The Honorable Ayya Khema was born to Jewish parents in 1923 in Berlin. At age 15, in order to escape deportation by the Nazis, she had to leave Germany in a children's transport to England.

Later she married, had two children, and lived in the United States and Australia. During her marriage, she traveled throughout the world. At this time, she came into contact with the teachings of Buddha and became ordained as a nun in Sri Lanka at the age of 56. After an absence of 50 years from her homeland, she returned to Germany at the request of her students in order to teach the Dhamma and to establish herself. The concept of the "Buddha Haus" developed because of this. Numerous books with her explanations of Buddhist teachings, which have also been translated into many languages, could be published.

Based on the broad range of her experiences, she had the capability of expressing the teachings of Buddha in clear and simple words, and thus directly touched the innermost hearts of mankind.

A very important part of her work with Dhamma was the accompanying and training of female students to become teachers of the Dhamma. In this way, her work in carrying the teachings of Buddha into the West can be continued.

Ayya Khema died on November 2, 1997 in the Buddha-Haus in Allgäu, Southern Germany. She was a Buddhist nun in the Theravada tradition, a master of meditation, and an unprecedented teacher of the Dhamma.