Shugseb Nunnery and Institute is a Nyingma Nunnery also built and fully supported by Tibetan Nuns Project/BWES, traces its lineage back to one of the greatest female teachers in Tibetan Buddhism. Shugseb provides a nine-year study program in the Nyingma tradition, equivalent to the program for monks at Namdroling Institute in South India, leading to the Khenmo degree.
As of 2025, 60 nuns have graduated and received the title of Loponma. On Losar 2026, nineteen nuns received the tittle of Khenmo. This marks a new historical milestones as these nuns are the first to receive this title at this nunnery. This also establishes them as the second batch of abbesses in the Nyingma tradition in exile.
Study program
Shugseb nunnery is dedicated to the preservation and transmission of Buddhist teachings through education, scholarly research, meditation and ritual practice. Its activities are organized into three main departments: the school, the monastic education, and the retreat centre. Together, these provide nuns with comprehensive foundation in Buddhist philosophy, traditional knowledge, academic learning and spiritual practice.
- School and Monastic Education
The school provides primary and intermediate education. The primary level focuses on reading, vocabulary, and writing, while the intermediate level comprises Grades 1–8 and follows textbooks published by the Department of Education. Students study Tibetan, mathematics, English, computer studies, calligraphy, grammar, and Buddhist texts, including Bodhicitta in Action, Advice to a Spiritual Disciple, and Monastic Vinaya. The curriculum also includes prayer memorization, Nyingtik practices, music, dance, and chanting.After completing Grade 8 and fulfilling the required preparations, including the Five Hundred Thousand Repetitions and Accumulations, students may enter the Monastic College.
The Monastic College offers a nine-year curriculum covering the five major texts of the Sutra tradition, the four classes of Tantra, and three core texts of the Early Translation tradition. Students also study history, biography, grammar, and poetry. Academic qualifications are awarded progressively: Master of the Middle Way after the fourth year, Master of the Perfection of Wisdom after the sixth year, and Loponma after the ninth year. The Loponma qualification enables graduates to teach at the nunnery. Experienced teachers who demonstrate exceptional scholarship and conduct may later receive the title of Khenmo and become eligible for the position of abbess.
- Research and Publications
Established in 2026 under the guidance of Professor Dorji Wangchuk and Professor Orna Almogi of the University of Hamburg, the Shugseb Research Department promotes scholarly research and contemporary academic methods while supporting the study and preservation of Buddhist knowledge. The Shugseb Jetsun Editorial Department fosters the nuns’ writing and academic development through Theusar, which has reached its twentieth issue.
- Retreat and Meditation
Sokpa Drubde Nangsum Dakyi Yongdül Ling: Established in Yangleshö, Nepal, in 1993 under the patronage of His Eminence Jatra Sangye Dorje Rinpoche, with support from benefactor Buka Kelsang Chöwang, this retreat centre provides a dedicated environment for meditation and spiritual practice. Approximately sixteen elderly nuns currently study and practise the complete empowerments, transmissions, and instructions of the Longchen Nyingtik tradition. Five three-year retreat cycles have been completed by a total of twenty-eight nuns.
Ngagyur Shugseb Drubde Drubnyi Dödjo Gadtsal Ling: Constructed with the support of TNP/BWES, this retreat centre at Shugseb Orgyen Dzong provides senior nuns with a private and suitable environment for intensive meditation and practice. It was inaugurated on Losar 2026, strengthening the nunnery’s facilities for the continuation of its contemplative traditions.
- Rituals, Arts, and Music
Shugseb Nunnery preserves traditional Buddhist ritual arts, including wind, percussion, and string instruments, as well as the preparation of tormas and ritual ornaments. Daily afternoon prayers are dedicated to the welfare and protection of sentient beings, including the deceased. Every Wednesday morning, the nuns recite longevity mantras associated with the King of Shambhala, praying for the flourishing of the Buddhist teachings and the well-being of the Tibetan people. These prayers also express gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other great beings.
Monthly ceremonies include the Tsok of Lama Rigdzin Düspa on the tenth day and the Tsok of Khadro Dechen Gyalmo on the twenty-fifth day. The community also commemorates important lineage masters annually, including Longchen Rabjam, Jigme Lingpa, Jamyangon Mipham Rinpoche, Shugseb Jetsun Rigdzin Chönyi Zangmo, and Choktrul Tendzin Jigme Dorje Rinpoche.
On Sunday evenings, the nuns gather for recitations of The Sky Dancer’s Roar and Self-Liberating Grasp, followed by the Tsok of Cho Gulu Khadro’s Laughter, a practice of the Chöd tradition. Through these rituals, the community seeks to overcome dualistic delusion and cultivate wisdom and compassion.