Monastic Training for Women

While Abhayagiri has accomodations for lay women and nuns, it is not a training facility for ordained women.

For those who would like to begin training and ordain as a Theravada Buddhist Nun, we have provided websites below from nuns’ communities where you can find more detailed information about this process.

In our own lineage (the Theravada Thai Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah), there are Siladharas (Buddhist Nuns) training in England at both Amaravati Monastery and Chithurst Monastery. You can find more information about the nuns in England by visiting Amaravati’s website or Chithurst Monastery’s website.

The following websites will tell you more about ordination and training as a Theravada Bhikkhuni (fully ordained Buddhist nun):

Aloka Vihara is located in the Sierra foothills near Placerville, California, and you can find more information about them at www.saranaloka.org

In Sonoma County in northern California there is the Dhammadharini Monastery and the associated Aranya Bodhi Forest Hermitage. You can find out more information about them at www.dhammadharini.net

In the Bay Area, in Mountain View, California there is the Karuna Buddhist Vihara. You can find out more information about this monastery at www.karunabv.org

In southern California, north of Palm Springs, is Mahapajapati Monastery. You can find out more information about this monastery at www.mahapajapati.com

In Ontario, Canada there is a community for nuns called Sati Saraniya Hermitage and you can find more information at www.satisaraniya.ca

There is also a website called the Alliance for Bhikkhunis at www.bhikkhuni.net

Twenty-five minutes south of Abhayagiri in Ukiah, California, is the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB). This is a Mahayana Monastery in the tradition of Dharma Master Xun Hua and has over 60 Bhikshunis training on-site. You can find more information at www.cttbusa.org. For more specific information on monastic training at CTTB you can go to sltp.drba.org.

We hope these resources are helpful for anyone interested in visiting these monasteries or exploring the ordination process for women.