Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s work for gender equality in Buddhism unfolds on both inner and outer levels, uniting structural reform with a clear articulation of spiritual principle. At the institutional level, she founded Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India, specifically so that nuns could receive training equal in depth and rigor to that traditionally offered to monks. Within this community, nuns study Buddhist philosophy, engage in formal debate, and undertake meditation and ritual training, thereby preparing to become fully qualified teachers and practitioners. This deliberate creation of a parallel educational environment challenges the long-standing assumption that advanced study and leadership in the Dharma are primarily male domains. By ensuring that nuns have access to the same curriculum and discipline, she transforms equality from an abstract ideal into a lived monastic reality.

Her advocacy extends beyond a single institution into the broader conversation on women’s roles in Tibetan Buddhism. She openly addresses the historical and ongoing disadvantages faced by nuns, including their frequent treatment as second-class members of the sangha, and calls for equal access to teachings, resources, and positions of leadership. A central part of this effort is her support for full bhikshuni ordination for women in the Tibetan tradition, where such ordination has been largely absent. By working with senior religious figures and speaking internationally on these issues, she brings to light the structural and cultural patterns that limit women’s participation and seeks to reform them from within the tradition’s own framework.

At the doctrinal and experiential levels, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo emphasizes that women and men share the same capacity for realization and enlightenment. Through her teachings and writings, she highlights the spiritual potential of women and the importance of their perspectives within Buddhist practice, thereby undermining any suggestion that gender determines spiritual aptitude. Her own life serves as a powerful demonstration of this claim: as a Western woman who undertook extensive retreat and became a respected teacher, she stands as a visible example of female accomplishment in the Dharma. In offering both a living model and a supportive institutional base, she encourages women to see themselves not as adjuncts to male practitioners but as full participants in the path to awakening.