Venerable Dr. Pannavati Bhikkhuni Maha Teri, born May 28, 1950 in Washington, D.C., departed on Thursday, February 26, 2026, in Hendersonville, NC. Venerable Pannavati (born Diane Patricia Wilson) is survived by her daughter, Atasha Toliver, son James Stroy; and 6 grandchildren and great-grandchild and by her friend of more than 25 years, Kaye Meckley.
The co-founder and Abbess of Heartwood Refuge in Hendersonville, Venerable Pannavati is also survived by the monastics and lay members of her sangha, including a devoted community in the Hendersonville area and hundreds of students, dharmacharya (dharma teachers she trained and ordained), and followers across the U. S. and internationally.
For more than 25 years as the first (and for 20 years, the only) fully-ordained Black American Theravadan Bhikkhuni (female monastic), Venerable Pannavati worked tirelessly to spread the Buddha Dharma and to serve living beings. With Venerable Pannadipa (d. 2022), she co-founded Embracing Simplicity Hermitage, a contemplative Buddhist order in Hendersonville. In 2017, they founded Heartwood Refuge, a non-sectarian intentional community and retreat center, which evolved into Heartwood Mandala, the global sangha for which she was Teacher and spiritual director.
Venerable Pannavati’s commitment to spiritual practice and the contemplative life were balanced by a fierce dedication to humanitarian service and justice. Many of the service programs she created and led were groundbreaking: providing housing and job training for homeless youths and teen mothers in western North Carolina; building wells and refurbishing schools for the Dalits (Untouchables) in southern India; ordination of the first fifty Bhikkhunis (female monastics) in Thailand; training and ordination of more than 100 dharmacharya in the U.S.; ordination of the first Dalit monastic, and the second Cambodian Bhikkhuni; serving migrants and their children and many more local, national and international projects. Hers was a strong voice in support of female monastics and lay sangha, within the famously patriarchal Buddhist structure. She was the recipient of numerous awards for her humanitarian service, including the Outstanding Women in Buddhism Award in Bangkok in 2008.
From an early age, Venerable Pannavati was a spiritual prodigy. At seven, she had a mystical visitation from Jesus, which led her to many devout years in the Christian church, eventually becoming a pastor. She had a deep knowledge of Judeo-Christian theology and scripture. Her dharma talks were frequently sprinkled with references to the Bible and her love of Jesus, often reverting to the vernacular of the Southern Black preacher she had once been, to the delight of her audiences.
Her spiritual path was a winding one. An eternal Seeker, she followed many mystical signs (her “signals”) through various Christian denominations and practices, Unitarian Universalism, and Taoism, before finding her Truth and taking refuge in Buddhism. Concurrently, she completed her education, married and had a family, and owned and ran several successful businesses. A strong entrepreneurial spirit continued throughout her life, and fueled her social services work as well as her dharmic work.
A celebration of life memorial service will be held, Saturday, April 11, 2026 at one o’clock in the afternoon, at 1735 5th Avenue West, Hendersonville, NC 28792
Condolences may be sent to the Wilson family at www.jacksonfuneralservice.com or C/O Jackson Funeral Service 1101 Greenville Highway, Hendersonville, NC 28792. Please include the name of the deceased on the condolence.