The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-06-15
Interior Of q Buddhist Nunnery.

AS so GOOD an opportunity might not
have occurred again of seeing the interior
of Chinese or Buddhist nunnery, asked
the Abbess to show me through it and ex-
plain the regulations of the order. She
assented, and frankly told me all about
the institution and its government, which
is by no means so strict as thst Of the
Romish converts. The candidates are not
admitted into full orders until they attain
the age Of sixteen. Prior to this, and
from the commencement of their ascetic
life, they assume the garb peculiar to the
sisterhood. The chief apparent distinc-
ton between the novices and those in full
orders is that the heads of the latter are
wholly shaven, while the former have
only the front part of the crown shaver.
The younger nuns have plated queues
flowing down behind. The nuns mostly
had large feet, clumsy shoes, long stock
ings and garters, full trousers, short
jackets and sleeves, with bald pates and
skull-caps, precisely as the priests have.
But the priestesses have smoother counte-
nances, softer looks, sweeter voices and
were more tidy. When the young woman
has barred or shaved her head-a sign OF
making religious VOWS very different
from that of taking the veil, ;" adopted in
the nunneries of EurOpe-she is required
to live life of devotion and modification.
She must eat and drink sparingly, and her
| diet must consist of vegetables only.
| Strong meats and drinks are to be avoided
| as poison. The business and cares of
| this world are not to engross her at
| tention. She has retired from it, and
must be fitting herself for eternal can
onization. Nothing should occupy her
| thoughts or engage her affections
but the service of the temple in the
precincts of which she lives. Daily ex-
ercises are to be conducted by her; the
furniture of the small sanctuary that forms
a part of the convent must be looked after
and kept clean and orderly; those wom-
en- or men who come to worship at the
affairs, and seek guidance and comfort,
must be cared for and assisted When
there is leisure the sick and the poor are
to be visited, and all who have placed
themselves under her special direction
| aud spiritual instruction have a large
| claim upon her regard. That she may
| live the life of seclusion and self-denial
she must VOW perpetual maldenhood; the
/ thought of marriage should never enter
her head, and the society of men must be
Stunned. AS far as l could see these
rigid rules were not seriously complied
with, and there appeared no great amount
of devotion a: their religious exercises, es-
pecially among the novices. Their sa-
cred books consisted of many volumes,
printed in large text on fine paper. For
these they had a profound respect. The
rapidlty with which the pages and Sec
tions OF the books were hurried off at their
religious exercises was amazing. Both
the young and the old nuns seemed equal
ly expert at their recitations. but there was
nothing of devotional spirit about them
their demeanOr was anything but devout.
l was shocked to see the levity of the ju-
venile nuns in paying religious homage to
the goddess Kwan yin; they were as mer-
ry and tricky, as flirting and frolicsome,
as any party of girls met to keep the birth
day of one of their schoolmates.-Mcss
mans Mdndarin's Daughter.