I would like to become a buddhist nun

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This may sound strange but that is my secret plan for the future. No one knows about it yet and that is probably for the best.
I wonder it's possible when you are diagnosed with aspergers but I am certainly going to give it a try.

http://www.cttbusa.org
There are cloistered monks and nuns here, at least a few of whom are western. It's a beautiful setting.

I have clicked on the link and it seems like a beautiful and wonderful place but I do wonder if it is some sort of a commercial organization because it comes across as a holiday resort instead of a buddhist monastery.

I have been considering this for a number of years but It will take years befor I will take the definite step though. My mum and grandmother need my help from time to time so it is impossible for me to leave at the moment which I don't mind. This choice will cause an upheaval of enormous proportions within my family and I 'don't know if I am really suitable for becoming a buddhist nun. That may be a proces of trial and error. Furthermore ,I am not certain at all if there will ever be a monastery that is willing to accept me.

Besides, I like several forms of buddhism and I find it almost impossible to make a definite choice. Zen appeals to me but Tibetan buddhism offers a wider range of meditations and an intensive study of the dharma. That does not mean that I am not determined. Once I focus on something I don't tend to let go.

I suggest you visit a few places, maybe for a weekend or short retreat first to see how well you like the places and people and how well you fit it. I did the same thing when I was 18 and ended up staying and became a monk. I left a little over a year later and went to university but I don't regret my monastic days.

You should do several retreats and attend teachings before you make a choice.You don't have to be a nun to go on retreat,I have some friends that are doing a three year retreat.They have less than a year to go.One person drooped out,it is harder for people that like to be social.If you go for Tibetan,there is an incredible amount of ritual and symbolism.

I am not planning on entering a monastery anytime soon. I have a lot of learning to do beforehand.
Do any of you have any suggestions about places that organize good retreats?

Gosh, why did you post about it then? Were you hoping to be talked out of it?

What where your experiences when it comes to retreats?
Is it extra hard when you have aspergers and did people accept you for who you are. Did they know you have aspergers? I have loads of questions.

Everyone I encountered was very open,some knew that I am different mentally.It didn't matter.Some guessed,I had several make Temple Grandin remarks,but never in a bad way.
The center I went to had several people wearing signs that said "observing silence,"so you can go to studies without talking.
Everyone is very accepting,that was maybe a issue for me,I started getting invites to people's homes to watch movies and even visitors.Sometimes it was very awesome,my teacher even came to visit once.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khentrul_L ... e_Rinpoche
I haven't been in awhile,I should go back.Its also hard when people are really friendly,sort of overwhelming.

The 20th century philosopher and "spiritual entertainer" Alan Watts traveled the world in the 1960s explaining eastern philosophies to western audiences. He spoke a few times about westerners wanting to learn eastern philosophies. One problem with westerners going to eastern spiritual centers (a westerner going to a Zen monastery in Japan was the example he used) is that the rituals do have a purpose, yes, for the people of that culture. Many of the rituals and techniques of those schools are used to break the bonds of the culture those people grew up in and live in so they can see things in a new way outside the way their culture conditions them to see.

For westerners, those rituals and techniques may be worse than useless because we come from a different culture entirely. You are basically learning something just to unlearn it. But you can't expect a particular school or tradition to change its curriculum for people from another culture even if the end result may be enlightenment. I'd suggest just be aware of the possibility some of the teachings and methods used may not even be necessary if you know what is going on and why those teachings and methods exist.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to live a monastic life. The routine and peace and quiet should be very nice for someone with autism. But if the goal is to seek spiritual awakening or enlightenment, that can be done much more simply. Alan Watts also said something to the effect that yes, spiritual instruction is needed IF you think it is needed. People make all kinds of excuses to themselves, saying it will take years of dedication and meditation and sacrifice, but there are other people who just say psshaw, why is that necessary, and they are enlightened instantly.

A warning about Alan Watts: some say he did not really teach Zen; he taught about Alan Watts. To some degree this is true, but he was an eclectic genius on many subjects with a very broad perspective and awareness of the limitations we all have from our own culture and even the structure of the language we think our thoughts in.

You should go to China and become one of those shaolin monks.

That way you can learn buddhism and kung fu at the same time.

Alan Watts may have a point there allthough I think that at least some of these rituals can have a universal value. Apart from the buddhist rituals I think it is quite hard for western buddhists who leave their own country to enter monastries in for instance Japan, Thailand or the Himalaya to come to terms with and understand the culture of the country they temporarily or permanently inhabit Not to mention the fact that a lack of knowledge of the local language can be a problem.

That doesn't take away the fact that I would prefer to go to the countries that buddhism originates from and partake in the rituals as well. That is because of the fact that I am a bit afraid of a watered down and " easy to digest" form of buddhism that is specifically meant and adapted for the benefit of us westerners I am aware of the fact that the sectarianism in buddhism is caused by the fact that buddism has spread to different coountries and cultures which all had an effect on buddhism. Zen is influenced by the japanese culture for instance and tibetan buddhism by the tibetan culture and the original bon religion, There is nothing wrong with that in itself but still!