Kyabje Tenga Rinpoche, one of the most renowned Tibetan Buddhist masters of our times, envisioned the establishment of a place for women to practice and study the Dharma  in the Benchen tradition already in the 1990’s.

Due to favourable circumstances Rinpoche finally managed to buy land with a shell building suiting this purpose in 2011, shortly before his Parinirvana.

The name for the nunnery Benchen Arya Tara Ling has been kindly bestowed by Drubwang Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche in Pharping in June 2012.

In the Spring of 2018 Rinpoche’s vision has been brought to fruition as a result of continuous efforts of Benchen monastery and generous sponsors of Dharma House Benchen Tashi Ling based in Cologne, Germany. on April 11th 2018 the nunnery has been officially inaugurated by Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche and inhabited by the first nuns in the Benchen tradition. It is especially auspicious that Drubwang Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche is overlooking the spiritual part of the endeavour! Furthermore, Rinpoche established Lama Yönten Palsang as a teaching supervisor and Lama Lekshe as a nyerpa taking care of the daily needs. Except of those, men no longer have access to the retreat location.

For the latest news and the step-by-step history of the project please see Work-in-Progress

Please feel welcome to support this project! Any smaller and larger donation is going to be transfered directly from Dharma House in Germany to the nunnery account in Nepal in order to cover the daily costs and needs of the women practiting there!