Mother

“I was lonely living in the village, and now I suddenly have so many children. All the nuns are my daughters. They all love me and show me so much compassion.” –Nidup Bidha, 67, asked to help guide young nuns and be a motherly figure to them by her Rinpoche at the Pema Choeling nunnery, Bumthang

After Nidup Bidha lost both her husband and only child, she was asked by Gangtey Rinpoche, the founder of the Pema Choeling nunnery, to come and help oversee the nunnery. The Rinpoche wanted a motherly figure present among the 95 young nuns living at the institute. He said to her, “you can begin a spiritual path and be their guide and motherly figure, you don’t have to live this lonely life in the village.”

Ndiup Bidha agreed to join. “My life is like a setting sun that has already crossed midday,” she reflected. “I thought, I had better join the nunnery and help them; this way I’ll be much better off.”

She feels her greatest challenge as the Mother is ensuring the safety of the nuns. “Men with evil intentions may come and try to have affairs with the nuns,” she hypothesized. “They may come in the garb of a monk or as a father or brother of a nun, and then have an affair with a nun instead. I try to prevent this.“ So far, there have been no incidences of this happening. Perhaps she has done her job well. '