Women in Buddhism
(Questions and Answers)
Chatsumarn Kabilsingh Ph.D.
UDDHANET'
B O
OK LIBRARY
E-mail: bdea@buddhanet.net Web site: www.buddhanet.net
Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.
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sumarn Kabilsingh Ph.D. Born in ,
Bangkok, ailand.
Married with three sons.
ducation:
B.A. (Hons.) Philosophy, Visva Bharati U, India.
M.A. Religion, McMaster U, Canada. Ph.D. Buddhism, Magadh U, India.
Other books by the same author (in English):
omparative tudy of hikkhuni atimokkha. Chaukhambha Orientalia, India, .
ry rom the orest. .
hikkhuni atimokkha of the ix xisting chools. tr. Bangkok, .
ai omen and uddhism. Parallax Press, U.S.A. .
uddhism and ature onservation. Bangkok, -.
Ven. Chatsumarn Kabilsingh Ph.D.
Samaneri
reface
In I was invited to attend an international conference on “Women, Religions, and Social Changes” at Harvard University, U.S.A. At this conference I was given a speci c
task to write a paper on “e Future of the Bhikkhuni Sangha in ailand.” Even after years of involvement and commitment on the ordination issue for Buddhist women,
still I had not envisioned that changes and channels would be open for women this soon.
To express my appreciation for the upcoming bhikkhuni ordination in Bodh Gaya, India, February -, , I am
honoured to present to you this booklet. I hope it will provide
you with some answers to questions often asked about women
and the ordination issue and others.
I am grateful to Fo Kuang Shan for making this ordination
possible. Signi cantly, the ordination will be given in Bodh
Gaya, a place of enlightenment — enlightenment for both
men and women.
Prof. Martin Perenchio o ered valuable assistance to provide English improvement to the original manuscript. I am thankful to him and to everyone involved in the
production of this booklet.
hatsumarn abilsingh
Home of Peace and Love
December th,
ontents
reface ... �
�estion � ... ��
When Queen Maha Pajapati asked the Buddha to allow her to join the Order, why did he hesitate but give
permission later on?
�estion � ... ��
What are the requirements for Bhikkhuni ordination?
�estion � ... ��
Why do men have only two levels of ordination while women have to go through three levels of ordination?
�estion � ... ��
Why do bhikkhunis follow more precepts (sikkhapada) than monks?
�estion � ... ��
What is the reason for the androcentric nature of the Tripitaka?
�estion � ... ��
Is it true that the Tripitaka suppresses women?
�estion � ... ��
What do you think of the Eight Garudharmas?
�estion � ... ��
The bhikkhus have three robes while the bhikkhunis have ve robes. What are they?
�estion � ... ��
Once the women joined the Sangha, how were they treated by the bhikkhus?
�estion �� ... ��
What was the a�itude of the bhikkhus towards the Buddha’s acceptance of women?
�estion �� ... ��
What was the status of the bhikkhunis during the Buddha’s time?
�estion �� ... ��
Were there any enlightened bhikkhunis?
�estion �� ... ��
Why cannot a bhikkhu receive food o ered by bhikkhuni?
�estion �� ... ��
In the Buddha’s time what role did women play in Buddhism?
�estion �� ... ��
What is the lineage of the bhikkhuni Sangha in the history of Buddhism?
�estion �� ... ��
Are there bhikkhunis also in other countries?
�estion �� ... ��
Are there bhikkhunis in Theravada tradition?
�estion �� ... ��
Why is there no bhikkhuni Ordination in Thailand?
�estion �� ... ��
Is it possible to introduce bhikkhuni Sangha in Thailand?
�estion �� ... ��
Is it true that monks are not to touch women because women are impure?
�estion �� ... ��
It is commonly believed that women are unclean. How true is this belief?
�estion �� ... ��
Why are women seen as a commodity?
�estion �� ... ��
Why do some temples in the north not allow women to circumambulate the stupas?
�estion �� ... ��
It is o�en said that “women are enemy to the life of purity.” How do you explain this saying?
�estion �� ... ��
Is it true that once women were admi�ed to the Order, Buddhism will be shortened to ��� years?
�estion �� ... ��
Why cannot women become buddhas?
�estion �� ... ��
What is Buddhist a�itude towards prostitution?
�estion �� ... ��
What is an a�itude of a Buddhist towards abortion?
�estion �� ... ��
What is the historical development of mae jis? And what is their present status?
�estion �� ... ��
How can a mae ji share in social and religious development?
�estion �� ... ��
Why some families in the north sell their daughters so that they can give ordination to their sons?
�estion �� ... ��
Generally why people prefer to make o ering to monks rather than mae jis?
�estion �� ... ��
Why do women go to the temple and make merit more than men?
�estion �� ... ��
In the role of female followers, what should Buddhist women do?
�estion �� ... ��
Is it true that if a person is enlightened, she must be ordained within � days?
�estion �� ... ��
What is the unique characteristic in American Buddhism which might interest a feminist?
�estion �
When �een Maha Pajapati asked the Buddha to allow her to join the Order, why did he hesitate but give permission later on?
For those who are interested in the ordination of women, this is one of the most puzzling questions, which needs a great deal of contextual understanding.
When King Suddhodana, the Buddha’s royal father
passed away, the duty of a wife to her husband was completed.
It was the right time for Maha Pajapati to consider following the teaching and the practice of the Buddha seriously. But when she approached and asked for permission the Buddha
simply said, “Please do not ask so.” e Tripitaka, which
is the most important primary source, did not provide any
reason for not allowing women to join the Order.
Many interpretations were given in later commentaries
trying to explain the situation. is led also to common belief that the Buddha did not want to allow women to
lead a religious life. is is not without basis. According to
Indian social mores, to lead a religious life is not the path
for women.Manudharma Sastra was very clear to spell out that salvation for a woman is possible only through bhakti (devotion) to her husband.
But Maha Pajapati was unshaken in her decision. After
the Buddha had gone, she, along with Sakiyanis (Sakyan
women) from the royal court shaved their heads and donned
the yellow robes. ey followed him on foot until they arrived
at Vesali where the Buddha resided. Upon arriving at the
arama (residence) they did not ask to have an audience with
the Buddha for fear of being rejected again. Ananda, the
Buddha’s cousin and personal attendant, found them at the
entrance covered with dust, with torn robes and bleeding feet.
Many of them were miserable and in tears of desperation.
He learned from them of their request and on their behalf
approached the Buddha. Again, the Buddha forbade Ananda
in the same manner, “Ananda, please do not ask so.”
ere are various reasons to be taken in consideration in
attempting to understand the possible di culties or obstacles
which presented themselves in the mind of the Buddha.
First of all Maha Pajapati was a queen who, along with ladies of the court, knew only the life of comfort. To lead a reclusive life allowing them only to sleep under the tree, or in the cave, would be too hard for them. Out of compassion the Buddha wanted them to think it over.
Furthermore, accepting a large group of women to be ordained all at once would immediately involve teachers to
provide them both instruction and training. e Buddha also
could not make himself constantly accessible for them. e Sangha was not ready with competent teachers to handle a large crowd of women. is proved to be a reality later on
when women were already accepted to the Sangha. Monks who
could teach the nuns must be not only learned but also require an appropriate attitude to help uplift women spiritually.
e Buddha already received criticism from outsiders
for breaking up families by ordaining either the husbands or wives. When Maha Pajapati approached him with
Sakiyanis, de nitely this would be a major cause of criticism.
Particularly Sakyas did not marry people from other clans.
By allowing Sakiyanis to be ordained would de nitely
a ect the social status quo. But it was revealed that these
women’s husbands had already joined the Order. us, the criticism that accepting these women would break up their families became groundless.
e fact that these women followed him on foot to Vesali is a proof of their genuine commitment to lead religious lives
and removed the doubt that their request might be out of
momentary impulse.
ese could have been some of the reasons behind the
Buddha’s hesitation. e Buddha needed the time to examine
both the pros and cons to their request.
Ananda also tried to understand the Buddha’s refusal. Is it because women are not capable of achieving spiritual
enlightenment? If that is so, then ordination, a spiritual path is open only to men. To this, the Buddha made it clear that
both men and women have equal potentiality to achieve
spiritual enlightenment.
We have to mark this statement, as this is the rst time
in the history of religion that a religious leader declared
openly that men and women are equal on spiritual grounds. Previously in the Hindu context, the Vedas, the most sacred
religious texts, were available only to men. Buddhism has transcended race, nation, caste and gender di erences to
declare that the highest spiritual achievement transcends
obstacles or discrimination of gender. With this important reason, the Buddha allowed women to join his Order.
�estion �
What are the requirements for Bhikkhuni ordination?
Bhikkhuni ordination requires a minimum of bhikkhunis. On the same day, after having been admitted by the bhikkhuni Sangha, that woman must be admitted also by a minimum of monks. e pavattini or bhikkhuni preceptor must have at least years standing as a bhikkhuni who is
well versed both in dharma and vinaya, and also must be
appointed as preceptor by both Sanghas.
After having been admitted women to the Order, it
became very popular for women to join the Order, resulting in a lack of residential provision. Each Pavattini, then was
allowed to give ordination only every other year. e preceptor
is to provide for both teaching and training for nuns under her guidance, including taking care of them if they should become ill.
ere are three forms of ordination for monks. First Ehi
bhikkhu Upasampada, an ordination given directly by the
Buddha in the early period with literally no formal ritual.
e Buddha simply allowed “Do become a monk,” which was
considered a complete ordination.
Next came ordination by accepting the Triple Gem,
namely Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, as refuge. is was
the form of ordination by which teachers in the early period accepted their disciples to become monks.
Later when the number of applications became much higher, a more formal type of ordination was given. It is called natticatuthakammavaca, with a preceptor with two
trainers and minimum chapter of monks to witness the
ordination. is is an ordination given by a sangha, and is the
prevalent type of ordination available in the present day.
ere is yet another type of ordination provided for
bhikkhunis. ere was a case of a woman who had completed
the ordination procedure by the bhikkhuni sangha but could not reach the bhikkhu sangha in another village in the same day as prescribed by the ordination requirement. In this case,
there were some thieves waiting on the way to abduct her.
e Buddha allowed Dutenasampada, ordination through an appointed ambassador. at is another bhikkhuni was
assigned by the bhikkhuni sangha on behalf of the bhikkhuni-
to-be. is is also considered a rightful ordination.
A woman who requests bhikkhuni ordination must he at least years of age, with permission from her parents, having no illness that would be an obstacle to leading an ordained life. She must have completed a -year training
period as sikkhamana and be able to obtain the basic material
requirements e.g. robes, bowl, etc.
�estion �
Why do men have only two levels of ordination while women have to go through three levels of ordination?
There are di erent types of ordination, for men and for women. Samaneri (female novice) is a lower ordination (bappajja) with precepts. One who is entitled to
this ordination must be old enough to be able to drive away
crows o the paddy eld. Later on it was xed at a minimal
age of seven. Older men sometimes also receive only lower
ordination.
One who can apply for higher ordination (upasampada)
must meet the minimum age requirement of and have a normal physical condition. A married woman may be
ordained at the age of with permission from her spouse.
For Sikkhamana, a training period was instituted later. ere was a particular case of a married woman who asked
for ordination without knowing that she had conceived. Her
pregnancy came to light only after ordination. Hence a rule
was laid down and women have to go through Sikkhamana
training for two years. During this time a sikkhamana observes
anudharmas which are the rst six precepts in the precepts
for novices. However, a sikkhamana is considered having a training level higher than novice even though the latter
received only six precepts. is implies that a sikkhamana is in fact a person in a preparatory stage to receive higher ordination, and during the two years training, should she transgress any
one of the precepts she has to start all over again. It is required that she must meet the requirement of two continuous years of training without transgression.
�estion �
Why do bhikkhunis follow more precepts (sikkhapada) than monks?
In eravada, monks follow precepts and bhikkhunis follow precepts. is di erence often leads to misunderstanding that the Buddha in fact did not want women to join the Order, and so he set up rules as barrier to fence o women right at the start.
From a comparative study between the monks and nuns
patimokkha (presented at an International Conference on
ai Studies, Chiengmai, Oct. -, ) it is shown that
counting by section, bhikkhus observe eight sections as
compared to seven sections by nuns. One section exclusively for monks is called “Aniyata.” In this section, there are two
rules introduced by Visakha, the leading female lay supporter
in early Buddhism. One of them forbids the monks from
staying alone with a female in a covered place and another
one forbids monks from staying alone with a female in an
open place beyond hearing of others.
In Parajika, the rst section of the patimokkha which is concerned with the most severe o ences, any monk or nun
who has transgressed any one of these rules is “defeated” at the moment of committing that act. ere are four rules for
monks and eight rules for nuns. e extra rules that nuns have
to observe in this section may be found for monks also but are
classi ed under Sanghadisesa, the second section which is less
severe. Having transgressed it a monk will have to go through
‘manatta’ period, a temporary self-expulsion from the Sangha. It is worth noting that classi cation of the rules can easily be the work of a later period at the hands of the monks.
In Patidesaniya section, there are eight rules for
bhikkhunis. Bhikkhus have the same content of the rules but
they are counted as one and classi ed under Sekhiya, another
section. is is one of the reasons responsible for the bloated number of rules for bhikkhunis.
In the Pacittiya section, bhikkhunis follow rules as
compared to for bhikkhus. ere are common rules
shared by both Sanghas. en bhikkhus have another set
of exclusively for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis have another
set of rules exclusively for bhikkhunis. Within rules
exclusively for bhikkhunis, it is notable that there are many rules regarding ordination requirements which the bhikkhus
also have to follow, but for bhikkhus they are not counted
in the Patimokkha. is also results in a seemingly larger
number of Patimokkha rules for bhikkhunis.
Due to the above reasons, the bhikkhunis carry a higher number of rules in the Patimokkha than the monks, but in reality they follow a similar set of rules.
�estion �
What is the reason for the androcentric nature of the Tripitaka?
I am focussing my answer only within the eravada context which preserved the teachings in Pali. eravadins believe that their teaching is most authentic from a historical point
of view. We need to understand that the Tripitaka that we know of was not a written work from the Buddha’s
time. Religious knowledge was to be practised and handed down from teachers to chosen disciples. Hence no religious teaching was recorded. is applied also to the teaching of the Buddha. e Tripitaka was rst recorded in Sri Lanka not before .. (about ..)
What was recorded was according to the understanding
of the monk recorders. What they chose to record was subjective, hence it is understandable why the Tripitaka is
androcentric. e Tripitaka was recorded by men who were
ridden with Indian social values. ey were men who by
the vinaya, were expected to lead lives of purity. e most
immediate obstacle to their chastity was the opposite gender.
Many teachings as preserved by these men therefore projected
women (embodiment of their obstacles) as evil, unclean, etc.
is is a necessary barrier to fence themselves o from failing
into the pit of the unchaste. While reading the Tripitaka one
must remind oneself of this limitation in order to sift the
essence from its social contextual limitations.
Looking at the teaching from the Paramattha level, one sees clearly that Buddhism is free from gender bias,
Buddhism is the rst religion in the world to recognise the
equal spiritual potentiality of men and women. is provides
a special place for Buddhism which started in India to lift up
to the world spiritual level without boundary in race, caste, or gender.
�estion �
Is it true that the Tripitaka suppresses women?
The Tripitaka, a large body of a Buddhist canonical texts, consists of three major parts. e teaching was recorded and put into three baskets called pitakas. e rst part,
Vinaya, deals with monastic prohibitions and allowances for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis. Sutta, the second part deals with
the teachings both of the Buddha and his major disciples. Some deal with the development of the mind free from social context while others are still cloaked with Indian
social values. Some are Jatakas or the stories of the Buddha’s previous births woven out of popular stories from the Indian soil. ese two portions of the Tripitaka were recited at the
rst council which took place three months after the Great Passing Away of the Buddha. Abhidharma, the third part of the Tripitaka, is philosophical exposition of the mind and its function composed by later commentators. All three parts of
the Tripitaka were rst recorded in written form not earlier than .. (about ..)
e materials found in the Tripitaka may be divided into two major portions : Lokuttara and Lokiya. Lokuttara deals with pure dharma aiming at mental freedom. By its nature,
the mind has no gender di erence. Lokuttara dharma is
therefore beyond gender di erence and bias.
e latter portion, namely lokiya, is the teaching
within a social and historical context. erefore its value is
subjected to social and historical factors. is portion may
further be divided under two categories. e rst part is that taken from the Indian social context, hence carried on and reinforced by Indian social values. is is responsible for the large part of materials found in the Tripitaka which appear
to be suppressing women if we read the Tripitaka without
understanding its framework.
e other portion clearly presents an attitude of Buddhism
trying to free itself from Indian social values, e.g. the caste system. e Buddha clearly denied the caste system which
was a social measure to divide people into di erent castes.
He, instead, emphasised that a brahmin is not one who is
born from brahmin parents but becomes one through his
righteous action.
en he made his standpoint very clear to announce that
men and women are equal in their potentiality to achieve spiritual enlightenment. A woman’s spiritual achievement came from her own action, not through devotion to her husband. Once women were admitted to the Order, they
enjoyed equal opportunity to practice dharma. Many vinaya
rules were laid down so that the bhikkhus will not take
advantage of the bhikkhunis, e.g. monks are not to ask the bhikkhunis to wash their robes, rugs, etc.
In this portion of materials we nd the Tripitaka supports
and promotes women. We should take this as a true spirit of
Buddhism. It is indeed social reform in an attempt to uplift
women to share the responsibility as one of the four groups
of Buddhists equally responsible for the growth or decline of
Buddhism.
In conclusion, we can say that it is true that there are certain passages in the Tripitaka which are suppressing
to women but that they do not represent the true spirit of
Buddhism.
T T
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�estion �
What do you think of the Eight Garudharmas?
When the Buddha nally allowed women to join the Order, he gave the Eight Garudharmas for them to follow. e Queen Maha Pajapati took these upon herself
as a garland decorating her head. Nevertheless these Eight Garudharmas have been much criticised, assuming after all the Buddha was not free from Indian social conditions.
We need to take a close look at the Eight Garu-
dharmas:
. A nun who has been ordained (even) for a century must
greet respectfully, rise up from her seat, salute with joined palms, do proper homage to a monk ordained but that day.
. A nun must not spend the rains in a residence where
there is no monk.
. Every half month a nun should desire two things from the
Order of monks : the asking (as to the date) of the Observance
day, and the coming for the exhortation (of a monk).
. After the rains a nun must invite before both the Orders
in respect of three matters; what was seen, what was
heard and what was suspected.
. A nun, o ending against an important rule, must undergo
manatta (discipline) for half a month before both the
Orders.
. When, as a probationers, she has been trained in the six
rules for two years, she should seek ordination from both
the Orders.
. A monk must not be abused or reviled in any way by a
nun.
. From today admonition of monks by nuns is forbidden,
admonition by monks is not forbidden. (Cv. X. SBE. XX
p. )
e Buddha actually prescribed the Eight Garudharmas for the bhikkhunis to follow so that they function as a protection for themselves. Looking at them super cially one may think that they are measures to control women. To understand and appreciate Garudharma one needs to look at them within the given social and historical contexts. Indian society has always
been patriarchal. Men are always at the central points of thoughts
and interests. Women were brought up within a cultural and
social setting which placed them as subordinates. ey are
under the care of their parents when young, under protection of their husbands when married, and under protection of their sons in their advanced age (Manudharmasastra). Women are taken as dependent beings.
ey cannot be left alone so much so that women are not
accustomed to making decisions on their own. eir lives
completely depend on the guidance of male members of the families. Religious life is not to be mentioned. A woman can expect to have spiritual salvation only through devotion and
service to her husband. She may make o erings as the other half of her husband, but independently she cannot perform
any ritual. She is neither allowed to recite nor to read the
Vedas as she is unclean, and vice versa, she is unclean because she cannot study the Vedas.
Social and religious conditions permit the only salvation for her through devotion to her husband. It also linked to her
obligation of bearing sons to her family. It is believed that the
son must perform the nal rite to allow the access to heaven
for his parents. In case a woman cannot bring forth a son
to her husband’s family, her presence is indeed considered
inauspicious.
Buddhism emerged from Indian soil full of these social values. One needs to be reminded that Buddhist monks in
the early period were after all Indian men from di erent
castes moulded with these social norms and values.
Women came to join the Order at least ve years after
the bhikkhu sangha was established. It is only natural and understandable that the Buddha would place the bhikkhuni Sangha in a subordinate position to the bhikkhu Sangha for the harmonious coexistence and for a functional purpose in
order to establish a balanced foundation of administration.
e bhikkhuni Sangha may be seen as a later arrival of younger sisters who must accept and pay respect to the bhikkhu Sangha, comparatively their elder brothers. e
Buddha was well aware that with the admission of a large
group of female followers he would need assistance from the
bhikkhus to help him in the teaching and training of the
newly ordained bhikkhunis. e easiest way to make their
path smooth is to make them subordinate to the bhikkhu
Sangha for functional bene t.
But as the story unfolds itself, we nd that the bhikkhus still expected the bhikkhunis to perform household chores
for them just the way they were familiar with when they were
still in their households. e di erence was that now instead
of serving men at home, the nuns serve them in a monastic
setting. If we look at the Eight Garudharmas negatively we
will nd that they become measures to support and a rm
such values.
Again, further study shows that we cannot take the
Eight Garudharmas as nal authority without exibility. I
can quote an example of the rst Garudharma which says
that “a nun even ordained for years must pay respect to a monk ordained that day.” Later there was a case of six monks who playfully lifted up their robes showing their thighs to attract the bhikkhunis’ attention. In this case, the Buddha instructed the bhikkhunis not to pay respect to these monks.
is shows that any rule laid down by the Buddha always has
a certain requirement to it. One should not stick to the rule without understanding the spirit of it.
I should also mention that the th Garudharma mentions
that “a sikkhamana having completed the -year training, is
to ask for higher ordination” is a later requirement. When
the Buddha allowed Queen Maha Pajapati to join the Order,
She was ordained as a bhikkhuni. Sikkhamana was not in
existence at that time. What may be drawn from this seeming
discrepancy is that the Garudharmas was introduced in a
later period but placed at the conception of the bhikkhuni
ordination to give emphasis to its authority as the recorder
might have thought this to be a good measure for the bhikkhu
sangha to control the bhikkhuni Sangha.
More over the Eight Garudharmas may be found already
in the Patimokkha itself.
�estion �
�e bhikkhus have three robes while the bhikkhunis have ve robes. What are they?
The ve robes prescribed for the bhikkhunis are as follows: . Sanghati, an extra robe often seen folded and placed on
one shoulder. is robe has two main functions. One is to
be spread and used as seat or bedding. Another purpose is to use it as an extra cover in winter.
. Uttarasanga is the normal robe. It may be worn to cover
both shoulders, or cover only one shoulder.
. Antarasavaka is a lower robe to wrap around the lower
part of the body and tie at the waist with a cotton belt specially made for monks and nuns. In ai this is called
“Rad pakot.” is is worn with folded pleats in front, neatly
tugged under the belt. e lower edge must be even.
. Udakasatika is a bath robe required for both bhikkhus
and bhikkhunis. is robe is similar in shape to no. but
without the edge. For bhikkhunis, while taking a bath,
this is worn higher to cover from her breasts down to her
knees.
Formerly the monks bathed naked. Visakha, the lay follower, suggested to the Buddha that it was not tting for the monks to bathe nakedly. Since then it became a monastic requirement added to the rst three robes.
. Samkacchika, a vest, is required only for the bhikkhunis.
Formerly they wore exactly the same kind of robes as
the monks but when they went for alms, the wind blew the robes against their bodies and their breasts were seen prominently under the robes. e local people made fun of them, so the Buddha prescribed the vest for them. It is to be worn tight to atten their breasts.
Another requirement is the ‘monthly robe.’ which, though not
included in the above ve robes, is necessary for the bhikkhunis.
is is used during the menstruation period. In the Buddha’s
time material was not easily available, this ‘monthly robes’
belonged to the Sangha. Any bhikkhuni may use them when needed. en must wash them clean and return them for the common use of the bhikkhuni Sangha.
Another piece of clothing not allowable for a bhikkhuni is ‘Sanghani.’ is is a decorated piece worn around the hips as commonly practised by the laywomen.
�estion �
Once the women joined the Sangha, how were they treated by the bhikkhus?
There is no direct record on the subject, but from the study of the Vinaya one may nd that after all the bhikkhus were men drawn from Indian society. Being used to the service
o ered by women, the bhikkhus treated the bhikkhunis like
wives. e bhikkhunis had to spend time washing rugs, robes,
etc. for the monks in a similar manner that women have to take care of their men folk in their household lives.
e bhikkhunis received this kind of treatment from
the monks until the lay people took notice and brought it to
the attention of the Buddha. e Buddha having listened to the complaint called the two parties involved. Both
parties accepted that what was brought to the attention of
the Buddha was correct. He then laid down vinaya for the
monks not to ask the bhikkhunis to perform such service. One may see the Buddha’s intention clearly that when he
allowed women to join the Order, basically to allow them
to study and practice his teaching, they would no more be householders, and thus no longer bound to household chores. Each ordained person is to take care of his or her own basic
requirement and spend time to pursue one’s spiritual goal,
namely to strive for enlightenment.
Both bhikkhus and bhikkhunis have left their household
lives behind aiming to seek for spiritual attainment. To
expect the bhikkhunis to serve the bhikkhus contradicts the underlying principle by which the Buddha allowed women to join the Order.
�estion ��
What was the a�itude of the bhikkhus towards the Buddha’s acceptance of women?
Again there is no direct record from the Buddha’s time, partly because when the Buddha allowed women to join the Order, it was the Queen Maha Pajapati who approached him. Because of their close relationship even if some monks
may not have approved of the decision, no one made it known
to be su cient evident for recording.
But at the First Council only three months after the
Buddha’s passing away, with Maha Kassapa presiding over
the council, discontentment was made known for admitting women to the Order by asking Ananda to confess that it was his o ence for being an important mediator to approach the Buddha on behalf of women and nally got them admitted to the Order. Venerable Ananda clearly made his point that he did not see his intervention as an o ence, but with respect to the Sangha he confessed.
An interesting incident to be mentioned in this connection is that Maha Kassapa who presided at this historic council, was not on good terms with the bhikkhunis. We found an incident
recorded when he went to give teaching to the bhikkhuni
Sangha, he was ridiculed by them as the bhikkhunis expressed
their doubts as to how could he know of any dharma with his
brahministic background. Apart from that, the bhikkhunis
also made clear their preference for Ananda’s teaching. is
caused Maha Kassapa to be much displeased and again Venerable Ananda had to intervene asking for forgiveness
from Maha Kassapa on the behalf of the bhikkhunis. is
background incident implies the already existing unpleasant
feeling between Maha Kassapa and the bhikkhuni Sangha.
What followed at the First Council is understandable.
�estion ��
What was the status of the bhikkhunis during the Buddha’s time?
When the Buddha allowed women to join the Order, a large number of women welcomed the opportunity given to women for the rst time in Indian history. Some wanted to join the Order to escape the dreadful life of having to remain
in the kitchen for most of their time, some wanted to escape from a meaningless life of widowhood, some were doing it as a fashion, or simply followed their close relatives. In the latter case, some of them proved to be trouble for the Sangha, but for most of the cases, these women were sincere in their spiritual search as it was the rst time they enjoyed such freedom.
ere were bhikkhunis who were recognised by the
Buddha as being foremost in the Vinaya, teaching dharma,
etc. ey were active in propagating the teaching of the
Buddha in the same manner as the bhikkhus.
Some bhikkhunis were well known in preaching and
were popular among ministers and noble families. Once a
king asked a learned nun to explain certain dharma and later
asked the same question to the Buddha. He was surprised
to nd that the bhikkhuni expounded the dharma topic the same way as the Buddha. He was happy and convinced that in fact the teaching of the Buddha had taken root properly.
�estion ��
Were there any enlightened bhikkhunis?
The Tripitaka mentions and more. ere were who were singled out and received praise from the Buddha with their di erent distinctions:
. Maha Pajapati was praised for her long standing as the
rst bhikkhuni
. Khema eri, former queen of King Bimbisara was
praised for her wisdom
. Upalavanna eri was praised for her achievement in
performing miracles
. Patacara eri was praised for her good memory on the
Vinaya
. Dhammadinna eri was praised for being capable in
teaching
. Nanda eri was praised for meditation
. Sona eri was praised for her patience
. Sakula eri was praised for having divine sights
. Kundalakesi eri was praised for achieving sudden
enlightenment
. Bhadda Kapilani was praised for remembering past lives
. Bhadda Kaccana (Princess Yasodhara) was praised for her
Great Abhinna
. Kisa Gotami was praised for wearing coarse robes . Sigalamata was praised for holding fast to faith.
�estion ��
Why cannot a bhikkhu receive food o ered by bhikkhuni?
In Patidesaniya, one section in the Patimokkha, we nd such a prohibition. Checking in the Vibhanga, where we learn the historical context of the rule, we found an
interesting story. An elder bhikkhuni of years old went
for aims in the city at the distance of to kms. Upon her return a young monk was waiting with his empty bowl. Out of respect for monks as prescribed in the Garudharma, she
reverently o ered him her alms received for that day. e
young monk got an idea of not having to go all the way for alms himself and received alms from the same nun on the
following day also. On the third day, the bhikkhuni went for alms in the city. While roaming in the city a chariot
passed near her path. She took a step aside, fell down and
fainted. e millionaire who was riding that chariot came
out to make inquiry and learned from her that she fainted out of hunger and tiredness, as she had not eaten for three days. Upon learning the reason the millionaire criticised the
young monk and later brought this to the attention of the
Buddha. From then on, to protect the nuns from being taken advantage of, the Buddha laid down the rule for the monks not to receive alms from bhikkhunis.
�estion ��
In the Buddha’s time what role did women play in Buddhism?
I have already given you the picture of what the bhikkhunis did in the previous pages. Here I would like to mention the role of Visakha as a case study re ecting on the positive role of women in Buddhism during the Buddha’s time.
Visakha was born in a Buddhist family. As a child she
used to follow her grandparents to listen to the teaching of the Buddha. She was married to an equally wealthy family.
Not only was she herself interested in Buddhism, she was
also successful to in uence Singala, the millionaire who was
her father-in-law to convert to Buddhism as well. Because
of this, sometimes people addressed her as “Singalamata” or “mother of Singala” to honour her.
She had been so involved in Buddhist circle from childhood that she was known both to the Buddha and
the Sanghas. Her role was not limited only to following the teaching of the Buddha but she also played a signi cant role of consultant as well as regular supporter. Furthermore, she was equally well versed both in the Dharma and Vinaya.
When she noticed that some monks were not behaving
well she brought it to the Buddha’s attention and as a result
rules were laid down at her request. Two Aniyata rules came
into existence because of her suggestion. Bathrobes for the
monks also became a monastic requirement as suggested by
her.
In the role of a consultant to the Sangha, there was a case of pregnant bhikkhuni who was expelled by Ven Devadatta.
But this bhikkhuni appealed to the Buddha and insisted upon
her purity. e Buddha ordered the Sangha to reinvestigate and Visakha was invited to the newly appointed committee
to give advice to the Sangha. Visakha came from a large
family. She herself had many children and grand children,
hence an experienced householder. Upon her investigation
she found out that the bhikkhuni was pregnant before being ordained. When the purity of this bhikkhuni came to light, the Buddha allowed her to remain without having to disrobe and the baby was later adopted by the royal family.
Visakha played a very signi cant role as a lay female
disciple; she indeed met the requirement of an established
Buddhist who was responsible for propagating and establishing
Buddhism in the early period.
�estion ��
What is the lineage of the bhikkhuni Sangha in the history of Buddhism?
The bhikkhuni Sangha prospered alongside the bhikkhu Sangha in India for more than , years. A passage found in the Vinaya Pitaka saying that by accepting women
to the Order would shorten Buddhism only to years
proved to be invalid.
When King Asoka the Great came to the throne around
.., (about ..) he made it clear his policy to support
and propagate Buddhism by sending out missionaries at nine di erent directions. One particular mission was led by Mahinda era, the king’s son, to establish Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Later Princess Anula, sister-in-law of King
Devanampiya Tissa of Sri Lanka expressed her desire to be ordained as bhikkhuni. Ven Mahinda era suggested that
the King send an ambassador to King Asoka of India asking permission from him to invite Ven Bhikkhuni Sanghamitta
eri, his sister, and the bhikkhuni Sangha to come to
establish the bhikkhuni Sangha in Sri Lanka.
e Bhikkhuni Sanghamitta arrived in Sri Lanka along
with a group of bhikkhunis and also brought with her a sapling of the Bodhi tree as a token of respect to King Devanampiya Tissa. Princess Anula and her large retinue
received ordination and became the rst group of Sri Lankan
bhikkhunis. Princess Sanghamitta eri remained in Sri
Lanka until her last day.
In China, Ching Chien was the rst Chinese woman to request ordination, and received ordination from only
the bhikkhu Sangha. Later in .., (about ..) the Bhikkhuni Devasara from Sri Lanka was invited along with a group of bhikkhunis who arrived in Nanking and gave ordination to Chinese women.
e ordination of the bhikkhunis in China branched out to establish the bhikkhuni Sangha in Korea and East Asia, which has survived until the present day.
�estion ��
Are there bhikkhunis also in other countries?
Apart from bhikkhunis in Asian countries, in the past to decades Buddhism has spread westward.
An important wave of Buddhists going west is the Tibetan
lineage, since H.H. the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet in . Many Tibetan monks and teachers followed suit. e
success of Buddhism in the U.S.A. is mainly the Tibetan
lineage. Women ordained in the Tibetan lineage are mainly female novices as is available in the Tibetan lineage.
Later when more and more western women joined the
Tibetan lineage, H.H. the Dalai Lama suggested that they
could receive higher ordination from the existing Chinese
lineage in Taiwan and Hong Kong. As a result there are
some leading bhikkhunis in the Tibetan lineage now.
Hsi Lai Temple, a branch from Fo Kuang Shan in Taiwan,
also plays an important role in o ering ordination for women
since .
As the number of Western bhikkhunis in the Tibetan
lineage grew, there was a training course on vinaya o ered for
them in Bodh Gaya () where more than bhikkhunis and female novices attended.
In December , an ordination for Sri Lankan women was o ered and organise by the Korean bhikkhu
Sangha in Sarnath, India. Fo Kuang Shan is also planning to host an ordination for bhikkhunis in Bodh Gaya, India
scheduled for February -, . e need for women to enjoy and lead a religious life is felt worldwide and we now see helping hands extending from the Chinese and
Korean Sanghas to help support and establish the bhikkhuni Sangha in countries where ordination of women is still not available.
�estion ��
Are there bhikkhunis in �eravada tradition?
This question cannot be answered in a simple “yes” or “no.” We need to understand that when the Buddha established four groups of Buddhists, namely bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, laymen and laywomen, there was no distinction between
eravada and Mahayana. In fact the di erentiation came
into existence many hundred years afterwards.
e bhikkhunis who went to plant the seed of ordination
in China belonged to eravada, and even the vinaya which
the Chinese Sangha follow is Dhammagupta, subsect from
eravada.
During King Asoka’s period in the rd century .. there
were at least schools but with clear record and separate
set of teachings only schools were established, twelve sprang from the early branch and eight emerged from the Mahasanghika which could be roughly said to be the
forerunner of Mahayana.
e basic reason for eravada not to accept bhikkhuni
Sangha tracing their lineage from Mahayana lineage is
unfounded. e ordination lineage followed by Mahayana
derived from early Buddhism.
Next question is how does Mahayana di er from eravada?
Generally speaking Mahayana di ers from eravada in its
philosophical exposition of Dharma. However, the highly
complex way of explaining dharma all took root from the early
teaching of Buddhism which branched out and blossomed in Mahayana.
�estion ��
Why is there no bhikkhuni Ordination in �ailand?
Bhikkhuni Ordination as mentioned earlier requires dual ordinations, that is, a woman is rst ordained by the bhikkhuni Sangha then bhikkhu Sangha. Because the
bhikkhuni Sangha never came to ailand hence there is
neither bhikkhuni ordination nor bhikkhuni Sangha.
e Sukhothai period, th to th century, has been considered the golden age of Buddhism. Both men and
women were seen practising Buddhism, observing precepts.
e king not only practised Buddhism himself but was learned enough to give preaching on every full moon day. During the years of Ayudhya, the following period,
where the ai capital shifted south to Ayudhya, ailand
went through di cult time. ere was constant warfare both with invaders and among the mighty powers within
the country. e disturbing social context was not an ideal seat for either Buddhist learning or practice.
ere were fewer people interested to study Buddhism.
e immediate concern of leading day-to-day life took its
precedence. It is unthinkable that women would have ample
time to think of practising Buddhism enough to commit
themselves to ordained life.
From a comparative study we nd one common factor
responsible for the ordination of women: it is that women are committed to Buddhism deeply enough to inspire them to think of leading an ordained life. is is true in Sri Lanka, China, Korea, and Japan, but in ailand, ai women do not yet have that opportunity.
�estion ��
Is it possible to introduce bhikkhuni Sangha in �ailand?
The story of a struggle for the revival of bhikkhuni ordination dates as far back as when Narin Klueng had his two daughters, Sara and Chongdi, ordained as
bhikkhunis. ey were denied from both levels — the Sangha
and the royal family. However, there is a complicated issue which needs a critical look. Mr Narin Bhasit or commonly
called by local people as Narin Khlueng, was a politician who was outspokenly critical of the laxity of the Sangha.
He tried to create a group of liberal minded people around him.Apparently he was quite an advanced social critic of his
time. He challenged both the Sangha and absolute Monarchy. As a result he was an object of suspicion both from the Sangha
and Royal members.
He promoted the bhikkhuni Sangha so much so that
he o ered two of his daughters to begin by ordaining as
samaneris (female novices) then later on as bhikkhunis. e idea may be right but it was shrouded by his other political motives resulting in both the Sangha and the royal family’s
denial of his attempt to revive the bhikkhuni Sangha in
ailand.
His two daughters, along with some other to
bhikkhunis who stayed at Wat Nariwong, on a piece of land
donated for religious activities by Narin Klueng himself,
were ordered to disrobe. His two daughters resisted and were arrested, then put in jail and the robes were literally removed from them. From this incident, the committee of the elders passed an order forbidding any bhikkhus to give bhikkhuni, samaneri, or sikkhamana ordination to women () is order has not been lifted.
Technically both Sara and Chongdi received ordination only from bhikkhus, hence not acceptable according to the
ai Sangha. But under the said circumstance, had their
ordination been valid from dual ordination, they would still
have been rejected under other pretexts because they were
Narin Klueng’s daughters.
Some years later Mrs Voramai Kabilsingh, a lady of more or less the same age as Sara and Chongdi tried
to look for a means to be ordained so as to lead a proper
religious lifestyle. But all the ai monks she approached
con rmed that it is not possible. She found a Chinese
monk (Ven YenKiat) who translated for her the bhikkhuni
Patimokkha of the Dharmagupta school and suggested that
she can still receive bhikkhuni ordination from the Chinese
Sangha in Taiwan. In she went to receive bhikkhuni
ordination from Tao An Fa Tzu at Sung San Temple in Taiwan. Hence, she is the rst ai bhikkhuni with full ordination. Upon her return to ailand she continued
her involvement both in propagating Buddhism and social commitment e.g. printing press, orphanage, publication of dharma magazines, etc.
Looking at this particular issue globally, ai Buddhist women cannot remain isolated any longer but have to open
themselves up to the development of Buddhist women around
the world. In the past two to three decades Buddhist women internationally have been moving in unison towards seeking
bhikkhuni ordination, seeking a lifestyle that would make
themselves more bene cial to society. ailand also is a ected
by this positive move of Buddhist women internationally.
In ailand, the revival of the bhikkhuni Sangha is an
ideal laying ahead of us, but the more immediate concern
is to build a foundation of Buddhist education and training both at an individual level as well as at the government level,
so that we could genuinely look forward to a time when
Buddhists, both men and women, can work side by side to support Buddhism in their full potential.
e bhikkhuni lifestyle needs very committed people
which will be small in number, but the opportunity should still
be open for those few who would like to devote themselves to
study and practice and to be spiritual role models for women
folk.
�estion ��
Is it true that monks are not to touch women because women are impure?
One of the practiced customs is that women are not to come into direct contact with monks applies only in ailand. ere is no such prohibition found in the Vinaya.
In the Tripitaka when Ananda asks how a monk should
behave towards women, the Buddha was made to say “Stay
away from them,” and if they should confront women
“they are not to look at them.” If this instruction is true we have to take it with a grain of salt. It is possible that this instruction is meant only for Ananda. As we know he was
a good looking monk and had a charming personality. At
one certain instant he almost lost himself to a seductive woman but the Buddha intervened and saved him. e
teaching might also be taken, as general instruction when
we understand that most monks are still not enlightened
beings. Should they be allowed close connection with
women, they can easily become confused. To avoid being
side-tracked, monks should keep clear from women. But not
having direct contact with women does not imply impurity an inherent negative quality in women.
e Buddha himself never had to avoid women. He received them at every appropriate time because he was
enlightened having transcended any sexual inclination. ere
is also more positive passage in which he recommended
monks to treat women the same age as their mothers the
way they would treat their mothers, etc.
How can the four groups of Buddhists work together as foundation for Buddhism when women as half of the
population are always excluded? If women are weakened in
supporting the Sanghas, Buddhism also becomes meaningless
as it is used as a tool for liberating only the other half of the
population. Both women and men must come together as established by the Buddha in supporting and promoting
Buddhism.
�estion ��
It is commonly believed that women are unclean. How true is this belief?
Many temples do not allow women to circumambulate around the stupas. ere is clear evidence of it particularly in the north of ailand. is practice cannot
nd any support in the actual Buddhist teaching but is
commonly believed and handed down as custom.
is belief in fact found its root in Hinduism where women
are seen as religiously unclean because of their menstruation.
Taking an opposite standpoint, one could say that women
possess natural power. ey are capable of nullifying sacred
mantras long practised by Hindu men and priests. Because of
this, Brahmin priests had to keep women outside their sacred
sanctuary. Men, with their superior position in society, must
control women who possess the natural power and declare them unclean during the menstruation period. is practice and belief is carried into ai custom unknowingly. Just to
give an example, while fermenting rice, menstruating women
are not allowed near the area or the rice will be spoilt. ey
believe that menstruation holds secret power that can actually
overcome magical spell. is is all Hindu belief and practice carried over into ai culture and most ais would think
that prohibiting menstruating women is correct Buddhist
practice, but is far from it.
From a Buddhist point of view, menstruation is a natural
physical excretion that women have to go through on a
monthly basis, nothing more or less. During this time women
tend to have weaker emotional balance. ey would need
religious support more than any other time. But in practice,
ironically, they are kept out of the temple and branded as
unclean.
�estion ��
Why are women seen as a commodity?
Women as ‘commodity’ is clearly expressed in Manu-dharmasastra, a religious and social text upheld by the Hindus. Accordingly women are seen as a weaker sex, cannot
make a decision on their own, and they are dependent beings.
As commodity, they must be taken care of by their parents when young, by their husbands when married, by their sons
when they are old. Such a view of women is de nitely nonBuddhistic. Buddhist teaching provides space for both men and women to grow spiritually, and they are equal for their spiritual potentiality to achieve enlightenment.
�estion ��
Why do some temples in the north not allow women to circumambulate the stupas?
Many temples in ailand, seen particularly often in the north, do not allow women to circumambulate the stupas. e monks usually explain that the relics of the
Buddha are placed in the centre of the stupas at the time they
built it. If women are allowed to circumambulate the stupa, they would be walking at the level higher than the relics and hence might desacralise them.
By saying so, it logically implies that women are so
powerful that they could actually desacralise the power of
the Buddha’s relics, which is, of course, not the case.
e belief that women are unclean is not limited only
to Indian society. Older and primitive societies, particularly tribal peoples also held such beliefs. is results from their inability to explain the myth of menstruation.
All practices following the Vedas, particularly the
Atharvaveda which are full of black magic, somehow warn the practitioners to keep away from coming in direct contact
with menstruating women as menstruation nulli es the magical power.As a result all monks and men who have
been following the Vedas set rules prohibiting women from entering sacred space. In Buddhist temples it is not practical to limit only menstruating women, hence the rules extend to limit all women.
During the Ayudhya period, Buddhist monks and
magic masters were forced out of necessity to learn various
art of magical power to help their disciples to go through
the frequent warfare of the period. ey also followed this
prohibition of women in order to strengthen their magical
practices. Buddhist monks were inseparable from Hindu
beliefs and practices, resulting in a denial of the true spirit of Buddhism and the loss of Buddhist teachings and practices.
In this manner, we often nd many Hindu practices accepted
under the name of Buddhism.
It may be concluded that the beliefs and practices as
carried out by Buddhist monks are not necessarily Buddhist. Buddhists must be aware of this blend which took place in our historical context and must be able to distinguish what is Buddhism and follow its teaching with a critical mind.
From the above case we see that local beliefs uncritically
handed over through tradition sometimes could form into
negative social values which become e ective tool to suppress
women. Merely external changes in establishing legal rights
does not always guarantee a change in attitude and social
values. We need to be rm in our study of Buddhist texts as they provide us a strong basis to bring about a new insight
with spiritual strength that is necessary and important to
lead us towards a more positive attitude towards women and in the long run for an improvement of Buddhist society.
�estion ��
It is o�en said that “women are enemy to the life of purity.” How do you explain this saying?
This is the Buddha’s instruction to the monks as found in the Tripitaka. e Buddha warned them to be careful of women. As a result, in ailand, it is a custom when a woman
wants to make o ering to a monk, the monk always has to lay
a piece of cloth to receive it. Women tend to feel themselves
lowly and not worthy, some would even see themselves as
obstacles to the purity of monks.
We have to take this teaching in a new light. is is one
of the examples showing how the teaching is androcentric by
nature, giving the teaching from the standpoint and interest
of monks.
Newly ordained monks with little mental training might
easily be led by de lements through contact with women. It is not the fault of women, but rather the weakness of
the monks, so they have to be mindful when they come in contact with the opposite sex. Even without women in front of them, some monks still face problems from “Women” in their own imagination and thoughts. Women cannot be held
responsible for any failure on the monks’ side. e monks
themselves have to train and uplift themselves from sexual desire. ose who are already enlightened have transcended gender di erences. e Buddha never had to avoid women, as they no more appeared to him as sex objects. He was well balanced and master of all desires.
In the conversation with Ananda, the Buddha instructed him not to look at women, and not to linger while talking to them. “ere is no stronger bonding for men than women”.
At the same time he also warned women “there is no stronger
bonding for women than men,” and “men are also enemy to
the purity of women.” But the latter teaching is not applicable
to monks, and as we have only monks giving teaching in
ailand we hear only a one sided teaching for men. As a
result society tends to blame women as if women are the only source of impurity.
�estion ��
Is it true that once women were admi�ed to the Order, Buddhism will be shortened to 500 years?
After women were accepted to join the Order it is recorded in the Vinaya that the Buddha prophesied that Buddhism would be shortened to years.
Luckily we are now some , years from the time the
teaching of the Buddha was recorded and we are in a position
to judge clearly that such a saying was purely with bias against
women and not in conformity with the spirit of Buddhism.
We have studied the historical context to see how both the
bhikkhu and bhikkhuni Sanghas prospered in India alongside each other. During King Asoka’s reign (c. rd Century ..)
Sanghamitta eri, the King’s daughter was invited along with
a group of bhikkhunis to establish the bhikkhuni Sangha in Sri Lanka and they received full royal support and prospered for more than a thousand years.
In India, both historical and archaeological ndings
proved that the bhikkhuni Sangha existed through -th
century .. e.g. a stone inscription found at Bodh Gaya mentioned that Kuranji bhikkhuni, former wife of King
Indramitra became enlightened; an inscription from Kusana
mentioned the Buddhamitta bhikkhuni, disciple of the monk
Bala was recognized as “Tripitaka” one who was well versed in the Tripitaka. ese evidences are weighty enough to say
that both Sanghas existed side by side until the Turk Muslims
attacked India.
In Sri Lanka after the arrival of Sanghamitta eri and the bhikkhunis from India, they gave ordination to Princess Anula, King Devanampiya Tissa’s sister-in-law along with a large number of women from the royal court. An inscription
from the th Century found at Kukurumahandamana
mentioned Mahindarama Hospital situated in front of the
bhikkhuni Arama in Anuradhapura. It seems that bhikkhunis
at that time were also involved in the social welfare of the
people. Both the Mahavamsa and Culavarnsa referred to
activities of the bhikkhuni Sangha. Only after ..,
after the invasion of a South Indian King, both the bhikkhu and bhikkhuni Sanghas disappeared from Sri Lanka. Later on ai monks came to Sri Lanka on royal invitation and re-
established the bhikkhu Sangha which continues its existence
up to present day. ere was no mention of the bhikkhuni Sangha.
During the time the bhikkhuni Sangha prospered in Sri
Lanka, a group of them went to China on invitation and
established the bhikkhuni Sangha there in .. this lineage
spread to the neighbouring countries like Korea and Vietnam.
Two points need to be mentioned in this connection.
First, it is to be noted that Buddhism still prospers in the
present era (.. / ..) not only in the East but it also travelled to the far West and begins to take root there.
Second, we need to mention that the disappearance of
both the Sanghas they were always together. ese historical
facts and evidences disqualify the common belief that by
accepting women to the Order Buddhism will be shortened only to years.
�estion ��
Why cannot women become buddhas?
Buddhist academics explain that in the formation of the Tripitaka some parts are older than the others. e oldest
is the Patimokkha, which is the monastic code for both
monks and nuns. In eravada there are rules for monks and for bhikkhunis.
We found that the part of the Tripitaka where were the
passage referring to women’s inability to become buddhas happened at least years after the Buddha’s passing away when Mahayana already had come into existence. At that time there already developed the ideal that the Buddha was not ordinary being but had a supernatural
existence. Buddhists began to prescribe to the Buddha the Mahapurisa characteristics as believed to be the qualities
of great monarch. One of these characteristics prescribed that the Buddha must have his penis in a sheath that is
covered, meaning that the Buddha has transcended sexual
desire. Later on this requirement is emphasised only ‘having
the penis,’ hence ending up with the understanding that women cannot become buddhas. is belief continued on
for a thousand years.
Teachers in the later time had di culty explaining this limitation on gender and developed the teachings to accommodate women by saying that if a woman achieved a higher standard of spiritual development she may be
transformed into a male.
Some of the Mahayana Sutras e.g. Sukhavati Vyuha Sutra
mentions Amitabha Buddha who presides over the Western
Paradise. Within this realm (Buddhaksetra), women who have
strong faith in him will be born as men. Such belief is based, not on the dislike of women, or that women cannot practise
dharma, but out of compassion that women have to go through
the physical su ering of child birth, etc. is is true as in the olden days medical care was far behind. Hence sometimes we
hear a comparison between a woman having to go through
child birth to a man going to war. With this understanding
and out of compassion, Amitabha Buddha allows women with
faith in him to be born in his realm as men.
Another sutra not much known among the ais is that
of Aksobhaya Buddha who presides over in the Eastern Paradise. is realm is di erent from that of Amitabha
Buddha, a woman born in this realm retains her womanhood,
and should she desire to have a child, a child is born without
conception, without having to go through the su ering of
child birth, etc, and eliminates completely the involvement
of the male counterpart. is may be seen as compassion expressed by Aksobtaya Buddha, one step more advanced
than Sukhavati in the sense that it recognises womanhood and motherhood.
Again the Saddharmapundarika Sutra, a major text for Mahayana of all schools, mentions in one of its chapters, a
daughter of a naga (divine serpent) who was as young as
years old but well versed in dharma. She o ered a jewel
to Sariputra. As Sariputra received the o ering she stated that she can change into male form faster than the time
Sariputra received the o ering from her. In this context, this
particular message means that one becomes enlightened, then
transforms the gender. In other words one has to transcend
gender in order to be enlightened. To be enlightened is to
be free from all bindings and limitations including gender.
Once enlightened, male or female retains no di erence.
Another important Mahayana Sutra, the Vimalakirti Nidesa Sutra, mentions an encounter between Sariputra
and a goddess who resides in Vimalakirti’s residence. After having a long dharma talk with her, he was impressed at her knowledge of dharma in spite of the fact that she was only a female. As if realizing igher level of dharma belongs only to male, he asked her why she still retains female gender. e
goddess replied that since she had been there for years,
she had examined her mind and was not able to hold on to anything female. As this was the case, she was not able to
change her gender. While discussing, with her miraculous
power, she transformed herself into Sariputra and vice versa.
e goddess who was now in Sariputra’s form asked Sariputra
who was now in the goddess’ form if he could change back to his own form. Sariputra said that having examined himself
(which was then herself ) he could not nd the essence of being female. e goddess again reversed her miraculous
power and returned Sariputra to his former self, and she to
her former self. en she explained that in the practice of
highest dharma there is no essence of being male or female.
us how can one hold on to being male or female?In the
practice of dharma one should not hold on to any particular
form, neither male nor female. An enlightened mind is
beyond clinging e.g. clinging to male or female, good or bad. Lokuttara dharma is non-duality; enlightenment is a state of mind which is free from the realm of the conventional.
�estion ��
What is Buddhist a�itude towards prostitution?
Every time when I attended an international conference abroad I was asked: why does ailand with its population of millions and of which are Buddhists still have so many prostitutes? Even women travelling outside the
country often are mistreated, being taken to have the same profession.
As Buddhists, we have to understand that Buddhism does
not blame women who have to work as prostitutes for their living. But prostitution promotes unwholesome acts both on
the parts of the men and prostitutes themselves. In a research
by Dr epanom Muangmaen, he reported a girl who had to provide sexual service to men a night during Chinese New Year. It is understandable from the prostitute’s point of view that she was forced to do it out of poverty and need for
survival, but what about the men buying service from her?
What necessity do they have apart from the answer to their lustful desire?
e Buddha did not look down upon prostitutes. On
the contrary he provided opportunity for them to enter the rightful path in the same manner as other. Once he accepted an invitation from Ambapali, a courtesan, for lunch on the next day. After that the Licchavi princes came and o ered him an invitation again. He declined as he already accepted an invitation form Ambapali. is courtesan was the same
person who later o ered him and the Sangha a mango grove for the monks’ residence.
Jivaka, the famous physician who attended personally to
the Buddha and the Sangha was also born of a prostitute. He
was never frowned upon for his birth.
Being a prostitute is not an obstacle to enlightenment if she is willing and diligently practises dharma. In fact, the experience of a prostitute could help her towards
enlightenment sooner than otherwise.
Buddhism does not support prostitutes. On the contrary it points out that prostitution is an unwholesome act.
Buddhists do not look down upon prostitutes. If they
choose to practice dharma, they have an equal, if not better chance to become enlightened.
�estion ��
What is an a�itude of a Buddhist towards abortion?
Among western feminists, abortion is one of the most discussed social issues. One argues that a woman should have right over her body because it is hers. Buddhism
does not argue on this point but takes a clear stand that
abortion is killing.One who chooses abortion transgresses
the rst precept. But whether the government should pass a bill to legalize abortion or not is an issue which
needs consideration from various related elds e.g. social,
economic, cultural, etc.
To the argument which raises a question whether abortion is killing “life” or not, Buddhism supplies a
detailed explanation of conception and its various stage
of formation. is explains the coming together of sperm
and egg, then through st, nd, rd and th week to a stage called ‘Pancasakha’ or “ branches” namely head,
arms, legs, “Life” is present through all these stages since conception.
To complete killing there are at least factors:
. that it has life,
. knowing that it has life,
. willingness to kill,
. try to kill,
. that life is destroyed.
If one has completed these ve factors, killing is completed
bearing fruit of action (Vipakkarma).
As a Buddhist woman, one may be forced to choose abortion
but must be willing to receive the fruit of her action without trying to explain away the teaching to suits one’s choice.
at a man should bear equal responsibility of pregnancy
is true but entirely a separate issue to consider.
�estion ��
What is the historical development of mae jis? And what is their present status?
The oldest historical evidence on mae jis is found in a record written by a Christian missionary who visited ailand during mid Ayudhya period (arond th century ..) giving
an image of an elderly woman wearing white residing in the monastery compound.
e word ‘ji’ is still arguable. Some mae jis think that
it derives from ‘Jina’, meaning “a conqueror,” but this word is usually used for the Buddha, it is doubtful then if mae ji would use the word in the same sense. In the Buddha’s time, there was parivrajika, which means ascetics, but again they belong to a non-Buddhistic sect. ere is yet another group known as ‘Ajivika’ also non-Buddhists. In old ai literature, there is mentioning of ‘ji pluey’ to denote the naked ascetics
belonging to the Jain religion. e word ‘ji’ means simply
‘ordained one’ and could apply to both genders. e pre x
‘mae’ literally means ‘mother’, but actually only denotes female
gender. Hence ‘mae ji’ should mean ‘ordained woman’.
Legally there is no regulation applicable to mae jis.
Generally it implies Buddhist women with shaved head,
wearing white, observing - precepts. ey could reside
in the temple compound or at home. e Department
of Religious A airs does not consider them “ordained ”
resulting in the uneven treatment mae jis get from various
related ministries. e Ministry of communication does not consider them ‘ordained ’ hence they cannot apply for special half fare on train service. e Ministry of Interior
considers them ‘ordained ’ hence they lose their right to vote
when it comes to election time. e monks generally would
group them together with upasika, laywomen. According to
classical Buddhist grouping, there are monks, nuns, laymen
and laywomen. Mae jis really do not t in any one of these
categories.
Grouping of Buddhist communities
Bhikkhus (monks) Bhikkhunis (nuns)
Laymen Laywomen
ey are not lay women as they observe a more committed
religious lifestyle, yet they are not nuns (bhikkhuni) as the
bhikkhunis observe precepts and go through ordination
procedure where as mae jis have only precepts with no formal
ordination.
e Institute of Mae jis under Her Majesty’s Royal
Patronage has made a frequent attempt to deal with begging mae jis, considering their action to destroy the image of mae
jis in general but the problem still lingers on. As long as there
is no de nite policy for action, as long as the Department of Religious A airs has not taken into consideration to clarify the status of mae jis, organizing the registration and issuing
I.D. cards for mae jis so that each one may be checked and rightly placed, parasites cannot be weeded out.
Generally mae jis are poor and lack proper education. e
general public do not see mae jis as a representation of women
trying to lead a religious life. Society, therefore, neither
shares the problems that mae jis face nor have any sympathy for them. ey become a minority to wade through obstacles on their own without clear direction.
In the past decade, few women from upper strata of society
with education, social and nancial back-up have become
mae jis. ey positively help to promote social welfare and
improve the image of mae jis. Mae jis themselves become
more aware that they need improvement in education even with economic limitations.
�estion ��
How can a mae ji share in social and religious development?
The condition which mae jis have in reality is di erent from that which society expect from them. Society considers mae jis as human resource available for social and religious development. erefore society expects to see mae
jis commit themselves in social welfare works, e.g. taking
care of orphans, aged citizen etc.
In reality in the whole country the number of mae jis
do not exceed ,. Out of this have completed only
grade - of formal education. e same percentage came
from a farmers’ background, having no nancial support,
no social recognition. ey have to fend for themselves in a “hand to mouth” manner, some with minimal support from their families. e idea to help others or be involved in social
welfare is too far-fetched for them. As a result some of them have to beg on the street to meet their monthly expenses.
Again there are a number of mae jis who choose to become
mae jis after having been turned o from worldly life. As they
ed from society, to expect them to return to get involved in social development contradicts their original intention.
It is true that mae jis can be an e ective human resource to
bene t society but a step is needed before that is to improve mae jis themselves by providing them education and training so that
they can rst help themselves and not pose as a social burden. en they can guide others both in words and action.
To help improve mae jis in a more concrete manner is
to start a college to provide for them Buddhist and general
education so that mae jis can move with the ow of society, to
understand social problems and at the same time be equipped
with dharma knowledge to guide society towards a better
Buddhist community.
e Department of Religious A airs, Ministry of
Education, is a government unit responsible directly for the
well being of the mae jis. It is proposed that they should
urgently nd a measure to register the mae jis to lessen the
opportunity for outsiders to exploit the position of mae jis.
At the same time they should consider promoting mae jis in
a process to fortify mae jis as another e ective religious unit to help establish and propagate Buddhism.
�estion ��
Why some families in the north sell their daughters so that they can give ordination to their sons?
Thai people hold on to the value that to have their sons ordained is the highest form of merit making. In the village, when a son is years of age, it is a popular practice
to arrange for ordination with days celebration prior to
the actual ritual of ordination. e ‘calling kwan’ ceremony
could last through the night by hiring the best vocalist to
narrate the story of how the mother had to endure su ering of
childbirth. erefore, the merit for ordaining a son is believed
to go directly to the mother. en the family has to pay for the parade, taking the would-be monk to the monastery with various kinds of o erings handed by pairs of young girls.e
procession could be so elaborate that it takes up half a
kilometre long. en there are o erings for the preceptor, and
a pair of teachers responsible for the teaching and training of the would-be monk. A chapter of a minimum of monks is required. Each one of them is expected to receive an o ering. ese are the expenses that well-to-do families are willing to go through at an ordination.Other families with less income
always try to live up to this standard of having elaborate
celebration. Ordination, a simple ritual of a person to let go of de lement, turns into a social function for a family to show
o their wealth. When the original purpose shifted, some
families without their own means to meet such expense are willing to sell their daughters, the only valuable property, in order to provide an elaborate ordination for their sons.
e eldest daughters of the family are usually requested by their parents to ‘sacri ce’ for their younger siblings and to be ‘grateful ’ to do this favour for their parents. e parents receive ‘advance money’ from agents from Bangkok so that
their daughters can go to ‘work in Bangkok ’ which could
include working as sex-workers.
e emphasis on the value of ordaining a son is a very highly
recognised social value particularly in the village. Ordination
is the only time that the mother is given highest honour as she
actually is allowed to lead the precession, a place of honour to walk in front of the would-be monk holding the robe in her hands. Normally it is the men who would take the lead in all rituals in connection with the monks and the temples.
A related custom still practised is to ordain a son before he
gets married, with the belief that all the merit would go directly
to the parents. But if the son is already married, the mother might have to share the merit with the daughter-in-law.
Such belief, though common, is not the real Buddhist understanding. Buddhism allows women to be ordained
themselves.
Spiritual salvation is completely her own achievement, not based on devotion through her husbands as held in Hinduism.
Women do not have to wait for the sons to perform the nal rites to allow her to enter heaven.
e fear of a daughter-in-law sharing the merit with the mother is also based on insecurity. Merit may be compared
to candle light, by lighting other candles, the light from
the original candle does not minimise in any way. On the
contrary, the more one lights other candles, the more one
brings light into the world.
An important point that ai women put much emphasis
on ordination of their sons is because they themselves have no
opportunity to be ordained, so they depend totally on their
sons to bring them this highest form of merit. If women have
opportunity to be ordained, daughters can equally bring the
highest form of merit to the parents. Instead of being asked to
‘sacri ce’ to have younger brothers ordained, they themselves can bring about that highest form of merit by being ordained themselves. en she no longer has to play the ‘second ddle’
and can equally express her gratitude towards her parents
directly through her own commitment and action.
�estion ��
Generally why people prefer to make o ering to monks rather than mae jis?
Monks are a “ eld of merit” as they lead a chaste life, and are propagators of the teaching of Buddhism.
Having left household life they study and follow the path of
the Buddha. Hence they are worthy recipients of the o ering.
O ering food to monks in the morning not only provides
them food for their well-being but also supports them as
propagators of Buddhism. us people believe that o ering to monks will bring them multiple merit.
Mae jis who observe the precepts well and follow the path of the Buddha should be considered equal recipients. But because the image that they project to the people is
rather negative resulting in the understanding that making o erings to mae jis does not incur equal merit as mae jis are
not ‘ordained ’, they are not propagators of Buddhism. Besides
there are laywomen who exploit the form of mae jis to make their living. ese are some of the reasons responsible for the lack of faith from society.
�estion ��
Why do women go to the temple and make merit more than men?
This is correctly observed, even though there has not yet been any o cial statistic to prove the claim. On the street we observe that of people who o er food to the monks are women. On Wan Pra (Buddhist day) of people who
come to attend the service, observe precepts and listen to the teaching are women. But this should not lead to a conclusion
that women have more faith than men. ere are many other variant factors to consider.
In ai society most men go to work while women are
housewives or take care of private business. is allows
women to attend the temple service on ‘Wan Pra’ more easily than men.
ai society has trained women to be good followers, to
go to the temple, to observe precepts and to listen to a sermon
given by monks. One may notice that most elderly people
who listen to sermon do not primarily try to understand
the message in the teaching but ‘listening to a sermon” is a merit making act. Whether one understands the message is secondary, and to apply the teaching to their practice is not the immediate concern.
Another social value prevalent among the ais is the
belief that to be born a male is better than a female, primarily
because a man can receive ordination, the highest form of
merit making. As women (in ailand) do not have this
spiritual access, women have to make more merit to make
up for their shortcoming.
Generally, religious activities are completely the domain
of men. Even those who serve the monks in the temple mostly
had been monks at certain time in life. e Buddhist world is then men’s world. Woman can do their best by providing various forms of material support and service to gain merit.
With this understanding more women are found visiting
temples to ensure themselves of a better future both in this life and the next.
�estion ��
In the role of female followers, what should Buddhist women do?
Buddhism will prosper or decline depending on the establishment of the four groups of Buddhists: monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. However, when we see some shortcomings in our society, we are accustomed to pointing our ngers towards the monks holding responsibility for the problems. In fact the monks are only one of the four groups
in Buddhist community. All of us, laymen and laywomen,
hold equal responsibility for the problems.
When the Buddha established the four groups of
Buddhists, he wanted to make sure that this establishment
will be solid foundation. Each one shares equal responsibility
towards the development of Buddhism. ree important factors are involved in this establishment i.e. they have
studied and understood the teaching, they put the teaching
into practice and they are able to defend and explain the teaching correctly. As female followers of the Buddha,
Buddhist women must be aware to ful l each one’s duty and responsibility towards this establishment.
Generally ai Buddhists tend to hold on to an attitude “If it is bad, its up to the nuns, if it is good, it is up to the
monks,” that is if the monks or nuns should do anything
bad, its their business, we as laypeople should not interfere. is attitude is harmful for the establishment of Buddhism.
If we see one of the four members of the groups do wrong
yet we remain silent, our silence, our non-interference, actually promotes wrongdoing and further harms the growth of Buddhism. It is therefore important the each
one of the Buddhist groups must bear equal responsibility
and see themselves as one united community. If one is
doing something harmful, its going to harm the rest of the community and with the age of globalisation the negative acts result in a domino e ect.
�estion ��
Is it true that if a person is enlightened, she must be ordained within 7 days?
In the Pali Tripitaka there was a case of a man who was enlightened but could not nd the robes and the bowl as required for ordination within days. He died of an
accident.
In ailand, even if we have no women ordained as
bhikkhunis, mae jis are considered leading a celibate life and
hence should be included. It is explained that the enlightened
mind is too subtle to remain in a coarse physical body of a layperson; hence ordination is required to prepare the body to help maintain the subtlety of the mind.
�estion ��
What is the unique chara�eristic in American Buddhism which might interest a feminist?
Americans came across Buddhism during the Second World War through the work of Ven. D.T. Suzuki, a Japanese priest. e unique characteristic of Zen Buddhism t in well with the spiritual vacuum in the USA at that time
while many Americans were critical of the conservative institutionalised church and found satisfactorily the same
matching spirit in Zen Buddhism.
Later there were many other forms of Buddhism i.e.
Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Tibetan. Among the eravadin
propagators, Sri Lankan and Burmese monks gained the upper-hand being equipped with better access to English. American Buddhists became aware of the need to sift the
essential teaching from various cultural cloaks.
An Important factor one may nd in Buddhism is the Indian cultural baggage which tends to suppress women. Critical American Buddhists became more aware of the
need to do away with unnecessary cultural burdens and by so
doing they have, to a great extent freed Buddhist women from
suppressing elements. A unique characteristic of Buddhism in
the US is the strong participation of women in Buddhism.
In Asia, women have limited opportunity both in their
role and responsibility toward Buddhism. is not only bars
women’s participation in Buddhism but also prevents the
natural growth of Buddhism as a whole.
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BBC News | In pictures
BBC News | In pictures
BBC News | In pictures
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�In pictures:�Rangoon colonial architecture |
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Introduction Decades of poverty brought on by political and economic isolation has left the Burmese capital Rangoon with the largest collection of colonial architecture in South East Asia. BBC News Online takes a look at architectural survivors that are facing their greatest challenge yet � tenants prosperous enough to afford something new. |
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�In pictures:�Rangoon colonial architecture |
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Introduction Decades of poverty brought on by political and economic isolation has left the Burmese capital Rangoon with the largest collection of colonial architecture in South East Asia. BBC News Online takes a look at architectural survivors that are facing their greatest challenge yet � tenants prosperous enough to afford something new. |
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�In pictures:�Rangoon colonial architecture |
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Introduction Decades of poverty brought on by political and economic isolation has left the Burmese capital Rangoon with the largest collection of colonial architecture in South East Asia. BBC News Online takes a look at architectural survivors that are facing their greatest challenge yet � tenants prosperous enough to afford something new. |
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Rangoon has the most colonial era architecture in South East Asia
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Sadly, this building was given a ruthless facelift two years ago - most of the faux Egyptian stucco ornamentation was chipped off the facade and replaced with glazed tiles. The only bit to survive the renovation was a winged scarab high up the building.
Opponents of Burma's military regime accuse the government of destroying these vestiges of British colonial rule in an effort to modernise the capital before the Asean Summit, which Burma will host in 2006.
Ironically, if it were not for decades of ruinous economic policies, the buildings would probably never have survived in the first place. For many years residents of Rangoon were simply too poor to build anything new.
Modernisation
Rangoon now has the largest collection of colonial architecture of any South-East Asian city. For first time visitors to the capital, the sheer number of colonial buildings is likely to dazzle.
"We were in Havana on vacation last year and that's what Rangoon reminds us of - the pastel colours and the people lounging in the windows", remarked a visitor from Canada.
Less likely to attract attention are the vacant lots surrounded by high sheet-metal fences that tell of yet another structure to fall victim to modernisation.
While visitors may be charmed by facades, residents of these old buildings find they are difficult to maintain - sometimes for surprising reasons.
"Birds drop the seeds of trees and these sprout on the building", said a barrister whose offices occupy a decrepit colonial building.
"The problem is that some of those plants you see growing from the buildings cannot be removed. That is to say, people do not want to remove them. They are a type of banyan, Ficus religiosa, and this tree is sacred to the Buddha and so too sacred to Buddhist people," he said.
If nothing else, the present state of much of Rangoon's British colonial architecture is a lesson in the Buddhist concept of universal impermanence.
colonial
With the temperature in the mid-30s on a muggy day in Rangoon, U Myo Thein is still able to relax in the cool interior of his "shophouse", despite the fact that the electric fan is not working.
The building dates back some 70 years to when U Myo Thein was just a boy.
 Colonial-era architecture
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In picturesAbout Me
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BBC News | In pictures
~RS~a~RS~domestic~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~43~RS~) ~RS~a~RS~domestic~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~43~RS~) |
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In pictures: Rangoon colonial architecture |
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Introduction Decades of poverty brought on by political and economic isolation has left the Burmese capital Rangoon with the largest collection of colonial architecture in South East Asia. BBC News Online takes a look at architectural survivors that are facing their greatest challenge yet – tenants prosperous enough to afford something new. |
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