This study, the only monograph to date concerning Tibetan Buddhist nuns, examines the history and present condition of their lives. Carefully outlining the early history, Havnevik presents an account of nuns and nunneries in Tibet and an anthropological description of an exile nunnery in India. Throughout the text, Havnevik analyzes the relationship between the normative view of women in Buddhism and how Tibetan nuns have adjusted to and altered these norms.