Broadcast Live at Women at Wisdom Lectures, San Francisco, CA
September 5, 2002

Wisdom of Emptiness

Wisdom of Emptiness

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Venerable Tenzin Palmo was raised in London and while in her teens she became a Buddhist. In 1964, at the age of twenty, she decided to go to India to pursue her spiritual path.

There she met her Guru, His Eminence the eighth Khamtrul Rinpoche and became one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. She remained with Khamtrul Rinpoche and his community in Himachal Pradesh, northern India, for six years and then he directed her to the Himalayan valley of Lahaul in order to undertake more intensive practice. Tenzin Palmo stayed in a small monastery there for several years, remaining in retreat during the long winter months. Then, seeking for more seclusion and better conditions for practice, she found a nearby cave where she remained for another 12 years, the last 3 years in strict retreat. She left India in 1988 and went to stay in Italy where she taught at various Dharma centres.

Before H.E. Khamtrul Rinpoche passed away in 1980, he had on several occasions requested Tenzin Palmo to start a nunnery. In 1993, the Lamas of the Khampagar monastery at Tashi Jong in Himachal Pradesh again made this request. This time Tenzin Palmo was ready to take on the formidable task and committed herself to this project. Tenzin Palmo now lives for most of the year at Tashi Jong where she has established Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in temporary accommodation until the building of the nunnery nearby is completed. She travels for 3 months each year to teach and raise funds for the nunnery project.