The nuns wield spears and dance in formation during their practice sessions. The smell of saffron-infused Himalayan incense fills the brightly colored temple as they beat on drums, sound horns and ring bells. They sit cross-legged in pews, singing and chanting from Buddhist prayer books. and meditate for two hours, followed by a larger communal prayer service in the nunnery's main temple. At his suggestion, starting in 2010, they began to study kung fu, the ancient Chinese martial arts practice that was off-limits to women in Nepal for more than two centuries.īut first there is a lengthy spiritual preparation. Instead of backing down, the Gyalwang Drukpa decided to instill even more confidence in the nuns. But most of all they were harassed physically," says Lee. Many consider them blasphemists, which in this community is a very big deal. Some threatened to burn down their nunnery and their temple. "They received threats almost on a daily basis. Nuns warm up before their daily kung fu practice.ĭrukpa's efforts to break down patriarchal traditions have sparked intense backlash from the more conservative Buddhist sects in the Himalayas. "However, monks from other sects believe that if a woman touches something it's considered tainted and they have to throw it away, so work is still not widely accepted." "Monks within the Drukpa lineage celebrate what the nuns do," says Carrie Lee, former president of Live to Love International, a non-governmental organization that has partnered with the nunnery for nearly 20 years.
Monks in his sect then had to ingratiate themselves to the nuns (or more accurately, formally request the teachings from the nuns). He encouraged the nuns to take part in religious rituals traditionally reserved for their male counterparts and gave them the highest level of teachings, called Mahamudra. Inspired by his mother, who worked to break down gender stereotypes, he put the nuns in leadership roles. Now 31, she says that says practicing the martial art of kung fu has given her confidence.Ībout ten years ago, the Gyalwang Drukpa set out to change that. Jigme Yeshe Lhamo ran away from home at age 16 to join the nunnery. Tasked with the chores of cooking and cleaning, nuns are told if they're "well behaved" they can come back in their next lifetime as monks - and only then can they become enlightened.
They are forbidden from leading prayers, singing or being fully ordained. All of the Drukpa nuns are known as Jigme, which means "fearless one."įor centuries, women in the Himalayas who sought to practice spirituality equally with men have risked being ostracized. Lhamo arrived at the Druk Amitabaha Mountain nunnery just outside of Kathmandu and started her new life with a new first name. "My mother and father wouldn't allow me to go so I got on a bus and traveled to Nepal. They told me that I didn't know anything about Buddhism and that I was too young to make such a choice and that I had to continue my studies to become an engineer or a doctor," says Lhamo, who ended up running away from home at the age of 16. It was also the moment that she decided to become a nun. Lhamo says it was through the teachings of the Gyalwang Drukpa that she was able to gain confidence in herself and pursue her dream of helping others.
They call themselves "Kung Fu Nuns" and teach self-defense techniques to girls in villages.