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Practising in Bhutan: Compassion In Action
September 13, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
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Practising in Bhutan: Compassion In Action
Speaker: Venerable Bhikkhuni (Gelongma) Pema Deki – Emma Slade (Joining online from Bhutan)
Wed 13 Sep | 7-8.30pm AEST
Location: In person at Western Sydney University- Bankstown City Campus, Room 1.4.34, level 4 Bankstown, NSW 2200, or Online (Zoom link below)
Cost: Free
Venerable Bhikkhuni (Gelongma) Pema Deki – Emma Slade will talk about her inspiring journey on the Buddhist path that took her to Bhutan, where she founded the Opening Your Heart Charity to help hundreds of children improve their lives. Through challenges and opportunities, her journey eventually led to an important and auspicious day of Bhikkhuni ordination that took place for the first time in Bhutan, a historic moment indeed. Venerable Pema will share insights on the Buddhist practice in Bhutan, ways of learning and being taught, the Vajrayana path and putting compassion into practice as a blend of compassion and wisdom becomes the essence of the path to liberation.
About the speaker: Bhikkhuni Pema Deki was born in England and was educated at universities in Cambridge and London. She left a high powered financial career to explore the traditions of yoga and meditation and this road led her eventually to the Buddhist Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.
Here, with the help of her Lama, she became the first Western woman to be ordained as a Getsulma in Bhutan in the Drukpa Kagyu lineage in 2014 – after having lived under novice vows for two years.
Under her Lama’s guidance she completed her 440,000 preliminary practices and continues on with both her Buddhist philosophical studies and practices of meditation. Her main teacher is now His Eminence the Dorji Lopen of Bhutan from whom she receives personal instruction. She was ordained as a Gelongma or Bhikshuni in the historic event which took place in Bhutan in June 2022. She has studied various key shedra texts under instruction from her teachers in Bhutan.
In response to her deep interest in the nature and practices of compassion, in 2015, she founded the registered UK charity ‘Opening Your Heart to Bhutan’ to help children in Bhutan. To date this charity has helped hundreds of children in Bhutan gain access to education and medicine. In 2017 she was given the Point of Light award by the UK Prime Minister in recognition of her exceptional charity work in Bhutan.
Her first book, Set Free, detailing her inspirational personal story was published in April 2017 and has been translated into a number of other languages. Proceeds from the UK book are donated to the charity.
She divides her time between Bhutan and elsewhere!
www.openingyourhearttobhutan.
Hybrid event: Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive session in person at Western Sydney University or online by clicking on this link to access the session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
