Sri Lanka Buddhist nuns long for equality

[Jessie Fong]

By P K Balachandran, New India Express, 8 March 2013
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka by Emperor Ashoka’s daughter Sangamitta and her twin brother Mahinda in 288 BC.
<< Ven Bodichitta, a Sri Lankan Buddhist nun

A nun herself, Sangamitta had ordained a number of Lankan women. Before long, most Lankans had embraced Buddhism and monasteries for monks and nuns sprouted across the island.

But the Saivite Chola invasion in 1017 AD put the order of the nuns in total disarray. The Bhikkhuni Sasana collapsed, and sadly, never to be revived.
The religious order came to be dominated by the male monks. Despite that, lay women continued to play a critical role in sustaining Buddhism. Many took to the religious life, shaving their heads and living in nunneries. Today, there are 427 nunneries with 1,200 novices and over 100 nuns with higher ordination.

Yet, a nun is not recognised as a ‘Bhikkuni’. She is only a Dasa Sil Matha (a mother practising the Ten Precepts). Higher ordination is denied to them. So, they are not on par with the ‘Bhikkus.’

Nunneries do not enjoy the patronage of the Buddha Sasana as represented by the Siam, Amarapura and Ramanna Orders. The Ministry of Buddhist Affairs does not recognise them or fund them. The monk’s identity card is denied to the nuns.

In 1998, a progressive monk, Sri Sumangala Thero of Dambulla, ordained 22 women as ‘Bhikkunis’. But they are yet to get official recognition.

Source : http://www.buddhistchannel.tv

[fruven]

Interesting historical fact of the establishment of the Buddhism in Sri Lanka and how Saivite Chola invaded. Did the monasteries get destroy too? Or just the nunneries was targeted by the invasion? If both were destroy by the invasion did the monasteries get restored by the locals or a new ruler while the nunneries was abandon because something did happen? 

[Rihanna]

Buddhism does not consider women as being inferior to men. Buddhism, while accepting the biological and physical differences between the two sexes, does consider men and women to be equally useful to the society. That is why Buddha said that everyone has the Buddha nature in us hence has the potential to be a Buddha. That was said by the Buddha during his time. So where did the Thai Buddhist Order get this twisted theory of inequality from???

[Midakpa]

The Theravadan Buddhist Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni traditions in Sri Lanka had died out in the 13th century. In 1753, the Sri Lankan Bhikkhu lineage was revived but not the Bhikkhuni lineage.  Women who wished to become fully ordained had to travel to Taiwan or Hong Kong to receive the full Bhikkhuni ordination in the Mahayana tradition. This was of much concern because Sri Lanka is a Theravadan country.

In 1998, there was a higher ordination ceremony in Bodhgaya and some senior Sri Lankan bhikkhus attended along with 22 novice nuns . The ordination was conducted in the presence of both Mahayana and Theravada elders. Then this same group went to Sarnath and the nuns were ordained directly by the Sri Lankan bhikkhus. The final step in the restoration of the Bhikkhuni lineage in Sri Lanka occurred at the Golden Temple in Dambulla, Sri Lanka on 12 March 1998. For the first time in hundreds of years, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis stood together and ordained novice nuns who graduated from their monastic training centre. (from Gill Farrer-Halls, The Feminine Face of Buddhism)

It looks like the situation in Sri Lanka is better than that in Thailand where the Bhikkhuni lineage was never established.

[dondrup]

Buddhism advocates the equality of all sentient being.  This is because all sentient being has the similar Buddha-nature to become a Buddha.  How could the Sri Lankan government not recognise the nuns as Bhikkunis? It baffles me why the order of nuns in Sri Lanka is being discriminated? Why is higher ordination denied to them ?  Why are the nuns not on par with the Bhikkus?  Isn’t Buddhism brought into Sri Lanka by Emperor Ashoka’s daughter Sangamitta who was a nun in 288 BC?  The Buddhist Community in Sri Lanka should strive to get the government to recognise the nuns as Bhikkunis.

[DS Star]

Actually there is an encouraging development now for Sri Lakan nuns. Though not fully supported by all the Sangha community and neither by official recognition, individual Buddhist monks do ordained nuns in Sri Lankan and they have a very structured learning program and monastic practice program for nuns.

"Bhikkhuni ordination: It is a great blessing that today bhikkuni ordination in Theravada Buddhism is no longer a novelty.

After a lapse of nine centuries, there now exists in Sri Lanka a functional bhikkuni sangha holding regular patimokkha (the twice monthly recitation of the precepts) and properly supported by bhikkus.

Sri Lankan nuns have received upasampada (full ordination) in every year since 1998. Over 400 bhikkhnis are practising, mostly in rural areas. There are 2,000 samaneris (novices) preparing for ordination, as well as 3,000 practising as Dasa Sil Matas, the older order of ten-precept nuns. These developments should be celebrated by anyone who appreciates the Buddha's plan for a four-fold mahasangha of bhikkus, bhikkunis, male and female lay supporters."

http://www.lakehouse.lk/mihintalava/sasana01.htm