Monks, Nuns and Sex

In Buddhist Bhutan scores of young monks and nuns, some as young as five dressed in crimson robes, are getting education on something which they are supposed to abstain from- Sex. Interestingly the main force behind such a daring UN driven move is none other than the Queen Mother of the Himalayan Kingdom– Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck . She is recognized as an advocate for the prevention of HIV/AIDS both nationally and internationally. This mass education programme is patronised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and she is its Goodwill Ambassador.

Thousands of monks and nuns of Bhutan are learning how to impart sex education in the Himalayan kingdom. In most monasteries and nunneries there are uneducated monks and nuns who don’t know about sex education or about topics such as masturbation. It is a reality that many of them are indulging in it as a natural urge. The UNFPA is an initiative to spread awareness about sexual and reproductive health in the country. It has been largely successful in transforming previously unyielding attitudes about sex and sexuality.

Choki Gyeltshen, a monk from the Thimphu Gonpa monastery says as the program progressed, he noticed a change in attitude among his associates. “Before the training, some would initially say that masturbation is sinful, but now they have learnt that it is not.” Once considered an embarrassing subject, sex education has been institutionalized in Buddhist monasteries and nunneries across the country.

The curriculum covers the ins and outs of sex education ranging from masturbation, sexual consent, menstruation, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases. “You’d think that it would be awkward, but it turns out it’s the opposite. I’m amazed that we take it so lightly actually. We haven’t faced any worries or problems. We joke about it,” Lam Ngodup Dorji, a senior monk from the Buddhist Longchenpa Center said.

Hundreds of monks and nuns have received training and are further imparting their knowledge to communities where sex education is scarce. “Sex was looked at as something bad but now, we have come to a stage where we believe that sex should be practiced safely and that we have to advise our children as to how to go about it rather than saying it’s taboo and not giving them adequate knowledge about it,” said Dorji.

In the Buddhist-majority country, monks and nuns wield considerable influence in shaping common people’s life. “It is very crucial for religious leaders to engage in topics about sexuality because they are very effective agents of change in altering behaviour and attitudes of people related to sexuality in the community,” UNFPA adolescent, youth and gender Consultant Jigme Choden . They are the ones that families turn to, to conduct rituals or to seek advice not only on religion but in daily challenges. Incidentally, contrary to popular belief Buddhist monks and nuns can leave the monasteries after basic teachings and go back to society adopting the profession of their choice.

The sex education curriculum also aims to address the unmet sexual health needs of thousands of young monks and nuns themselves, many of whom lack any formal education. “One monk shared that he believed masturbation to be sinful but now, due to the training, they understand that there is nothing to be shy of because this is something that is part of puberty and part of growing up. They are provided with scientifically accurate information about it, so they find it quite useful,” Choden said.

Behind this unusual success story is Bhutan’s Queen mother. She spearheaded reproductive health rights for two decades and involved religious groups as well as military and government organizations in family planning activities and HIV/Aids awareness campaigns. In the ‘90s, her advocacy efforts contributed to Bhutan’s religious chief saying that contraception is not against Buddhist principles. By 2018, contraception use rates in the country had more than doubled. She has been actively promoting social causes in the country, including health, education, and family issues. Recipient of many international awards she has been a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador since 1999.

It is an irony while Bhutan as embraced sex education in monasteries by monks and nuns, but some other Buddhist counters have opposed it. In next door Myanmar also a Buddhist country, the government’s plan to introduce sex education to the high school curriculum was shelved after some Buddhist monks objected. The subject was considered “shameful” and “in violation of Myanmar tradition” by the nationalist monks.

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle