From Princeton Graduate & Singapore Civil Servant to Buddhist Nun ft Ven. Damcho @sravastiabbey

What happens when you follow the Singapore path, tick the right boxes, and still feel like something is missing? In this episode, Cheryl speaks with Venerable Damcho on her unexpected path into Buddhism, from heartbreak and anxiety in university, to meditation, retreats, ordination, and discovering a kind of happiness that did not depend on external success. Key takeaways: 🧭 I just felt like I had been cheated A raw reflection on chasing the life we are told will make us happy, only to ask: and then what? 🧘 My happiness is not dependent on all these external things A short-term novitiate showed her that peace could arise even while waking early, wearing simple robes, and cleaning toilets. 🔥 It’s very difficult to identify the afflictions because I think they are true A practical reminder that anger, self-pity, and fear often feel logical until we learn to see them clearly. About the Speaker: 👤 Venerable Thubten Damcho is a Buddhist nun residing at Sravasti Abbey, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist training monasteries in the United States. Born and raised in Singapore, she graduated from Princeton University in 2006 and worked as a high school teacher and public policy analyst in the Singapore government before returning to the U.S. to take novice ordination in 2013. She tells her story in The Straits Times Singapore. Venerable Damcho’s monastic life is rich and varied. She serves as assistant to Sravasti Abbey’s founder, author and well-known Buddhist teacher Venerable Thubten Chodron. Her other responsibilities range from translating Chinese texts into English to removing weeds from the Abbey’s 300-acre property. Venerable Damcho has given Dharma talks in Spokane, Idaho, California, India, and Singapore. She was the Chinese-English interpreter at a full ordination program in Taiwan in 2019, and has studied Tibetan through Maitripa College and with other teachers since 2017. 📄 Transcript: https://bit.ly/hol-ep-71 ⏱Timestamps: (00:00) Why the usual Singapore success path still felt empty (01:20) Growing up with zero interest in religion (03:21) How heartbreak and anxiety led her to meditation (04:29) Her first strange encounter with chanting and the Heart Sutra (05:21) The breathing practice that changed her response to fear (07:44) How the thought of monastic life slowly began (08:50) The friend who brought her into Bright Hill Temple (11:43) The hidden wish to become a nun (13:14) The Vesak aspiration that surprised even her (17:22) Why ordination is not a form you submit overnight (18:39) The short-term novitiate that changed everything (21:48) Sleeping on mats, cleaning toilets, and feeling unexpectedly happy (22:42) Why external success felt so unfulfilling (25:03) How a Theravada retreat opened the door to Tibetan practice (29:25) Her first visit to Sravasti Abbey was not what she expected (35:55) The breakup, the US ticket, and a decision that shocked her boyfriend (39:30) Becoming a novice and later receiving full ordination in Taiwan (42:10) Lojong: turning difficult situations into practice Resources: Sravasti Abbey Website: https://sravastiabbey.org/ Special thanks to our sponsors: Mee Toh Foundation, Buddhist Youth Network, Lim Soon Kiat, Alvin Chan, Tan Key Seng, Soh Hwee Hoon, Geraldine Tay, Venerable You Guang, Wilson Ng, Diga, Joyce, Tan Jia Yee, Joanne, Suñña, Shuo Mei, Arif, Bernice, Wee Teck, Andrew Yam, Kan Rong Hui, Wei Li Quek, Shirley Shen, Ezra, Joanne Chan, Hsien Li Siaw, Gillian Ang, Wang Shiow Mei, Ong Chye Chye, Melvin, Yoke Kuen, Nai Kai Lee, Amelia Toh, Hannah Law, Shin Hui Chong, Dennis Lee, Kayliam, Darren 🙏 Sponsor us: https://handfulofleaves.life/support/ 🎬 Editor: Azraf Mahir ✍️ Transcribers: Cheryl Cheah, Tan Si Jing, Ng Yah Tyng 🎨 Visuals & Sound: Anton Thorne, Tan Pei Shan, Ang You Shan 📱 Get Connected Telegram https://bit.ly/hol-telegram Instagram https://bit.ly/hol-instagram-podcast Facebook https://bit.ly/hol-facebook-podcast Spotify https://bit.ly/spotifyholep71 Get connected here: Telegram Instagram YouTube Facebook