You can send good luck messages to the nuns taking Geshema exams in August 2019. To send a message of support to the Geshema candidates, post a comment below on this blog. We’ll compile all the messages and share them with the nuns before their exams.
The Geshema degree (or Geshe degree for monks) is roughly equivalent to a Ph.D. in Tibetan Buddhism. Until recently, this degree was only open to men.
The rigorous examination process takes four years and are the culmination of a rigorous 17-year course of study.
When you’re facing big challenges, it’s great to know that people are sending you support. Here’s a photo of nuns reading messages of good luck sent by other nuns prior to the 2016 Geshema exams. We’re collecting good luck messages for nuns taking their exams in August.
From August 1-12, 2019, 51 Tibetan Buddhist nuns will sit various levels of their Geshema exams. The nuns taking their exams this year come from four different nunneries: Dolma Ling, Geden Choeling, Jangchup Choeling, and Kopan Nunnery.
The examinees have already gathered at Jangchup Choeling Nunnery in Mundgod for their special one-month pre-exam study time.
Here’s a little video about the 2018 Geshema exams. [Can’t see the video? Click here.]
In August 2019, there will be:
- 24 nuns taking their first-year exams
- 9 nuns doing their 2nd year
- 11 nuns doing their 3rd year
- 7 Geshema candidates doing their fourth and final year of exams (The initial number was 8, but one nun dropped out at the end of July.)
All being well, there will be 8 new Geshema graduates this fall. The graduation ceremony will be held at the end of the 2019 Jang Gonchoe Inter-nunnery debate in November.
A Tibetan Buddhist nun takes her Geshema exams in 2017. Photo by the Nuns’ Media Team
Geshes and Geshemas are the most educated monastics, carrying much of the responsibility for preserving the Tibetan religion and culture.
The Geshemas are paving the way for other nuns to follow in their footsteps. This 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. Recently, two Geshemas were hired as teachers at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute.
We are still seeking $1,276 to complete the funding for the 2019 Geshema exams.
Donations are needed to cover the costs of the nuns’ travel to and from the exams and for their food during the exams and for the one-month study session before the exams. You can learn more and donate here.
Tibetan Buddhist nuns hand in their exam papers during the Geshema exams in 2017. Photo by the Nuns’ Media Team
Some Short Facts About the Geshema Degree
- The Geshema Degree is roughly equivalent to a doctorate in Buddhist philosophy. For males, it is called the Geshe degree.
- It is the highest level of training in the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.
- 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 female to receive the Geshema title.
- 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, 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.
A smiling Tibetan Buddhist nun enters her Geshema exams equipped with ruler and pens. The written and oral exams last two weeks and are based on 17 years of study. Photo by the Nuns’ Media Team.
Nuns cluster around the bulletin board at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute to read good luck messages sent from around the world to nuns taking their exams in 2018. Photo by the Nuns’ Media Team.
May all your exams and endeavors be blessed and your work honored. Peace.
Sending blessings to you today and always. Rely on the lineage as you are not alone. You got this!
Many blessings and thoughts coming your way!
¡Animando a todos los candidatos de Geshema (year1 ~ year4)! Maravillosa Oportunidad…admirable y deseando lo Mejor…es una siembra de esfuerzo y que sin duda recogerán grandes logros. Mis oraciones mis méritos porque tengan los niveles superiores que sean de gran beneficio para Todos.
Congratulations ladies. you are an inspiration to all.
Cheering for all the Geshema candidates (year1~year4)! I feel so happy to know you’re taking the exam, and want to say “You can do it!” Are you very nervous? What’s the subject you are the best at? Please eat well and rest well and have a good time. –from Taiwan.
To all the nuns taking your exams: you inspire me with your dedication, hard work, and commitment. And you inspire girls and women everywhere who are also on the path of education. Good luck and believe in yourself!
Sending love and prayers and best wishes to all of you on your exams!
May you be happy,
May you be safe and free from danger,
May you have joy, peace and everything you need to feel satisfied,
May your thoughts be positive and your experiences good.
🙏🏽
I wish you all many blessings and success on your Geshema exams.
I am inspired by your dedication and love for what you believe in and the work you do to accomplish this.
Many many best wishes 🙏
Wishing you the best of luck on your exams.
We are cheering you on from the US! Wishing you peace and successful completion of your exams. Your dedication to compassion and wisdom is admirable! Good luck sisters! 😊😊❤️
May all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharmapalas bless and protect you!
Well done, Anis! May your lives be long and happy and may you help others to clear their minds and achieve liberation!!
you have my best wishes and hope for a successful exam and results
Thank you on behalf of all sentient beings
Blessings and long lives to all of you! May you all do well on your exams!
May your inner light and learning guide you through your exams! You can do this xo
Wishing all you fabulous women great success and much more on your exams. You are brilliant minds and souls
Best wishes for much success on your exams. You have studied so long with such dedication; I know your efforts will be rewarded !
It’s difficult for me to imagine the levels of discipline and dedication that you certainly must have demonstrated to reach this point. I wish you all the best on your exams, and with absolute honesty and sincerity, it took me a very long time to write these few sentences. Good luck!
Tashi delek!
My sincere best wishes to you all. Wish each of you every success after 17 years of dedication to study. Teachers for the nuns are very much needed in many countries.
Tashi delek
Good Luck Ladies!! Please know you have most sincere support and good wishes from people all across the World! We are wishing you well in your studies, your personal lives, and in the understanding and spreading of the Dharma! With more nuns, women, and People having access to advanced degrees and study in the Dharma, it not only benefits just you, but all the people you touch throughout your lives. Advancement for Nuns is advancement for the Dharma! Congratulations!!! WE ARE SO PROUD AND HAPPY FOR YOU!!
-Ananda, from USA
Dearest nuns,
Exams are coming. No matter what grade you get, the most important thing is always to use what you have learned to transform your minds and become a better and wiser person. Just the fact that you are dedicating your life to study and learn is in itself amazing. Feel super proud of yourselves. No matter the results, you are already AMAZING and we are all very very very proud of you. Remember this.
Love,
བསྟྟན་འཛིན་སྣྣང་མཛེས་
Very good luck to all of you! Blessings to you all.
May blessings of great abundance and wisdom be upon you forever!!
Wishing you much success and accomplishment and the blessings of all the Buddhad of the 10 directions , the guidance of Manjushri and the swift accomplishments from Green Tara. Warmest wishes, Loren
Sending good wishes and many prayers for your upcoming exams. Good luck, and blessings to all.
Namaste’
I hope that everything will be perfect in your test. We, here in Colombia, have the marvelous teaches from a Ghese La. It would be lovely if in any city could have a Ghese La o Ghesema. ¡Que todos los seres sean libre del sufrimiento!😍
There may be difficult times during studying, memorizing, understanding and practising Dharma, but it is a very precious period of time when you look back!
Think, how much merit you had to earn, so that in this life, you can be born in the human realm, learn Dharma (and Gelug lineage of Dharma!) , and full time study as a nun? I deeply rejoice in all of your merits in your past, present and future lives! I wish I could start to learn Dharma when I was little, just like most of you did. Right now I am learning “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand” by Pabongka Rinpoche in a Hong Kong Dharma Centre and it is not easy. But I feel very happy each time I attend the class.
Exam is just a game, like everything else. So, please study hard with a joyful heart. I hope you could come to Hong Kong and be my teacher some day in the future! =)
Best wishes from Hong Kong.
Your dedication to your studies and your practice inspires people across the globe. Here in Boston, MA, we are cheering you on and hoping for the best outcome during this period of exams. Sisters, we admire you so much!
To Venerable Gyaltsen Lochoe. I send the very best wishes and prayers for your final exams for the Geshema degree. With respect and admiration and kind regards.
To all the nuns taking exams for the Geshema degree, sending prayers and warm wishes for success.
Blessings to all Nuns and prayers for knowledge and insight _/\_ . May you enjoy much success and that you achieve the results of your hard work and dedication. I have much admiration for all you!
Sending best wishes and blessings for your exams.
Giuseppe (Philadelphia)
BLESSINGS, LOVE AND LIGHT TO ALL OF YOU AMAZING WOMEN.
WISHING YOU GREAT POWER AND INSIGHT DURING THE EXAMS.
YOU ARE ALL AN INSPIRATION AND A TESTIMONY TO THE LIVING DHARMA!
THANK YOU FOR PRESERVING THESE TEACHINGS AND WISDOM.
TT from BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, USA
Congratulations! You are in my heart and prayers. Your dedication and practice will bring you much happiness. 🙏❤️
Dear Geshema Candidates:
You are not only contributing to the survival and expansion of Tibetan Buddhism, but you are all changing the world and making it a better place by means of your studies, self-transformation, compassion and example.
Thank you all and good luck. You are in our prayers.
We look forward to the day when the two nuns who we sponsor take their Geshema exam.
Blessings
You all are such an inspiration! We wish you so much luck and blessings. Your hard work and diligence will shine. All the best.
I am so excited to hear about all of progress so many are making in their studies! Wishing you all peace and clarity as you approach the exams. It is an honor to to support TNP and your education process. You are all so inspiring and are bringing hope to the world. I send you much love and best wishes from Seattle.
First year through year four students,’ With a wish to free all Beings’, may your studies go smoothly and examinations be without obstacles. You each have so many people cheering for you; never doubt that your dedication and hard work are appreciated.
Dear precious daughters of the Buddha,
I rejoice in your incredible efforts and perseverance as Dharma students and practitioners. Please keep up your virtuous activities for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is inspiring for all of us to see you becoming qualified teachers and bodhisattvas.
With love and prayers for success on your exams and all your positive wishes and activities.
You are taking this exam for the benefit of not only yourself, but for all living beings through our space and time—without any exceptions. While this is a great, vast responsibility; it should not make you worry so much that you will be unable to enjoy sharing yak butter tea and tsampa with your friends. So, I think it is best to find the middle path between responsibility and relaxation while preparing and taking the test. Also, if things go wrong I believe you can retake the exam. I wish everyone—without exceptions—success taking at taking the exam!
Dear sisters in the Dharma all my deep admiration and respect. you represent an enourmous inspiration and will be on my Tara practices dedication lot of light of joy and wisdom connected from my mind and heart to yours . Here from the other side of planet earth from the colombian caribean sending you gratitude for the enourmous historical change you are doing opening the path for present and future women in education in highest levels
with love and prayers
Dear Dharma Sisters —
Your hard work and dedication have brought you this far — congratulations! I have no doubt that you will complete your studies and pass your exams with flying colors. Opening the Geshe degree to women can only benefit Buddhism and the world at large, and you and your fellow students (and graduates) inspire those who follow you. Maha Prajapati would be proud!
Bright blessings to you
Congratulations to Ani Tenzin Dolma! I’m so proud of you. Keep up the good work. Sending love and prayers.
You have chosen a most difficult path and yet the most satisfying one (in my humble opinion).
Your dedication and love of the Three Jewels helps purify and heal this planet in ways we humans can not even imagine.
To you fine women we are deeply grateful and I bow down to you.
THANK YOU, GOOD LUCK with UNLIMITED LOVE and BLESSINGS 🙂
janis
canada
Good luck and congratulations to Venerable Jangchub Wangmo for your accomplishments and best of luck for your future exams. We are all very happy and grateful for your work to benefit all sentient beings. Much love from us to you.
I cannot thank you enough for your blessed Dharma activities. Your efforts, diligence, and devotion keeps the victory banner of Dharma flying high. Countless beings benefit from the merits you accrue with your precious work. I bow to you all in deepest gratitude.
Sending my best wishes to all the nuns for their testing period. I know it’s been a long journey and I am really happy for them to finally complete this process. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the final results and ready to celebrate, kicking up my heels and hooting and hollering for a good while. Tally Ho. John
Good luck to all of you! You are a great inspiration. May your hard work and dedication be of benefit to all sentient beings. Please know that you are held in my heart and prayers.
Blessings to all of you! I know that you have all studied and worked so hard and will do well. You are so fortunate to be able to do these exams. We are all so proud of you and happy for you! I wish you all good things in your studies and your lives. You are an inspiration and a blessing for us all. Good luck!
Dear Nuns attending the Geshema’s Examination,
To me, Geshemas embody love, wisdom, and light.
It is not because someone told me about it. It is because I have been in the presence of one of you.
In the year 2013, I had a good fortune, just by chance, to be standing in line next to the first Geshema.
Just by being in her presence, I felt the purity and nobleness of her heart.
Everything that she is and has learned and mastered from all of her practices and teachers was emanating from her and radiating rays of light to all.
Mother Green Tara is with all of you. Just look into your hearts and your minds, and the answers will be there.
All of you have endured many challenges and your efforts will bless ALL sentient beings.
Thank you for all your love, wisdom, and light.
May all your wishes and aspirations be fulfilled.
Blessings to all of you.
good luck my dears , love you all
You are stepping into a stream of Geshe-ma’s now. Thank you for your dharma activities, and be virtuously confident in your exams.
Hello practioners of compassion,
I am so pleased to hear the culmination of your studies is bearing fruit. You have accomplished so much in your studies, in your practice, in your hearts, in your minds, in your bodies, in your souls. The struggles now are your path and I believe in each of you, that you are prepared, that you will move forward in this experience towards fulfilling your individual enlightenment. You are each a lovely luminescent being contributing to this world, your dedication is testament to this, your efforts are testament to this, your attempts are testament to this. During your exams may you be free of the idea of suffering from failure, may you feel the confidence that all you are doing is a success, may the light of your true path shine through your being and guide you on your journey. This opportunity is a stepping stone but should you misstep recognize how the water will carry you to the next pathway, and trust you are supported by many. In gratitude for your struggles during this stressful time,
Thank you for being.
Thank youfor your energy.
Thank you for what you provide.
Thank you for your blessings.
Thank you for your sacrifices.
Bless you.
Your friend, sending positive energy your way,
Katie