Leaving the Fields

“I was a farmer before and knew nothing about the dharma. I wanted to learn about the dharma with the hope that one day I could gain liberation from samsara.” –Thupten Ngawang Choden, 19, student in the second class at the Pema Choeling Institute.

Thupten Ngawang Choden hopes that by entering the spiritual life, she will one day gain liberation from suffering, or samsara. When or in how many lifetimes she is not certain, but the important thing is that she has started on this path and has no regrets.
Part of her inspiration to join the nunnery came from the loss of her father when she was an infant. Her father’s death led her to recognize the impermanence of life for all beings, but especially for her father. She hopes that through her committment to the study of the dharma, she will be able to help free all creatures, her parents in particular, to be from the cycle of suffering.