Kung fu nuns to be global champs of gender equality
3 Dec 2013 5:21 AM IST
A kung fu expert, Lhamo wakes up at 3 every morning and spends time picking up kung fu, plumbing, driving and difficult rituals of her religion–things which used to be a rather male preserve in the Buddhist world till now.
After a vigorous showing of their martial arts skills on the sunny terrace of their nunnery, Lhamo tells Millennium Post why she opted for this unique profession, ‘Kung fu enhances my concentration and fitness. It helps me meditate better which is a must at the nunnery’.
Lhamo and the 250-odd nuns who are training in the Vietnamese school of Kung Fu will now be sent to other monasteries of the world including those in India to be teachers of this ancient martial art.
At dawn every day, young women from the 800-year-old Drukpa monastery exchange their maroon robes for pyjamas and sashes to learn how to chop and punch from a Vietnamese teacher. Popularised in Hollywood films starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, learning Kung fu is only part of Gwalang Drukpa, the head of the sect’s vision to implement gender equality. Said the Drukpa, ‘Traditionally, nuns can’t be chant masters. But at the monastery here, you can see nuns at the forefront during the puja and 700 odd male monks at the back. They have also performed kung fu at Olympic Park in London and at CERN in Switzerland’.
Another spiritual leader of this sect, Gyalwa Dokhampa says that it is time for the nuns to explore their other talents as well. ‘A few nuns have been sent to Oxford to study language. A few others are training to be paramedical staff too’, he said.
Interestingly Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia have also shown interest in emulating the Drukpa’s module of gender equality. Buddhism in this part of the world used to be a rather male domain with the women given tasks like cooking and cleaning for the monks. But at the Drukpa nunnery, women call the shots. From running the cafe, which serves coffee and banana cake, to driving to town to fetch groceries, the nuns do everything. The nuns also perform the mask dance which was earlier the sole prerogative of the monks. Says Wangchuk Lhamo (15) and a Kung fu nun, ‘I wanted to practise Dharma. But I love Kung fu. I also serve tea since I’m one of the youngest members of the nunnery’, smiles Lhamo.
The Gyalwang Drukpa personally taught the nuns the rituals.’Buddha never said women are less
important.They have incredible potential which is finally being recognised,’ says the Gyalwang Drukpa who is the 12th incarnation of the leader of the Drukpa - or dragon sect of Buddhism.
After a vigorous showing of their martial arts skills on the sunny terrace of their nunnery, Lhamo tells Millennium Post why she opted for this unique profession, ‘Kung fu enhances my concentration and fitness. It helps me meditate better which is a must at the nunnery’.
Lhamo and the 250-odd nuns who are training in the Vietnamese school of Kung Fu will now be sent to other monasteries of the world including those in India to be teachers of this ancient martial art.
At dawn every day, young women from the 800-year-old Drukpa monastery exchange their maroon robes for pyjamas and sashes to learn how to chop and punch from a Vietnamese teacher. Popularised in Hollywood films starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, learning Kung fu is only part of Gwalang Drukpa, the head of the sect’s vision to implement gender equality. Said the Drukpa, ‘Traditionally, nuns can’t be chant masters. But at the monastery here, you can see nuns at the forefront during the puja and 700 odd male monks at the back. They have also performed kung fu at Olympic Park in London and at CERN in Switzerland’.
Another spiritual leader of this sect, Gyalwa Dokhampa says that it is time for the nuns to explore their other talents as well. ‘A few nuns have been sent to Oxford to study language. A few others are training to be paramedical staff too’, he said.
Interestingly Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia have also shown interest in emulating the Drukpa’s module of gender equality. Buddhism in this part of the world used to be a rather male domain with the women given tasks like cooking and cleaning for the monks. But at the Drukpa nunnery, women call the shots. From running the cafe, which serves coffee and banana cake, to driving to town to fetch groceries, the nuns do everything. The nuns also perform the mask dance which was earlier the sole prerogative of the monks. Says Wangchuk Lhamo (15) and a Kung fu nun, ‘I wanted to practise Dharma. But I love Kung fu. I also serve tea since I’m one of the youngest members of the nunnery’, smiles Lhamo.
The Gyalwang Drukpa personally taught the nuns the rituals.’Buddha never said women are less
important.They have incredible potential which is finally being recognised,’ says the Gyalwang Drukpa who is the 12th incarnation of the leader of the Drukpa - or dragon sect of Buddhism.
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