Karma Lekshe Tsomo

Karma Lekshe Tsomo (born 23 September 1944) is a Buddhist nun, scholar and social activist. She is a professor at the University of San Diego, where she teaches Buddhism and World Religions. She is co-founder of the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women and the founding director of the Jamyang Foundation, which supports the education of women and girls in the Himalayan region and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. She took novice precepts as a Buddhist nun in France in 1977 and full ordination in Korea in 1982.[1]

Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo
Born	Patricia Zenn 23 September 1944
Occupation	Scholar and social activist
Organization	Sakyadhita, Jamyang Foundation

Scholarly career

Karma Lekshe Tsomo is a professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of San Diego, where she has taught since 2000.[2] After fifteen years studying Buddhism at Dharamsala, she did her postgraduate work at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, gaining a PhD in Comparative Philosophy in 2000.[1][2] Her research has primarily concerned women in Buddhism, death and dying, and Buddhist philosophy and ethics.[2]

Social activism

In 1985 Karma Lekshe Tsomo founded the Jamyang Foundation, a non-profit organisation that works to improve the education of women and girls in the Himalayan region and currently runs several schools and study programmes in India and Bangladesh.[3] At a gathering at Bodh Gaya in 1987 she became one of the founding members of the international organisation Sakydhita (Daughters of the Buddha), which campaigns for gender equality in Buddhism.[4] She is currently working to create Lai'i Peace Center as a resource for peace education, Buddhist studies, and community service programs under the auspices of Sakyadhita Hawai'i.[5]

Major publications

• Karma Lekshe Tsomo (2020). Women in Buddhist Traditions. New York, NY: New York University Press. ISBN 978-1-4798-0342-2.
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo, ed. (2019). Buddhist Femininisms and Femininities. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-7255-3.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo, ed. (2014). Eminent Buddhist Women. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-5131-2.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo (2006). Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, and Death. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-8145-5.
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo, ed. (2006). Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women in the Global Community. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications. ISBN 978-8170308492.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo, ed. (2004). Buddhist Women and Social Justice: Ideals, Challenges, and Achievements. Albany NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-6254-6.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo, ed. (2000). Innovative Buddhist Women: Swimming Against the Stream. Richmond, Surrey: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-11418-2.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo, ed. (1999). Buddhist Women Across Cultures: Realizations. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-4138-1.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo (1996). Sisters in Solitude: Two Traditions of Buddhist Monastic Ethics for Women. A Comparative Analysis of the Chinese Dharmagupta and the Tibetan Mulasarvastivada Bhiksuni Pratimoksa Sutras. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-2238-1.
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo, ed. (1995). Buddhism Through American Women's Eyes. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 978-1559390477.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Karma Lekshe Tsomo, ed. (1988). Sakyadhita: Daughters of the Buddha. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 978-0937938720.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)

References

1. "Executive Committee | Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women". sakyadhita.org. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
2. "Biography - Karma Lekshe Tsomo - College of Arts and Sciences". www.sandiego.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
3. "Jamyang | About Us". www.jamyang.org. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
4. "Sakyadhita | Our History". sakyadhita.org. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
5. sakyadhita.org/local/branches/hawaii.html|title=Sakyadhita Hawai'i

Sara Hylton (2019). A Day in the Dharma: Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, cofounder of Sakyadhita. Tricycle The Buddhist Review.

Rebecca Redwood French (2013). Feminism, Law, and Religion. “Daughters of the Buddha: The Sakyadhita Movement, Buddhist Law and the Position of Buddhist Nuns.”. Surrey, UK: Ashgate. ISBN 978-1409444213.

Michaela Haas (2013). Dakini Power: Twelve Extraordinary Women Shaping the Transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. “Karma Lekshe Tsomo (Patricia Zenn): Surfing to Realization.”. Boston: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 978-1-4384-5131-2.

Arvind Sharma (2009). Why I Am a Believer: Personal Reflections on Nine World Religions. “Being Buddhist.”. Delhi: Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0143066873.