More than 250 Buddhist nuns from around the globe will receive bhikshuni ordination in Thimphu, Bhutan, from November 15–19. The ordination will be presided over by His Holiness the Je Khenpo, spiritual head of Bhutan’s largest Buddhist school, the Drugpa Kagyu. Since bhikshuni ordination—the full ordination of nuns—has traditionally been denied to women in the Vajrayana tradition, this marks a significant step toward addressing the inequality between men and women in monasticism.
According to the vinaya, the Buddhist code of monastic discipline, bhikshuni ordination can only be conferred when both fully ordained monks and nuns are present. Because a Vajrayana bhikshuni lineage was never established, women have been shut out of full monasticism with a catch-22: Without a quorum of nuns to attend the ordination, no women can be fully ordained.
Traditionally, women in the Vajrayana tradition can only ordain as novices, and no matter how long they live and practice as nuns, they are never considered anything other than novices. As a result, female monastics are frequently not accorded the same opportunities or status as their male counterparts, and they’re prevented from assuming full roles within the monastic order.
The first Vajrayana ceremony to grant bhikshuni vows in modern times took place in June, 2022. Like the upcoming ordination, it was also held in Bhutan and presided over by His Holiness the Je Khenpo, who described the 2022 ordination of 144 female monastics as aimed at “serving sentient beings through the buddhadharma, engendering religious freedom and helping human rights.” He added, “whenever I look at images of Buddha Shakyamuni these days, every one of them appears to be radiantly smiling at me, which I think is an early indication that what I am doing is not wrong. I have a strong conviction that they would announce, ‘this is excellent!’ and never say ‘this is not right.’”
The upcoming bhikshuni ordination will be the final segment of the inaugural Global Peace Prayer Festival, which will be held in Thimphu, Bhutan, November 4–19, 2025. The festival welcomes dharma practitioners, teachers, and leaders from all Buddhist traditions and from all over the world.
The festival will begin with the ritual of Jabzhi Dhoechog, which is rarely performed on such a grand scale. Then there will be two days of nonsectarian prayers from all sects of Vajrayana as well as other schools of Buddhism, followed by a mass mantra recitation, bringing people together in a shared aspiration for peace.
The last segment of the festival before the bhikshuni ordination will be a Kalachakra initiation and empowerment. It will offer insights into the sacred interplay between the individual microcosm and the universal macrocosm, and the innate buddhanature and bliss present within all beings.
As the Bhutanese lama His Eminence Laytshog Lopen explains, “The festival is dedicated to addressing the pressing challenges of our time — the hardships of famine, the disasters of the four elements, earthquakes, wars, and conflicts — that continue to cause insecurity and suffering across the world.”
You can read more about the Global Peace Prayer Festival here. Lion’s Roar readers curious about travel to Bhutan might also be interested our March 2026 pilgrimage.