Celibate nuns are an easy target for derision and mockery. Yet the paths they choose open up possibilities of the beautiful and transcendent
women in Buddhism
Following in the Footsteps of Mahapajapati Gotami: A Transnational Pilgrimage of Bhikkhunis to Vaishali, India
100 female monastics and practitioners took part in a pilgrimage in honor of the founder of the women’s Order in December 2025
On the Journey of Monastic Growth: Novice Sāmaṇerī Kevalā on her time at Empty Cloud Monastery
Ayya Kevalā shares her experience as a recent sāmaṇerī initiate and the path of a Theravada monastic in the US
Book Review: “Awakening with Ease”
Nachaya Campbell-Allen examines a unique memoir that shows the individual path forward to a liberated approach to life
Ongoing progress in the full monastic ordination of women: Vajrayana
Thanks to the mighty efforts of female practitioners, scholars, and supporters, the Diamond Vehicle’s bhikshuni sangha of the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya is going strong into its 2nd year of modern revival
Ongoing progress in the full monastic ordination of women: Theravada
The global Theravada bhikkhuni community is thriving, with progress being made on multiple fronts
Mother, Surrogate, Wife: They Knew Better
A story through the eyes of the Buddha’s women, in celebration of Women’s History Month 2024
A Day Trip to Sacred Places in Kathmandu
Kathmandu has an almost unmatched range of spiritually charged sites, from monasteries and nunneries to locales of folkloric significance
Pictures speak a thousand words: Was the International Sangha Forum event in Bodh Gaya another “old boy’s club” event?
Adele Tomlin examines how a recent event intended to represent the sangha falls short of full and proper representation for women and the Vajrayana schools
A Decade of Progress: Revolutionizing Bhikkhuni Ordination in Modern India
Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the first higher ordination of monastic women in modern times