Teachers

Venerable Tenzin Tsepal

Tenzin Tsepal studied with Venerable Chodron in Seattle from 1995 to 1999. Following a three-month Vajrasattva retreat in 1998, interest to ordain arose. She lived in India for two years while exploring monastic life. In 2001, Venerable Tsepal received her novice ordination from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

 

Tsepal attended the 5 year Buddhist Studies Program at Chenrezig Institute, an FPMT center north of Brisbane, Queensland where she subsequently lived and engaged in intensive residential study until 2015. As the Western Teacher at CI, she taught Discovering Buddhism  and tutored weekend teachings and retreats, but always had an eye on what was happening at Sravasti Abbey. In January 2016, Venerable Tsepal returned to the US to join the Sravasti Abbey community, and received full ordination in Taiwan in 2019.

 

Prior to ordaining, she completed a degree in Dental Hygiene, and pursued graduate school in hospital administration at UW. She was also successfully self-employed for 10 years teaching Reiki.

 

Venerable Tsepal currently serves as the Guest Master and Ritual Master at Sravasti Abbey, and supports the video team, forest work, editing and an occasional review.

 

Events with Venerable Tenzin Tsepal

Transforming Problems Into Happiness
April 3 - 6, 2025

We are excited to welcome Ven. Tenzin Tsepal of Sravasti Abbey, who will share reflections based on a favorite Dharma book, Transforming Problems Into Happiness by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. This small book contains volumes of practical advice for training the mind to see problems as beneficial conditions supportive of, and even necessary for, our happiness. While mind-training texts like this are not intended to eliminate the difficulties we inevitably encounter, they teach us how not to be disturbed by them, and instead how to accept and transform such harms to make swift progress along the path to full awakening.   …