Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo is a Buddhist teacher, author, and the founder and director of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. Born Diane Perry in London in 1943, she became one of the first Western women to be ordained in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and is known for having spent twelve years in solitary retreat in a Himalayan cave, three of those years in strict closed retreat. Her work centers on the education and empowerment of women in Tibetan Buddhism, a tradition historically dominated by male monastics.

Jetsunma trained in the Drukpa Kagyu lineage under the guidance of the Eighth Khamtrul Rinpoche, whom she met in Dalhousie, India, in 1964. After her ordination as a novice nun, she lived in Lahaul, a remote region of the Indian Himalayas, where she eventually retreated into a cave at 13,200 feet. Her practice focused on the traditional Tibetan Buddhist three-year retreat format extended across twelve years, incorporating Mahamudra meditation and other Kagyu practices. This period of intensive solitary practice became the subject of Vicki Mackenzie's biography Cave in the Snow, published in 1998, which brought international attention to her story.

In 2000, Jetsunma established Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Tashi Jong, Himachal Pradesh, as the first nunnery in the Drukpa Kagyu tradition to offer the full geshe degree equivalent to its residents. The nunnery houses over 100 nuns and offers a rigorous curriculum in Buddhist philosophy, debate, ritual arts, and meditation. Unlike many Tibetan Buddhist institutions that historically limited advanced scholastic training to monks, Dongyu Gatsal Ling provides nuns with access to the same level of education required for the title of togdenma, a female practitioner who completes the traditional three-year retreat. The institution operates entirely on voluntary donations and has become a model for female monastic education within Tibetan Buddhism.

Jetsunma received full bhikshuni ordination in Hong Kong in 2008, making her one of the few fully ordained nuns in the Tibetan tradition at a time when the bhikshuni lineage had not been widely restored in Tibetan schools. She was given the title "Jetsunma," meaning "Venerable Master," by His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa in recognition of her spiritual accomplishments and leadership. She has since become a vocal advocate for the re-establishment of full ordination for women across all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Her teachings, rooted in Mahamudra and Dzogchen practice, are documented in several books and a growing archive of video recordings available through her official YouTube channel. She has taught internationally at retreat centers, universities, and Buddhist communities across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Her work has been featured in publications including Tricycle, Lion's Roar, and The Guardian. She continues to oversee the operations and curriculum of Dongyu Gatsal Ling and leads periodic teaching tours and retreats worldwide.

Jetsunma maintains an active online presence, including a website, Facebook page, and a Linktree hub established in February 2022 that consolidates access to her teachings, publications, and the nunnery's initiatives. She remains based at Dongyu Gatsal Ling, where she divides her time between administrative responsibilities, teaching the resident nuns, and supporting the expansion of educational opportunities for women in Tibetan Buddhism.

For those encountering her work today, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo offers a rare combination of deep contemplative experience, institutional vision, and a commitment to gender equity within one of Buddhism's most traditional lineages.