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

Marie Yoshida

In this essay Karma Lekshe Tsomo explains Tibetan nunsÅf situation nowadays. Tsomo states that there were 618 nunneries and 18,828 nuns in 1959, that Tibet had the largest Buddhist community in the world, and that the first nun in Tibetan history was Indian. In other countries, there are no statistics available concerning the number of nunneries and nuns. Tsomo states that except for some cases, nunneries were separated from monasteries in Tibet.

After 1959, many nuns have tried to escape from Tibet because of the political situation. Tsomo introduces the present day life style of the Tibetan nuns living in exile in nunneries such as the Geden Ghoeling Nunnery, Mahayana Buddhist Nunnery, and Fangchub Choeling Nunnery. According to Tsomo, Geden Choeling was established to offer intensive dharma practice for women whose ages are generally young, under thirty. They have a daily program, and some courses are provided by monks in the great monastic universities. In the Mahayana Buddhist Nunnery, Tsomo writes that nuns concentrate to learn ritual and meditation. Their age is between seven and seventy-three, and since there are no resident teachers, senior nuns teach younger nuns. The Fangchub Choeling Nunnery was established based on new concepts in south India, and its mission is to provide the same training as monks.

Tsomo claims that there are some disadvantages for nuns. For instance the text books which nuns use were written by male scholars, while religious study for nuns is ignored. Moreover, she argues that the facilities are not enough to accommodate nuns and those who are eligible to enter the nunneries. She states the necessity for nuns and young women to have higher education so that they can obtain benefit from their society not only for themselves but for all women.