Summary: Karma Lekshe Tsomo, "Tibetan Nuns and Nunneries"

Marilyn E. Garbutt

In an article included in the 1987 book entitled, Feminine Ground: Essays on Women in Tibet, author Karma Lekshe Tsomo provides an overview of the elements and factors that typically influenced and contributed to the development of monasticism in the lives of Buddhist women. Historically male dominated, access to basic education and full monastic ordination for women, though promising and increasing slowly in number, continued to be severely limited.

Though the author doesn't provide founding details, several different Tibetan nunneries including the Mahayana, Keydong Tukche Choeling, Samten Choeling, Jangchub, and Khachoe give evidence to what continues even today to be a growing list of small enthusiastic and dedicated communities. The living condtions, emphasis, and basic practices engaged in these nunneries provide interesting detail to the motivation and lives of monastic women in Tibetan Buddhism. In particular, novice women have further encouraged a growing demand and necessity for advanced education including traditional close reading of sacred texts and debate previously restricted to monks.

As the author notes at the time of her writing, and though by no means complete, a substantial amount of progress had been achieved in the late 1980'regarding further development of gender equanimity among Buddhist religious monastics. Even if these small nunneries were originally discouraged by gender biases, the overall hope and appreciation for enlightenment is shared throughout Buddhism, and is ultimately viewed as immaterial and formless.