Tuesday
Bhikshuni Pema Chödrön appointed Abbess of Gampo Abbey
An excerpt from the Gampo Abbey May 2025 Newsletter.
Our first Abbot, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (1933-2023), served at the request of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche for many years until his passing in 2023, and Ani Pema has been our Principal Teacher for all those years.
Today, we are very pleased to share some exceptionally good news. Bhiksunni Pema Chödrön has agreed to be the Abbess of Gampo Abbey. She has a vision for moving forward, keeping the monastic tradition alive in the Western world, and we are very pleased.

After serving the community for over forty years as Principal Teacher, Ani Pema will become our Abbess. Following our first Abbot, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, who died in 2023, Ani Pema says she is very excited to take this new role.
Watch the video to see her comments on the appointment.
To honour her appointment, we have initiated a fund to support the future operations of Gampo Abbey and fulfill her vision going forward called Honouring Abbess Pema Chödrön.
If you would like to link your karmic path and show your support for our new Abbess, you can do that below.
Entries filed under Community Articles
Training the Greatest Gift – HIGHLIGHT
Luc Jacobs describes his experience at the Mukpo Institute, engaging training, study, and meditation to discover that becoming who you already are is a gift to everyone. Mukpo Institute has been in existence for several years now, but somehow it has not attracted that many students, ... continuePosted February 11, 2011 by
Goodbye
A poem by Bob Huber Today i burned them. Piled dead rose branches Over charcoal. Softly tore up those farewells From Roland, Menty, Bobbi, Joan And a hundred others And placed them in the flames: The Job I loved The Work I did These people, In That Life Goodbye, i loved You On September 2, 2010, I said goodbye ... continuePosted February 7, 2011 by Bob
A Path of Unified Fundraising – HIGHLIGHT
Lodro Rinzler, development coordinator for Shambhala’s Office of Finance and Development, shares an overview of fundraising efforts in 2010 and requests the help of all Shambhala entities to establish and operate within a coordinated, unified fundraising calendar. Three and a half years have passed since the ... continuePosted February 7, 2011 by
NYC Children Send Gift Packages to Surmang – HIGHLIGHT
By Anne Kenan Last October President Reoch sent out an email to the Shambhala community sharing a photo and video taken on the first day of school at Surmang Shedra. The group photo showed one hundred some-odd children–from toddlers to teens–with arms raised in cheer and faces ... continuePosted February 3, 2011 by
30 Years Ago at Lake Louise – HIGHLIGHT
Photos from 1981 Vajradhatu Seminary By Tony Bouret This reminiscence from the 1981 Vajradhatu Seminary was broadcast by Tony Bouret on sangha_announce. With his permission, we have reproduced a selection of his photographs below. It’s been 30 years! The 1981 Vajradhatu Seminary was the last of three held ... continuePosted January 22, 2011 by
First Open Sky Weekend in Oz – HIGHLIGHT
This fall, 21 Aussies completed Level V and the Heart of Warriorship. This is the first time in Australia that a Shambhala Training Level V has been offered. Maria Losurdo shares her experience of traveling and training in the massive country of Oz. In November, a ... continuePosted January 18, 2011 by
A Children’s Sun Sadhana – HIGHLIGHT
Rochelle Weithorn recorded the New York City Children’s Day performance, which was based on the I-Ching and had the structure of a sadhana. It was written and directed by Jack Niland, produced by Genevieve Waltcher, featured the Milarepa Children’s Chorus, and starred Kings and Queens of ... continuePosted January 13, 2011 by
Lonely Together: The ROW Sangha Gathers – HIGHLIGHT
Gordon Shotwell describes the first annual gathering for graduates of Rights of Warriorship. “The nature of the ROW sangha is that we are committed to respecting one another’s capacity to be lonely.” -Corey Kohn For more than twenty years, Rites of Warriorship (ROW) has been the entry point ... continuePosted January 9, 2011 by
It’s Not Easy Being Blue – HIGHLIGHT
By Elaine Logan Depression doesn’t have to rule my life—but I don’t have to pretend it isn’t there, either. Eeyore doesn’t mess about. You know Eeyore, he’s the donkey in the Winnie the Pooh stories. When there’s a birthday party, Eeyore is sure it won’t be for him. When ... continuePosted January 3, 2011 by
Art Auction to Bring Teachers to Taipei – HIGHLIGHT
Yeachin Tsai, Shambhala’s busy Chinese translator and native of Taipei, reports that hosting a Level 1 in China requires the help of the international sangha. If you look at a map of the world, you will find a very small green island southeast of mainland China. In ... continuePosted December 22, 2010 by Yeachin Tsai
Winter 2010: The Sakyong and Sakyong Wangmo
The Shambhala Lineage “The idea of lineage in the Shambhala teachings relates to one’s connection with primordial wisdom,” wrote the Druk Sakyong in Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior. “That wisdom is accessible and extremely simple, but also vast and profound.” It is in this spirit ... continuePosted December 21, 2010 by Richard_Reoch
Kagyu Monlam – Special Prayers – HIGHLIGHT
#gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */ In conjunction with the Kagyu Monlam this year, special longevity prayers will be recited for Thrangu Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso Rinpoche. The ... continuePosted December 15, 2010 by
The Rinchen Terdzo Returns! – HIGHLIGHT
Walker Blaine, author of the Rinchen Terdzo blog, describes the ways the transmission lives on through ongoing empowerments, commemorative books, and transmissions to each generation of Sakyongs. December 5th marked the two-year anniversary of the start of the three-month Rinchen Terdzo conferred by His Eminence Namkha Drimed ... continuePosted December 13, 2010 by Walker Blaine
Installing the Vajradhara Thangka – HIGHLIGHT
This letter has been reproduced, with permission and minor editing, from a recent sangha_announce. By Bob and Lindy King with Joshua Mulder We want to let you all know that the installation of the Vajradhara thangka in the Stupa went very well. It is up and absolutely beautiful ... continuePosted December 12, 2010 by
Multi-Sangha Youth Conference – HIGHLIGHT
By Sophie Maclaren This year will see the 4th annual Buddhist Youth Festival in Europe. To date, we have had hundreds of young people from more than 20 countries and a variety of sanghas and Buddhist traditions attend the festival. This year, as a new addition to ... continuePosted December 10, 2010 by
RSS feed for the Community Articles category
View all posts from authors in Community Articles: jillian_johnson