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Buddhist nuns to turn first generation of dons
Nearly three years ago the globetrotting elderly Buddhist monk the Dalai Lama came out with a perfect prescription for the first time in history to empower the nuns. His decision encouraged them to take up doctorates in philosophy.
Nearly three years ago the globetrotting elderly Buddhist monk the Dalai Lama came out with a perfect prescription for the first time in history to empower the nuns. His decision encouraged them to take up doctorates in philosophy. The first batch of 20 Buddhist nuns is set to become the first generation of women professors in the Tibetan tradition.
Traditionally, the doctorate was awarded only to the monks after 12 or more years of rigorous study in Buddhist philosophy. Officials say in 2012 a historic decision was taken by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) as advocated by the Dalai Lama that the doctorate programme for nuns be established.
"His Holiness was quite impressed at the level of knowledge the nuns showed at a prayer festival in Dharamsala in March 2012. He strongly recommended that the nuns should also be included in the Geshe process," CTA's department of religion and culture joint secretary Thubten Tsering told this correspondent. Geshe is the equivalent of a philosophy doctorate.
Tsering said the decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of representatives from six nunneries, the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and the Tibetan Nuns Project held in Dharamsala on May 18-19, 2012. According to him, a regulation on the conferment of degrees to the nuns studying at nunneries and Buddhist learning institutes was also formulated at the meeting.
A nun who passes the final examination after completing a total of 21 years of studies is conferred the doctorate degree. To graduate with a doctorate degree, one studies five Buddhist texts - all based on the teachings of the Buddha - over a period of 20 years. The method of study involves logical analysis and debate, combined with regular sessions of prayer and recitation.
The doctorate degree is known as Geshe when awarded to the monks and Geshema when awarded to the nuns. In 2011, Kelsang Wangmo, a German national who spent 21 years training in India, became the first woman to receive the Geshema degree and title.
By Vishal Gulati
