尼泊尔的佛教尼姑在因新冠疫情中断五年后，重新公开表演武术。这些尼姑来自不丹、印度和尼泊尔，她们练习功夫以促进身心健康，并推动女性赋权和性别平等。
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 six 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, Gyalwang 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 Jangchub Chosdon is a 23-year-old nun who came from Ladakh in India. She told Reuters, “We do kung fu to keep ourselves mentally and physically fit, and our aim is to promote women's empowerment and gender equality."
Another performer was 24-year-old Jigme Yangchen Gamo, a nun from Ramechhap in Nepal. She said, "With the confidence from kung fu, I really want to help the community, young girls to build their own strength."
The nuns’ website explains that the combination of gender equality, physical strength and respect for all living things represents the order's return to its "true spiritual roots."
In the past, the nuns have traveled long distances on foot and by bike in the Himalayas to raise money for disaster relief and to promote environment-friendly living.
Another member of the group is Jigme Konchok Lhamo, 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, "But for now as I am a normal person... I think I will be focusing more on helping others. Helping others is our religion."