Dated, Kathmandu, 19th July, 2011.
Dear Sudeshna Sarkar ji Please refer to your news article titled Gangraped Nepal nun now faces expulsion from nunnery dated Jul 11, 2011, in Times of India.The second part of the title is misleading and has caused lots of pain in the Buddhist community all over the world, which is natural. Nepal Buddhist Federation has never said that she is
expelled from the nunnery and that she lost her religion, as has been wrongly quoted.
Ani Karma Lhamu alias Sangita Lama, the nun in question has been brought to Nepal from Siliguri, India, and is currently admitted in TUTH in Kathmandu. The members of the NBF personally met her and her relatives in the hospital where her condition is still very unstable. NBF also met the authorities of the Karma Samtenling Nunnery at
Pharbing, which she left a year ago when she went to India to pursue further studies. She is not expelled from the nunnery.Acharya Norbu Sherpa during the press conference only reacted to the question whether the nun still maintains celibacy. He spoke in reference to breaking of vows in the vinaya rules about monks and nuns in general
and not specifically referred to the present case which, he said, even was not expected in Buddha’s time. Such philosophical debates are his personal views and are not the official stand of NBF. NBF in collaboration with our allied Association Tamang Lama Gedung Sangh and the concerned nunnery is taking steps to accommodate her back into
the nunnery when she recovers and discharged from the hospital. NBF will do everything in its power to help restore the dignity of the nun and continue to fight for justice.
As you know that Buddhists in general has been suppressed in Nepal during the 240 years and only last few years, we are finding some space of expression in the emerging democracy. Yet it is a fact that most of the activities of the NBF for the preservation and promotion of our religion never get the required coverage in the media and this is a continuous struggle for us. You may now realize Government’s apathy to our community in Nepal, as you have rightly said in the following article that the nun finally got admitted into the Government hospital only after lots of political and social pressure.
Unfortunately, such harsh treatment to monks and nuns do not generally make news in our country which has approximately 5000 monasteries, living in difficult conditions from Drachula to Taplejung.
On the contrary the monasteries and nunneries in general in Nepal has been a subject of systematic negative media campaign for the last few years including such baseless allegation of possessing weapons and our monks and nuns live in perpetual fear. Under such circumstance, your regular write ups on the plight of our nun are a welcome step. I hope
you will continue to take up the plights of monks and nuns in Nepal and help us retain the dignity of the place of birth of Lord Buddha.
We will assure you of our cooperation.
Nepal Buddhist Federation
Dated, Kathmandu, 19th July, 2011.
Dear Sudeshna Sarkar ji Please refer to your news article titled Gangraped Nepal nun now faces expulsion from nunnery dated Jul 11, 2011, in Times of India.The second part of the title is misleading and has caused lots of pain in the Buddhist community all over the world, which is natural. Nepal Buddhist Federation has never said that she is
expelled from the nunnery and that she lost her religion, as has been wrongly quoted.
Ani Karma Lhamu alias Sangita Lama, the nun in question has been brought to Nepal from Siliguri, India, and is currently admitted in TUTH in Kathmandu. The members of the NBF personally met her and her relatives in the hospital where her condition is still very unstable. NBF also met the authorities of the Karma Samtenling Nunnery at
Pharbing, which she left a year ago when she went to India to pursue further studies. She is not expelled from the nunnery.Acharya Norbu Sherpa during the press conference only reacted to the question whether the nun still maintains celibacy. He spoke in reference to breaking of vows in the vinaya rules about monks and nuns in general
and not specifically referred to the present case which, he said, even was not expected in Buddha’s time. Such philosophical debates are his personal views and are not the official stand of NBF. NBF in collaboration with our allied Association Tamang Lama Gedung Sangh and the concerned nunnery is taking steps to accommodate her back into
the nunnery when she recovers and discharged from the hospital. NBF will do everything in its power to help restore the dignity of the nun and continue to fight for justice.
As you know that Buddhists in general has been suppressed in Nepal during the 240 years and only last few years, we are finding some space of expression in the emerging democracy. Yet it is a fact that most of the activities of the NBF for the preservation and promotion of our religion never get the required coverage in the media and this is a continuous struggle for us. You may now realize Government’s apathy to our community in Nepal, as you have rightly said in the following article that the nun finally got admitted into the Government hospital only after lots of political and social pressure.
Unfortunately, such harsh treatment to monks and nuns do not generally make news in our country which has approximately 5000 monasteries, living in difficult conditions from Drachula to Taplejung.
On the contrary the monasteries and nunneries in general in Nepal has been a subject of systematic negative media campaign for the last few years including such baseless allegation of possessing weapons and our monks and nuns live in perpetual fear. Under such circumstance, your regular write ups on the plight of our nun are a welcome step. I hope
you will continue to take up the plights of monks and nuns in Nepal and help us retain the dignity of the place of birth of Lord Buddha.
We will assure you of our cooperation.
Nepal Buddhist Federation
NBF