AN INWARD JOURNEY BOOK IJ168/09 THE REVIVAL OF Bhikkhunī Or DINAT I O N IN THE Theravāda TRADITION Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi Preface by Ven. Ajahn Brahmavaµso Foreword by Ven. Bhikkhu Sujæto Published by INWARD PATH Penang • Malaysia THE REVIVAL OF BHIKKHUNØ OrDINATION IN THE THERAVÆDA TRADITION ONTENTS An Inward Journey Book C Published by INWARD PATH PUBLISHER 52 Level D, Rangoon Road Off Burma Road 10400 Georgetown, Penang MALAYSIA P.O. Box 1034, 10830 Penang Preface . v MALAYSIA Foreword . vii Email: [email protected] (request for free Dhamma books) [email protected] (the publisher) Introduction . 1 www.inwardpath.org I ISBN 978 -983-3512- 63-8 983 3512 63 1 The CASE AGAINST the REVIVAL of T EXTS COPYRIGH T © 2009 Bhikkhu Bodhi L AYOU T & DESIGN COPYRIGH T © 2009 Inward Path Publisher Bhikkhunī OrdinatiOn All Rights REServed . 5 to 13 No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner l without written permission from the publisher and the author. Pabbajjā . 6 This book has been published for Free Distribution Only and NOT for Sale. l The Sikkhamānā Training . 8 For additional information, please contact the publisher. l Upasampadā . 9 2,000 copies January 2009 SPECIA L THANKS TO: II Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi, Venerable Ajahn Brahm, Venerable Bhikkhu Sujato, Venerable Bhikkhunø Dhammananda, The CASE for Judy Chua and Brother Visu a REVIVAL of C OVER DESIGN & BOOK LAYOU T BY Sunanda Lim theravāda Bhikkhunī “WA ll MURA L OF BHIKKHUNI A T WA T PHO” OrdinatiOn P HO T OGRAPH TAKEN BY Dhamma friends from Bangkok . 15 to 27 P RIN T ED IN Penang, Malaysia FOREWORD PREFA C E III addressing the LEGALIST CHALLENGE . 29 to 52 he Pali tipiṭika shows the lord Buddha stating that if the l Upasampadā . 34 Tordination of bhikkhunīs were allowed, then the true l Sikkhamānā . 44 dhamma (Saddhamma) would last only another 500 years. 2,500 + l Pabbajjā . 49 years later, we all know that the true dhamma is thriving. Perhaps this is because the Compassionate and Wise lord Buddha established COnClusiOn precepts for the bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, and also because of the . 53 to 55 tireless work of the ariyasaṅgha throughout the past 25 centuries. the true dhamma is now established in many Western countries such as australia. in the West, the absence of bhikkhunīs is seen as APPENDIX a major defect of Buddhism. the lack of a female equivalent to the Can an Extinct Bhikkhunī theravāda Buddhist monk is a big reason why many Westerners Sangha Be Revived? do not become Buddhists. it is my personal opinion that if we do . 59 to 66 not establish a bhikkhunī sangha, then Buddhism will not last even another 50 years in the West! senior monks in thailand have often told me that they would like to re-establish the bhikkhunī lineage in thailand, only there is an insurmountable technical barrier. namely, that the rules of vinaya that bind all bhikkhunīs are such that the female ordination v THE REVIVAL OF BHIKKHUNØ OrDINATION IN THE THERAVÆDA TRADITION FOREWORD cannot be revived. this booklet aims to question whether this is true or not. FOREWORD this well researched essay by venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi was presented at an international conference on Women in Buddhism in hamburg 2008. i have arranged to have this essay translated and published in thai, and am delighted to see an english publication of this important work as well. May this publication provide the Buddhist community with the latest information on the issue of bhikkhunī ordination, so that we may consider the benefit of bhikkhunī ordination in today’s world. omething is missing from theravāda Buddhism. in this ancient May the true dhamma last long, for the benefit and happiness Steaching, with its uniquely reasonable approach to the deepest of all sentient beings. spiritual realizations, there is one glaring omission. Balance pervades all aspects of practice and teaching: faith is balanced with wisdom; Ajahn Brahm samatha is balanced with vipassanā; concern for others is balanced PERTH with care for oneself. there is only one domain where this balance AUSTRALIA is missing: in the monastic institutions of theravāda Buddhism, december 2008 there is no room for women. this essay by Bhikkhu Bodhi addresses this problem head-on. he presents, with characteristic temperance and nobility of purpose, a case for the revival of bhikkhunī ordination, based on both the ‘ancient mandate’ of the Buddha’s vinaya, and ‘compelling contemporary circumstances’: the human values of kindness and equality as accepted within our international community. his argument proceeds in classical form: first he presents an articulate case against bhikkhunī ordination, then he addresses the objections point by point, concluding with a nuanced and yet powerful call to our highest ideals. vi vii THE REVIVAL OF BHIKKHUNØ OrDINATION IN THE THERAVÆDA TRADITION FOREWORD the paper was written for the ‘FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS been in robes for over twenty years and are teachers and leaders ON BUDDHIST WOMEN’S ROLE IN THE SANGHA: BHIKSHUNI VINAYA AND of their own communities. the goal now is to have the ordination ORDINATION LINEAGES’, which was held at the university of hamburg accepted within the tibetan tradition itself, so the tibetan sangha from July 18-20, 2007. the Congress was called by the dalai lama can directly perform bhikkhunī ordination. as a forum for discussion on the revival of bhikkhunīs. the dalai the dalai lama, in his speech on the final morning, emphasized lama is, of course, especially interested in the situation within the his support for the abolition of discrimination against women, tibetan sangha, but in line with his inclusive, international attitude, especially within the sangha. But the sticking point was lineage: he insisted that monks and nuns from all traditions contribute to how can a woman ordained in dharmaguptaka (Chinese) lineage the debate, as well as academics learned in the vinaya. ordain other women in Mūlasarvāstivāda (tibetan) lineage? a the Congress consisted of three uplifting days, with presenta- similar problem looms large in the minds of many theravādins. tions from 65 monks, nuns, academics, and Buddhist laypeople, Committed to a conception of ‘theravāda’ as the pristine, unsullied all offering unequivocal support for the prospects of bhikkhunī form of Original Buddhism, traditionalists are reluctant to accept ordination. We delved into the origins of bhikkhunīs; dissected the validity of the ordination lineage of other schools. the story of the first ordination; analyzed the garudhammas; told this question was addressed repeatedly in the conference. My of the early development of Buddhism; described the situation for own presentation, a summary of the research for my book SECTS & bhikkhunīs throughout history in sri lanka, China, tibet, korea, SECTARIANISM, showed that the origins of the three existing vinaya vietnam, and elsewhere; showed the situation for Buddhist renun- lineages are in fact intimately linked, with no question of a formal ciate women in various cultures today and their prospects for the schism dividing them. Others showed how through history, all future; explained how in 443 Ce the bhikkhunī lineage had been lineages have adopted a flexible approach to ordination and have taken from sri lanka to China, and was returned from China to sri adapted the procedures to accord with historical circumstance. lanka; and evaluated how the existing vinayas provide models for still other papers demonstrated that such a flexible attitude was bhikkhunī ordination in the tibetan tradition. it was, as Bhikkhunī in accord with the wording and the spirit of the vinaya texts tathālokā’s presentation emphasized, ‘A BRIGHT VISION’. themselves. But despite this, it seems that many of the elders within the dalai lama has consistently supported bhikkhunī the sangha are not yet ready to accept a more nuanced, historically ordination, and has given his permission for women to take realistic picture of Buddhist history than is provided by their own bhikkhunī ordination in the east asian tradition, then to keep sectarian mythologies. practicing within the tibetan tradition. so far, this option has been followed by a significant handful of women, some of whom have viii ix THE REVIVAL OF BHIKKHUNØ OrDINATION IN THE THERAVÆDA TRADITION FOREWORD it is often feared that bhikkhunī ordination will become a spiritual depth or institutional authority. One of the greatnesses divisive force in Buddhism. We cannot help but compare this with of Buddhism is that from its outset it was trans-national and non- the ongoing crisis in the anglican faith, which is riven to the brink of ethnic. later traditions have developed strongly ethnocentric or schism by the question of ordination for women and homo sexuals. nationalistic models for the dhamma, and while these may have after exhausting years of negotiations the communion has all but had a certain usefulness, they can never supplant the authentic failed, and is only held together because the property titles are with dispensation. the mother Church. But in the case of Buddhism, we do not have the the local sanghas, identifying themselves primarily through embarrassing problem that our Founder’s closest disciples all were national or sectarian allegiance, remain powerful and effective men. We know that the Buddha established the bhikkhunī sangha, within their own limited spheres, but have vanishingly little so bhikkhunī ordination does not require any rewriting or adaption relevance outside them. But even their limited role is being deeply of our ancient scriptures. as Bhikkhu Bodhi shows, the texts need questioned, as the modern world inevitably imposes itself. if the only to be interpreted with compassion and intelligence. the move- sangha remains ethnocentric, how can they act as leaders for a lay ment for bhikkhunī ordination, rather than forcing division, leads community that is increasingly globalized? this is a cruel dilemma to a deeper appreciation of the underlying unity of all Buddhist facing traditional sanghas in many Buddhist countries today.