The “1st International Congress on Buddhist Women’s Role in the Sangha: Bhikshuni Vinaya and Ordination Lineages” was held at the University of Hamburg from July 18-20, 2007, in cooperation with the University’s Asia-Africa Institute.

The Proceedings of the International Congress on Buddhist Women will be published approximately in Spring 2008 by Wisdom Publications. Further Information will appear soon. Kindly stay in touch with us for further references.

Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Bhikshuni Ordination in the Tibetan Tradition

"The four-fold Buddhist community (of [fully ordained monks], [fully ordained nuns], [male lay followers] and [female lay followers]) is incomplete in the Tibetan tradition. If we can introduce the [full ordination for women], that would be excellent in order to have the four-fold Buddhist community complete…”
“Given that women are fully capable of achieving the ultimate goal of the Buddha’s teachings, in harmony with the spirit of the modern age, the means and opportunity to achieve this goal should be completely accessible to them…”
“On the basis of the above considerations, and after extensive research and consultation with leading vinaya [monastic code] scholars and Sangha [monastic community] members of the Tibetan tradition and Buddhist traditions internationally, and with the backing of the Tibetan Buddhist community, since 1960s, I express my full support for the establishment of the Bhikshuni Sangha [or community of fully ordained women] in the Tibetan tradition.."
Read the whole Statement

Press Release July 22, 2007:
Dalai Lama Announces “Full Support” for Introduction of Full Ordination for Women in Tibetan Buddhism

"His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama expressed “full support” for the establishment of full ordination for omen in the Tibetan tradition during a history-making conference at the University of Hamburg in Germany last week. His Holiness further indicated concrete measures that can be taken towards accomplishing that aim.
The statement came at the conclusion of the International Congress on Buddhist Women, convened at his request to examine the possibility of instating full ordination for women in Tibetan Buddhism. The congress brought together specialists in monastic codes from Buddhist communities from over 19 countries, and marked the culmination of some 30 years of research into the possibility of establishing full female ordination in the Tibetan tradition. Along with the statement from the Dalai Lama, the congress resulted in the expression of overwhelming support from a large delegation of monastic specialists and senior members of the international Buddhist monastic community."
Read the whole press release

Some photos of the congress.

Live-Recordings of the congress on CD and DVD can be ordered via this PDF form.

More information on the results of the congress will be published on this website in the future.