We rejoice and welcome a new member of the Abbey resident community—Ven. Tenzin Tsepal.

Ven. Tsepal was Ven. Chodron’s student in Seattle in the 1990s and served as a lay supporter for the Life as a Western Buddhist Nun conference that Ven. Chodron organized in Bodhgaya, India in 1996. Inspired by the Dharma and Ven Chodron’s example, Ven. Tsepal went to India to study and ordained with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2001.

From India, Ven. Tsepal traveled to the Chenrezig Institute in Australia where she studied and then taught for 14 years. Last January, she visited the Abbey to take part in the winter retreat and explore joining the community.

After nine months, Ven. Tsepal and the community made a mutual decision to accept her as a new resident. In October she took the shikshamana training precepts as the precursor for taking full ordination in Taiwan. We rejoice in her merit and welcome her to the community. See photos of the ordination and read Ven. Tsepal’s bio.