15th Annual International Bhikkhuni Day
September 6/7, 2025, Full Moon of September
Celebrating the 2609th Anniversary of the Founding of the Bhikkhuni Sangha
Theme: Walking in the Footsteps of the Bhikkhuni Arahants
The full moon of September is recalled as the ordination day of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī Therī & the Courageous 500 Founding Mothers of the Bhikkhuni Sangha, the first Buddhist bhikkhunis. The 1st Annual International Bhikkhunī Day (IBD) happened on September 17, 2011. Each year since then, we have paid respects to the Bhikkhuni Sangha and acknowledged its essential role in preserving the Dhamma. We’ve remember prominent bhikkhunis and their unique achievements. This year we honor all the bhikkhuni arahants through the centuries, and those who would walk in their footsteps.
To organize an event International Bhikkhunī Day event in your community, here are some tools you can use to create an informative and inspiring celebration, as well as a presentation of the history of the Bhikkhunī order from the Buddha to the present day.
You are also invited to join a series of in-person and online presentations organized by Dhammadharini Sangha at the Dhammadharini Monastery in the San Francisco North Bay with the international bhikkhuni sangha now in Vassa on the Sonoma Coast at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage. (For more details on how to attend, see here.)
(Check out our archives to see the themes of all the past IBDs.)
15th Annual International Bhikkhuni Day
15th Annual International Bhikkhuni Day
September 6/7, 2025, Full Moon of September
Celebrating the 2609th Anniversary of the Founding of the Bhikkhuni Sangha
Theme: Walking in the Footsteps of the Bhikkhuni Arahants
The full moon of September is recalled as the ordination day of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī Therī & the Courageous 500 Founding Mothers of the Bhikkhuni Sangha, the first Buddhist bhikkhunis. The 1st Annual International Bhikkhunī Day (IBD) happened on September 17, 2011. Each year since then, we have paid respects to the Bhikkhuni Sangha and acknowledged its essential role in preserving the Dhamma. We’ve remember prominent bhikkhunis and their unique achievements. This year we honor all the bhikkhuni arahants through the centuries, and those who would walk in their footsteps.
To organize an event International Bhikkhunī Day event in your community, here are some tools you can use to create an informative and inspiring celebration, as well as a presentation of the history of the Bhikkhunī order from the Buddha to the present day.
You are also invited to join a series of in-person and online presentations organized by Dhammadharini Sangha at the Dhammadharini Monastery in the San Francisco North Bay with the international bhikkhuni sangha now in Vassa on the Sonoma Coast at Aranya Bodhi Hermitage. (For more details on how to attend, see here.)
We invite you to join us in celebrating the Bhikkhuni Sangha!
(Check out our archives to see the themes of all the past IBDs.)