About Us
Sakyadhita is an alliance of Buddhist women and allies who work for gender equity in the world’s Buddhist traditions. We promote research and publications on Buddhist women's history and document their achievements. We strive to create equal opportunities for women in all Buddhist traditions.
Sakyadhita: A Beacon of Inspiration
Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women was founded in 1987 in Bodhgaya, India, site of the Buddha’s awakening. Concerned about the difficulties women faced in various Buddhist traditions, Ayya Khema, Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, and Karma Lekshe Tsomo decided to organize a small gathering to discuss what could be done. At the conclusion of that gathering, participants advocated for the founding of an association to ensure that the conversations would continue and made a conscious decision to form an alliance of both laywomen and monastics. The organization was christened Sakyadhita, Daughters of the Buddha, By establishing and maintaining a communications network among Buddhist women internationally, Sakyadhita has created links among some four hundred million Buddhist women worldwide to encourage and support them in Buddhist practice, scholarship, activism, and the arts.
History & Vision
Since its founding in 1987, Sakyadhita: International Association of Buddhist Women has been working to benefit Buddhist women in countries around the world. The first international conference on Buddhist women focused on the plight of the nuns, highlighting their marginalization and exclusion from Buddhist institutions, education, and ordination. Since then, Sakyadhita has organized international conferences every two years to celebrate the achievements of Buddhist women. Each conference is historic in its own way. For example, the 13th Sakyadhita Conference in 2013 was held in Vaishali, India, where the Buddha’s aunt/stepmother Mahapajapati Gotami became the first Buddhist nun.
From the very beginning, Sakyadhita members recognized the pressing need for improved educational opportunities for Buddhist women. To that end, they formed committees focused on specific projects and objectives, such as Buddhist scholarship, Buddhist women’s history, translation, social engagement, ordination, publications, and healthcare. For more than three decades now, Buddhist laywomen, laymen, nuns, monks, and their friends from different religions and cultures have come together from all corners of the globe to share their experiences, encourage each other, and inspire projects to improve conditions for Buddhist women, especially in developing countries. With over 5,000 members in 45 countries, Sakyadhita has become a powerful force for good in the world.
Sakyadhita’s Objectives
- To establish an international alliance of Buddhist women
- To advance the spiritual and secular welfare of the world’s women
- To work for gender equity in Buddhist education, training institutional structures, and ordination
- To promote harmony and dialogue among the Buddhist traditions and other religions
- To encourage research and publications on topics of interest to Buddhist women
- To foster compassionate social action for the benefit of humanity
- To promote world peace through the teachings of the Buddha
Sakyadhita's objectives
- To establish an international alliance of Buddhist women
- To advance the spiritual and secular welfare of the world’s women
- To work for gender equity in Buddhist education, training institutional structures, and ordination
- To promote harmony and dialogue among the Buddhist traditions and other religions
- To encourage research and publications on topics of interest to Buddhist women
- To foster compassionate social action for the benefit of humanity
- To promote world peace through the teachings of the Buddha
Executive Committee
Buphyun Sunim
Recording Secretary
Buphyun Sunim was born in Korea and has completed 12 traditional Korean meditation retreats. She graduated from college in 1994, ordained as a novice nun in 2005, and received full ordination as a bhiksuni in 2012. Since 2019, she has been studying at the Graduate School for International Buddhist English at Dongguk University at Gyeongju.
Thich Nu Tien Lien
Corresponding Secretary
Thich Nu Tien Lien was born in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1966. She enjoyed learning about Buddhism from a young age, received novice ordination in 1983, and became fully ordained as a bhiksuni in 1985. She earned a Master’s degree in Social Work at San Diego State University and has founded several temples in San Jose, California
Kaytee Sumida
Treasurer
Kaytee Sumida was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She became interested in Asian religions by reading folk tales in Chinese literature and culture classes. She received a B.S. in Medical Technology from California State University and an M.S. from San Francisco State University. She has been a member of the Buddhist Temple San Diego since 1990 and serves as liaison with the Interreligious Council of San Diego.
Sharon A. Suh
President
Sharon A. Suh is a professor of Buddhism in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Seattle University. She received her Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Harvard University and has published three books: Being Buddhist in a Christian World: Gender and Community; Silver Screen Buddha: Buddhism in Asian and Western Film; and Occupy This Body: A Buddhist Memoir.
Join Us
sakyadhita
international association of buddhist women
Website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License.