The Buddhist nuns who learn Kung Fu and lend a strong helping hand

The Drukpa order of Buddhist nuns that performs Kung Fu has been shortlisted for the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize 2020

The Buddhist nuns of the 1,000-year-old Drukpa (dragon) lineage have been learning Kung Fu for 13 years now. It is a novelty that gets them media coverage and makes for stunning photographs and videos: a group of shorn women in spartan clothes and sports shoes working a machete or a fan traditionally armed with a blade, against the backdrop of the Himalayas. About 500 nuns live on the premises of the Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery that overlooks the Kathmandu valley. Now, they are getting recognition for the work they do in the hours outside of Kung Fu and their spiritual practice. The group has been nominated as one of the three finalists for the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize 2020 that “rewards outstanding civil society action in the defence of human rights in Europe and beyond”.