Thailand’s ‘Renegade’ Yet Powerful Buddhist Nuns
Buddhist nuns, otherwise known as bhikkhuni (Pali) or bhiksuni (Sanskrit) are fully ordained female Buddhist monastics. In Thailand, these nuns endure a lot of hardships. From arson and threats to the huge resistance in a male-dominated culture, they have to work very hard to be accepted and to emerge as religious leaders in their own right. Watch this eye-opening documentary below as the host Zainab Salbi takes us on a journey into the lives of some of Thailand’s renegade nuns. One of them renounced her successful life as a mother, scholar and TV personality to become an ordained nun as this is what makes her complete – spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
About the Documentary Host, Zainab Salbi
Zainab Salbi, the founder of Women for Women International was named one of the top 25 women who are changing the world by Oprah
Iraqi-born Zainab Salbi is the founder of Women for Women International, an organisation that helps women who are victims of war, especially those who have been physically abused and suffer from poverty due to war.
Her humanitarian and development efforts have impacted over 400,000 women in eight different war-torn areas, distributing more than $100 million worth of aid and microcredit loans, which helped over 1.7 million families. Salbi’s main philosophy is that access to education and resources can create lasting change in the lives of many women.
Born in 1969, Salbi herself has had first-hand experience of war in Baghdad. Growing up during the Iran-Iraq war, she experienced a lot of fear due to her family’s close relationship with Saddam Hussein. Her father was Saddam’s personal pilot and head of the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority. Her family suffered a lot psychologically under his regime.
Fearing that little Salbi might be targeted by Saddam as she was growing up fast to be an attractive young lady, her mother arranged for her to be married to an older Iraqi living in the United States when she was 19. Her marriage turned out to be abusive and she escaped after three months, but was unable to return to Iraq due to the First Gulf War.
It was through her experience with war that Salbi became sensitive towards the plight of women in war. A few years after arriving in the US, she heard about the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and decided to do something. Together with her second husband, Amjad Atallah, they took action by establishing Women for Women International. At only 23 years old, Salbi dedicated her life in service of women war survivors. In 1993 her group began assisting 33 Bosnian and Croatian women.
Salbi launched her talk show, The Nidaa Show, in 2015 with TLC Arabia, and the show was aired across 22 countries in the Arab World. She dedicated the show to Arab and Muslim women, sharing their stories, challenges, and accomplishments. She started it with her first interview on Oprah Winfrey, which was historical, winning her several awards. She became the #1 Most Influential Arab Women by Arabian Business. Foreign Policy Magazine recognised her as one of the 100 Global Thinkers in the World. In People Magazine, Oprah named her as one of the top 25 women who are changing the world.
Salbi then launched The Zainab Salbi Project original series with Huffington Post (2016), #MeToo, Now What? with PBS (2018), and Through Her Eyes with Zainab Salbi original series with Yahoo News (2019).
Salbi is also the author of her best-selling memoir, Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam. Other books she authored are The Other Side of War: Women’s Stories of Survival & Hope, If You Knew Me You Would Care, and Freedom Is an Inside Job: Owning Our Darkness and Our Light to Heal Ourselves and the World.
In the Huffington post series called The Zainab Salbi Project, Salbi probed into what it is like to be female spiritual leaders in Thailand, and the difficulties, challenges, as well as obstacles they face just because they are women. What we are about to learn is mind-blowing, especially coming from a country where Buddhism is deeply rooted.
Renegade Female Monks Of Thailand, The Zainab Salbi Project, Episode 3
The Tradition Of Ordaining Buddhist Nuns In The Theravada Tradition
Buddhist nuns or bhikkhunis, just like bhikkhus (male monks) live by the Vinaya vows. The very first ordained Buddhist nun or bhikkhuni by Lord Buddha was Buddha’s own aunt and foster-mother, Mahapajapati Gotami. She was the first female to seek ordination for women directly from Gautama Buddha and this was when the tradition of ordaining Buddhist nuns began. Since the first ordination of nuns and for several hundreds of years after, they were of equal status to their male counterparts, the male monks.
Mahapajapati Gotami, the first Buddhist nun ordained by Buddha Shakyamuni
In the past, the female monastic lineage could only be found in Mahayana Buddhism, which was predominant in countries like China, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam. Recently, full monastic vows in the Theravada and Vajrayana tradition are also being sought after. However, there are many conservatives who still think that the ordination of Buddhist nuns done today are not valid.
According to the Buddha, women are just as capable as men in the practice of the Dharma and have the potential to achieve enlightenment. Records of sayings and deeds of pre-eminent Buddhist nuns can be found in the early Buddhist schools, such as the collection of famous poems composed by the elder nuns about enlightenment that are preserved in the Pali Canon.
The only difference between monks and nuns in the Theravadin tradition is the additional vows for nuns. These vows are known as the Eight Garudhammas, which some contest to be an attempt to push women into an inferior role, and are not really the teachings of Gautama Buddha. Based on the Garudhammas, nuns are subordinate to and reliant upon monks.
Due to the difficulties and hardships that nuns have to endure, several historical places where the ordination of Buddhist nuns were once practiced have now faded out. According to historians, the order of Buddhist nuns flourished for 1,000 years in India and Sri Lanka, but due to the spread of Islam and the impact of various conflicts and political problems, these practices soon disappeared.
Hence, different forms of renunciation have been developed throughout the different Buddhist traditions. For example, women take the vows of sramaneri (novitiates) in Tibetan Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana Buddhism. As for the Theravadin tradition, women may choose to take on a shorter, informal set of vows which are similar to the sramaneri vows.
It is believed that between the 11th and 13th centuries, the Theravadin tradition of ordaining nuns died out and no new nuns were ordained. Since Thailand is traditionally ruled by a patriarchal society, the all-male officials of the Buddhist Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand enacted a ruling that forbids the ordination of nuns as it is deemed impossible without a living tradition.
According to Thailand’s interpretation of the Theravada Buddhist scripture, a woman can only be ordained as a full-fledged Buddhist nun if there are 10 monks and 10 nuns present. Since there are no Buddhist nuns in Thailand, ordinations cannot take place. In 1928, female ordination was made illegal in Thailand.
Seen as rebels threatening the all-male monastic status quo, many female monastics such as Ven. Dhammananda have sought ordination with senior Buddhist nuns outside their tradition. With the revival of Buddhist nuns within the Theravada tradition in India, Sri Lanka, Germany, Indonesia, USA and Australia, this has been made possible. This new generation of nuns, however, are met with much resistance.
In conservative Thailand, the Buddhist clergy does not recognise ordained nuns. Females can only become maechi (novice nuns or female lay vow-holder), although currently there are around 270 ordained Buddhist nuns living in female monasteries across the country’s 76 provinces. Maechi are Buddhist laywomen who live the life of an ascetic, they hold the Eight or Ten Precepts, which are more than the Five Precepts taken by lay practitioners.
With about 300,000 fully ordained monks, Thailand as a Buddhist country has a complex connection between the state and clergy. As such, the latter holds great influence and power within the system of governance. Even though the constitution of Thailand holds a clause that defends the freedom of religion, the male monks or bhikkhus used their influence on Thai authorities to ban the ordination of females in Thailand.
In a country where women are highly involved in science, education, and business, the Thai Buddhists’ customary exclusion of women seems strangely out of place. As such, women who wish to receive ordination into the Sangha will have to travel abroad. Sri Lanka is one of the countries that share the same school of Theravada Buddhism where female ordination was legalised in 1998.
Novice nuns, also known as maechi (female lay vow-holder), clad in white chanting mantras
In 2003, Venerable Dhammananda was the first Thai woman to receive full ordination as a Buddhist nun of the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka. She is the Abbess of Songdhammakalyani Monastery, the first Buddhist nun centre in Thailand. Established in 1960, the monastery was founded by her mother Ven. Ta Tao Fa who was a Mahayana nun. The monastery was originally known as Wat Songdhammakalyani, the temple of women who uphold the Dharma.
Unfortunately, unlike their male counterparts, ordained nuns receive no support in funding and benefits from the government. They also face strong objections to their status and are often subjected to abuses and threats from the public. Despite this, more women are seeking ordination, but the backlash against them has also increased.
The International Women’s Meditation Center Foundation in Rayong, founded by Ven. Dr. Lee, has been the target of numerous attacks. In March 2016, a dormitory was set ablaze by arsonists. The Bangkok Post published that a group of drunkards shouted their intentions to burn down the centre for daring to ordain women. In another incident, a group of gun-wielding men destroyed the centre’s surveillance equipment after breaking into the centre. Despite Ven. Dr. Lee facing constant threats to her life and centre, she refuses to be intimidated and continues to run her centre as she has over 50 monastics whom she is responsible for.
Buddhist nuns receiving alms from the general public
The Songdhammakalyani Monastery, on the other hand, has been relatively free from abuse and danger. Ven. Dhammananda said that her centre is supported by a large percentage of the locals. She speculated that the incident in Rayong could be a ‘personal’ problem as the Rayong centre was new and one of the only two nuns there, Ven. Dr. Lee, is an American who is perceived to be an ‘outsider’ by the local people. Ven. Dhammananda said, estimating that 50% of the local people support them.
“We don’t have problems with the local community here, but we have problems when we deal with the government.”
~ Ven. Dhammananda
Although a clause defending the practice of religious freedom exists in the Thai constitution, there is an intention to revoke this clause, which will make the situation worse for the nuns in Thailand. The Thai immigration authority has allegedly rejected visa applications from Sri Lankan monks who intended to ordain women in the country during their visits. Buddhist nuns have also faced threats of arrest on charges for impersonating monks, a civil offence in Thailand.
Lay people paying respect to Buddhist nuns
At Songdhammakalyani Monastery, the nuns’ strategy is to avoid dealing with people who don’t support them as much as possible. Ven. Dhammananda said with the logic of a pragmatic practitioner,
“We don’t burden ourselves with their ignorance. If every step we take we have to care that we get approval, then we cannot do anything. Because I am an academic I always check what the text says, and then I am reassured that we are on the right path.” ~ Ven. Dharmmananda
Ven. Dhammananda further explained that the Buddha ordained nuns thousands of years ago, and this was written into the Buddhist scripture as “more or less” equal to men. Another Buddhist nun, Ven. Dhammacetana replied to the question of the difficulties in ordaining nuns that seemed to have been forgotten by the Thai society,
“It is still a world ruled by men, everywhere. Before the Buddha, women were viewed as lower than animals until the Buddha said all were equal, but after the Buddha, this was mostly forgotten.” ~ Ven. Dhammacetana
Although gender biasness and institutional sexism is not a deterrent for women who want to become nuns, it is affecting some demographics more than others. Ven. Dhammananda shared that women who were educated with a degree or above make up more than two-thirds of those ordained as nuns annually. Overall in Thailand, less than a third of the total population have a degree.
Educated women have the privilege of time to research on the internet and discuss with others on the existence of ordained nuns. Those who are not as educated or in less privileged positions would have lesser opportunities to learn of the possibility of ordination and would certainly be deterred by the male monks should they broach the subject.
Buddhist nuns who had lived a worldly life and had careers before ordination can be of valuable service to other women, they can care for the sick and counsel women on issues which they may be uncomfortable sharing with monks.
Ven. Dhammananda told a story about a woman who stayed at her monastery in-between her chemotherapy sessions for breast cancer as she had no one to look after her at home. “It is very sad”, said Ven. Dhammananda and then surprisingly broke out with a smile, “But I told her not to worry; when you get to our age, what do you need breasts for anyway?” In this story, it shows how female monastics are able to play the role in taking care of the sick who have no one to turn to or talk to about sensitive subjects, be it medical or otherwise.
Training to be novice nuns before ordination ceremony
The number of Buddhist nuns are constantly increasing as they patiently educate the public and gradually gain their approval. With monks having been accused of many recorded misdeeds, including child abuse, instigation of racial hatred and sexual abuse, the nuns could potentially play the influencing role for some reformation in Thailand. They are also powerful representation for the call on gender equality.
On the role of Songdhammakalyani Monastery, Ven. Dhammananda concluded in tandem with the Buddhist tenet of compassion, “It is our intention to provide a place for all women to come, to practice, and to feel at home.”
Annually, in April and December, Ven. Dhammananda will hold ordination ceremonies for women to be ordained into the Buddhist order as novice nuns at her monastery. These women, from young to old, bravely defy the Thai Buddhist tradition by being ordained and by having their heads shaved, staying in the monastery for nine days and replacing their white garments for the saffron robes, same as those of male monks.
However, since the ordination of bhikkhunis or nuns are banned in Thailand, any women who wish to become a full-fledged nun will have to go to countries where female ordinations are accepted, such as in Sri Lanka.
Brief Bio on Venerable Dhammananda
At the age of 40 in 2003, Dr. Chatsumarn Kabilsingh received her name Venerable Dhammananda upon ordination into the sangha under the ordination lineage of Syamopali from the Dambulla chapter in Sri Lanka.
Prior to her ordination, she taught for 27 years in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Thammasat University, Bangkok and is a well-known author of many contemporary books on Asian Buddhism and issues of women’s position in the society. Being an illustrious student of Theravada Buddhism, she even hosted her own TV show which aired in the mid-80s on Buddhist practices.
At 74, she is now the Abbess and most senior female monk at Songdhammakalyani Monastery in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. She laughs at being often mistaken as a male monk with her shaved head and saffron robe, especially when entering female washrooms.
Because no monk in Thailand would ordain her, Ven. Dhammananda went abroad to Sri Lanka in 2003 to be ordained in the Theravada tradition, which is practised throughout Southeast Asia. She was the first woman in Thailand to receive her ordination vows.
Before going for her ordination and taking on celibacy, she divorced her husband and explained her decision to her three sons, keeping good terms with them. Returning to Thailand, Ven. Dhammananda continues to face hostility and censure from the public, but she never gave up in propagating the path for females to take ordination and Buddhist practices.
The monastery which she heads, Songdhammakalyani Monastery, was established by her mother after her own ordination in Taiwan. She founded the monastery in 1960 upon purchasing the land from the Queen of King Rama VI. Like China, Taiwan allows females to be ordained into the Mahayana tradition, a tradition more commonly practised there. Ven. Dhammananda’s grandmother also went overseas to be ordained as a nun.
Ven. Dhammananda giving teachings to her disciples
The Songdhammakalyani Monastery is the first all-female monastery in Nakhon Pathom, just 53 km west of Bangkok. It is the first temple in Thailand built by women, for women. Songdhammakalyani Monastery currently houses 7 of the 270 Buddhist nuns in Thailand, all of them were ordained overseas.
Labelled in Thailand as a dangerous dissident, Ven. Dhammananda has since ordained over 700 working women. These women spend 9 days observing the life of a nun and then return to their lives outside.
She has been working with His Holiness the Dalai Lama since 1980 on the ordination of Buddhist nuns, as she found that currently there are only female novices in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. So far, she has not been successful with this as His Holiness said he will wait to see if other senior monks would consider joining him or otherwise. Ven. Dhammananda is not very hopeful about that happening any time soon. She has also travelled to Myanmar with the same motivation to help women become nuns, but found it has been impossible. In Myanmar, if a nun is ordained in Sri Lanka, she will be disrobed and sent to prison.
Ven. Dhammananda having an affectionate moment with her dog
Looking back, Ven. Dhammananda was inspired by her parents’ courage. Her mother once rode a motorbike all the way to Singapore from Bangkok to impress her male students. Her father was an opposition politician who was often jailed. In her own words, “I never realized how brave they were until I grew up”.
More information about Ven. Dhammananda’s monastery:
Songdhammakalyani Monastery
Address:
195 Petkasem Highway, Muang District,
Nakhonpathom,
73000 Thailand
Tel: +66 34 258 270 (front desk)
Front desk opening hours (phone calls/visitors): 8.30 AM – 5 PM
Email: dhammananda9d@gmail.com
Brief Bio On Venerable Dr. Lee
58-year-old Leaura Naomi is known as Bhikkhuni Dr. Lee after she was ordained into the sangha. She is an American Buddhist nun who went to Thailand in support of Thai women who wish to be nuns, braving strong criticism and backlash from the Thai Buddhist clergy who oppose the ordination of nuns.
With the setup of the Theravada Buddhist monastery in Rayong, called the International Women’s Meditation Center Foundation, she faced many threats of kidnap, assault and arson. One of her buildings was set ablaze by a group of drunk men. In another incident, the American Embassy came to her rescue after she called them in desperation as her centre was surrounded by a gang of armed men. They had entered the compound and destroyed the surveillance system.
Ven. Dr. Lee was born in Yonkers, New York to a Christian family and taught at Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan universities after graduating from Colorado University with a Ph.D. in geography. At 31, she was ordained as a Buddhist nun in Colorado and went to Thailand in the year 2000. She had read of Thailand being a Theravada Buddhist country with more than 300,000 monks and novices in 30,000 temples. With the missing element of Buddhist nuns, she decided to introduce this new cultural element to the Thais. Ven. Dr. Lee is the only American Buddhist nun residing in Thailand amongst the few hundreds of Thai nuns who are still not recognised.
Ven. Dr. Lee with young disciples at The International Women’s Meditation Center Foundation
The International Women’s Meditation Center Foundation aims to create gender equality in Buddhism, by establishing nuns as social leaders in Thailand and Myanmar. In Thailand, a female child could be sold for as low as USD100 due to poverty and family hardship. Hence, Ven. Dr. Lee’s monastery offers a sanctuary for underprivileged female children to learn and grow in safety.
More information about Ven. Dr. Lee’s monastery:
International Women’s Meditation Center Foundation
Address:
81/38 Mu 6, Ban Nern Soutong Road
Tapong, Amper Muang, Rayong
21000 Thailand
Phone: +66 (0)38-664-904
Mobile: +66 (0)85-173-8737
E-mail: drlee2546@gmail.com
Thoughts from Phra Thepvisudthikawee of the Buddhist Protection Centre who is against the Bhikkhuni tradition
The Secretary-General of the Buddhism Protection Center of Thailand, Phra Tepvisutthikawee said that it is pointless to have any discussion on the ordination of Buddhist nuns. He mentioned that since it is not permitted under the Dhamma Vinaya, the question of fairness should not even arise. Theravada Buddhism operates on the monastic rules interpreted from the collection of scriptures in the Pali Canon.
From Zainab’s interview with Phra Thepvisudthikawee, it is obvious that his view does not encourage equality in ordained nuns. However, this is not necessarily the case with other male Buddhist leaders such as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who had on numerous occasions stated that he believed women should be treated equally in having access to a full Buddhist nun ordination. Unfortunately, His Holiness claims he does not have the authority to implement such ordination for the entire Buddhist sangha or community.
Conclusion
After female monastic practice phased out between the 11th and 13th centuries due to political turmoil, controversy and obstacles, the tradition of ordaining nuns, which was started by Buddha 2,500 years ago, is finally going through a slow revival. The renascence of Buddhist nun in countries like Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and China is made possible through the efforts of a few powerful ordained female monastic leaders such as, Ven. Dhammananda and Ven. Dr. Lee who will fight dharmically to restore the bhikkhuni lineage back into society.
It is not right for the Buddhist Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand, which comprises of all-male council members, to enact the ruling in 1928 that forbids the ordination of Buddhist nuns. This rule is still in force to this day, although the Thai constitution provides for freedom of religion.
By right, men and women should have equal opportunities to receive monastic ordination. This discrimination is what women in Thailand are working hard to overcome and it is what Ven. Dhammananda and Ven. Dr. Lee are facing. They are seeking the equality that Buddha had espoused 2,500 years ago with the first ordination of his aunt and foster mother, Mahapajapati Gotami as a nun.
Shaving the head in preparation of ordination as a novice nun.
The discrimination that Buddhist nuns in Thailand face is very much similar to the discrimination against Dorje Shugden practitioners. The so-called leaders who swore to uphold the constitutional rights of the people are the ones who are breaking it for their own self-serving agendas. While the women in Thailand seek to overcome the ban on female monasticism, Dorje Shugden practitioners around the world seek to overcome the ban on the worship of an established Dharma Protector practice. Such forms of discrimination have no place in today’s society where every modern democratic government promises the freedom to practice whatever religion they choose. The only way to fight discrimination is to bring awareness to the issue so that more people will question the validity of the discrimination.
Another way to fight the discrimination against having Buddhist nuns is by ordaining more nuns and creating temples, or centres managed by female monastics all over the world. Establishing female ordination as a mainstream practice will make it harder for anyone to impose gender-based discrimination. People like Ven. Dhammananda and Ven. Dr. Lee are champions of female ordination and they will be the source of inspiration for many more Buddhist nuns to come. The obstacles and great hardships they endure in bringing equality to women in Buddhism make them truly great heroines. Give them your support. Write them, visit them and write into the authorities for them. Bring more media attention to their plight and pray for them to succeed. Women’s spirituality are just as important as men’s and that is a fact of existence.
Sources:
- Venerable Dr. Pannavati, Thai Nuns, Women and Children, 2019, http://pannavati.org/thai-nuns/ (accessed: 9 April 2019)
- England, Charlotte, Broadly., ‘The Buddha Said All Were Equal’: Thailand’s Female Monks Fight for Recognition’, 11 May 2016, https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/pg7j5g/the-buddha-said-all-were-equal-thailands-female-monks-fight-for-recognition (accessed: 18 April 2019)
- Ehrlich, Richard S, Asia Times: Liberation Struggle for Thai Buddhist Nuns, 3 June 2017, https://www.asiatimes.com/2017/06/article/liberation-struggle-thai-buddhist-nuns/ (accessed: 19 April 2019)
- Palet, Laura Secorun, Provocateurs: Thailand’s Rebel Buddhist Nun, 19 April 2016, https://www.ozy.com/provocateurs/thailands-rebel-buddhist-nun/66506 (accessed: 19 April 2019)
- Perawongmetha, Athit, Independent: In photos: Thailand’s rebel female Buddhist monks defying tradition, 12 January 2019, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/thailand-rebel-female-buddhist-monks-photos-defy-tradition-pictures-a8715631.html (accessed: 5 May 2019)
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: Bhikkhuni, 4 May 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhikkhun%C4%AB (accessed: 7 May 2019)
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: Mahapajapati Gotami, 17 March 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahapajapati_Gotami#cite_note-buddhanet-2 (accessed: 7 May 2019)
For more interesting information:
- The Practice of Sangha
- Bangkok Monks and Why Make Offerings
- Vows: The Roots of All Attainments
- Dana Offerings For Tsem Ladrang
- Community Vows
- Kechara at the Global Buddhist Congregation
- For those who hold vows
- Magadha Sangmo | 须摩提女
- Offerings to the Sangha in India
- Why I Left Everything to Become A Buddhist Monk
- Nagaloka Centre: Buddhist Training and International Conference Centre
- Excellent Guidelines For Students
- Inspiring Nuns and female practitioners
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This is so familiar, being a Dorje Shugden practitioners, I can understand the feeling of being discriminated, beside the discrimination, you don’t get the support you need too to continue your spiritual practice. In Buddhism, it is very bad Karma when you are stopping or creating obstacles for anyone to practice Dharma.
Discrimination not only happened in the social world, but also in the Sangha community, Buddha taught us to see everyone as equal, in the eyes of Buddha, whether you are male or female, human, animals, gods, etc, all life form to them are equally important, there is no such thing as who is more superior and who is not, because all sentient beings also has the quality to gaining enlightenment.
It is not easy for Venerable Dhammananda, she has to overcome the rejection from her family, then she have to travel abroad to get ordained, and back to Thailand to open a centre and yet, people are trying to stop it. Why can’t the others just focus on their own practice and leave them to do what they want? they are not doing any crime, they are not hurting anyone, it’s better to spend the same amount of effort and time to catch the criminals and not let just police to do it, then the country will be a very safe place to live in.
Thank you so much for this article. This article is mainly about Thailand’s renegade yet powerful Buddhist nuns. By reading this article, i get to know that Buddhist nuns, are known as bhikkhuni (Pali) or bhiksuni (Sanskrit) where they are fully ordained female Buddhist monastics.
From threats to the huge resistance in a male-dominated culture, Buddhist nuns have to work very hard to be accepted and to emerge as religious leaders in their own right. Thank you.
Thank you, Rinpoche and the blog team for this excellent article. From this article, we can clearly see the struggle of female monastic in Thailand and the challenges they face in their daily lives. Even though the problem of female ordination in Thailand seems to be a religious issue, it is in fact more complicated that it seems.
It is inspiring to see courageous nuns that fight against social norms to be ordained. They are literally fighting for their spirituality. People like Venerable Dhammananda and Venerable Dr Lee fought against all odds to set up their monastery in Thailand and began the tradition of ordaining women.
Even after Venerable Dr Lee’s monastery was attacked several times, she refused to leave the country against the advise of the embassy. She is willing to risk her life to take care of the spirituality of the nuns who are in her monastery. She is a true following of Buddha’s teachings which is to be selfless.
Thailand has an ancient culture that only men can become monks and novices in Thailand under a Buddhist order that, has forbidden the ordination of women. The country does not recognize female monks or novices even till today. A growing number of women defy generations of Thai Buddhist tradition by becoming ordained as novice monks at the un recognised all-female monastery. Thailand’s first female monk 74 year old Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, flew to Sri Lanka to be ordained against the odd. Those who wanted to be a nun or novices ,were all ordained abroad. Till today female Buddhist monastics in Thailand continue to fight for their right to practice Buddhism . Interesting read of the brief biography on Venerable Dhammananda and Venerable Dr. Lee. How they gone through great hardships, discrimination and against the many odds in bringing equality to women in Buddhism in Thailand. May both continue with their good work .
Thank you Rinpoche for this inspiring post of two great heroines.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing with us this interesting article. It is very sad to see how the monk community in Thailand discriminates the nuns. To me, this is very hypocritical. If these monks really believe in Buddha’s teachings, they should understand that all beings have the potential to become a Buddha.
According to Lamrim, the perfect condition to practice Dharma and achieve enlightenment is in human form that is without physical or mental disability. There is no mention of female having limited ability to gain realisations. When someone wants to renounce, we should rejoice and give full support. But the Thai monks make the full ordination a privilege of the male gender.
The origin of the 8 Garudhamma is dubious, it might not have come from Buddha Shakyamuni himself. Buddha Shakyamuni was very respectful to female, this can be seen by how he had given permission to allow his aunt/step mother to become an ordained Sangha and gave the highest honour of principal female disciple to Uppalavanna who was a prostitute before she became a nun. Female does have the same ability to achieve enlightenment. If we want Buddhism to spread further and wider, we should encourage more people to renounce and become a Sangha member regardless of their gender.
This is truly an inspiring story about females going against all odds to become ordained nuns. They will be the source of inspiration for many more Buddhist nuns to come. The obstacles and great hardships they endure in bringing equality to women in Buddhism make them truly great heroines. Thank you very much Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this inspring story. ?????
Man made rules due to self-serving agenda, fear and ignorance hinder mankind’s path to enlightenment. The discrimination that Buddhist nuns in Thailand face is a typical example. Thailand, known for the reverence to Buddhism, is only half true. Quoting selective source of scripture, the female population is not recognised to be ordained under Thailand Theravadin traditions. In a direct manner, the Thai monastic establishments promote gender biasness and institutionalise sexism by deterring women to become nuns. May the people in position take charge and make the change faster and better. Thank you for this article.
The Bhikkhuni ordination might be a complicated prossess in Thailand but I do hope one day real change will come. Buddha did ordain women into the Sangha, and women are just as capable as men at attaining enlightenment. The discrimination against the nuns currently in Thailand is disheartening but I do hope they pull through. Bans do nothing but divide people, we need to create a culture of tolerance and unify people. The nuns have my deepest respect, as they have devoted their life to renunciation and helping sentient beings.
The Bhikkhuni ordination may be a religious issue but it does not seem to be a pure and straightforward one. As we dwell into the core of the matter, we can see that there are certain individuals of the opposite gender (monks and politicians) parties who are using religion to control people and finances, unfortunately. This is not something new but a chronic one that is purely discriminating against the female gender as a whole.
The discrimination, especially to the Buddhist nuns in Thailand, is identical to the discrimination against Dorje Shugden practitioners. Those in authority who are supposed to uphold the constitutional rights of the people decided to break the rules solely for their personal agendas including money, fame and power. The women in Thailand and those ordained in the Thai Forest tradition and etc. around the world are now coming together to seek ways to overcome the ban on female monasticism. Similarly, the Dorje Shugden practitioners around the world seek to overcome the ban on the worship of an established Dharma Protector practice.
It is amazing how such forms of discrimination still exist in today’s society where the modern democratic government promises religious freedom and freedom of choice. These strong and inspiring women know very clearly that the only way to fight discrimination is to bring awareness to the issue. When more people starting to question the validity of the discrimination, there will be hope for it to be diminished. It is never an easy fight towards such long-standing discrimination, but it is necessary to continue and persist at it because this is how samsara operates.
It will be wonderful that one day soon that all illogical and unreasonable bans will be lifted so everyone regardless of gender, race, nationality… can enjoy their basic rights to the fullest.
Thank you Your Eminence for sharing this wonderful story.
If one yearns for the Dharma, there is no hardship that is too great for ome to overcome. These two wonderdul nuns have demonstrated their wonderful compassion in wanting to help others especially women to access Dharma equally.
Equanimity is one of the characteristics that we must develop in our path.
Very inspiring true stories.
Thank you Your Eminence.
Humbly yours
Lum Kok Luen