Awards
Outstanding Women in Buddhism 2022
 Kham Oo, Myanmar, photo.jpg)
Merry (Nan) Kham Oo
Myanmar
Merry (Nan) Kham Oo Myanmar Merry (Nan) Kham Oo was born on Christmas Day in Muse, Northern Shan State, Myanmar in 1972. She studied at the number 1 State High School in Muse from 1978 – 1984. Upon ...
Bhikkhuni Surindra
Thailand
Bhikkhuni Surindra Thailand Bhikkhuni Surindra was born in Surin province, Thailand in 1963. She grew up in a rural community of rice farmers. She went to school, planted rice and cared for the buf ...
Bhikkhuni Dr. Jian Hui
Taiwan
Bhikkhuni Dr. Jian Hui Taiwan Bhikkhuni Dr. Jian Hui is the Abbess of Yuan Dao Chan Monastery. She holds a Master’s Degree in Management (Strategic Management & Organizational Analysis) from the Uni ...
Bhikkhuni Tsung-Teung
Taiwan
Bhikkhuni Tsung-Teung Taiwan Bhikkhuni Tsung-Tueng writes: “The two things in this life which I accomplished and am proud of are: first and foremost, I took up the robes when I was nineteen (1982) a ...
Bhikkhuni Der-Chia
Taiwan
Bhikkhuni Der-Chia Taiwan Bhikkhuni Der-Chia writes, “I was born and raised in a very frugal, farmer family. Even though, I had four elder siblings, my parents still loved me a lot. My brother and ...
Mei Yun Tang
Taiwan
Mei Yun Tang Taiwan Mei Yun Tang is Chairperson and Artistic Director of the Tang Mei Yun Taiwanese Opera Company. She graduated from Ming Zhi Junior High School in New Taipei City, Taiwan and worke ...
Maechee Orawan Maneeratanachot
Thailand
Maechee Orawan Maneeratanachot Thailand Maechee Orawan Maneeratanachot, also known as, Maechee Ning teaches Vipassana meditation and Anapanasati meditation. She was born in 1974. She graduated from ...
Ching Yi Chi
Taiwan
Ching Yi Chi Taiwan Ching Yi Chi was born in 1960 in Taichung City, Taiwan into an agricultural family which actively participated in local government affairs. Both of her parents held positions of ...
Maechee Pittsayaputt Vhititthiranun
Thailand
Maechee Pittsayaputt Vhititthiranun Thailand Maechee Pittsayaputt Vhititthiranun was born in 1965. Since her childhood, she wondered, “Who had me be born? Who decided to divide us into males and fe ...
Mingli C. Shih
Taiwan
Mingli C. Shih Taiwan Mingli Chang Shi is a woman of extraordinary giftedness, concentration and compassion. She was born in 1960, and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. Her parents owned a gift company wh ...
Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde
USA
Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde USA Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde is a woman of authenticity, compassion and great inner awareness. She was born in 1961 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She grew up in a lower-middle cl ...
Saijai Wannual
Thailand
Saijai Wannual Thailand Saijai Wannual was born in 1963. She is a Thai government official. She is the Vice-Mayor of District Muang Ban Plu, in Hatyai, Songkla Province, Thailand. She married, a ...
Bhikkhuni Khenmo Drolma
USA
Bhikkhuni Khenmo Drolma USA Bhikkhuni Khenmo Drolma is abbess of Vajra Dakini Nunnery. She is the first Western abbot in the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism. Her complete title is Khen ...
Bhikkhuni Choejin Samdrup
Thailand
Bhikkhuni Choejin Samdrup Thailand I, Boonattakarn Passaro, have searched for the meaning of life. I observed 8 precepts and began practicing meditation in 2004. After fully-ordaining as a Bhikkhun ...
Chen Yun Chang
Taiwan
Chen Yun Chang Taiwan People always say that we should do at least one right thing in this life. For me… At 25, I started my journey of learning Buddhism and painting Buddhas. At 30, I stu ...
Gawa Khandro
Canada
Gawa Khandro Canada Venerable Gawa Khandro is a Buddhist nun. She is the spiritual director of Gawa Ling Buddhist Center in McLure, British Columbia, Canada. She offers service as a Chaplain at Tho ...
Martine Batchelor
France
Martine Batchelor France Martine Batchelor was born in 1953. She ordained as a Buddhist nun in Korea in 1975 in the Jogye lineage. She studied Jogye Zen Buddhism for ten years at Songgwangsa with M ...
Bhikkhuni Liao Guo
China
Bhikkhuni Liao Guo China Bhikkhuni Liao Guo is the Abbess of Kushan Temple in Yueyang, Hunan Province, China. She has never asked for alms or donations, and yet she has built three Buddhist pagodas ...
Thanissara
UK
Thanissara United Kingdom Thanissara is an Anglo-Irish, Buddhist teacher from London. She started Buddhist practice in the Burmese school of U Ba Khin in 1975. She was inspired to ordain after meet ...
Kim Behan
USA
Kim Behan USA Kim Behan is a founding member of Buddhist Global Relief. She served as Executive Director from 2009 to 2016, and returned to that position in 2019. From 2016-2019, she served as the ...