Can women become monastics?
Maha Pajapati Gotami requesting for permission from the Buddha to establish the Order of Nuns (Bhikkhuni Order)
Yes, women can lead a monastic life, dedicating their lives to the study and practice of the Buddhist teachings, but not in quite the same way as the nuns of earlier generations. Unfortunately, the original nuns order, the Bhikkhuni Sangha, became extinct more than a thousand years ago. The prevailing (although not unanimous) view in Theravada Buddhist countries is that reviving the bhikkhuni order is not possible, as the requirements for bhikkhuni ordination laid down by the Buddha can no longer be fulfilled. Theravada being a tradition that defines itself by its conservative attitude to the texts, it is unsurprising that overriding the instructions given by the Buddha himself is considered by most monks to be unthinkable. As an alternative to bhikkhuni ordination, Theravada countries have established their own quasi-monastic institutions for women with faith. In Thailand this institution is the white-robed ‘mae chee’ order.
The orthodox view on the revival of the bhikkhuni order is not universally accepted. Over the past years a movement to re-establish the bhikkhuni order, mainly instigated by Buddhist women from Western countries, has gathered pace. A growing number of women are now living as bhikkhunis, a small number of whom are resident in Thailand.
Has there ever been a Bhikkhuni Order in Thailand?
By the time the first Thai kingdom was established in Sukhothai in the 12th century, the Bhikkhuni Order had already become extinct. It is possible that a thousand or so years before that, in the first wave of Buddhist propagation in what is now central Thailand, bhikkhunis played some part, but there is no reliable historical record of this. Certainly, there is no Thai cultural memory of a Buddhist “golden age” in which the Sangha consisted of both bhikkhus and bhikkhunis. This perhaps helps to explains why Thai attitude towards the revival of the bhikkhuni order has been lukewarm.
More questions and anwers HERE
Source:
- Without and Within – Ajahn Jayasaro
Ryokan Says
The Bhikkhuni ordination was characterized by having previous stages of preparation and training: the pabajja (ordination has a novice), sikkhamana (two years set of training for the complete ordination), and upasampada (the full ordination has a bhikkhuni). The orthodox Vinaya experts stance about this process (in short) is that at present days the two fist steps for ordination cannot be fulfilled, The reason is that bhikkhus are prohibited to give the pabajja ordination, and the sikkhamana training was responsibility of the Bhikkhuni Order as well, since these two are a requirement for full ordination has a Bhikkhuni, the full ordination cannot be carry out has was prescribed by the Buddha.
Of course, this is a simple explanation to a more complex subject, and there are different views within the Theravada Tradition. More in-depth information about this can be found in this publication by the venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi, “The revival of Bhikkhuni Ordination in the Theravada Tradition“
