NAGARJUN, Nepal – As the first rays of sun pierced through the clouds covering snowcapped Himalayan peaks, Buddhist nun Jigme Rabsal Lhamo drew a sword from behind her back and thrust it toward her opponent, toppling her to the ground.

“Eyes on the target! Concentrate!” Ms Lhamo yelled at the knocked-down nun, looking straight into her eyes outside a whitewashed temple in the Druk Amitabha nunnery on a hill overlooking Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.