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 The Purnima or full moon day of the month of Vaisakha [May] is the day that three very important events in the life of the Buddha. On this day Buddhists celebrate the Buddha's birth, Enlightenment and Pari-Nirvana. It is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar.
According to Theravadan Buddhism, the Buddha's parinibbana occurred in 544 BCE, which makes this year 2010 CE and it is the year 2554 by the Buddhist calendar.
The picture on the right here shows the young nuns chanting the story of the Buddhas life - his birth, enlightenment and passing away at the Vaisakha celebrations. 
They had been practicing their chanting for days with great excitement. They had not been asked to chant in public before and they took their religious duty very seriously, but with great joy and enthusiasm.
Maggie [the photographer] said: I have never heard such enthusiastic and joyfull chanting. These young nuns certainly gave it their all and delivered their beautiful and joyful chanting with much energy and enthusiasm!
As you can see from their lovely faces their hearts and faith were fully engaged and their enthusiasm only enhanced the 'holiness' of their chanting.
The procession of monks and other people down the mountain from the Tsemo monastery was an amazing sight to see. They were chanting on their way down the mountain to purify their minds from all defilements. They were chanting Changchub Samchok Rinpoche maske panam kegurchik kewa nyapma mathpayang gongne gongto phalvarshok.
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International Exposure Trips and Advocacy |
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 Since its foundation, LNA has had support and recognition from individuals and groups abroad. During the last decade, nuns from LNA have made trips to foreign countries for several purposes. At times the trips have been to raise awareness about the situation of Ladakhi nuns. Others have been for exposure to different Buddhist traditions and teachings. Each of the nuns who had traveled abroad agreed that such experiences were enormous learning opportunities, and felt proud to share the unique culture and traditions of Ladakh while also learning about others’.
SingaporeLNA expresses its gratitude to all the Singaporean Buddhist individuals who supported the building of the original accommodation for LNA. Additionally, theirgenerous gift of a vehicle is still in operation.
ThailandIn July 2000, Dr. Palmo attended the Ariya Vinaya (Buddhist monastic disciplinary rules) Seminar in Thailan; an educational gathering of monks, nuns and lay people from different countries and Buddhist Schools. In 2003, Dr. Palmo participated in the “Think Sangha”, a bi-annual gathering of Buddhist scholars and activists organized by the International Network of Engaged Buddhists on “Buddhist responses to violence”. She spoke of women and nuns in Ladakh, highlighting both the challenges and improvements that have been made. During this visit, Dr. Palmo also spoke to several groups of Thai lay people about the connections between health care and Dharma practice and its importance. Dr. Palmo returned to Thailand the following year to lead a training on Buddhism and health care for a group of exiled women activists from Burma attending a Buddhism and Peacebuilding course organized by International Women’s Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP).
Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP).  Two nuns from LNA, Ven. Stanzin Youdon and Sonam Chorol, attended a three-month monsoon retreat course in Thailand in late 2004. On the invitation of Venerable Dhammananda, the first ordained female monk in Thailand, the LNA nuns studied the vinaya of ordained women with other nuns from South and Southeast Asia. All of the nuns participated in the daily activities of Ven. Dhammananda’s temple, which included morning alms rounds, a tradition no longer practiced in Tibetan Buddhism, chanting and meditation. The course also included exposure trips to temples and ancient sites in Thailand.
In 2005, LNA members, Venerables Thupsten Angmo and Sonam Chorol, joined a six-week course for Buddhist women in South and Southeast Asia on Engaged Buddhism and Peace building, organized by IWP. It combined daily mindfulness practices for building peace within oneself, while simultaneously learning about the core Buddhist teachings and to use them for social analysis and community activism.
NetherlandsDr. Palmo represented LNA in the Ladakh Festival in the Netherlands in November 2006. Organized by the Dutch Foundation for Ladakhi Nuns, the Ladakh Festival is an annual event to raise awareness and funds for the nuns of Ladakh.
Japan In December 2006, Dr. Palmo travelled to Japan to meet the supporters of LNA and to build a network among the Buddhist women. |
 Over the years, LNA has organized several large events for the nuns and the general public. These events have helped to raise awareness about, and the visibility of, the nuns in Ladakh, and the response and support from the public has been extremely positive.
In May 2000 LNA organized a Tara Ceremony for its benefactors from Singapore, Europe and for all sentient beings. A second, much larger Tara ceremony was held in 2002 for the long life of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Nuns chanted the Tara Puja a million times over the five-day ceremony. Laywomen from the Women’s Alliance of Ladakh attended the ceremony and offered their support by preparing the butter lamps for the puja.
During the great Monlam Festival in 2007; an annual mega gathering of the monks and nuns of ladakh for five days, there were three hundred nuns from different nunneries in attendance. On the fourth day, the general body meeting of Ladakh Nuns Association convened for the election of its president and the working committee members. We hold this election every three years. The nuns requested Dr. T. Palmo to be their president once again, and eight new committee members were also selected. We presented the report of our activities and the accounts report of the
last three years at the gathering.
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