In 2003, the Venerable Thubten Chodron founded Sravasti Abbey, one of the only U.S. monasteries where women can devote themselves to Tibetan Buddhism and become fully ordained. According to Huffington Post, the abbey in 2014 consecrated Chenrezig Hall, a $2 million lodge that houses the dining facilities as well as libraries, workrooms, meeting rooms, chapel and guest quarters.
Most of the nuns are from the U.S. and converted to Buddhism as adults. She is the only female monastic to pen a book with the Dalai Lama — “Buddhism: One Teacher, Many Traditions” (Wisdom Publications, 2014) — and is admired for writing texts about practical ways people can apply the Buddha’s teachings to their daily lives, says the article.
