Weeks ago you were introduced to Liz and her week long stay at the women’s monastery near Pharping village outside of Kathmandu. She did a good part of her field research at this site. Her research objective was to discover more about Buddhist nuns in Nepal. We hear often about the Dalai Lama and Buddhist monks, but the nuns were her focus – to interact with the nuns and to learn their real reasons of joining the monastery. Among the many questions she asked, she feels these were the most important: Why did the nuns enter the monastery? What are the nuns’ current roles in the monastery? How are the nuns educated, i.e. what subjects, where, with whom, by whom? What level of ordination are the majority of nuns? Is it possible to get ordained to a higher level?
Liz says, “Ultimately, the most important question that covers all the of these questions is, in a society that tells women their role is to marry and have children, why do some Buddhist women choose the monastery over marrying and creating a family?”
Liz talking to the nuns; Photo by Megan Kack
“During my first couple of days with the nuns my goal was to orient myself in the monastery, find out what they are comfortable talking about, and to start building a relationship with the girls I was going to talk to.” At first the girls were a bit shy, but Liz’s warm smile and genuine interest won them over very quickly.
“Luckily the day after I arrived, the nuns had a holiday, so they did not have class, and I was able to spend more time talking and getting to know them. I also was lucky enough to talk to one of the first graduates of the Arya Tara School, who had come back to the school on her break from the university to help teach the younger nuns.
I learned that the school was ten years old, and that they school strongly encourages the young nuns to further their education at a university after they graduate. The Arya Tara graduate said it is difficult for women in Nepal to go to a university, and there are not that many nuns who go to university, so it was unique that the school had such a strong emphasis on this.
“During the weekend I was able to see the nuns dance their traditional dance of the goddesses, and although they did not dress up to practice, they gave me a picture of the traditional outfits they wear when they perform the dance. I was also able to hear the nuns practice their singing and practice their traditional Nepali instruments. . . . There is a strong sense of community in the school. This helped explain why the young nuns were okay leaving their families to go to school; they really support each other, and become each other’s families.”
- Nuns doing their morning prayers; Photo by Sarah Mahowald
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