Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, Founded by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Celebrates its 25th Anniversary

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Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, Founded by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Celebrates its 25th Anniversary

By Craig C Lewis
October 23, 2024

The renowned center of female monasticism in the Drukpa Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, located near the hill station of Palampur in Himachal Pradesh, some 60 kilometers from Dharamsala, marked the 25th anniversary of its founding on 17 October. Alongside the nuns themselves, the occasion, led by founder Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, was attended by senior lamas, khenpos, and supporters of the nunnery and its Dharma mission.

Originally from England, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, one of the first Western women to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monastic, established Dongyu Gatsal Ling in 1999, at the request of His Eminence the Eighth Khamtrul Rinpoche Shedrup Nyima. The nunnery was founded to provided a path for girls and young women from Tibet and the Himalayan region to devote themselves to Buddhist scholarship and practice and realize their intellectual and spiritual potential.

“Today, during our silver jubilee, DGL Nunnery made history when four of our nuns received from Togden Trinley Kunchab their red and white robes after 16 years of retreat, officially recognizing them as togdenma,”* Dongyu Gatsal Ling shared on social media on 17 October. “Hereby, Jetsunma has fulfilled her life mission at the request of her Lama, the Eighth Khamtrul Rinpoche, who asked her to re-establish the lost togdenma tradition.” (Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery Facebook)

Nuns receive their red-and-white robes from Togden Trinley Kunchab after 16 years of retreat. From Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery Facebook

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo presents a ceremonial *kata*. From Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery Facebook

Addressing the assembled monastics and supporters at Dongyu Gatsal Ling during the anniversary celebrations, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo observed:

It is with great joy and heartfelt gratitude that we welcome you here today to celebrate what is actually an incredible milestone for our nunnery: 25 years of Dongyu Gatsal Ling. What a journey it has been, from the seed of a dream to the flourishing community that you see before you today.

When the lamas of Khampagar Monastery first approached me with the idea of founding a nunnery, it seemed like an impossible dream. After all, I’m not Tibetan, I’m not a lama, I had no funds, no plan, and, frankly, no idea where to begin. But I remembered the wish of Khamtrul Dongyud Nyima, and with the blessings of Arya Tara and the unwavering support of the lamas, something magical happened: step by step, piece by piece, the vision began to take shape.

We found the land, the funding, and, perhaps most importantly, the people whose generosity and kindness has made this dream come true. This truly felt as though everything aligned in the most auspicious way, with the blessing of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage, and the protectors guiding us. And so here we are today celebrating 25 years of Dongyu Gatsal Ling, with many of our dearest friends and supporters gathered around us. . . .

Our nuns have embraced a rigorous program of Buddhist philosophy, Tibetan grammar, and ritual practice. They continue to excel in both study and retreat, embodying the spirit of balanced training. At present, we have 15 nuns in long-term retreat, and every year all of our nuns undertake a strict two-month silent monsoon retreat. This commitment to both scholarship and meditation has been at the core of their growth. Today, I am proud to say that four of our senior nuns are now khenmos who . . . guide and mentor their younger Dharma sisters with wisdom and compassion.

It is with great honor that we recognize today four of our nuns who have completed an astonishing 16 years in long-term retreat. . . . Their dedication is an inspiration to us all, and we celebrate their accomplishments with profound admiration.

Our nuns come primarily from Himalayan regions . . . and over the years, they have demonstrated remarkable intelligence, strength, and dedication. We are immensely, proud of all they have achieved, and we look forward to seeing the fruits of their continued efforts.

To all those who have supported us through these 25 years, whether by offering time, resources, or good wishes, please know that none of this would have been possible without you. From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you!

Tenzin Palmo received the title “Jetsunma,” which means venerable master, from His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa in 2008. In addition to her responsibilities at Dongyu Gatsal Ling and as a Dharma teacher, she is president of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, 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. The BBC named Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo among their 100 most influential women for 2023.**

Dongyu Gatsal Ling (Garden of the Authentic Lineage), which includes dormitories, a shedra or monastic college, a retreat center, and a temple for 108 nuns, is sited on three hectares of land near the Khampagar Monastery of Tashi Jong. The nunnery offers a balanced program of study and practice to enable the nuns to develop their intellectual and spiritual capabilities as they study Buddhist philosophy, Tibetan grammar, English, Tibetan Buddhist rituals and practices, in addition to a two-month annual meditation retreat.

After six years of training, the resident nuns can choose either to continue with higher philosophy studies or to undertake long-term retreat. Dongyu Gatsal Ling underlying purpose is to enable and empower nuns to become scholars and realized practitioners who can sustain the Drukpa Kagyu tradition for the benefit of future generations.

There are currently 114 nuns living, studying, and practicing at Dongyu Gatsal Ling, hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, Kinnaur, Ladakh, Lahaul, Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet.

“If we are serious about becoming the masters of our minds and emotions, instead of the slaves of our minds and emotions, if we are really serious about leading a life which will be of benefit for ourselves and others, we have to become selective. We cannot do everything in this lifetime. We cannot spend our nights in the discos and then get up at 5 a.m. to do our practice—well we could, but it wouldn’t work very well. We have to decide in our lives what is really of importance to us and what is not. And simplify, that is renunciation.” — Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

* The previously extinct yogini order associated with the Palden Drukpa lineage.

** Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo among BBC’s 100 Influential Women of 2023 (BDG)

Craig C Lewis

Craig Lewis grew up in a transplanted Scottish family in southern England before setting off against all advice to seek light and wisdom in far-off places, rather than staying put and looking within. After repeated encounters with the Buddhadharma as a journalist in Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and across Asia, he eventually found refuge as senior editor at BDG, where he reports and writes on the diversity of contemporary manifestations of the Dharma. Craig is also a keen mountain trekker and photographer, finding particular inspiration in the peoples, cultures, and Buddhist expressions of the Himalaya. In his column for BDG, “Chasing Light,” Craig seeks to document encounters, experiences, and epiphanies resulting from his own tentative and faltering path toward liberation. Contact: [email protected]

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