Marking a significant milestone in women's empowerment within Tibetan monastic traditions, 33 Tibetan Buddhist nuns were conferred the prestigious Geshema degree, equivalent to a doctorate in Buddhist philosophy, during a ceremony held in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, ANI reported on Wednesday.

The ceremony for the ninth batch of Geshema graduates was attended by eminent Tibetan lama Ling Rinpoche as chief guest. Ahead of the event, the graduating nuns had also sought audiences and blessings from Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, according to ANI. The Tibetan Nuns Project, which supports the programme, confirms 33 nuns graduated in Dharamshala in October 2026 as the ninth Geshema group, taking the total number of Geshemas to 153.

Historically, advanced monastic education was restricted to male monks. The Geshema degree — the highest level of training in the Gelug tradition, formally opened to women only in 2012 — represents a decades-long effort to bridge that gap, equipping women scholars to teach, debate and safeguard Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage, the Tibetan Nuns Project notes. Of 173 nuns who took various levels of the rigorous four-year Geshema exams this year, 156 passed, and all 33 final-year candidates passed.

"Through Buddhist practice, this is equivalent to a PhD degree. For female Geshemas, this is extremely significant because they can now study Buddhist philosophy in depth. People who have special knowledge are definitely more powerful in society," Geshema Namdol Phuntsok, a teacher at Kopan Monastery in Nepal, told ANI.

Sources: ANI (via LatestLY) and the Tibetan Nuns Project.