What roles do women play in modern buddhism? Are there female monks in buddhism?

Can a woman become a buddhist monk? Is there another sect of buddhism for women as there is in Western monks and nuns? Just wondering what part women play in the buddhist faith today?|||women are too busy growing their hair in their bits. They never shave!?!|||Women in Buddhism





http://www.google.com/search?hl=en%26amp;sourc鈥?/a>|||Yes , women absolutely can.





I visit asian countries several times, and visited a lot of buddish temples and orphange. There were several orphanges operated and run by female monks only, and the majority of the kids there were girls. The temples were mostly built and maintained by generous donations of people.





Women basically have the same part in buddhism as male monks, they do the same things as male monks do. Please remember that in buddhism, genders are not at all important. In the countries that I visit though, Buddhism tend to blend with the traditions of the country. That is, you dont get to see a mixture of female and male buddhist monks in the same temple, they tend to be in separate ones.|||My only experience is with Tibetan Buddhism. And yes, there are nuns. Both Eastern and Western nuns. I do not know of any that are in a leadership role, except for Pema Chodron, who is Abbot at Gampo Abbey, a Shambhala monastery in Nova Scotia, Canada. Also Thubten Chodron and Khenmo Drolma ... all Western women. They may be more, but there's lots I don't know.





One of the ladies in our dharma group took her vows and robes after 5 years of practice under the guidance of the monk/geshe at this Centre. She didn't do it until she had retired ... she did not feel that, at her age, it was fair to join a shangha group and be a burden to them as she aged. So she waited until she could afford to retire (monks and nuns are not allowed to go out and get jobs, so either the monastery supports them or they must support themselves). She will often go on retreats with other nuns, though. She spends her time in her practice and in serving our Centre in any way she can be useful.





The Dalai Lama is spearheading the acceptance of Tibetan Buddhism nuns as being on par with the monks. As a matter of fact, he is hinting that if he reincarnates, it might be as a woman. This is a very powerful push on his part to get the male monastic "establishment" to modernize their attitude towards nuns.|||Traditionally no, but that is changing.





It also depends on the sect, in Nichiren Buddhism, there are NO barriers for women to be enlightened (although there are no monks in Nichiren Buddhism). Most Buddhist organizations are modernizing.