Feeling for Fate: Karma and the Senses in Buddhist Nuns’ Ordination Narratives

In Vietnam, the decision for young women to ordain as Mahayana Buddhist nuns is navigated through careful interpretations of feeling. Nuns state their decisions to “go forth” ( đi tu ) in youth were precipitated by feelings of peace and comfort in monasteries even before they understood Buddhist tea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of global buddhism
Main Author: Swenson, Sara Ann (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: [publisher not identified] 2020
In: Journal of global buddhism
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Vietnam / Buddhism / Woman / Emotion / Karma / Order / Nun
RelBib Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
BL Buddhism
KBM Asia
Further subjects:B Vietnam
B Buddhism
B Ordination
B Emotion
B Gender
B Karma
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Rights Information:CC BY-NC 4.0
Description
Summary:In Vietnam, the decision for young women to ordain as Mahayana Buddhist nuns is navigated through careful interpretations of feeling. Nuns state their decisions to “go forth” ( đi tu ) in youth were precipitated by feelings of peace and comfort in monasteries even before they understood Buddhist teachings. Such feelings are interpreted as indicators of past-life karmic bonds, which create “predestined affinities” in this life (nhân duyên ). Youth determine pre-inclination for monasticism early in life by reading their bodily reactions to Buddhist spaces with or without adults’ assistance. Nuns reclaim local cultural concepts of femininity by declaring that women have special capacities for discerning these predestined affinities and that they must assume unequal monastic rules because of their innate gendered nobility. This article nuances understandings of women’s agency in global Buddhism by exploring how Vietnamese nuns interpret local concepts of the feminine body as resources for pursuing Buddhist ordination.
ISSN:1527-6457
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of global buddhism
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4030985