Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo is one of the most remarkable women in the modern history of Buddhism. Born Diane Perry in Hertfordshire, England, she encountered Buddhism at twenty and travelled to India at twenty-one. She was ordained by HH the 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche in 1964, becoming one of the first Western women to receive novice ordination in the Tibetan tradition.
She spent the next eighteen years in or near Khampagar Monastery in Himachal Pradesh, six of which were in solitary retreat in a cave at 13,200 feet in Lahaul, Spiti — the upper Himalayan border with Tibet. Three of those years were in strict three-year retreat. Her experience is described in the book Cave in the Snow by Vicki Mackenzie, which has introduced her work to a wide readership.
In 1993, with the blessing of HH the 12th Khamtrul Rinpoche, she founded Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Tashi Jong, Himachal Pradesh, for women from the Himalayan border regions. The nunnery is dedicated to the revival of the togdenma tradition — the yogini lineage of accomplished female practitioners which had nearly died out in the modern period. The first cohort of togdenmas has now completed traditional twelve-year retreat under her supervision.
In 2008, HH the 12th Khamtrul Rinpoche conferred upon her the rare title of Jetsunma — venerable master — making her one of the very few Western women ever to receive that recognition in the Tibetan tradition.
She has been an unrelenting and articulate advocate for the full ordination of women in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Her work on the Bhikshuni Sangha Project, in coordination with Mulasarvastivada vinaya scholars, has been a substantial force in moving the question forward.
Applications for personal time are received through Dongyu Gatsal Ling on a quarterly cadence. The nunnery prioritises serious practitioners and applicants from the Himalayan border regions.
