A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent. The term "nun" is applicable to Catholics – both eastern and western traditions – Orthodox Christians, Anglicans, Lutherans, Jains, Buddhists, and Taoists. While in common usage the terms ''nun'' and ''sister'' are often used interchangeably, in some cases they are differentiated, a ''nun'' being a religious woman who lives a contemplative cloistered life of prayer and meditation, while a ''sister'', in Christian denominations, lives an active vocation of prayer and service, often to the needy, sick, poor, and uneducated.

Buddhism

All Buddhist traditions have nuns, although their status is different among the various Buddhist countries. The Buddha is reported to have allowed women into the ''sangha'' only with great reluctance, predicting that the move would lead to Buddhism's collapse after 500 years, rather than the 1,000 years it would have enjoyed otherwise (this prophecy occurs only once in the Canon and is the only prophecy involving time in the Canon, leading some to suspect that it is a late addition.) Fully ordained Buddhist nuns (''bhikkhunis'') have more ''Patimokkha''-rules than the monks (''bhikkhus''). The important vows are the same, however.

As with monks, there is quite a lot of variation in nuns' dress and social conventions between different Buddhist cultures in Asia. Chinese nuns possess the full ''bhikkuni'' ordination, Tibetan nuns do not, and in Theravada countries female renunciates are discouraged from even wearing saffron robes. Disparities may often be observed in the amount of respect and financial resources given to monks viz. Nuns, with nuns receiving less of both in all countries with the possible exception of Taiwan. Despite barriers, some nuns succeed in becoming religious teachers and authorities.

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''. However, some of them has played an important role in dharma-practitioners' community. There are in Thai Forest Tradition foremost nuns such as Mae Ji Kaew Sianglam, the founder of Nunnery of Baan Huai Saai, who is believed to be enlightened as well as Upasika Kee Nanayon. 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. The Venerable Dhammananda, the former successful academic scholar Dr. Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, established a controversial monastery for the training of Buddhist nuns in Thailand.

Taiwan

Chinese Buddhism possesses a full ''bhikkuni'' tradition. Thanks largely to the efforts of Master Cheng Yen of the Buddhist charity Tzu Chi (which utterly dominates philanthopic giving in Taiwan), Taiwan's nuns nowadays probably receive more public respect and support than monks.

Researcher Charles Brewer Jones estimates that since 1952, when the Buddhist Association of the ROC organized public ordination, female applicants have outnumbered males by about three to one. He adds:

:"All my informants in the areas of Taipei and Sanhsia considered nuns at least as respectable as monks, or even more so. [...] In contrast, however, Shiu-kuen Tsung found in Taipei county that female clergy were viewed with some suspicion by society. She reports that while outsiders did not necessarily regard their vocation as unworthy of respect, they still tended to view the nuns as social misfits."

Tibet

The August 2007 International Congress on Buddhist Women's Role in the Sangha, with the support of H. H. XIVth Dalai Lama, is expected to reinstate the ''Gelongma'' (skt. Bikshuni, tib. Gelongma) lineage, having been lost, in India and Tibet, for centuries. It is currently only possible for women to take ''Rabjungma'' ('entering') and ''getshülma'' ('novice') ordinations in Tibetan tradition. ''Gelongma'' ordination requires the presence of ten fully ordained people keeping exactly the same vows (men's and women's vows differ slightly). Because ten ''gelongmas'' are required in order to ordain a new ''gelongma'', the effort to reinstate the ''gelongma'' tradition has taken a long time.

It is permissible for a Tibetan nun to receive ''bikshuni'' ordination from another living tradition, e.g. in Vietnam. Based on this, Western nuns ordained in Tibetan tradition, like Venerable Thubten Chodron, took full ordination in another tradition, in order to revive ''gelongma'' ordination. The same socio-cultural reasons that make it difficult for women to be nuns will still present challenges to the first Tibetan ''gelongmas''.

The ordination of monks and nuns in Tibetan Buddhism distinguishes three stages (rabjung(ma), getshül(ma), and gelong(ma)). The clothes of the nuns in Tibet are basically the same as those of monks, but there are differences between novice and ''gelong'' robes.

Christianity

Catholic

In the Catholic Church, a nun is a woman who has taken solemn vows (the male equivalent is often called a "monk" or "friar", although the positions actually entail very different religious origins and constitute very different duties of the church). The only distinction between a nun and a sister is that nuns have solemn vows and sisters have simple vows. Nuns are usually cloistered or enclosed to the degree established by the rule of the religious institution they enter; exceptions include one branch of Visitandines and the Ursulines.

In the Roman Catholic tradition, there are a number of different orders of nuns each with its own charism or special character.

In general, when a woman enters a convent, monastery or abbey, she first undergoes an initial period of testing the life for a period of six months to a year called a postulancy. If she, and the order, determine that she may have a vocation to the life, she receives the habit of the order (usually with some modification,normally a white veil instead of a black, to distinguish her from professed nuns) and undertakes the novitiate, a period (that lasts one to two years) of living the life of a nun without yet taking vows. Upon completion of this period she may take her initial, temporary vows. Temporary vows last one to three years, typically, and will be professed for not less than three years and not more than six. Finally, she will petition to make her "perpetual profession", taking permanent, solemn vows.

In the various branches of the Benedictine tradition (Benedictines, Cistercians, Camaldolese, and Trappists among others) nuns take 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 poverty and chastity). The "Poor Clares" (a Franciscan order) and those Dominican nuns who live a cloistered life take the threefold vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Most orders of nuns not listed here follow one of these two patterns, with some orders taking an additional vow related to the specific work or character of their order (for example, to undertake a certain style of devotion, praying for a specific intention or purpose).

Cloistered nuns (Carmelites, for example) observe "papal enclosure" rules and their monasteries typically have walls separating the nuns from the outside world. The nuns rarely leave (except for medical necessity, or occasionally for purposes related to their contemplative life) though they may have visitors in specially built parlors, often with either a "grillwork" or half-wall separating the nuns' side from the visitors', 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 (such as vestments, candles, or hosts to be Consecrated at Mass 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 (for instance, the Maryknoll order includes a monastery of cloistered nuns who pray for the work of the missionary priests, brothers and religious sisters; the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master are cloistered nuns who pray in support of the religious sisters of the Daughters of Saint Paul in their media ministry; and the Dominican nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery in the Bronx, N.Y. pray in support of the priests of the Archdiocese of New York).

A canoness is a nun who corresponds to the male equivalent, a canon. The origin and rules of monastic life are common to both. As with the canons, differences in the observance of rule gave rise to two types: canons regular and secular canons.

A nun who is elected to head her religious house is termed an abbess if the house is an abbey, with the exception of Poor Clares who have an abbess but no abbey perhaps from St. Clare's beginning her religious life "train" by the Benedictines, to whom St. Francis entrusted her, who have abbesses, a prioress if it is a monastery, or more generically may be referred to as the Mother Superior and styled "Reverend Mother". The distinction between abbey and monastery has to do with the terms used by a particular order or by the level of independence of the religious house. Technically, a convent is any 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 often used by communities within the Benedictine family, and "convent" (when referring to a cloister) is often used of the monasteries of certain other orders.

Traditional cloistered nuns' clothing consists of a tunic which is tied around the waist with a cloth or leather belt. Over the tunic some nuns wear a scapular which is a garment of long wide piece of woolen cloth worn over the shoulders with an opening for the head. Some wear a white wimple which "encircles" the face and a veil the most significant and ancient aspect of the habit. Some nuns such as Poor Clares wear a large rosary on their belt. Benedictine Abbesses wear a cross or crucifix on a chain around their neck. After the second Vatican Council, many orders chose to no longer wear the traditional habit, and as well did away with choosing a religious name. However, Catholic Church or Canon Law states (669.1) "As a sign of their consecration and as a witness to poverty religious are to wear their habit in accordance with the institute's own law."

Distinction between nun and religious sister

In the Catholic Church, the term "nun" is more specific than "religious sister". Nun refers to a religious sister who is a member of a religious order that takes solemn vows, which is most often dedicated to contemplation and observes strict enclosure. Sister refers to a consecrated woman with simple vows, most often one who works in an active apostolate ministering to people. There are, however, several communities of sisters totally dedicated to the contemplative life.

During the first millennium, nearly all communities of men and women were dedicated to prayer and contemplation. These monasteries, abbeys, or convents were built in remote locations or were separated from the world by means of a cloister. The mendicant orders, founded in the 13th century, combined a life of prayer and dedication to God with active works of preaching, hearing confessions, and service to the poor, and members of these orders are known as friars rather than monks. At that time, Church law did not allow women to leave the cloister if they had taken solemn vows. Female members of the mendicant orders (Dominican, Augustinian and Carmelite nuns and Poor Clares) continued to observe the same enclosed life as members of the monastic orders. On the other hand, religious congregations and institutes, such as the Daughters of Charity, were founded taking simple vows so that they could engage in the active life of teaching, ministering to the sick, and other works of charity. Technically speaking, the term “nun” applies to women religious in solemn vows, while the term “sister” refers to nuns and also to women religious in simple vows. In popular speech, the terms nun and sister are used interchangeably for any woman religious.

The same religious order may include both nuns and sisters, because many of the communities of simple vows were founded according to the Third Order rule, which was originally intended for lay people and did not require enclosure (see Third Order of St. Francis). For instance, the Poor Clares are cloistered nuns of the “second order” of St. Francis, while the Sisters of St. Francis are "Third Order Regular Franciscans" who teach, work in hospitals or perform other ministries.

Pope Leo XIII, by the constitution ''Conditae a Christo'', formally recognized the consecration of those in simple vows, and today the Catholic Church makes no essential distinction between religious women with solemn vows and those with simple vows.

Eastern Orthodox

In the Eastern Orthodox Church there is no distinction between a monastery for women and a monastery for men. In Greek, Russian, and other Eastern European languages, both domiciles are called "monasteries" and the ascetics who live therein are "Monastics". In English, however, it is acceptable to use the terms "nun" and "convent" for clarity and convenience. The term for an abbess is the feminine form of abbot (''hegumen'')—Greek: ''hegumeni''; (''Igumanija''); Russian: игумения, (''igumenia''). Orthodox monastics do not have distinct "orders" as in Western Christianity. Orthodox monks and nuns lead identical spiritual lives. There may be slight differences in the way a monastery functions internally but these are simply differences in style (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 spiritual 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. Orthodox monasteries are usually associated with a local synod of bishops by jurisdiction, but are otherwise self governing. 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) to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and perform other priestly functions, such as the 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 for social visits.

There are a number of different levels that the nun passes through in her profession:

Novice—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, above). 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, but the style always seems to precipitate back to a style common in the 3rd or 4th century). If a novice chooses to leave during the novitiate period no penalty is incurred.

Rassaphore—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 during which she is 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 addressed as "Mother" (in some convents, the title of "Mother" is reserved to those who enter into the next level of Stavrophore).

Stavrophore—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 "Little Schema" which is signified by additions to her habit of certain symbolic articles of clothing. In addition, the abbess increases the nun’s prayer rule, she is allowed a stricter personal ascetic practice.

Great Schema—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.

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Anglican Communion

Anglican religious orders are organizations of laity and/or clergy in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule. The term "religious orders" must be distinguished from Holy Orders (the sacrament of ordination which bishops, priests, and deacons receive), though many communities do have ordained members.

The structure and function of religious orders in Anglicanism roughly parallels that which exists in Roman Catholicism. Religious communities are divided into orders proper, in which members take solemn vows and congregations, whose members take simple vows.

Religious communities throughout England were destroyed by King Henry VIII when he separated the Church of England from the papacy during the English Reformation (see Dissolution of the Monasteries). Monasteries were deprived of their lands and possessions, and monastics were forced to either live a secular life or flee the country.

With the rise of the Catholic Revival and the Oxford Movement in Anglicanism in the early 19th century came interest in the revival of "religious life" in England. Between 1841 and 1855, several religious orders for nuns were founded, among them the Community of St. Mary at Wantage and the Community of St. Margaret at East Grinstead.

In the United States and Canada, the founding of Anglican religious orders of nuns began in 1845 with the Sisterhood of the Holy Communion (now defunct) in New York.

In the Episcopal Church in the United States, there are two recognized types of religious communities, called Religious Orders and Christian Communities. The differences are as follows:

A Religious Order of this Church is a society of Christians (in communion with the See of Canterbury) who voluntarily commit themselves for life, or a term of years, to holding their possessions in common or in trust; to a celibate life in community; and obedience to their Rule and Constitution. (Title III, Canon 24, section 1)

A Christian Community of this Church is a society of Christians (in communion with the See of Canterbury) who voluntarily commit themselves for life, or a term of years, in obedience to their Rule and Constitution. (Title III, Canon 24, section 2)

In some Anglican orders, there are sisters who have been ordained and can celebrate the Eucharist.

Fiction and dramatizations featuring nuns

Nuns play an important role in the public's imagination. 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 realistic accounts by Kathryn Hulme and Monica Baldwin to the blatant nunsploitation of ''Sacred Flesh''. All the works use Catholic nuns save ''Black Narcissus'' (Anglican). All are outsiders' views with the exceptions of ''Dead Man Walking'', a film based on a non-fiction book of the same title by Helen Prejean, and ''The Nun's Story'', a book by Kathryn Hulme relating the experiences of ex-nun Marie Louise Habets.

''Agnes of God''

''Alucarda''

''Angels of the Streets''

''Anna''

''The Assisi Underground''

''The Bells of St. Mary's''

''Black Narcissus''

''Brides of Christ''

''Change of Habit''

''Christmas Lilies of the Field''

''Christmas Tree, The''

''Come to the Stable''

''Conspiracy of Hearts''

''Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The''

''Dark Waters''

''Dead Man Walking''

''Demonia''

''Devils, The''

''Doubt''

''Entre tinieblas''

''Faustina''

''Flying Nun, The''

''Girls Town''

''Hawk the Slayer''

''Haxan''

''Heaven Help Us''

''Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison''

''Household Saints''

''Killer Nun''

''La Religieuse''

''Last Relic, The''

''Les Miserables''

''Lilies of the Field''

''Little Boy Lost''

''Little Witches''

''Madeline''

''Magdalene Sisters, The''

''Makiusap ka sa Diyos''

''Mother Joan of the Angels''

''Night of the Demons 2''

''Nun and the Sergeant, The''

''Nunsense''

''Nuns on the Run''

''The Nun's Story''

''One Pound Gospel''

''Quiet as a Nun''

''Rosary Murders, The''

''Runner Stumbles, The''

''The Sands of Time''

''Sacred Flesh''

''Satan Never Sleeps''

''Scandal at Scourie''

''School of the Holy Beast''

''The Sentinel''

''Silent Night, Deadly Night''

''Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2''

''The Singing Nun''

''Sister Act''

''Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit''

''Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You''

''Sister Rose's Passion''

''Song of Bernadette, The''

''Sound of Music, The''

''Story of the First Christmas Snow, The''

''Tales from the Leather Nun''

''Tears of the Sun''

''Thérèse (film)

''Thunder on the Hill''

''A Time for Miracles''

''To the Devil a Daughter''

''Todo Sobre Mi Madre''

''Trouble with Angels, The''

''Viridiana''

''Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows''

''White sister, The''

''Wide Awake''

''World Without End''

See also

Monk, the male monastic

Catholic religious order

References

Sources

Simpson J. A. & Weiner, E. S. C. (1989) ''The Oxford English Dictionary'', Clarendon Press, Oxford

Notes

External links

Blogs by Catholic nuns

Vocation-Network.org information about Catholic religious communities and life as a sister, brother, or priest.

VocationMatch.com helps those discerning a Catholic religious vocation sort through options and find the order or vocation that may be right for them.

DigitalVocationGuide.org digital edition of VISION, the annual Catholic religious vocation discernment guide.

Monastic Matrix: A Scholarly Resource for the Study of Women's Religious Communities 400-1600 C.E.

Full Text + Illustrations, The Hermits and Anchorites of England by Rotha Mary Clay.

Nuns of Medieval England, Full Text + Illustrations.

Religious Orders including Female Religious. Full Text + Illustrations.

Medieval Shrines of British Saints, including sainted women religious. Full Text + Illustrations.

The Catholic Encyclopedia''">Nuns article from ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''

Instruction on the Contemplative Life and on the Enclosure of Nuns ''Verbi Sponsa'' of the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life

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)

Sakyadhita — The International Association of Buddhist Women

The Ursulines Sisters

The Dominican Monastery of Saint Jude

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Monastery in Buffalo NY (A Dominican contemplative monastery with Latin chant)

Category:Asceticism Category:Religious occupations

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