The 19th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women will be held in June 2025 in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Details have not yet been posted. Stay tuned! Or, sign up for the Sakyadhita International newsletter on their website or follow their website, sakyadhita.org.

The 18th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women was held in Seoul, South Korea from June 23-27, 2023. See more details here.

The 17th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women was called: Buddhist Women Beyond Boundaries: Interfaith, Interdependence and Environment and was held online for the first time, from December 26-28, 2021.

16th sakyadhita international conference on buddhist women

Information about the 16th Sakyadhita International Conference is at http://www.sakyadhita2019.org.au.

Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017
Buddhist Women: Practitioners and Teachers Past and Present

In this workshop we will hear about the activities of Buddhist women in both historical and contemporary contexts. The speakers will present examples from different cultural spheres, including China, Japan, and the US. Audience members will have opportunities to ask questions and participate in discussions about the inclusion of women in teaching and practice of the Dharma. Please register in advance.
Location: Dharma Drum, Vancouver Centre
Presenters: Paula Arai, Assoc. Prof., LSU College; Beata Grant, Prof., Washington University in St. Louis; Susan Moon, Dharma Teacher and Author, Everyday Zen Sangha; Chun-fang Yu, Prof. Emerita, Columbia University; Wendi Adamek, Assoc. Prof. University of Calgary

For more information and to register for this workshop, please go to Dharma Drum's website.

September 6th, 2018 is International Bikkhuni Day!

This is the 2600th year of the Bikkhuni sangha and this day is a time to reflect on the history of the Bikkhuni sangha, recognize their contributions to the world, and how we may support them for the future. To learn more about the Bikkhuni sangha, its revival and its history, watch this excellent video presentation by Mindy Zlotnick.

15th sakyadhita international conference on buddhist women

Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange & Social Action
Hong Kong - June 22-28, 2017

The conference theme, “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange & Social Action,” highlighted the diversity of contemporary Buddhist women throughout the world. Over 700 attendees - Bikkhunis, nuns, laywomen and laymen - attended the conference, held at Hong Kong University. Each day, two panels featuring five papers and a question and answer session were presented, giving inspiring, poignant, and sometimes jarring views and insights into the lives and work of Buddhist women around the world. Presentations were followed each day with workshops focused on creativity and Buddhist perspectives and practices from a variety of traditions. After the conference, two day-long bus tours took participants to sites such as the Big Buddha, the Chi Lin Nunnery and Chinese Garden, Thich Nhat Hahn's monastery, and a Daoist temple. Read some reflections on the retreat by Jayanta and by Drolkar McCallum.

Past Activities

2015 - Anagarika Dhammadinna Memorial Celebration

On Sunday, September 13, 2015, a much beloved Theravada teacher was honoured. It was the 25th anniversary of the passing of Anagarika Dhammadinna. The day of remembrance was co-sponsored by Dhamma: A Theravada Buddhist Society and Sakyadhita Canada. The event was held at Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre in Surrey, B.C. Read more here.

2015 Sakyadhita International Conference

They came in robes and in street clothes, with perfectly coiffed hair and with shaved heads, in sandals, in boots and in high heels. They came from all over the world, on wings, on wheels, by foot. They came, the Buddhists, the Muslims, the Hindus, and the Christians, and some who have set aside all religion. They came, over 1000 of them, in search of inspiration. And that is what they found.

The 2015 Sakyadhita International Conference is the first I have attended, though it has been offered for nearly 30 years now. Read more here.