A Compassionate Journey to Ladakh in Appreciation of Buddhist Nun Traditions

Before the Ladakhi Nuns Association (LNA) was founded, the Buddhist nun tradition in Ladakh, India, was nearly extinct. Along with the dwindling situation of the nuns, there were other social problems in Ladakh. The few existing nunneries were located in high remote mountainous regions in small, shoddily built, poorly heated structures. In those days, nuns barely received an education and mostly learned to memorize and repeat prayers. This created an imbalance in the Fourfold Sangha, an essential Buddhist structure set down by the Buddha to uphold the Dharma, or Buddhist teachings.

Photo credit: Ven. Tenzin Dasel

The Fourfold Sangha: Upholding Buddhist Dharma

The Fourfold Sangha is the Buddhist community of ordained monk practitioners and ordained nun practitioners, together with female and male householders (also called "lay people"). The importance of this fourfold design is to uphold the Dharma like four pillars uphold the structure of a building - each relies on the other three in order for the structure to be functional, balanced, and remain intact. These four pillars of the Buddhist practitioner community practice the Dharma (sacred teachings of Buddha) through study, retreat, service, ritual, and putting the teachings into practice in daily life.

Buddha saw that if this interdependent community functioned well, the Dharma would remain a very beneficial way of instruction to bring happiness to all practitioners of the Dharma and benefit the greater society and world for a long time.

Ladakhi nuns have come far in the last few decades to re-establish this almost missing pillar of ordained nun practitioners. They were fortunate to create the causes and conditions to find the right practitioners who wish to bring the nuns well-deserved sangha support while forging meaningful lifelong Dharmic bonds.

Photo credit: Ven. Tenzin Dasel

The Ladakh Nuns Association and its Role in Resurrecting the "Missing Pillar"

Venerable Dr. Tsering Palmo, a Ladakhi nun and traditional Tibetan Medical (AMCHI) doctor, saw the strong need to resurrect this missing pillar and founded the Ladakh Nuns Association (LNA) in 1996.

Photo credit: Ladakh Nuns Association

Since its establishment, LNA has provided opportunities for young girls who choose to become nuns, many from remote nomadic villages, access to secular and monastic education and to live in the nunnery with spiritual nurturing and care from the older nuns.

In order to promote the role of nuns, LNA has given them the opportunity to obtain higher education in Buddhist philosophy and Traditional Tibetan Medical studies within Ladakh.

Photo credit: Ladakh Nuns Association

Ven Dr. Palmo shared with Tricycle in 2019, “We want to train nuns as dharma teachers, counselors, and healthcare workers. Nuns can serve a need for the community: they can be guides when people and the planet are in trouble.”

A Pilgrimage to Learn, Serve & Immerse with Ladakhi Buddhist Nuns

Our upcoming retreat to Ladakh in June of 2026 invites you to gain insight into the daily lives and commitments of Ladakhi nuns—how they embody compassion, serve their communities, and care for their fragile Himalayan environment. Along the way, participants will deepen their understanding of Ladakh’s rich cultural heritage through visits to monasteries, heritage homes, vibrant markets, and traditional craft workshops that reflect the region’s enduring traditions.

Guided by daily meditation and reflection with Venerable Tenzin Dasel, and through meaningful exchanges and acts of service with the nuns, this journey offers both personal and collective transformation. Participants not only nurture their own spiritual growth but also contribute to the sustainability of the LNA’s mission and the preservation of Ladakh’s living traditions.

This pilgrimage offers a rare opportunity to experience Ladakh’s unique spiritual landscape, where the four unbroken lineages of Tibetan Buddhism—Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Sakya—continue to thrive. Through immersive cultural encounters and mindfulness practices, travelers connect deeply with Ladakh’s sacred places while building meaningful relationships with the women who sustain these traditions today.

Photo credit: Global Family Travels

An Invitation to Learn from the Wisdom of Ladakhi Nuns

The nuns of LNA are eager to share their sacred practices, meditation, healing, and environmental wisdom with genuinely bright open hearts, and they have participated in planning this adventure and look forward to welcoming you to the land of Jullay! - which is both a greeting and a mindset. This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned practitioner and someone new to Buddhist practice to both give and receive support on a deep and meaningful level.

Photo credit: Ladakh Nuns Association

Learn | Serve | Immerse: A Mindful Exploration of Ladakh

Rooted in Global Family Travels’ pillars of  Learn, Serve & Immerse, , this Sacred Pilgrimage with Ladakhi Buddhist nuns invites travelers into a deeper experience of Ladakh—one that goes beyond sightseeing to foster meaningful connection, reflection, and cultural understanding.

Learn from the nuns’ commitment to a mindful and harmonious way of life grounded in Buddhist philosophy. Through dialogue, meditation, and shared daily rituals, you will gain insight into how values such as compassion, interdependence, humility, and kindness guide their spiritual practice and daily lives.

Serve by supporting the work of the Ladakh Nuns Association and participating in simple acts of community stewardship alongside the nuns. Whether through shared activities, collaborative projects, or time spent learning together, these exchanges foster mutual understanding and support the nuns’ important role in their communities.

Immerse yourself in Ladakh’s rich cultural landscape through contemplative visits to centuries-old monasteries and nunneries, strolls through vibrant traditional markets, exploration of heritage homes, and encounters with local artisans whose crafts reflect generations of indigenous knowledge and tradition.e.

Interested in joining this Sacred Pilgrimage with Ladakhi Nuns?

👉 Secure your place here.

In Ladakh, the word “Jullay” is more than a greeting—it expresses welcome, gratitude, connection, and respect. As you journey alongside the nuns, you will come to experience the deeper meaning of this simple word through shared moments of mindfulness, compassion, and cultural exchange. We hope you will join us in Ladakh and experience the spirit of Jullay for yourself.