Female Teachers

Triratna women in Europe

The Triratna Buddhist Order is a worldwide Order of 2,000 women and men sharing one equal ordination. Founded in 1968 in London, it is neither lay nor monastic and currently includes around 500 ordained women (Dharmacharinis) across Europe.

Dharmacharinis, like their Dharmachari brothers, take 10 precepts at ordination. Teaching meditation and Buddhism in both mixed and women-only settings, they share with men spiritual and administrative responsibility, often providing leadership as centre Chairs.

Women are ordained by women and men by men, with ordinations overseen by a ‘College’ of the Order’s most senior women and men.

European Dharmacharinis run three women-only retreat centers:
- Taraloka (UK) is a public retreat centre
- Tiratanaloka (UK) trains women for ordination
- Akashavana (Spain) hosts 3-month closed ordination retreats for women from all over Europe.

The Triratna Buddhist Order was known as the Western Buddhist Order until 2010.

Triratna women worldwide

The Triratna Buddhist Order currently includes around 800 ordained women (Dharmacharinis) worldwide, including, most radically, around 150 women in India, mostly ‘New Buddhists” from the Dalit community.

Information

• thebuddhistcentre.com

Contact in Europe:

• Munisha (Catherine Hopper): munisha@triratnadevelopment.org (European Liaison and Communications Officer)