Kung Fu nun spreads message of female empowerment at Roedean School

Buddhist nun Ting was visiting Roedean School from Nepal where she belongs to the only female order in the world to learn the deadly martial art made famous by Bruce Lee.

The nuns began the unusual practice after the leader of the 1,000-year-old Drukpa order based in the Himalayas, His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa, travelled to Vietnam and saw nuns there receiving combat training and wanted to emulate the idea to create more gender equality and empower women.

The Buddhist monastic system is very patriarchal, with women traditionally receiving household chores only, but these women take part in physically-demanding daily training and handle weapons. Some even have perfected the brick-breaking technique.

The nuns, who also learn plumbing, electrical fitting, typing, business admin and English, are famous for their acts of kindness in the community. When the country suffered a huge earthquake back in 2015, instead of moving to safety the nuns walked long distances to villages in peril to shift debris and clear paths out of the rubble, fed the victims and found them shelter.

They also are known for their environmentalism and famously cycled 2,200km from Kathmandu to Delhi to spread the message of environmental awareness and encourage people to use bicycles instead of cars.

Roedean head of year 12 Suzanne Sturgeon said: “It was an incredible privilege to hear from Ting about her life and the amazing work she does as a Kung Fu Nun. Her words of wisdom were very empowering for Year 12 to hear, and she reminded us of the importance of the actions we take and the positive impact these can have on those around us. She ended with a beautifully peaceful guided meditation leaving us with a calm determination to be our best selves.”