When Was Buddhism Founded

Raped Buddhist nun's lost virginity might mean she no longer can serve

KATHMANDU — A Buddhist nun raped by five men on a bus is facing ostracism from her religious life.

"The religious dictum requires a nun to be virgin. So, it will be difficult to take her back," the president of Nepal, Tamang Ghedung Kumar Yonjan, said in an article in the Nepal Republic Media . "But we will lobby for her reinstatement as it is a unique incident."

An article in GreaterKashmir.com explained that some "orthodox Buddhist organizations" condemned the attack, but said "she had lost her religion as she had lost her celibacy." This led to an outcry, the article continued, that included other Buddhists "citing incidents from the Buddhist scriptures to show how the Buddha absolved a nun of blame after she was drugged and raped by a monk."

However, Norbu Sherpa, an official of Nepal Buddhist Federation, told the Times of India , "Such a thing never happened in the Buddha's lifetime. … So he did not leave instructions about how to deal with the situation. Buddhists all over the world adhere to what he had laid down: that a person can no longer be considered ordained in case of having a physical relationship. It's applicable to both men and women."

When pressed by the Times of India, Sherpa expressed regret about the attack, but said, "A vessel that is damaged once can no longer be used to keep water. … Buddhism all over the world says this. Even the Dalai Lama says you can't be a monk or nun after marriage."

One of Nepal's most popular singers, a 40-year-old Buddist nun named Choying Drolma has come to the stigmatized nun's defense. The Times of India reported that Drolma "offered her a new home at Arya Tara, the school run by the Nuns' Welfare Foundation. Choying founded the non-profit organization with the money earned through her singing to provide education to Buddhist nuns — anis — who mostly remain neglected while monks have greater access to education."

"She is still a nun at heart and she didn't lose her virginity willingly," Drolma told the Nepal Republic Media. "I will consult our gurus and maybe she would be taken back after some sort of cleansing rituals."

"This could have happened to anybody," Drolma told The Independent . "Right now, the most important thing is to treat her like a human being and then later we can look into the matter of whether she is still a nun."

The involvement of Drolma will "help wash off the stigma attached to the poor nun," Nepal24Hours.com said .

Buddhist Travelers - Thich Nhat Hanh and David Suzuki to Discuss ...

What happens when one of the world's most revered Buddhist teachers and a leading thinker on the environment are faced with the following question: What gives you hope that we can bring about the collective awakening needed to restore health to the planet?

We will find out on August 15 when Buddhist monk, poet, peace and human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, sits down in Vancouver with Canada's David Suzuki, an award winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, to discuss the path forward to a more sustainable way of living.

Their conversation will be based on the premise that it is well known that humans are harming the earth, destroying its ecosystems and disrupting the climate. But we act as if it is not happening. So the issue is how to bring about the change in human behavior that is needed to put the world on a path that will ensure a healthy planet for future generations.

Although attendance at the discussion is by invitation only, it will be filmed and made available on YouTube and on international websites. This means the influence of the two leaders will spread widely in the weeks and months ahead.

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