Buddhist Women in Nepal Practice Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Strength

Buddhist nuns in Nepal are once again performing martial arts for the public after a five-year

break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The women recently put on a show for onlookers at their religious community, called a monastery, outside the capital, Kathmandu.

The performance was attended by reporters from Reuters news agency.

Members of the hilltop Druk Amitabha monastery are part of the 1,000-year-old Drukpa religious organization.

The group gives nuns equal status to male community members, called monks.

The Drukpa lineage includes the only female order in the male-led Buddhist monastery system.

The nun community was established in 2009 and now has 300 members between the ages of 6 and 54.

The nuns come from Bhutan, India, and Nepal.

They are all trained in kung fu, the ancient Chinese-style martial art that promotes self-defense and strength.

In their recent performance, the nuns were seen moving their hands quickly and kicking their legs high, with some holding swords.

Hundreds of people gathered to watch the performance and cheered the group on.

Usually, such religious organizations expect nuns to cook and clean and not practice any form of martial arts.

But one monk, Ghelvang Drukpa, decided to train women in kung fu to improve their health and spiritual well-being.

He has a position just slightly below the Dalai Lama in the Tibetan Buddhist leadership.

Jigme Janghope Chosten is a 23-year-old nun who came from Ladakh in India. She told Reuters,

Another performer was 24-year-old Jigme Jangcheng Ghamo, a nun from Ramachap in Nepal.

The nuns' website explains that

Another member of the group is Jigme Konchoklamo, a 30-year-old nun from India.

She said her main goal for the future is to reach enlightenment, like Lord Buddha, who founded Buddhism 2,600 years ago. She added, I'm Jill Robbins