The geshe degree for women (film)

Tricycle.org: The Buddhist Review; I View World; CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Namdol Phuntsok with geshe symbol

The Geshema is Born Director Malati Rao from India in 2019 documented a sea change in Tibetan Buddhism.

For decades, Tibetan Buddhist nuns and their allies had fought for the right to receive their religious tradition’s highest academic honor, the geshe degree (called geshema for women).

Comparable to a Ph.D. in Tibetan Buddhism, the geshe degree had been off-limits to women since its inception. But in 2012 the degree was opened to women.

(Tibetan Nuns) The geshema "doctoral" exams after 17 years of study

The Geshema Is Born follows the inspiring story of Ven. Namdol Phuntsok, an exceptional young nun, as she earns top honors and becomes one of the first of a new class of esteemed female scholars.

Sponsored by the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of HH The Dalai Lama, The Geshema Is Born has been screened at 11 film festivals and won best documentary at Indic Film Utsav 2020 and best woman director at Bangkok International Documentary Awards.

Learn more about the film at Public Service Broadcasting Trust (psbt.org) or by reading Tricycle’s article, “The Rising Generation of Female Tibetan Buddhist Leaders.” More