Kung Fu Nuns of Nepal
May 06, 2023 by Marlene Wagman-Geller
Throughout the history of Buddhism, women in the Himalayas who sought to practice spirituality as equals with male monks were stigmatized. Religious leaders confined them to chores such as cooking and cleaning and barred them from physical exertions, leading prayers, singing, and participating in philosophical debates encouraged among monks. Recently, a group of nuns in Nepal changed the paradigm. Every day, the Nepal nuns exchange their maroon robes for brown uniforms in order to practice the ancint martial art of kung-fu. Conservative Buddhists often make them the target of criticism. Konchok Lhamo, one of the nuns, stated, "It is not enough to meditate on a cushion inside a monastery." (Article in The New York Times UPFRONT MAGAZINE)
