Nun

x-rated nuns

File:Nun in cloister, 1930.jpg

Nun in cloister, 1930; photograph by Doris Ulmann

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 Christians, Anglicans, Jains, Lutherans, and Buddhists, for example. The male equivalent of a nun is a monk.

Roman Catholic

In Roman Catholicism a nun is the term for an enclosed female monastic regular, equivalent to that of a male monk.

In the Roman Catholic tradition, there are a number of different orders of nuns each with its own charism or special devotion. In general, when a person enters a convent she has a trial period (Noviciate) that lasts a number of years. Upon completion of this period she may take her vows.

In the various branches of the Benedictine tradition (Benedictines, Cistercian and Trappists) nuns usually take formal vows of stability (that is, to remain a member of a single monastic community), obedience (to an abbess or prioress), and "conversion of life" (which includes the ideas of poverty and chastity) while in other groups like the "Poor Clares" (a Franciscan order) and Dominicans the three-fold vows of chastity, poverty and obedience are professed.

Nuns observe "papal enclosure" rules and their monasteries typically have walls and grilles separating the nuns from the outside world. The nuns rarely leave, though they may have visitors in specially built parlors that allow them to meet with outsiders. They are usually self-sufficient, earning money by selling jams or candies or baked goods by mail order, or by making liturgical items (vestments, candles, bread for Holy Communion). They sometimes undertake contemplative ministries – that is, a monastery of nuns is often associated with prayer for some particular good or supporting the missions of another order by prayer (the Maryknoll order has both missionary sisters and cloistered nuns; and the sisters of Daughters of Saint Paul are supported in their media ministry by the nuns of the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master), prayer for a diocese, etc.^{[citation needed]}

Technically, a convent is the home of a community of sisters – or, indeed, of priests and brothers, though this term is rarely used in the U.S. The term "monastery" is usually used by communities within the Benedictine family, and convent (when referring to a cloister) of certain other orders.

A nun who is elected to head her monastery is termed an abbess if the monastery is an abbey, a prioress if it is a priory, or more generically may be referred to as the Mother Superior. The distinction between abbey and priory has to do with the terms used by a particular order or by the level of independence of the monastery.

Distinction between nun and religious sister

In the Roman Catholic Church, "nun" and "religious sister" have distinct meanings. Women belonging to orders like the Sisters of Charity, or 3rd order Franciscans or Dominicans are religious sisters, not nuns. Nuns and sisters are distinguished by the type of vows they take (solemn vow vs. simple vow) and the focus of their good works. The type of vows that are taken are dependent on the Constitutions and/or rule of each community, which are submitted for approval to the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life, a body of the Roman Curia. The religious community of a nun is referred to as a "religious order" while the religious community of a sister is referred to as an "institute" or "congregation". Nun and sister are mutually exclusive religious paths. To be a nun, one must

Live in a cloistered community or monastery
Have taken the solemn vows of poverty, chastity and obedience (as opposed to the perpetual simple vows of poverty, chastity and obedience taken by sisters); and
Recite the Liturgy of the Hours or other prayers together with her community.

Nuns are restricted from leaving the cloister, though some may engage in limited teaching or other vocational work depending on the strictness of enforcement. Visitors are not allowed into the monastery to freely associate with nuns. In essence, the work of a nun is within the confines of her monastery, while the work of a sister is in the greater world. Both sisters and nuns are addressed as "Sister".

Eastern Orthodox Christian

File:Nuns001.jpg

Eastern Orthodox Nuns with their Abbess

In the Eastern Orthodox Church there is no distinction between a monastery for men and a monastery for women. In the Greek language both domiciles are called monasteries and the ascetics who live there are Monastics. In English, however, it is acceptable to use the terms "nun," "convent," and "abbess" simply for clarity and convenience. Orthodox monastics do not have "orders" as in the Roman Catholic Church. Orthodox monks and nuns lead identical spiritual lives. There may be slight differences in the way a monastery functions internally but these are simply style differences (Gr. Typica) dependent on the Abbess or Abbot. The Abbess is the spiritual leader of the convent and her authority is absolute (no priest, bishop, or even patriarch can override an abbess within the walls of her monastery). There has always been fair equality between men and women in the Orthodox Church. Abbots and Abbesses rank in authority equal to bishops in many ways and were included in ecumenical councils. Abbesses hear confessions (but do not absolve) and dispense blessings on their charges though they still require the services of a presbyter (i.e., a priest) in order to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and other priestly functions, such as absolution of a penitent.

Orthodox monastics, in general have little or no contact with the outside world, especially family. The pious family whose child decides to enter the monastic profession understands that their child will become "dead to the world" and therefore be unavailable.

There are a number of different levels that the nun passes through in her profession. When one enters a monastery the first three to five years are spent as a novice. Novices may or may not (depending on the abbess's wishes) dress in the black inner robe (Isorassa); those who do will also usually wear the apostolnik or a black scarf tied over the head (see photo). The isorassa is the first part of the monastic "habit" of which there is only one style for Orthodox monastics (this is true in general, there have been a few slight regional variations over the centuries). If a novice chooses to leave during the novitiate period no penalty is incurred. When the abbess deems the novice ready, the novice is asked to join the monastery. If she accepts, she is tonsured in a formal service, given the outer robe (Exorassa) and veil (Epanokamelavkion) to wear, and (because she is now dead to the world) receives a new name. Nuns consider themselves part of a sisterhood, however, tonsured nuns are usually called "Mother". The next level for monastics takes place some years after the first tonsure when the abbess feels the nun has reached a level of discipline, dedication, and humility. Once again, in a formal service the nun is elevated to the "Schema" which is signified by additions to her "habit" of certain symbolic pieces. In addition, the abbess increases the nun’s prayer rule, she is allowed a more strict personal ascetic practice, and she is given more responsibility. The final stage, called "Megaloschemos" or "Great Schema" is reached by nuns whose Abbess feels they have reached a high level of excellence. In some monastic traditions the Great Schema is only given to monks and nuns on their death bed, while in others they may be elevated after as little as 25 years of service.

Other Christian

Churches that are directly descended from the Reformation, such as the Anglicans, and Lutherans, and even Calvinists continue to have small monastic communities. In some Anglican orders, there are nuns who have been ordained as priests.

Buddhist

Nuns also appear in Buddhist traditions. The ordination of Monks and nuns in Buddhism distinguishes three stages (rabjung(ma), getshül(ma), and gelong(ma)), but the number of vows to be taken is different (women have more vows). This is due to a greater need of protection of women in a patriarchal environment, in which ordination of women by the Buddha in historical times must be seen as almost revolutionary. The important vows are the same, however.

The clothes of the nuns in Tibet are basically the same with those of monks, but there are differences between novice and gelong robes, and there is of course a lot of variation between different Buddhist cultures in Asia.

Both nuns and monks are highly respected in Buddhist countries. Both groups sometimes perform rituals for lay people in order to earn money. Similarly, the monastery can perform rituals if lay persons donate money with such intentions. Nuns and monks alike can advance spiritually on the path and then become a Buddhist teacher -- e.g. a 'lama'.

Tibet

Unfortunately, due to the same sociocultural premises (making it difficult for women to be nuns), the full ordination (skt. bikshuni, tib. gelongma) has been lost in India and Tibet. Therefore, it is only possible for women to take rabjungma ('entering') and getshülma ('novice') ordinations. It is permissible to get ordination from another living tradition, e.g. in Vietnam, an opportunity taken by some Western nuns from Tibetan traditions who intend to revive 'gelongma' ordination in this way. It has to be mentioned here that in Buddhism a full ordination requires the presence of ten fully ordained people keeping the same vows, i.e., there is a need to have 10 gelongmas in order to ordain a new one. This is why the tradition cannot easily be reinstalled.

Thailand

In Thailand, a country which never had a tradition of fully-ordained nuns (bhikkhuni), there developed a separate order of non-ordained female renunciates called Mae Ji. At the beginning of the 21st century some Buddhist women in Thailand have started to introduce the bhikkhuni sangha in their country as well, even if public acceptance is still lacking. Bhikkhuni Dhammananda, the former successful academic scholar Dr. Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, established a controversial monastery for the training of Buddhist nuns in Thailand.

Other

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an order of self-described nuns originating in San Francisco, California. Originally they were only male homosexuals but now including people of all genders and orientations. They have vows to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt. Conservative Christians see them as, at best, irrelevant.

Movies, plays & TV shows featuring nuns

Nuns play an important role in our imaginations. The following list, of works with Wikipedia articles where nuns play a major part, ranges from A Time for Miracles which is literally hagiography to the blatant nunsploitation of Sacred Flesh. All the works use Catholic nuns save Black Narcissus (Anglican Protestants). All are outsiders' views with the sole exception of Dead Man Walking which is based on an autobiography by Sister Helen Prejean. There are a couple of horror titles, but The Magdalene Sisters depicts real life horror perpetrated by nuns.

External links

Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis
Poor Clare nuns in Rockford, Illinois
Nuns from the Catholic Encyclopedia
A Blog about Being a Catholic Nun in Today’s World
A Biography of a Vajrayana Buddhist Nun
Martin Luther's letter To Several Nuns, August 6, 1524. (Two reasons life at the convent and vows may be forsaken)
Legal Information for Nuns
PhD thesis on former nuns and sex
Sakyadhita -- The International Association of Buddhist Women