Nun

In general, a nun is a female ascetic who chooses to voluntarily leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent. The term "nun" is applicable to Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Buddhists, for example. The male equivalent of a nun is a monk.

Buddhist

Nuns also appear in Buddhist traditions. While monks and nuns are celibate, it is not unusual for both to exist within the same monastery. There are many variations to the style of "habit" worn by these monastics, however, most, male and female, shave their head. Traditionally, Buddhist nuns were considered to be fully ordained; therefore, a Buddhist nun, just as much as a monk, is a priest. However, in Thailand, a country which never had a tradition of fully-ordained nuns, there developed a separate order of non-ordained female renunciates called Mae Ji.

Related Topics:
Buddhist - Thailand - Mae Ji

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