In this first interview of the Lighthouse Dialogues, author Vicki Mackenzie will talk with Ven. Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: a Buddhist nun who has taught Dharma internationally and is the founder of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Tashi Jong, India, exclusively for Buddhist nuns. Her life is the subject of the book Cave in the Snow, written by author Vicki Mackenzie.

The Lighthouse Dialogues is a series of new events, organised in collaboration with Jamyang Buddhist Centre London and Science & Wisdom LIVE. Twice or thrice a year, author Vicki MacKenzie will interview ‘current lighthouses’, i.e. spiritually advanced, inspiring, and profoundly wise contemplative practitioners, who could function as a lighthouse – a beacon of light and understanding – for others. The interviews are accessible to the general public, and will also be recorded and made freely available on our Podcast and YouTube channels.

Join the conversation LIVE on Zoom! You will receive a link via email after registering for the event. After the dialogue, there will be plenty of time for questions and debate.

About Our Speakers:

Born in Britain, Ven. Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo met her teacher, the eighth Khamtrul Rinpoche, in India in 1964. She was one of the first Westerners ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. After studying with her teacher for six years, she went to a small monastery in Lahaul, India, where she practiced more intensely. Seeking better conditions for meditation, she lived in a cave in the mountains in Lahaul for twelve years, after which, in 1988, she went to Italy.

She has taught Dharma internationally and is the founder of Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Tashi Jong, India, where she now lives. Her life is the subject of the book Cave in the Snow, written by author Vicki Mackenzie.

In February 2008, Tenzin Palmo was given the rare title of Jetsunma, which means Venerable Master, by His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, Head of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage in recognition of her spiritual achievements as a nun and her efforts in promoting the status of female practitioners in Tibetan Buddhism.

Vicki Mackenzie is a British national journalist and author. In 1976, while working on The Daily Mail, she stumbled into her first Buddhist meditation course at Kopan, Nepal. This lead to an ongoing journey into Buddhism resulting in many articles for The Sunday Times, The Observer, Sunday Telegraph and many national magazines. She has written six internationally best-selling books including Cave in the Snow (Bloomsbury), featuring Tenzin Palmo; Reincarnation – the Boy Lama (Bloomsbury), featuring Lama Thubten Yeshe and Osel Hita Torres; and recently, The Revolutionary Life of Freda Bedi – British Feminist, Indian Nationalist, Buddhist Nun (Shambhala).

About Science & Wisdom LIVE:

Science & Wisdom LIVE is a project of Jamyang London Buddhist Centre.

Each dialogue explores the middle ground between science and contemplative wisdom, focusing on themes such as the ethics of artificial intelligence, gender equality, climate change, and the benefits of mindfulness and meditation for mental health.

Find out more: www.sciwizlive.com