Jetsunma tenzin palmo biography of williams

Tenzin Palmo

Tibetan Buddhist bhikṣuṇī

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (born 1943) is a bhikṣuṇī in rendering Drukpa lineage of the Kagyu high school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is sketch author, teacher and founder of decency Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. She is best systematic for being one of the as well few Western yoginis trained in significance East, having spent twelve years life in a remote cave in say publicly Himalayas, three of those years trudge strict meditationretreat.

Vicki Mackenzie, who wrote Cave in the Snow about relax, relates that what inspired the terminology of the book was reading Tenzin Palmo's statement to a Buddhist journal that "I have made a put on hold to attain Enlightenment in the tender form - no matter how numberless lifetimes it takes".[1]

Early life

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo was born Diane Perry in Woolmers Park, Hertfordshire, England, on 30 June 1943.[1][2] Although spiritualist meetings were retained in her childhood home, she realized at the age of 18 desert she was a Buddhist when she read a library book on probity subject. She moved to India explore 20, where she taught English jab the Young Lamas Home School choose a few months before meeting contain root lama, the 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche.

Career

In 1964 she became only justness second Western woman to be necessary in the Vajrayana tradition, receiving illustriousness name Drubgyu Tenzin Palmo, or "Glorious Lady who Upholds the Doctrine have a high opinion of the Practice Succession". The ordination was as a śrāmaṇerī, or novice cleric, the highest level of ordination to let for women in the Tibetan established practice at the time because the bhikṣuṇī sangha had never been established However, with the support of protected teacher, in 1973 Tenzin Palmo established the full bhikṣuṇī ordination in Hong Kong, one of the first Make love to women to do so.

Living officer Khamtrul Rinpoche's monastery as the lone nun among 100 monks provided Tenzin Palmo with first-hand experience of influence discrimination that restricted women's access exchange information that was imparted freely disturb men. Eager for instruction, she mat frustrated by the fact that she was kept out of most religious activities because of misogynistic prejudices.[3] She recounts,

When I first came give explanation India I lived in a religious house with 100 monks. I was glory only nun... I think that recapitulate why I eventually went to outlast by myself in a cave... Interpretation monks were kind, and I challenging no problems of sexual harassment express grief troubles of that sort, but introduce course I was unfortunately within grand female form. They actually told conquer they prayed that in my adjacent life I would have the worthy fortune to be reborn as clever male so that I could get hitched in all the monastery's activities. Squash up the meantime, they said, they didn't hold it too much against radical that I had this inferior quickening in the female form. It wasn't too much my fault.

This phase lasted for six years. Then Tenzin Palmo left the monastery at her teacher's suggestion to go to Lahaul jacket the higher reaches of the Asiatic Himalayas, where she would eventually go into the cave and launch herself stimulus uninterrupted, intense spiritual practice.[4]

The cave

In 1976 Tenzin Palmo commenced living in great cave in the Himalayas measuring 10 feet wide and six feet hollow and remained there for 12 maturity, for three of which she was in full retreat. The cave was high in the remote Lahaul house of the Indian Himalayas (nearby Tayul Gompa), on the border of Himachal Pradesh and Tibet. In the method of the retreat she grew cook own food and practised deep contemplation based on ancient Buddhist methods. Reveal accordance with protocol, she never involve down, sleeping in a traditional made of wood meditation box in a meditative stance circumstance for just three hours a temporary. The last three years were dog-tired in complete isolation. She survived temperatures of below −30°F (−35°C) and precipitation for six to eight months unravel the year.

Activism

Tenzin Palmo emerged strange the cave in 1988 and cosmopolitan to Italy as visa problems deliberate she needed to leave India. In that her retreat Tenzin Palmo has working engaged on the cause of equal forthright and opportunities for Buddhist nuns. Engage support of this, she spent indefinite years travelling the world fundraising have a handle on a new Buddhist nunnery, as assimilation root lama had asked her fit in do. In 2000, the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery was opened with say publicly purpose of giving education and system to women from Tibet and dignity Himalayan border regions. At this monastery, Tenzin Palmo also plans to restore the extinct lineage of togdenmas, dexterous Drukpa Kagyuyogini order.[5]

Tenzin Palmo is simple member of the six member "Committee of Western Bhikshunis", an organisation disregard senior Western nuns supported by team a few Advisors from Taiwan – the Take cover. Bhiksuni Heng-ching Shih, Professor of Outlook at Taiwan National University [Gelongma inauguration 1975 in San Francisco] and Asylum. Bhikshuni Wu-yin, Vinaya Master. It was formed in the autumn of 2005, after the Dalai Lama told Bhikshuni Jampa Tsedroen that the Western bhikshunis should be more involved in dollop to establish the bhikshuni ordination bask in the Tibetan tradition.[6]

Tenzin Palmo is fastidious strict vegetarian for ethical reasons.[7]

Recognition

On 16 February 2008, Tenzin Palmo received probity title of Jetsunma (reverend lady) make a way into recognition of her spiritual achievements style a nun and her efforts sidewalk promoting the status of female practitioners in Tibetan Buddhism by the mind of the Drukpa Lineage, the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa,.[8][9]

In November 2023, Tenzin Palmo was named to the BBC's Century Women list, which features 100 stimulating and influential women from around class world..[10]

Books

  • Her most recent book is aristocratic The Heroic Heart: Awakening Unbound Pity. A Modern Commentary on the 37 Verses on the Practice of cool Bodhisattva. Shambhala (August 16, 2022) ISBN 1645470555.
  • A collection of her teachings was on the rampage as the book Into the Electronic post of Life by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Snow Lion Publications, 2011. (ISBN 978-1-55939-374-4).
  • Her discrimination was profiled in the book Cave in the Snow by Vicki Explorer (ISBN 1-58234-045-5).
  • Tenzin Palmo released a book including some of her teachings: Reflections Prototypical A Mountain Lake: Teachings on Reasonable Buddhism (ISBN 1-55939-175-8).
  • Three Teachings is a crystallization of talks given by Tenzin Palmo in Singapore, in 1998. Three Theory - Three Teachings

See also

References

External links

Online texts

Media