Bhikkhuni Santacitta

Austria

Bhikkhuni Santacitta is 53 years old (born 1958), and a Buddhist monastic specializing in meditation and Dhamma propagation for over 20 years. Her years as a laywoman included training in hotel management, cultural anthropology, avante-garde dance and theatrical clothing design.

In 1988 she met her first teacher, Bhikkhu Buddhadasa, who sparked her interest in monastic life. Bhikkhuni Santacitta is amongst an elite group of women who have practiced the Buddha-Dhamma in the East and West. In the West she studied with Bhikkhu Sumedho of Amaravati Temple in England and the Siladhara Community. The Venerable expanded her studies of Buddhism from Theravada into Vajrayana Buddhism via Dzogchen teachings. In 2011, Bhikkhuni Santacitta ordained as a Bhikkhuni in California with preceptor Ayya Tathaaloka (OWBA 2006).

Bhikkhuni Santacitta co-founded Aloka Vihara, in San Francisco, California, a Theravada monastic residence for women. Aloka Vihara manifested because of the successful teamwork of Bhikkhuni Santacitta, Bhikkhuni Anandabodhi (OWBA 2008), and the Saranaloka Foundation. Currently, the foundation seeks property for a training monastery for women in California, USA.