Who We Are

The ANHN is here to provide support for women who have been ordained as nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist lineages and who are from outside traditional Himalayan regions.

Our wish is that in supporting NHNs (non-Himalayan nuns), opportunities to wholeheartedly devote themselves to their path of study and practice will grow and grow.

By their example, they will raise awareness amongst already existing (and those newly created) Buddhist communities worldwide. In doing so, this will bring about a broader and deeper appreciation of their role in the monastic sangha.

The Alliance of Non-Himalayan Nuns is a USA based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Board of Directors

President, Secretary and Founder

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo lives at Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in India. As acting President, she provides leadership and inspiration to the Board of Directors. In a rapidly changing world, she remains a key voice and visionary in determining what policies and steps best equip the Alliance to have a meaningful impact on the lives of a growing number of NHNs worldwide.

Board Member

Venerable Dr Chodrungma Kunga Chodron

Venerable Dr Kunga Chodron has served as Secretary and Treasurer of Tsechen Kunchab Ling, the seat of the Sakya Dolma Phodrang in the Americas, since its founding in 2001. She speaks and reads Tibetan, has collaborated with Khenpos in co-translating various texts on Buddhist philosophy and ritual, short and long. In 1986, she also assisted in the founding and has since served as President of Sakya Phuntsok Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies and Meditation in Silver Spring Maryland.

The recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, Venerable Dr Kunga Chodron has authored several books and many articles on Buddhism and education in Asia. She is a core member of the working committee of the Buddhist Literary Heritage Project, which is undertaking the translation of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon, known as the Tripitaka, into English.

Venerable Dr Kunga Chodron received a doctorate in Comparative Human Development and a master’s degree in Human Development from Harvard Graduate School of Education. At Harvard, she also served for two years as an editor of the Harvard Educational Review. She worked for the U.S. government for over 15 years, serving in senior research and policy positions in the U.S. Department of Education.

She is a key voice on the Board of the Alliance in policy making decisions as well as determining the best path forward for the ANHN and its impact on the lives of non-Himalayan nuns worldwide.

Vice President and Founder

Geshe Kelsang Wangmo

In 2011, after twenty-one years of intensive study, Kelsang Wangmo, a German-born Tibetan Buddhist nun, was the first – and until 2016 only – woman to be awarded a Geshe title, considered equivalent to a Ph.D. in Buddhist philosophy.

Since 2004 Geshe Kelsang Wangmo has been teaching Buddhist philosophy classes in English in Dharamsala, following the curriculum of the IBD. With her extensive knowledge in Buddhist philosophy and her expertise in the Vinaya, Geshema Kelsang Wangmo’s contribution to the Board concerning its aspirations to expand activities, projects and trainings is invaluable.

Treasurer

Lillia Shenpen Lhamo

Since her departure in 2014 from a long career in the investment management field, Tsunma Lillia has been on pilgrimage, widely traveling the world. Her life has been dedicated to her spiritual path: through study, practice, solitary retreat and service. She is a student of Classical Tibetan. Ordained in the Vajrayana tradition she was also formally initiated into the order of Sannyas, in the tradition of Sri Anandamayi Ma. Tsunma Lillia Shenpen Lhamo also serves as Vice President of the Board of ANHN’s sister organization, Dongyu Gatsal Ling Initiatives, Inc (DGLI).

Board Member and Founder

Venerable Tenzin Sangmo

Venerable Tenzin Sangmo established Thosamling Nunnery on the outskirts of Dharamsala in October 2000. She envisioned having a place to help current and future nuns build and maintain a strong spiritual practice, counter the trappings of the lay life, and become part of a community dedicated to spiritual beliefs. Thosamling was built to give international Buddhist Sangha all the support they need.

With this same attitude of selfless generosity, Venerable Sangmo contributes meaningfully to all decisions made by the Board, bringing her intimate knowledge of the struggles and joys many NHNs face in daily life and practice.