Generation

“My father said that life as a lay person is full of suffering and that it would be better if I joined the nunnery and left that life.” –Sangay Dema, 32, teacher and chant master at the
Animdratshang nunnery, Paro

Sangay Dema joined the nunnery at the urging of her father, Lobzang, who became a monk after losing his wife 22 years ago. Sangay Dema says her father is a deeply spiritual man who impressed his devotion on her and inspired her to begin her own spiritual path. Lobzang now lives at the nunnery at his daugther’s request. As his only child and without anyone to care for him, Sangay Dema feels she must look after his health and keep him from feeling loneliness in his old age.

Confident and hopeful, Sangay Dema sees her personal future and the growth of women’s spirituality in general as very promising. There was a time, she said, when nunneries were certainly in decline. In the 11 years she has been at the nunnery, however, she has witnessed the nunnery grow from 9 to 43 inhabitants. With these trends and the government’s continued support, Sangay Dema believes that nunneries will one day flourish in Bhutan.