Tibetan Buddhism, representing the Northern Buddhist tradition, developed within a unique cultural and social context that granted women a mixture of freedoms and limitations, both in daily life and in religious practice. While full bhikkhunī ordination was never properly established in Tibet, Tibetan culture afforded women significant autonomy, and Tibetan Buddhism preserved space for female saints, teachers, and incarnate lamas.
Unlike many neighboring cultures, traditional Tibetan society allowed women to inherit property, initiate divorce, and manage household affairs. A 1940s Chinese anthropologist praised Tibet for the freedom and equality Tibetan women enjoyed. Marriages were often arranged for practical reasons, and polyandry (a woman marrying multiple brothers) helped preserve family estates and stability. In some cases, men joined their wives’ households, adopting the woman’s surname and family authority.
Despite this relative social freedom, Tibetan Buddhism did not maintain a fully ordained bhikkhunī lineage. The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, followed in Tibet, lacked an unbroken transmission of female ordination. As a result, Tibetan nuns (a-nis) typically follow a more limited set of 36 novice precepts rather than the full 311 precepts of a bhikkhunī. This limited their formal standing within the monastic community.
Yet spiritual respect for women has endured in other forms. Female practitioners such as Machig Labdrön, a great 11th-century mystic and the founder of Chöd practice, were revered for their visionary experiences and teaching authority. Similarly, Dorje Phagmo became the first officially recognized female incarnation lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, continuing through the centuries as one of the highest-ranking tulkus (reincarnate teachers) — a title otherwise dominated by men.
Tibetan texts and teachers have acknowledged the spiritual capacity of women, even while institutional structures lagged behind. Certain teachings assert that gender is irrelevant to the realization of ultimate truth, and that female birth can offer unique advantages due to women’s nurturing nature and emotional sensitivity — qualities linked with the Bodhisattva ideal of compassion.
In contemporary times, Tibetan women have become more publicly engaged in education, activism, and religious leadership, especially among the Tibetan exile community. Some have studied under major lamas, received advanced teachings, and begun to challenge the boundaries of gendered religious roles. The issue of reviving full bhikkhunī ordination remains ongoing, with increasing calls for inclusion and collaboration with other traditions, such as Chinese Mahāyāna lineages, where full female ordination continues.
In conclusion, while women in Tibetan Buddhism have faced institutional exclusion from full ordination, they have also maintained strong spiritual presence and cultural influence. Through visionary practice, lay devotion, and reincarnate lineages, Tibetan Buddhist women continue to embody the tradition’s core values of wisdom, compassion, and awakening — and are shaping its evolving future.