And then there were nuns On September 1, 157 people underwent head-shaving at the Chungtai Temple, marking their decision to pursue monastic life far from their families. People have been tonsured since ancient times, but this particular event caused great controversy, even triggering debate over self-regulation within the Buddhist community (going so far as proposals to create a Buddhist papacy similar to the Vatican).
九月一日，一百五十七人在南投縣中台禪寺落髮剃度，拋開俗塵，遁入了空門，也遠離了親愛的家人。出家之事古今皆有，但是這次不但掀起軒然大波，上了社會版頭條，還引起佛教界本身的自律之議，甚至決定要成立類似天主教教廷梵蒂崗一般的佛教教廷，這到底是怎麼回事？