The renowned Buddhist leader and socially engaged monk Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena, founder and spiritual director of the non-profit Mahabodhi International Meditation Center (MIMC) in Ladakh, in India’s far north, this month warmly welcomed a cohort of venerable nuns from Drukpa Odsal Chosling Nunnery, Tia Village, Ladakh, where they engaged in spiritual exchange and shared humanitarian values.
During their visit on 2 August, the Drukpa nuns toured the expansive MIMC Devachan campus, which includes a home for the elderly, the Mahabodhi Karuna Hospital, a residential school for underprivilged children, a guesthouse, and the Sambodhi Retreat Centre.
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena is the spiritual director of the non-profit Mahabodhi International Meditation Center in India’s far north. He is also the founder of the Mahakaruna Foundation, the Save the Himalayas Foundation, and a spiritual advisor to the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB).
“The visit offered the nuns an opportunity to witness the humanitarian work being conducted by Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena and the MIMC across the fields of spiritual, medical, educational, and social welfare,” the MIMC shared with BDG “In a heartfelt interaction, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena extended a warm welcome to the nuns and shared his deep admiration for His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa and His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, acknowledging their profound contributions to spirituality and humanitarianism in the Himalayan region. He also reflected on how the Gyalwang Drukpa’s life and teachings have been a continual source of inspiration in his own journey.”
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena founded the Mahabodhi International Meditation Center (MIMC) in Leh, the joint capital of Ladakh, in 1986. He has since become an exemplar of socially engaged Buddhism in the region, launching numerous humanitarian projects, events, and initiatives. His outreach work includes providing educational opportunities and refuge for underprivileged children, empowerment and literacy programs for women and other socially disadvantaged groups, healthcare for the sick and needy, and a care home for the aged and destitute. The MIMC’s expanding campus has evolved into a hub for a multitude of socio-cultural and community programs in the region.
Addressing the nuns, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena recalled the difficulties historically faced by women who have chosen the monastic life, particularly in remote communities in Ladakh, and emphasized the urgent need for gender equality within the spiritual community.
“A bhikkhu and a bhikkhuni are like the two wings of a bird: only when both are strong and balanced can the bird truly soar,” Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena noted, underscoring the importance of providing equal opportunities and respect to male and female monastics alike.
The Drukpa nuns are an order of Buddhist nuns affiliated with the Drukpa Kagyu lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The thousand-year-old linaeage is led by His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa. The Drukpa nuns are widely known for their social activism and humanitarian work, and occupy leadership roles at their nunneries. The nuns are also renowned for the order’s proficiency in Chinese martial arts, which they began learning in 2008 after the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa authorized training for them, despite centuries-old monastic regulations prohibiting exercise for nuns.
The Drukpa nuns performed the sacred Riwo Sangcho (smoke-offering puja), invoking blessings for peace and harmony at the MIMC’s Devachan campus. Concluding their visit, the nuns expressed appreciation for the compassionate leadership of Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena and the transformative humanitarian initiatives of the MIMC.
“The day was marked by shared inspiration and a deep sense of unity in the Dharma, the MIMC observed. “Their visit concluded on a note of warmth, mutual respect, and spiritual kinship.”
In addition to integrating spiritual development and human and animal welfare, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena and the MIMC are also closely involved in peace-building and interfaith dialogue, environmental conservation, and in promoting Buddhist and Himalayan cultural heritage through national and international festivals. Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena has traveled extensively to participate international conferences, seminars, and workshops to promote spiritual and cultural values, environmental awareness, non-violence and world peace, and elevating the status of women in society—especially those from underprivileged communities.
In 2021, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena led a team from the MIMC on a humanitarian relief mission to the border regions of Ladakh, offering material COVID-19 relief as well as much-needed emotional and spiritual counseling for local residents who were living in fear during the dual crises of the pandemic and the military-led border standoff between Indian and Chinese troops. The same team also led a peace campaign in the conflict zone, appealing to the two nations not to resort to violence, but to resolve the standoff through peaceful means.*
* Work, Walk, and Pray for Peace: Bhikkhu Sanghasena Undertakes Peace Pilgrimage in Ladakh (BDG) and Buddhist Monk Bhikkhu Sanghasena Urges Peaceful Resolution amid Sino-Indian Border Tensions (BDG)
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Mahabodhi International Meditation Center
Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre – MIMC (Facebook)
Bhikkhu Sanghasena
Bhikkhu Sanghasena (Facebook)
Mahakaruna Foundation
Save the Himalayas Foundation
International Network of Engaged Buddhists
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