May 13
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
Harvesting Peace in the Chinese Language – HIGHLIGHT
Yeachin Tsai has kindly translated Sakyong Mipham’s 2010 Harvest of Peace letter into Chinese. 2010年「和平的秋收」薩姜米龐仁波切關中信函 祈願文 在心的宇宙一切皆為可能； 在心的空隙一切皆盡涵容； 在珍貴的身體內，光芒四射的能量搏動； 在世界靈動變化的的巧合裡，吉祥永遠準備就緒。這是多傑札都（創巴仁波切）的贈禮。讓我們這些無愧的香巴拉人每天早上以一顆廣袤的心智、難以稱量的大心、以及一個充滿意向的身體覺醒。讓我們創造一個具有和平與尊嚴、並以吉祥嚴飾的世界。 聆聽香巴拉總裁理查雷奧克（Richard Reoch）的開示，與馬克威利（Mark Whaley）閱讀薩姜的書信全文： 信函內容如下： 我希望你們都有一個深刻美好的「和平的秋收」日。和平是香巴拉活動的基石。正如偉大的聖雄甘地所說：「你想見到世界改變，必須自己成為那改變。」在這個唯物主義氾濫的年代，我們香巴拉人必得欣然接受此一箴言。因為當此充斥無厭的自我滿足之時、我們的手指總是預備好去指責別人的錯誤。因此經由這純粹的英勇行徑，我們必須振奮起信心，確認我們的本初善 (basic goodness)。 continuePosted September 27, 2010 by Yeachin Tsai
Back to School, Back to Square One – HIGHLIGHT
While at the Summer Arts Dathün, I rediscovered True Perception by Chögyam Trungpa. His words about art and artful living led me to contemplate artful family living. What does it mean to live artfully as a family? How will I guide my family ... continuePosted September 26, 2010 by
Boulder Harvests after Sangha Retreat – HIGHLIGHT
Purple and yellow flowers were handed out as people entered the shrine room for the Harvest of Peace festivities in Boulder yesterday. Harvest of Peace is a celebration, held annually around the time of the autumn equinox, in which local Shambhala communities gather to share inspiration, ... continuePosted September 20, 2010 by
The Mindful Manifesto – HIGHLIGHT
How Doing Less and Noticing More Can Help us Thrive in a Stressed-out World Two members of the London Shambhala Center, Ed Halliwell and Dr. Jonty Heaversedge, are working to bring mindfulness into the lives of busy people in their new book, The Mindfulness Manifesto. Click here to ... continuePosted September 18, 2010 by
Summer’s Blooming Households – HIGHLIGHT
Jennifer Holder reflects on this summer’s abundance of marriage and birth announcements. Women in white, couples in kimonos, faces pink from their fresh arrival in Shambhala. With each new marriage or birth announcement, I could sense that a gigantic community-wide step forward has occurred. They showed ... continuePosted September 13, 2010 by Jennifer Holder
Sangha Mobilizing to Support Those Displaced by Boulder Fire – HIGHLIGHT
As reported in national news, over 6,000 acres of forested land in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado have burned in the last week. Boulder is an important part of Shambhala’s international geography, and for over 35 years the beautiful landscape has hosted a large and committed ... continuePosted September 10, 2010 by
Overwhelm as a Path to Peace – HIGHLIGHT
Bob Pressnell writes about Cultivating a Community of Kindness, a contemplative retreat for leaders in Shambhala. Everyone knows the experience of kindness, but can it be learned? Can it be taught in the frame of a day-long program? And beyond that, can kindness be practiced in the ... continuePosted September 2, 2010 by
From the Blogosphere: Survival of the Kindest – HIGHLIGHT
By Iektje Stephens A psychology clinic in Austin, Texas (the ApaCenter) is publishing very interesting material on its blog about parenting, wellness and happiness, mindfulness, the latest research findings in psychology, and other fascinating topics. I am fortunate to be an intern at this clinic, and I ... continuePosted August 31, 2010 by iektje
Speaking all of Shambhala’s Many Languages – HIGHLIGHT
By Chris Montone, Hamish Maclaren and Luz Rodriguez. Several of the Sakyong’s videoes are now captioned in several languages, the result of a multi-national, multi-lingual effort. Click here to read this article in Spanish. Shambhala is a multilingual society and for many ... continuePosted August 23, 2010 by Hamish_MacLaren
En marcha el proyecto de subtitulación multilingüe de videos – HIGHLIGHT
Por Chris Montone, Hamish Maclaren y Luz Rodriguez. En la esquina inferior derecha de esta página web se puede ver un video del Sakyong subtitulado en varios idiomas. Shambhala es una sociedad plurilingüe y, durante muchos años, varios grupos y personas de Shambhala ... continuePosted August 23, 2010 by Hamish_MacLaren
A Garden of Roses for Our Princess – HIGHLIGHT
By Lois Lungta, for the column Tracking Jewels. As soon as I sat down beside a lake to write about our new Princess, I heard a father call out. “Do you want to go see the rose garden?” I looked over to witness a four year old ... continuePosted August 18, 2010 by Jennifer Holder
Small Center, Big Heart – HIGHLIGHT
By Natasha Isenhour My life path over the past forty-eight years has taken me seemingly to the edge of the earth and back. I have gone on many detours that led to dead ends. At a fork in the road of my lifetime of micro-managing, failed plans, ... continuePosted August 6, 2010 by
Interview with Lynn Dragone
This is the fifth in a series of Kootenay Shambhala member interviews conducted by Bobbie Ogletree to explore the notion of “creating enlightened society,” a central theme of Shambhala, and celebrate our community’s diversity. Click here for all member interviews. LYNN DRAGONE is a longtime resident of ... continuePosted August 2, 2010 by James Northcote
Never Give Up, even when… – HIGHLIGHT
[caption id=”attachment_19718″ align=”alignright” width=”300″ >Tracking Jewels. Photographs courtesy of Mauricio Londondo. When I feel abandoned, I like to imagine a world –- and a sangha — in which we never give up on anyone. I guess that in Buddhism there is not such a thing as ... continuePosted August 1, 2010 by Jennifer Holder
A Little Shambhala Gem Born in Israel – HIGHLIGHT
Tal Varon, former director of the New York Shambhala Meditation Center — and current director of the only centre in Israel, and his wife Moran are pleased to introduce the Shambhala sangha to one of its newest additions. We’re happy to introduce our baby girl, Orr ... continuePosted July 31, 2010 by
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