March 3-24, 2024
Thosamling Nunnery, India
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to practical and technical reasons, we will not be able to livestream all the sessions during the gathering. There will be, however, some sessions which will be held on Zoom (see chart below) for those, please click the register button in order to fill up a form to get the Zoom link.
Alliance of Non-Himalayan Nuns (ANHN) was specifically established to support Non-Himalayan Nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, that is, all ordained Tibetan Buddhist nuns who come from outside of Tibetan and Northern Himalayan cultures. The upcoming Gathering is exclusively planned, targeted, and designed for this international population of monastics.
Ordained Tibetan Buddhist Nuns who come from non-traditional Tibetan Buddhist cultures encounter a unique set of challenges in upholding their vows and robes. There needs to be a conscious effort to raise awareness to these particular challenges which can be reframed as unique opportunities for the Dharma to manifest in non-traditional cultures. However, before this can happen, it is essential to inform laypeople, especially those practicing in non-Tibetan Buddhist cultures, about these unique challenges and how they can contribute to providing greater support.
During the gathering, our collective focus will be to engage in meaningful discussions and collaboratively develop solutions for the challenges encountered by many Non-Himalayan Nuns today. A prominent issue that will be addressed is their situation of not being part of a monastic Sangha, which often results in feelings of isolation and not receiving enough support from the lay community. We aim to explore effective ways to address these concerns and cultivate a supportive environment through sharing of experiences, insights, and perspectives of the participants.
At the Gathering 2024, various themes will be addressed, including:
- How to survive in contemporary culture without a Monastic community or a Nunnery to live in?
- How to practice as a solitary practitioner without access to Sangha for monthly Sojong rituals and Pujas?
- Challenges of renouncing the householder’s life and seeking support for housing, food, robes, and medicines.
- Addressing challenges related to ill health, aging, and dying, and accessing necessary support.
These, among many other themes, will be the topics of consideration and discussion during the three weeks of the ANHN Gathering in March 2024.