation, he would periodically retreat into the forest for weeks and months of meditation before returning to continue teaching and guiding others in their practice.
Spiritual retreats are considered essential for the development of one’s personal practice. Generally, after completing their philosophical studies, the nuns will go into retreat to allow sufficient time for reflection, prayer, and meditation to internalize what they have studied.
By closing the door to the external world, practitioners gain uninterrupted time and space for focused practice. This dedicated time allows practitioners to explore deeper spiritual development.
Retreat is not only for personal benefit. The wisdom and compassion deepened in solitude naturally flow outward, allowing practitioners to support and inspire others more meaningfully on their own spiritual path.
We are truly fortunate and deeply grateful to have established a well-equipped retreat center within our nunnery, a milestone that marks a significant and long-awaited development for our community. This is not merely a new building; it is a sacred space dedicated to inner transformation and the deepening of spiritual practice.
In the past, our nuns had to travel all the way to Nepal to undertake long-term retreat, facing the hardships of distance and separation from their home community. Now, that has changed. Our nuns can enter deep, uninterrupted practice within the warmth and familiarity of their own nunnery.
About the New Shugsep Retreat Center
The completed retreat center provides accommodation for up to eight nuns at a time. Each of the eight self-contained rooms has been designed to meet the practical and spiritual needs of the nuns.
They include a private toilet and washroom, storage space, a small kitchenette counter, and sufficient room for both study and prostrations, which are an integral part of their daily practice.
One of the rooms at new Shugsep Retreat Center. Eight senior nuns began their retreats on March 30, 2026, occupying all available retreat rooms. The rooms are spacious enough that the nuns can do prostrations..
Each of the retreat rooms contains:
A low wooden bed with a simple coconut fibre and memory foam mattress (favoured by the nuns as they are breathable and firm for sitting on) and a low table on which the nuns will place their prayer and study books.
A large cupboard for storing their clothes and blankets and a shelf unit with lower cupboards to be used as a shrine and bookshelf.
Curtain rods and good-quality curtains, as well as a woven rug for the floor.
A chair.
A small kitchenette with some shelving and storage as well as a few pieces of kitchen equipment.
In addition to the individual retreat rooms, the building contains a communal prayer hall where nuns in retreat can gather periodically for teachings, group prayer, and guidance from visiting teachers.
Not all the nuns’ time will be spent in isolation. Some sessions will be undertaken as a group and the prayer hall is a space where they can receive instructions from an outside teacher, do prayer sessions together, and have the opportunity to talk among themselves to clear away doubts and concerns and to strengthen their practice.
Inside the prayer hall at the official opening of the retreat center.
This prayer room has:
A wooden floor and a decorative shrine with statues from the nunnery.
8 low tables and 4 long sitting mattresses with Tibetan carpets on top.
A low teachers’ seat with mattress, carpet, and a low table.
A large bookshelf.
The retreat center also has a shared kitchen/dining room that provides space for nuns to warm food provided by the nunnery kitchen and to make their own light meals and tea. Finally, a dining table and chairs have been provided, thanks to your generosity, allowing the nuns to eat together if they wish. Daily meals will be delivered to their doors by designated nuns to avoid disturbing the nuns’ retreat.
Stocking the shelves of the communal kitchen at the new Shugsep retreat center. The first eight nuns entered retreat on March 30, 2026.
The kitchen/dining room contains:
2 large dining tables and 10 chairs.
Cooking equipment including a simple two-burner gas range, a kettle, and a microwave oven in which to warm up food which will be supplied from the main nunnery kitchen.
A refrigerator and a washing machine.
A wooden cupboard and shelving for utensils, crockery, and food items.
Sundry kitchen equipment such as a drain rack, clothes rack, and waste bins.
The communal kitchen at the retreat center that the nuns can use. Most of their meals will be supplied by the nunnery kitchen and delivered to their doors by designated nuns so that they are not disturbed on retreat.
Retreat participants bring only what they truly need, such as:
Basic necessities (clothes, personal items).
Ritual items for their practices.
Essential texts for study and recitation.
The Structure and Phases of Retreat
Participants enter the retreat with clear spiritual intentions and long-term aspirations. Beyond individual development, the retreat also prepares practitioners to contribute meaningfully to their communities in the future, whether through teaching, guidance, or continued practice.
The practice begins with about a month of foundational training to build discipline and focus, followed by a main retreat that usually lasts around a year. It then continues with ongoing practices that can extend for three years, depending on the practitioner’s dedication and spiritual progress.
Since the nuns have different levels of prior retreat experience, they continue from where they previously left off. As a result, the duration of the retreat varies among them.
The nuns in retreat start their day at 4 a.m. and end it at 11 p.m. They take short breaks in between and continue their recitation and meditation practices.
Challenges in Building the Retreat Center
Shugsep Nunnery is 5 kilometers below Dharamsala on a 5-acre plot of land. Because of sloping nature of the terraced land, there was very little space left which could be easily built on without overcrowding the buildings.
The Shugsep nuns worked hard to clear the steep overgrown land for the retreat center.
The nuns considered finding another plot of land nearby, but land prices and the difficulty in registering the land made them reconsider locating the retreat center within the nunnery grounds. In 2022, the nuns cleared the bushes on the steep overgrown land near the nunnery entrance to see if it would be feasible to construct a retreat center there. They called in a team of local architects who made a detailed survey of the land and came up with plans based on a brief which was discussed with the nuns and the Khenpo who is head of the nunnery.
The Tibetan Nuns Project began fundraising for a retreat center in the fall of 2022 and the center opened in the spring of 2026.
An important point of the architects’ brief was that the retreat center should provide seclusion and privacy for the nuns. The nuns confine themselves to this one building for the duration of their retreat and should not be seen by outsiders, except for an occasional visiting teacher. The architects suggested that a sense of seclusion and invisibility could be achieved by raising the building high above the road so that no one can see into the balconies. The land in front and behind was be planted with flowering shrubs screening the building from outside view. To reduce noise so the nuns can meditate peacefully, the windows have double glazing and fly screens.
Cross section plan of the retreat center. The size and shape of the land posed restrictions.
The second point was to provide the nuns on retreat with a wide-open view to relieve their minds of tension. In the past in Tibet, retreat centers were located high on mountainsides. The position of the retreat center on the hillside overlooking farm land and the wide valley below provides the nuns with an expansive view.
The nuns helped with the construction of the Shugsep Retreat Center.
The size and shape of the land limited the number of individual nuns rooms to 8, two on each floor in two buildings on either side of the central community building. According to the Khenpo, this is sufficient because if all the nuns were to decide to go into retreat at once there would be no one to teach the younger nuns or administer the nunnery. The nuns will rotate who goes into retreat and must agree to a specific duration to allow others the chance to take their place.
Rinchen Khando Choegyal, the Tibetan Nuns Project Founding Director and Special Advisor, with young Tibetan Buddhist nuns at Shugsep Nunnery. Senior nuns are now teaching at the nunnery and will take turns going on retreat.
About Shugsep Nunnery
A Nyingma nunnery, Shugsep traces its rituals and practice to some of the most illustrious female practitioners in Tibetan history. In the previous century, Shugsep Nunnery was home to one of the most famous teachers of her time, Shugsep Jetsunma.
Following the Cultural Revolution in 1959, Shugsep Nunnery in Tibet was completely destroyed. Although the nunnery was partially rebuilt in the 1980s by the nuns themselves, the nuns there faced frequent harassment by Chinese authorities.
In the late 1980s and 1990s many Tibetan Buddhist nuns escaped from Tibet including a large number of nuns from the original Shugsep Nunnery. They lived for many years in cramped conditions before the Tibetan Nuns Project re-established Shugsep Nunnery. It was inaugurated in 2010. Photo from 1991 by Susan Lirakis
Many of the nuns at Shugsep in India came from the original Shugsep Nunnery in Tibet. They were expelled by Chinese authorities for their political activities on behalf of Tibet and escaped over the Himalayas to practice their religion in India.
When the nuns first escaped, they lived in this rented house near Dharamsala.
Shugsep Nunnery was re-established in India in 1992 and the newly built nunnery was inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in December 2010. It is one of two nunneries built and completely supported by the Tibetan Nuns Project. The other is Dolma Ling.
Here’s a charming video tour of the nunnery made in 2017. If you can’t see the video, click here.
Thanks to five generous donors, the Research Center at Shugsep Nunnery and Institute opened in March 2026! Here is an interim report with a video about the first three nuns doing research.
Background to the Research Training Center
In the autumn of 2025, the nuns at Shugsep Nunnery and Institute in India asked for help to establish a Research Training Center for the senior nuns, so they could become qualified researchers and inspire other nuns to follow in their footsteps.
The research center at Shugsep opened in March 2026 with three senior Shugsep nuns as trainee researchers: Tsultrim Dolma (right), Pema Dolma (middle), and Thupten Choewang (also known as Tsering Wangmo) (left).
Thanks to the generosity of five donors, the nuns were able to equip the room and launch the program at the start of the new academic year in March 2026. The research center will strengthen the academic and research foundations of the nunnery and enable the nuns to integrate their traditional Buddhist studies with modern research practices.
Here is a video from March 2026 about the start of the program and the first three nuns who are doing research. Can’t see the video? Click here.
The Research Center at Shugsep Nunnery
The Research Center at Shugsep started in March 2026 with three senior nuns who will learn research best practices and start their research projects. Under the guidance of a certified professor and researcher, they will undergo a rigorous one-year training program. After successfully completing the program, the nuns will be able to train future generations of nuns, thereby bridging the continuity of advanced learning within the nunnery.
As part of the programme, the participating Loponmas will also attend workshops with visits by Professor Dr. Dorji Wangchuk of the University of Hamburg in Germany, who has already established similar research programs at Namdroling Monastery, Dzongsar Institute, Gangtok Institute, and other Nyingma monasteries.
One of the senior nuns who began her research training in March 2026 at the new center at Shugsep Nunnery and Institute.
Thanks to our generous donors, the nuns can:
Purchase and install equipment for the center, such as computers, a projector, printer, battery, and bookshelves.
Recruit and hire a certified researcher/professor to conduct the one-year training program.
Support the research program in line with Professor Wangchuk’s curriculum.
Facilitate the Loponmas’ participation in external workshops at the other established research centers in Nepal, South India, Himachal Pradesh, and Gangtok.
Support the process of evaluation and certification of the Loponmas as they complete their research training.
The goal is sustainability. The trained Loponmas will assume the role of teachers, thereby continuing the program for future Loponma trainees to be self-reliant.
Sixteen of the 19 Khenmos from Shugsep had an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama on March 13, 2026.
The Development of Shugsep’s Academic Program
Shugsep Nunnery and Institute was re-established in exile in India by the Tibetan Nuns Project. Construction began in 2006 and the nunnery was inaugurated in 2010. This Nyingma nunnery near Dharamsala is currently home to about 100 nuns.
2025 marked the 15th anniversary of the inauguration of Shugsep Nunnery and Institute, now home to about 100 nuns. The original rented house where the nuns lived after their escape is on the left.
Here is a video made in 2006 telling the story of Shugsep Nunnery in Tibet and how it was re-established in India by the Tibetan Nuns Project. Can’t see the video? Click here.
The original Shugsep in Tibet was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution in 1959, and the nuns were forced to leave. The nunnery was partially rebuilt by nuns in the 1980s, but they faced frequent harassment by the Chinese authorities. Seeking the freedom to practice their religion and culture, many Shugsep nuns escaped from Tibet to northern India.
A Nyingma nunnery, Shugsep traces its rituals and practices to some of the most illustrious female practitioners in Tibetan history. In exile, the nuns were given the opportunity to participate in a nine-year academic program of Buddhist philosophy, debate, Tibetan language and English.
The research training center at the nunnery will promote advanced learning for the senior nuns.
Currently, there are 60 Shugsep nuns who have graduated with their Loponma degree, the highest academic degree in their philosophic tradition, roughly equivalent to a Master’s. In February 2026, 19 senior nuns were enthroned as Khenmos at Shugsep’s historic khenmo enthronement ceremony. A Khenmo is the highest scholarly and teaching title for nuns in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It is equivalent to the Khenpo title given to monks.
In the spring of 2025, the nuns at Sherab Choeling Nunnery in the high-altitude Spiti Valley requested assistance to insulate the ground floor of their nunnery, to protect against cold, dampness, and mold.
A “before” picture. Head nun, Ani Butith, shows the state of her room at the nunnery. Like the other 24 rooms, it suffers from visible mold and peeling walls. The rooms were very cold during winter.
The existing living conditions were posing a serious health hazard to the nuns. Five nuns had already fallen ill due to the damp and mold.
We are happy to report that, thanks to 44 generous donors, the insulation and wood panelling project at Sherab Choeling Nunnery has now been completed. Here is a report with photos and a sweet video made by the nuns.
An archival photo showing the nuns clearing snow off the roof of the nunnery. The nunnery is located at an altitude of approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) and can be cut off in winter. The cold and damp were impacting the health and well-being of the nuns.
Background to the Mold and Cold Mitigation Project
Sherab Choeling Nunnery is home to approximately 60 nuns who live and study in extremely harsh climatic conditions, especially during winter when temperatures fall well below freezing and heavy snowfall often isolates the region.
The objective of this project was to address severe cold, dampness and mold issues within the nunnery buildings to improve the health and living conditions of the resident nuns.
The nunnery buildings were constructed using traditional mud and local materials. While this is culturally appropriate in the region, the aging structures developed significant damp issues over time which encouraged the growth of mold on the interior walls.
The kitchen and dining area at the nunnery was severely damaged by dampness, especially in the corners. This not only affected hygiene but also made the space difficult to maintain. Now this area has new insulation and wood panelling and is much more comfortable and healthy for the nuns.
Poor insulation against the extreme cold and persistent moisture retention led to unhealthy living conditions, and several nuns developed health problems, including joint pain, knee and back problems, and increased physical discomfort during the winter months, which impacted their ability to carry out their daily tasks.
Due to extreme winter weather and frequent road closures, the nuns found it difficult to remain in Spiti during the peak winter months. For the past few years, they have been temporarily relocating to Hamirpur, where the Spiti community generously provided hostel accommodation until the snow cleared.
The nuns unload wood for panelling project at Sherab Choeling. The major project took many months to complete and is already having a profound impact on the well-being of the nuns.
Your Generosity in Action
Despite the challenging location, the work went smoothly. Fortunately, this winter did not bring heavy snowfall, which allowed the timber wood panelling work to continue without interruption.
The following areas have now been fully completed with wood panelling:
— The nuns’ residences
— The kitchen and dining area
— The temple/prayer hall
Before and after. One of the nuns’ shared rooms with the new panelling making the space much warmer and liveable.
Huge Impact on the Nuns’ Lives
The nuns report that the wood panels are helping to keep the rooms warmer. They also reduce dampness and prevent mold from growing because black foam was placed between the wall and the wooden panels. This method is commonly practiced by people in the Spiti Valley to protect their homes from dampness and mold.
A carpenter making wood panelling for Sherab Choeling. The nuns say in their video, “It has truly changed our lives.”
The nuns have expressed great happiness and satisfaction with the completed work. This project marks a meaningful improvement in both their physical well-being and daily living environment.
The prayer room and temple room at Sherab Choeling before and after the wood panelling. You can see the damp, moldy walls on the left before the work was done to insulate the room.
The nuns of Sherab Choeling Nunnery extend their heartfelt gratitude to all donors and supporters who made this project possible.
Here’s a video that the nuns made for you. Can’t see the video? Click here.
Ani Butith, who has been in the nunnery for the past 30 years and currently acts as the administrator, conveyed sincere appreciation on behalf of all the nuns. She shared that although they may not be able to repay the generosity materially, they will offer Long Life and Tara prayers at the nunnery dedicated to all donors and supporters as a gesture of their gratitude.
A carpenter prepares wood panellling. The nuns say in their video, “Before this the cold would seep into our bones, leaving many of us with aching backs and knees. But this year is different. Our rooms are finally a sanctuary of warmth.”
Conclusion
The Mold and Cold Mitigation Project through wood paneling at Sherab Choeling Nunnery has been successfully completed. The intervention addresses long-standing issues of dampness, mold, and extreme cold exposure and is expected to bring lasting positive change to the health and daily lives of the nuns.
The nuns say the wood panelling and insulation has truly changed their lives. “Before this, the cold would seep into our bones, leaving many of us with aching backs and knees. But this year is different. Our rooms are finally a sanctuary of warmth. We burn less firewood and, most importantly, the health of our sisters has improved so much.”
Thank you to all the donors and supporters for making this project possible and successful!
An archival photo of the nuns shovelling a path around the nunnery. Winters in the Spiti Valley can be very severe with temperatures dropping as low as -22ºF or -30ºC.
