Buddhist nuns attend empowerment programme

DHARAMSHALA, April 25: More than 20 Buddhist nuns from across India took part in a week-long empowerment programme organised by the Dharamshala based Tibetan Women’s Association, the largest women’s group in the exile Tibetan community. The 5th Annual Buddhist Nun Empowerment Programme was held at Tibetan SOS Vocational Training Centre, Selakui, Dehradun from April 17- 23. A total of twenty six nuns from 10 nunneries, including the Ladakh Nun’s Association; Drikung Samtenling and Sakya Rinchen Choekhorling, Dehra Dun; Karma Drupgyu Dhargyeling, Tilokpur; Namkha Khungzong, Orissa; Jamyang Choeling and Shugseb Ugen Dzong, Garoh; Redna Menriling, Solan, Domaling, Sidhpur and Gaden Choeling, Dharamsala attended the programme. Nyima Lhamo, General Secretary of TWA said that the programmes are aimed at helping the nuns “maximise their influence and discover what they are truly capable of in their lives.” “The nuns who attended the course began to find out that they have talent and the ability which can be harnessed not only for the furthering of their own potential, but for the benefit of wider society,” Lhamo said. TWA in a release said a number of trainers spoke on various topics at the week-long empowerment programme including Dhardon Sharling, Tibetan Parliamentarian, who gave a two-day training on ‘Building Effective Communication Skills on the learning curve' and ‘Innovation and Self-reliance’, Tenzin Tseyang, Trainer and Coordinator, Women’s Empowerment Desk, CTA, who conducted a day long training on ‘Women Empowerment,’ Lhakpa Dhondup, Director of the Tibetan SOS VTC, who spoke on ‘Nutrition and Diet,’ and Duke Tsering, Principal, TCV Model School, Selakui, who gave a talk on ‘Mind and Life’. As part of the programme, the nuns visited the prestigious Doon School as well as the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun. They also worked on a social educational project proposal as practical training. “I am attending such programme for the first time in my life and I am amazed to see my transformation from the level of shyness to a sense of self-belief as the week progressed,” the release cited Phuntsok Lamdon, a nun from Dolmaling Nunnery as saying. The training programme was coordinated by TWA’s Empowerment through Action Desk funded by the Science Meets Dharma, an institute which aims to provide monks and nuns in Tibetan monasteries in India with access to scientific education.