Women’s Buddhist Journeys: Leadership, Liberation and Celebration on IWD

Join us in celebrating the inspiring paths our panelists have created and the communities they continue to strengthen

Women’s Buddhist Journeys: Leadership, Liberation and Celebration on IWD

Panel discussion with Venerable Juefang, Ayya Upekkha and Subhana Roshi, Hosted by Dr Nadine Levy

9 March 2026
12.45pm-1.45pm (AEDT)

This event will be a hybrid event and held on campus and online via zoom. If you are attending on campus, tea and coffee will be available afterwards.

Join us in celebrating the inspiring paths our panelists have created and the communities they continue to strengthen

In honour of International Women’s Day, Nan Tien Institute warmly invites you to a special online panel celebrating the lives, leadership, and contributions of women in Australian Buddhism.

Join Venerable Juefang, Ayya Upekkha, and Subhana Barghazi Roshi for a rich and inspiring conversation reflecting on their journeys as women practitioners, teachers, and leaders within their respective traditions. Together, they will explore the challenges and unexpected opportunities they have encountered, what sustained them along the path, and their hopes for the next generation of women in Buddhism.

This dialogue will consider how different Buddhist traditions shape possibilities for women, how female Dharma voices can be elevated, and what guidance these respected teachers might offer younger women navigating contemporary institutions and spiritual communities.

The session will include opening reflections from each speaker, a moderated panel conversation, audience Q&A, and closing reflections.

This event is both a celebration and a call forward, honouring the paths forged by women in Buddhism and the communities they continue to nurture with wisdom, courage, and compassion.

All are warmly welcome!

About the Panelists

Venerable Ayya Upekkha - Born in Sri Lanka in 1974, Ven Upekkha grew up in various parts of the world before her family settled down in Perth, Australia. If that wasn’t enough traveling, at 23 she quit her job in the financial industry in Singapore to go seeking in India for ‘the Truth’. Her journey took her through marriage and long retreats in Malaysia and Myanmar with her Irish husband (who later also ordained as a monk) before finally at the age of 35, she returned to Perth where her spiritual journey started. She joined Dhammasara Monastery, a Theravada monastery for Buddhist nuns under the auspices of Ajahn Brahm in 2009 and has been part of that community since then. Ven Upekkha ordained in 2011 and took Bhikkhuni Ordination in 2014.

Venerable Juefang – is the Director of International Relations at Nan Tien Institute and the General Manager of the Hsing Yun Education Foundation. Her PhD research in Education Studies from Peking University, China involves the application of The Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna as an educational theory. She has taught Buddhist communities, face-to-face and online, for over 20 years in London, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Malaysia. She developed the 4,000 square metre Beijing cultural and educational centre and started the Master Hsing Yun Cultural and Educational Foundation in China. Her engagement with volunteers include ‘Be Kind, Be Vego’ and other campaigns. She also completes her MA in Sociology from Fo Guang University, Taiwan.

Subhana Roshi - Subhana Barzaghi, a senior resident teacher of the Sydney Zen Centre, has been practising meditation for over 40 years. She has studied in Australia and California with John Tarrant Roshi, in Japan with Yamada Koun Roshi, and in Australia and Hawaii with Robert Aitken Roshi, the founder of the Diamond Sangha. Subhana received Dharma transmission in 1996 from Aitken Roshi and John Tarrant Roshi at our bush zendo, Kodoji Subhana Barzaghi is a qualified and experienced psychotherapist, a mother of two children, and a grandmother. She was a founding member of the 'Bodhi Farm' community in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, where she lived for 20 years. She was also the founder of the Kuan Yin Zen Centre in Lismore. Subhana is a Registered Religious Marriage Celebrant and also teaches in the Vipassana Insight Meditation tradition. She leads workshops, Zen sesshins and Vipassana retreats at a variety of centres in Australia and New Zealand. Subhana has mentored and appointed eight Apprentice Teachers in the Diamond Sangha tradition.

Dr Nadine Levy (PhD, LLB (Hons), BA (Hons)) is the Head of Health and Social Wellbeing and Applied Mindfulness at the Nan Tien Institute. She teaches and researches in the areas
of mindfulness, compassion and social emotions. Her research examines the therapeutic effects of spiritual community and considered the intersection of mindfulness and
psychotherapeutic discourse. She is a Buddhist Insight Meditation Teacher having been trained by James Baraz from Spirit Rock (CA) and the Insight Meditation Institute (Sydney). She regularly leads retreats and workshops on Buddhist meditation and is a regular columnist for The Guardian.

Tickets are free, but bookings are essential.