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Restoring an Ancient Tradition: The Life
of Nuns in Modern Mainland China
by Bhikshuni Ngawang
Chodron ©
Few people know
about the lives of the nuns in Mainland China, and I was fortunate
to learn about it from direct experience. As bhikshunis, one
of our precepts is to follow our upadhayayini-a senior bhikshuni
who trains a new bhikshuni and acts as her role model-for
two years. In 1987, when I became a bhikshuni, no one in the
Tibetan tradition could fulfill that role where I lived. Thus
I went to Hong Kong where I met a bhikshuni from China whom
I admired. Although I could not speak Chinese and she could
not speak English, I asked her through an interpreter if I
could be her disciple. She modestly replied that she had learned
nothing, but I took this as a sign of her humility and my
respect for her grew.
In 1994, I went to her temple in China
for the summer retreat. Later I went with her to Jiu Hua Shan,
the holy mountain of Kshitigarbha, for a large ordination
ceremony where she was the chief instructor for the 783 bhikshunis
ordained at this time. When we consider the extensive harm
that the communist regime has inflicted on Buddhists and Buddhist
institutions in the last four decades, it is remarkable and
wonderful that so many women in China now want to be ordained.
The first year I spent in China was difficult
because I did not know Chinese. Although I tried hard to do
everything with the nuns, I could not keep up. To learn Chinese
I would write a Chinese character and ask someone to tell
it to me in pinyin, the phonetic system for Chinese. In this
way, I learned the characters for some key words and was able
to follow the text when they chanted. Unfortunately, the weather
was so hot that I became ill and could not study Chinese regularly.
In 1995, I spent the summer retreat at
my master's nunnery in Guangzhou. Following that, we attended
another large ordination at Wu Tai Shan, the holy mountain
of Manjushri, where three hundred bhikshunis and three hundred
bhikshus joined the order. My stay in China then was easier
because I knew some Chinese, and interestingly, I did not
feel like a foreigner. I wore Chinese robes and felt very
comfortable with the nuns. Sometimes the Chinese nuns wanted
to try on my Tibetan robes and asked me to take their pictures
when they did!
The Beauty of Monastic Discipline
Early in their training, the nuns are
taught to stand like a candle, walk like the wind, sit like
a bell, and sleep like a bow. Chinese people are concerned
that things look good, and some of my actions, which seemed
fine to me, provoked reprimands. As a foreigner, it was very
difficult to know what looked good and what did not, especially
when it came to minor actions such as how to wash one's clothes.
I had some trouble with these cultural differences, until
I learned what we were supposed to do.
Quite a number of women came to my master's
nunnery in Guangzhou to ask to become nuns. First they were
interviewed by the abbess, and if she thought they had the
necessary qualifications, she would take them in. They then
spent two years as lay devotees in the nunnery. These women-most
of them young-came with long hair, which was cut short, and
wore the long black robe during the chanting services. They
usually worked in the kitchen or in the garden because the
nuns are not allowed to dig the ground or weed as this could
harm insects.
One of the first things told to young
women entering the nunnery is, "You have to ting hua,"
meaning, "You have to obey." This is very important,
and the new nuns diligently follow the instructions of their
seniors. After they have been at the nunnery for at least
two years, have studied the sramanerika precepts, and are
well trained, they are allowed to receive the sramanerika
ordination.
Later, when they are ready, they attend
a triple ordination platform, at which time they receive the
sramanerika, bhikshuni, and bodhisattva vows. This program
includes a rigorous three-week training period. The smartest
nuns, who know proper behavior, are put in front and lead
the other novices. Everybody is taught how to wear their robes,
walk, eat, stand in line, bow, use the sitting mat-all that
they need to know during the ordination and during their lives
as nuns. They also learn how to live the Vinaya in daily life
and memorize verses to recite when they awake in the morning,
put on their robes, tie their belt, go to the toilet, and
so on. In those weeks all kinds of individuals from all parts
of China and every walk of life learn the same basic monastic
behavior.
My master's nunnery is well known for
its study. Everyone attends morning prayers that begin at
3:30 A.M. Afterwards we study until breakfast, which according
to Vinaya must be eaten after it is light enough to see the
lines on our palm. We wear our full, formal robes in the dining
room and eat in silence. After breakfast, we recite a sutra,
do necessary work at the nunnery, and attend a class on the
precepts. Before lunch we make offerings to the Buddha in
the main hall, and then file into the dining room for the
main meal of the day. After lunch, everybody rests, this afternoon
nap being very sacrosanct! In the afternoon we chant the sutras,
make another offering to the Triple Gem, and then attend another
precept class and small study groups.
The Chinese nuns have a strong sense of
community, fostered by an atmosphere of equality and respect.
For example, everybody, including the abbess, receives the
same amount of the same food. Everyone also does some sort
of work for the communal well being. One group takes care
of the grounds and the temple. Another does kitchen duty,
which is a lot of work and no fun, but everybody works together.
Of course, in any group of people, factions exists, but the
nuns are very generous and not possessive of what they have.
In fact, the nuns are extremely disciplined
and do not want to have possessions. For example, the abbess
said I could have meals in my room, because it was difficult
for me to wear the formal robes in the hot, crowded dining
hall. One of the most exemplary nuns in the temple brought
my food. I wanted to give her a gift to thank her, but there
was nothing she wanted even though the nuns have very little
in their rooms. Instead, they want to give to other people.
For example, when an ordination occurs, they bring their clothes
to give to the new nuns. They enjoy doing things for others,
thus creating a wonderful sense of community.
When a bhikshuni shaves the head of a
nun and takes that novice on as a disciple, she is responsible
for that nun. She must ensure that the new nun has food, clothes,
housing, and teachings in the future. When my master received
special offerings from donors, she gave them to her disciples.
When those things were gone and she had little left, she gave
them her own clothes. The disciples are also responsible to
their master and greatly respect her. They care for her, help
her with Dharma projects, and practice as she instructs.
The Chinese nuns who have the opportunity
to study in nunneries appreciate this very much. They follow
the Dharmagupta Pratimoksa as strictly as possible, so discipline
is strong. Although conditions necessitate that they handle
money, which is technically prohibited in the nuns' precepts,
they recite a verse requesting purification before taking
the money. They do not eat after lunch; if they need to take
some medicine or liquid later, they recite a verse to another
bhikshuni who responds with the verse of approval. They use
the discipline in the Vinaya to strengthen their awareness
in daily life activities. For example, before eating they
remember that as monastics, they should be worthy of the food
that the sponsors offer to them. They recall not to eat it
with greed, but to regard it as medicine which sustains the
body for the purpose of practicing the Dharma.
Further, no nun will go out alone. Once
I had to empty the garbage two steps outside the nunnery,
and one nun would not let me. Of course, since so few bhikshunis
live in the West, going out with another bhikshuni is not
always possible. Not many nuns can afford two plane tickets
when they need to travel. In Hong Kong, when I asked a monk
who was one of our ordaining masters about this, he advised
that we do the best we can. If we cannot find another bhikshuni
to accompany us, we should ask a sramanerika; if there is
no sramanerika, we should ask a laywoman. The abbess said
that these rules were made principally for the safety of young
nuns, and perhaps there was not as much danger for older nuns.
Three practices are essential for the
bhikshuni sangha: posadha, varsa, and pravarana. Posadha is
the bhikshunis' twice-monthly confession ceremony. Before
it begins, all the nuns shave their heads, and then the bhikshunis
go upstairs to do the ceremony. It is difficult to express
how wonderful it is to be surrounded by many bhikshunis, doing
the confession ritual that bhikshunis have done together for
twenty-five hundred years, since the time of the Buddha. Varsa
is the three-month rains retreat held during the summer monsoon,
and pravarana is the ceremony at its conclusion. It was inspiring
to be in an environment where I could do these with other
nuns, taking part in traditions that nuns have found valuable
for centuries.
Practice and Support
Most Chinese nunneries do the Pure Land practice of meditating
on Amitabha Buddha, together with some Ch'an (Zen) practice.
Others nunneries emphasize Ch'an meditation. The nunneries
where I lived are called Lu-zong, or Vinaya School. Here,
they learn and practice Vinaya in detail for at least five
years before going on to other practices. I also visited a
bhikshuni college with a strict course, run by an extremely
bright nun at Wu Tai Shan. The women train as novices for
two years; then, if they do well, they take the siksamana
ordination and become a probationary nun. After completing
that training, they become bhikshunis. About one hundred sixty
nuns were there when I visited, with the college holding three
hundred at the maximum. They were packed in rows of nine girls,
sleeping on one large platform. Their robes and books were
kept near them, but they had nothing else. They just studied
and lived simply. It was very impressive.
A Tibetan lama, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok
Rinpoche, had the Longchen Nyingthik translated into Chinese,
and teaches that, as well as other texts, to thousands of
Chinese disciples. Many Chinese monastics want to learn and
practice Tibetan Buddhism, but do not want others to know
they do so. However, the nuns I knew practiced openly. Several
were doing ngondro, the preliminary practices of the Tibetan
tradition, in Chinese. They did the Vajrasattva hundred-syllable
mantra, and one nun had finished one hundred thousand prostrations
while others had just begun.
The nuns are not well supported financially.
The government does not support the nunneries as far as I
know. Although some benefactors offer a generous lunch from
time to time, the nuns need to receive money from their families
to eat well. Nevertheless, everybody gets the same food, and
all the nuns are vegetarian. I stayed at a nunnery in Yangzhou
that was very poor because nobody visited the neighborhood
where it was located. The government had given these nuns
an old, destroyed temple in a park to rebuild. The nuns had
no money, so an old nun would sit outside and call to passersby
in the park, "It is very meritorious to give generously."
Sometimes people would sneer at her, and other times they
would give a small amount. Gradually, and with difficulty,
the nuns are rebuilding the monastery.
The original nunnery in Guangzhou was
built in the seventeenth century. During the Cultural Revolution
it was completely destroyed and parts of the site were turned
into a factory. Afterwards, when it was returned to the nuns,
they had to wait for the lay people inhabiting the building
to move out. Some devotees in Hong Kong and a nunnery in Singapore
donated money to these nuns, and now, ten years later, their
temple, complete with a nuns' college, is almost rebuilt.
Governmental Influence
During the Cultural Revolution, most monastics
in China had to disrobe and return to their families. Our
abbess was told to burn her sutras and her robes. Instead,
she hid the sutras, in spite of the danger, and slashed her
robes, but continued to wear them, telling the officials that
she had no other clothes. For many years she had to work in
a paper factory and grow her hair long, but she still observed
her monastic precepts. She kept a fan to hide her hands when
putting them together to show respect for the Buddha. Whenever
she offered incense, she put perfume around the room to hide
the scent. Still people were suspicious and eventually she
was called to attend a political meeting. Apparently the abbess
had a special relationship with the bodhisattvas: she prayed
to them for help and had a dream in which a giant Buddha put
a huge candy in the mouth of the woman who accused her. When
the abbess went to the meeting the next day, that woman did
not open her mouth! Somehow the nuns survived: they hid; they
disguised themselves; they tried to blend in with the environment
around them. Their courage, conviction in the Dharma, and
strength of character in these difficult circumstances is
inspiring. But the minute it was safe, the abbess shaved her
head again. She then traveled around Guangzhou to look for
other nuns and persuaded them to shave their heads and resume
their lives as nuns.
Although the Chinese government presently
appears to give religious freedom, there are nonetheless many
restrictions and subtle dangers. The government is terrified
of anybody who might be a bit different or threaten the society's
stability. Government notices of rules it established for
the nunneries are posted on the walls. These rules are often
unclear and thus difficult to follow properly. At any time
government officials can accuse the nuns of breaking them
and cause trouble for the nunnery. Although the government
allows nunneries to be rebuilt, it limits the number of people
who can be ordained, and the monastics have to attend political
meetings regularly. Our abbess was called to many time-consuming
meetings, but in order to accomplish anything she had to please
the authorities by attending them.
Becoming a Bhikshuni
The bhikshuni lineage never took root
in Tibet. It was hard for Tibetan women to go to India and
difficult for Indian nuns to travel over the Himalayas to
Tibet. However, it seems a few bhikshunis lived in Tibet,
and records of some bhikshuni ordinations in Tibet were found.
People are researching this. The bhikshu ordination for monks
was almost lost during the time of King Langdarma many centuries
ago. Most of the monks were killed or forcefully disrobed,
but three who survived fled to Kham, Eastern Tibet. There
they met two Chinese monks who completed the required quorum
of five monks to give ordination. If Tibetan monks could enlist
the aid of Chinese monks, I feel that nuns in the Tibetan
tradition should be able to enlist the help of Chinese monks
and nuns who now give the bhikshuni ordination.
I feel that becoming a bhikshuni is important
for several reasons. First, a central land is defined in the
scriptures as a place which has the four classes of Buddhist
disciples: bhikshus, bhikshunis, and lay practitioners of
both sexes. If a place has no bhikshunis, it is not a central
land. Second, why should seventy-year-old nun still be a novice?
At the time of the Buddha, the women were not novices forever;
they became bhikshunis. Third, holding the bhikshuni ordination
changes one in a very deep way. This is my experience and
that of other women who have become bhikshunis. We feel more
responsible for our practice, for upholding the Dharma, and
for the welfare of sentient beings. Our self-respect and self-confidence
increase. Therefore, I believe that if one is seriously going
to be a nun, at some point she should consider becoming a
bhikshuni.
I would like to see bhikshuni ordinations
occur in India so that the nuns who cannot afford to go to
Hong Kong or Taiwan where the ordination is currently given
can attend. In that way, the bhikshuni sangha will return
to its land of origin. Some excellent abbesses and Vinaya
masters in China and Taiwan could be invited to India to give
the ordination. The Tibetan monks could observe the ceremony;
or if they would agree, they could perform the bhikshu part
of the ordination, because within one day of being ordained
by the bhikshuni sangha, a new bhikshuni must be ordained
by the bhikshu sangha.
The Western Buddhist practitioners can
help with cross-cultural contact in the larger Buddhist community.
Because many of us have lived in diverse cultures and thus
have transcended cultural differences to some extent, we have
the possibility to clarify misunderstandings among various
Buddhist traditions. For example, many Chinese have seen Tantric
iconography and have misconceptions about the Vajrayana. Similarly,
many Tibetans have misconceptions about other Buddhist traditions.
It is important that as many people as possible meet and converse
with those from other Buddhist traditions in their own and
other countries. We need to keep an open mind and try to widen
the dialogue so that misconceptions can be eliminated.
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