By Ven. Cristiana Ciampa Tsomo
This interview features Ven. Cristiana Ciampa Tsomo in conversation with Ven. Carla and Ven. Lucia from Pomaia, Italy, as they reflect on their journey to meet other nuns in South Korea, culminating in the creation of the Italian chapter of Sakyadhita.
1. You attended the last Sakyadhita conference in South Korea. Could you briefly describe your motivation, your expectations, and whether, and how, those expectations were met or changed?
Attending the 2023 Sakyadhita Conference in South Korea was the furthest thing from my plans. Thanks to a wonderful invitation—probably the result of some good karma from a past life I can’t even remember—I found myself unexpectedly opening the door to an extraordinary experience. To talk about motivation and expectations would be a bit risky, as I hadn’t even considered attending until that very moment. It was more like a chain of completely unexpected events that naturally led me in that direction.
However, once I realized this unexpected opportunity, my desire to reconnect with Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, one of the conference organizers, immediately took hold. Tenzin Palmo had lived in Assisi, Italy, for a while and had often visited the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, where I’ve lived (and still live). She and the nuns there, at least 30 years ago, had begun considering the idea of founding a women’s monastery. For a while, we shared that dream, though it never came to fruition. I remember the energy, full of enthusiasm, which hasn’t faded, as that intention is still something to be developed. Jetsunma later went on to found a women’s monastery near Dharamsala, Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery, a beautiful place with a lotus-flower-shaped building and a Tibetan-style gompa nearby.
Seeing her again brought me great joy, and another organizer of the conference, Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a renowned scholar and professor at the University of San Diego, California, an expert on the “feminine and Buddhism,” was also the unforgettable ordination sponsor of my friend, Sister Lucia. Lucia had received her ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1986.
Additionally, the idea of a pilgrimage at the end of the conference, visiting the sacred sites of Korean Buddhism and exploring a different Buddhist tradition, intrigued me. On the other hand, I was a bit apprehensive about the long journey and potential physical challenges. The trip came at the end of a long period of work that, though fulfilling, had left me feeling somewhat exhausted and in need of rest.
But, after many years of Buddhist monasticism in the Tibetan tradition, just shy of my 36th year, I found myself unexpectedly participating in the 18th Sakyadhita Conference, “Daughters of the Buddha,” in South Korea.
In the large amphitheater at the conference in Seoul, in a glass building overlooking the Bongeusa Temple (built in the 1500s) and the towering Buddha statue standing at the top of the hill, my first reaction was one of overwhelming emotion. From my seat in the back row, I saw a sea of shaved heads—women, in perfect harmony, almost like a mandala. I had never seen so many nuns gathered together, not even in Dharamsala during the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The large screen displayed images of the speakers, participants, and the front row, including Venerable Tenzin Palmo, Karma Lekshe Tsomo, and the other venerable abbesses of Korean monasteries. “Abbess”—it’s such a comforting word. Lama Yeshe, one of the great Lama founders of Buddhism in the West, had been an abbess in a past life—a nearly unique case. Tibetan Buddhism tends to favor male rebirths, claiming they offer more opportunities.
In that moment, an immediate sense of belonging I had never felt before washed over me—an overwhelming familiarity and deep comfort, as if I were embracing a new identity, a part of a sacred, creative, powerful, and revolutionary feminine energy.
The conference became a source of new ideas, many of which seemed to directly relate to me. Despite my limited English, I could grasp the essence of what was being said, which centered on change—loving, determined change—and the recognition of the feminine as a powerful force in today’s world, in gender equality, and even within contemporary monasticism.
Buddhist monasticism has only recently found its place in the West. Two and a half thousand years of Eastern history began engaging with different wavelengths, unfamiliar languages, and cultures that are less attuned to the spiritual life that Eastern traditions naturally favor. The presence of Western Buddhist nuns from the Tibetan tradition at the 18th Sakyadhita Conference—easily identifiable by their maroon robes among the white, gray, pink, and amaranth-colored ones—was made visible thanks to the efforts of Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, the founder, and Ven. Tenzin Palmo, a passionate supporter from the very beginning. Their presence, along with the contributions of other venerable nuns, helped solidify the Western Sangha’s rightful place within the broader Buddhist community. It shattered the feeling of isolation and lack of recognition that nuns, in particular, have often faced, undervalued in their contributions to the teachings of the Dharma.
2. After returning from this meeting, some of you, both nuns and laywomen, founded Sakyadhita Italy. What needs and hopes within Italian Buddhism are you looking to address with this initiative?
Carla Gianotti, during the pilgrimage at the end of the conference, proposed that we Italian participants start an Italian branch of Sakyadhita International. She shared that she had tried to do this in the past but hadn’t followed through due to a lack of human resources. Four of us were interested in developing this idea. For me, it was a great opportunity to build a closer connection with Sakyadhita International, with Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, with Karma Lekshe Tsomo, and with the abbesses of the Korean monasteries I had met, who had left me with a sense of a new understanding of the potential of feminine spirituality.
Following a path that highlights the qualities of the awakened feminine is a goal that is now growing inside me. Having a context like Sakyadhita Italy and Sakyadhita International to share and confront ideas with seems like a unique opportunity and a great advantage. Given my knowledge of the Mulasarvastivada Tibetan lineage, where it’s now possible for women to receive full monastic ordination and become part of the Biksuni Sangha, I’ve developed the desire to take this ordination myself. I think Mahapajapati would be happy to know this.
3. Beyond Buddhism as a spiritual path, what do you think could be the contribution of your association’s initiatives to Italian and European society, especially in these difficult times marked by conflict?
Sakyadhita Italy (just like its international counterpart) represents the voice of the feminine that seeks to transcend conflict in all areas of life—whether that’s in work, in relationships between people and nations, in gender differences, or in the religious sphere. Overcoming conflict is a commitment that radiates from the personal to the collective. The methods of Buddhism, combined with Western cultural contributions such as science and democracy, are the preferred tools.
Specifically, Sakyadhita Italy is focused on sharing a vision of freedom of thought, harmony, and inner peace through conferences, guided meditations, and readings of texts and poetry. We explore the role of the female body in supporting practice, connecting it to a reality that is often countercultural. It’s an evolutionary process that draws on the feminine’s ability to focus on the physical degeneration of the body, turning it into an element of growth—motherhood, biological cycles that allow us to understand impermanence, suffering, and death, the feminine power of tenderness and fierce strength, encouraging men to explore their own feminine psychological components, an indispensable part of inner realization. Another important goal is organizing a national or international conference in the style of Sakyadhita International to foster greater sharing and operational openness.
4. The material base for some of you has been the ILTK, a very strong and important Buddhist center. What is your connection to it?
My connection with the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute goes back 47 years of working relationships in various capacities. It was here that I met the Dalai Lama and many of the great resident and visiting masters who have come and gone during these magical years. For nearly ten years, I coordinated the spiritual program, during which I developed a deep connection with Geshe Ciampa Ghiatso, receiving priceless help from his wisdom and compassion. I can honestly say there is no place in the world, either in a tangible or subtle sense, that can compare to this Center. As for the other co-founders of Sakyadhita Italy, it’s better to ask them directly.
Lucia Tenzin Bani, whom I asked to formulate a response as another representative of Sakyadhita Italy, writes:
The Lama Tzong Khapa Institute is for me the Mother that allowed me to grow and take my monastic ordination, through which I became the Daughter of the Buddha (Sakyadhita). After 39 years of monastic ordination and many life experiences, I feel the priority need to focus on the issues facing women in the world, especially in the monastic realm. There is no separation between the Institute, my motivation, my state as a nun, and Sakyadhita. I see their presence in me as supporting, above all, the practice of the Dharma, gender equality, and the support of all women in their worldly and spiritual paths.
5. Does Tibetan Buddhism, the tradition you and others follow in Italy, have any indispensable elements of reference for you (e.g., the guru)?
The indispensable reference elements for Tibetan Buddhism are, for me, primarily the Gelugpa school and the teachings of Lama Tzong Khapa, Nagarjuna.