Special Q&A with Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

Metta Centre is deeply grateful to world renowned teacher and senior Bhiksuni, Jetsunma (The Most Venerable) Tenzin Palmo for accepting our invitation for a special dialogue with us, despite being retired from formal teachings. Please join us for a live Q and A (question and answer) session which will dissect the Buddha’s teaching through inquiry, questioning, and investigation. The Most Venerable (Jetsunma) Tenzin Palmo ordained in 1964 when she was 21 years old, and became one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monastic. In 1976, Jetsunma in seeking more seclusion and better conditions for practice, found a cave a couple of hours hike from Tayul, at 13,200 feet above sea level. The cave was enhanced by building enclosing walls, creating a living space around 6 feet (1.8 metres) square. In the summer months supplies were delivered from Keylong and she grew turnips and potatoes nearby. She stockpiled for winter, when the cave was snowbound. She slept and meditated upright in a meditation box. Despite many hardships and life-threatening experiences, Tenzin Palmo thrived in her solitary spiritual practice and lived in the cave for 12 years, from the ages of 33 to 45. For the first 9 years she occasionally had visitors or took trips away from the cave, while the last 3 years were spent in strict retreat. Her retreat ended in summer 1988 and after 24 years in India, she returned to Europe to stay with friends in Assisi, Italy. There she rediscovered her western roots and started to accept requests to teach. Tenzin Palmo has been instrumental in supporting female monastics and practitioners. She is the Founding Director of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, and also took on the President’s role of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women. She is the Founding Director of the Alliance of Non Himalayan Nuns; Honorary Advisor to the International Network of Engaged Buddhists and Founding Member of the Committee for Bhiksuni Ordination. More more information see: https://tenzinpalmo.com http://www.sakyadhita.org http://allianceofnonhimalayannuns.org http://www.bhiksuniordination.org http://inebnetwork.org