Choje Lama

An Extraordinary nun

Ani Pema began her practice at the age of five. Both her father and mother assisted her with practice by teaching reading fundamentals and gave her daily homework assignments to strengthen those practices.

Later in her youth following instructions, Ani Pema left her native village and attended her first mountain retreat. In order to reach the mountain cave, Ani Pema had to walk three hours from her village, crossing rivers on bridges constructed of nothing more than planks of lumber and rope. Overcoming her fears, Ani Pema arrived at the mountain cave and received instructions on the fundamentals of meditation. She later followed up this knowledge of meditation with a more targeted practice twelve hours away from her home.

By the year 1965, Ani Pema had increased her knowledge of Buddhism and strengthened her practice. She travelled to then small town of Shimla to begin a one year retreat, concentrating on her Ngondro and Chenrezig practices (prostrations, Dorje Sempa, Mandala Offering, and Guru Yoga). During Ani Pema’s prostration practice, a typical day consisted of 1,000 prostrations in the early morning before a breakfast, 1,000 after a breakfast, 1,000 after lunch and additional 1,000 after a dinner. Ani Pema completed 110,000 prostrations in one month.
Ani Pema remained dedicated to the practice, realizing that only a few women afforded the opportunity to study Buddhism the way she had been fortunate enough to do. At the completion of the one year retreat and with the support of Buddhist Foundation, Ani Pema turned her attention towards the creation of a monastery for nuns, a place where women could be learning, practicing and teaching in one central location. A monastery of this sort would be a great benefit to those who were not able to travel from one area of the country to the other, the same way Ani Pema had been able to do.

Later that year, H.H. the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, leader of the Karma Kagyu School, visited Dalhousie. Ani Pema was ordained as a nun at that time by the 16th Karmapa and she received the name Pema Zangmo. She was 26 years old.