Ugyen
Drolma has lived at the Jachung Karmo nunnery since it was founded
in 1987. Located high on a cliff and reached by a two-and-a-half hour
trek through thick jungles, the nunnery is one of the most remote
in all of Bhutan. As a result, the nuns have not been able to attract
any good teachers who are willing to make the journey to their school,
and all the nuns have been limited to studying basic recitations and
rituals. Ugyen Drolma’s greatest hope is to find monks who can
come and teach Buddhist philosophy, literature, logic and epistemology.
The struggles Ugyen Drolma faces at her nunnery have made her question
her opportunities in life as a woman and nun. “If monks are
not lazy and work hard, they can have the opportunity to achieve a
high level of learning. This is not the same for us. I envy them for
having such good teachers,” she confessed. “If I am reborn,
I hope it is as a man so that I can have a better chance to learn.”
