On June 23, 2022, the religious head of Bhutan, the 70th Je Khenpo Tulku Jigme Chodrak, conducted a bhikṣuṇī ordination to 144 nuns, restoring the Mūlasarvāstivāda female lineage in the Himalayan tradition. The event was conducted at the request of the king of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and organized by the Bhutan Nuns Foundation. It is difficult to understate the importance of this occasion since, by most accounts, bhikṣuṇī ordination had never been introduced to Tibet or Bhutan; rather, since the introduction of Buddhism in the region in the 7th century nuns have only had access to novice status. 

In his talk "And Now What? The Life, Status, and Education of Fully Ordained Nuns in Bhutan," Professor Dorji Gyeltshen (Jigme Singye Wangchuk School of Law, Paro, Bhutan) will discuss the import and impact of this ceremony and present recent research on how the newly achieved bhikṣuṇī status has impacted the lives of Bhutanese nuns and nunneries.

https://www.uvatibetcenter.org/event/lecture-by-dorji-gyeltshen-and-now-what-the-life-status-and-education-of-fully-ordained-nuns-in-bhutan/

Co-sponsored by the UVA Tibet Center and Bhutan Initiative, the East Asia Center, and the Virginia Center for the Study of Religion. Photo by Tashi Zangmo.