Kowang nunnery

Young girls used to have no opportunity for education in their region, and if they wanted to study Buddhist teachings and philosophy, it meant going to distant schools. If women did not want to get married and work without an education, their only option was to become a nun. However, this was not possible in many regions due to institutional patronage. If they went to distant monasteries, they could see their families only once a year if they had money.

The local monk Pema Samdup decided to change the situation, he met with our director and with the MOST ProTibet organization they started the construction of a women’s monastery. This project was sponsored by the local non-profit organization Sapan Foundation, which raised funds for its implementation. After a few years, it was already possible to live in the monastery, so a group of 12 nuns learned, fed and helped in the environment of the building and left for the winter to the warmer areas of Sarnath or Rewalsar.

Nowadays, both accommodation wings of the monastery, kitchen, library, classroom and a beautiful traditionally decorated and equipped temple, where prayers and “pujas” are held, are already completed.

The needs of satisfied use include a vehicle, a generator, filters for drinking water, quality sanitary facilities and plenty of heating for the winter. For example, the organization Spiti Sapan has helped in these areas in the past, and in the future we want to help so that the nuns can spend the winter in the monastery.

After all these years, it is wonderful to see how these young nuns have blossomed, how they have become independent, self-confident women who master their skills of ritual, mandala, debate with dignity and manage their daily routine duties with the light playfulness and swagger of swallows.

We hope that we will be able to invite them to the Czech Republic in the coming years, so that they can teach us something about their “craft”, how to be satisfied, humble and how to find the capacity to be here more for others.