"Although our qualities do not compare with the greatness of our Dharma ancestors, we are endeavoring to bring the Buddha's precious teachings to a new country and culture, just as they did."
- Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron



Sravasti Abbey Advisory Board

To support her vision, Venerable Chodron has recruited a powerful board of advisors whose deep commitment to the monastic tradition helps guide the development of Sravasti Abbey.

Khensur Jampa Tegchok Rinpoche, Sera Monastery
Born in 1930, Khensur Jampa Tegchok is the former abbot of Sera-je Monastic University in India. His book, Transforming the Heart: The Buddhist Way to Joy and Courage, is a commentary on "The Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas" and describes the bodhisattva path.


Geshe Sonam Rinchen, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
Geshe Sonam Rinchen studied at Sera Monastery in Tibet and received his Geshe Lharampa in India in 1980. He has taught at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala since 1978. He has also taught in the West, and has several books published by Snow Lion.


Geshe Kalsang Damdul, Drepung Monastery
Since 1987, Ven. Geshe Kalsang Damdul has served as Assistant Director for the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala under the direct administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He is also resident teacher for the Center for Tibetan Buddhism in Portland, Oregon.


Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Dongyu Gatsel Ling Nunnery
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo was one of the first Westerners ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. She has taught Dharma internationally and is the founder of Dongyu Gatsel Ling Nunnery in Tashi Jong, India, where she now lives. Her life is the subject of the book Cave in the Snow.


Bhikshuni Jendy Shih, Chi Yuan Temple
Born in Taiwan, Ven. Jendy was ordained as a Bhikshuni in 1983 at Hosing Kiang Temple, and received her Ph.D. in Education at the University of Washington. She teaches at Chi Yuan Temple, the American Evergreen Buddhist Association, in Kirkland WA.


Ajahn Sundara, Abhayagiri Monastery
Ajahn Sundara ordained in the Theravada tradition as an eight-precept nun at Chithurst Monastery in U.K. in 1979. In 1983 she received the ten-precept ordination. Having lived at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery and Abhayagiri Monastery, she now travels and teaches internationally.