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A Feminist Perspective on the Lack of Full Ordination for Burmese Buddhist Nuns Darbee Nicole Hagerty Florida International University, [email protected]

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A Feminist Perspective on the Lack of Full Ordination for Burmese Buddhist Nuns Darbee Nicole Hagerty Florida International University, Dhage004@Fiu.Edu Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 3-31-2016 A Feminist Perspective on the Lack of Full Ordination for Burmese Buddhist Nuns Darbee Nicole Hagerty Florida International University, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FIDC000289 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Buddhist Studies Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, and the History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons Recommended Citation Hagerty, Darbee Nicole, "A Feminist Perspective on the Lack of Full Ordination for Burmese Buddhist Nuns" (2016). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2435. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2435 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE ON THE LACK OF FULL ORDINATION FOR BURMESE BUDDHIST NUNS A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in RELIGIOUS STUDIES by Darbee Hagerty 2016 To: Dean John F. Stack Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs This thesis, written by Darbee Hagerty, and entitled A Feminist Perspective on the Lack of Full Ordination for Burmese Buddhist Nuns, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved. ______________________________________________ Oren Baruch Stier _______________________________________________ Christine Gudorf _______________________________________________ Steven M. Vose, Major Professor Date of Defense: March 31, 2016 This thesis of Darbee Hagerty is approved. ______________________________________________ Dean John F. Stack Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs _______________________________________________ Andrés G. Gil Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the University Graduate School Florida International University, 2016 ii © Copyright 2016 by Darbee Hagerty All rights reserved. iii ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE ON THE LACK OF FULL ORDINATION FOR BURMESE BUDDHIST NUNS by Darbee Hagerty Florida International University, 2016 Miami, Florida Professor Steven M. Vose, Major Professor This thesis examines the position of Buddhist nuns (thila-shins) in contemporary Burmese society. The Sangha, a branch of the Burmese state, has disallowed them from seeking full ordination as bhikkhunis. Based on interviews and observations conducted in Myanmar in June-July 2015, the thesis examines the current socioeconomic status of thila-shins using a transnational feminist framework. It argues that Burmese Buddhist nuns are not simply passive victims of a patriarchal structure, but agents and actors within their own spaces who have their own agendas. The central questions are: How do thila-shins understand their social, economic, and religious position? How does ordination status affect thila-shins? Is barring thila-shins from seeking full ordination ethical according to Buddhist texts? Special emphasis is given to a rereading of traditional Buddhist doctrine on the issue of reviving full ordination for Buddhist nuns in light of concerns regarding agency present in Third World feminist movements. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS If you can believe it, this was the hardest part of this thesis for me to write. I avoided it, wrote it, scrapped it and then wrote it again. How do you thank people you feel you’ll never be able to repay? First, I have to mention my thesis advisor, major professor, and all around gifted teacher Dr. Steven Vose. He consistently allowed this thesis to be my own work while still steering me in the right direction when he knew I needed it. Thank you, from a place of the highest gratitude and respect, for your continuous help, encouragement, patience, and understanding with this(me). Beyond that, thank you for pushing me to do better when I thought I couldn’t. A very special thanks as well to my second reader, Dr. Christine Gudorf, who first sparked the passion that now sits deep within me for feminism and feminist theory. Her class was essential for my growth as an individual and a scholar, without which this thesis never would have been written. Her expertise and guidance was motivating as well as supportive while her roles as mother, professor, author were endlessly inspiring. Dr. Stier, my final committee member, was also instrumental in the writing process. He helped me to step outside of my comfort zone and develop a focus but more than that, helped me to feel comfortable becoming an authority on my subject (not an easy task for me). I feel compelled to acknowledge those I worked with in Myanmar who transformed my fieldwork from something I was unsure I could achieve into an enriching, incredible experience. Daw Nang, Candasiri, U Panna Jota, Sandayee, Komala v Terri, Sitala, Panna Dee, Candavara, along with all the nuns of Thila-Nyunt and others will always be held in my highest regard as their patience, readiness to clarify or answer questions, and above all their kindness was limitless. I doubt that I will ever be able to demonstrate my appreciation fully, but my eternal thanks are owed to them. It is not easy to offer yourself up to a stranger so purely and with so much trust, knowing full well that they will write about you and you may be misrepresented. It is my deepest hope that I transmitted their words and feelings in a way that is authentic to them. My connection to them, which served to be an integral part of my research, was all because of Dr. Hiroko Kawanami. Without her work on Burmese Buddhist nuns, there is no work of mine. The importance of her research and her readiness to put me in touch with contacts she knew on the ground in Mandalay and Sagaing cannot be overstated. I will be eternally grateful to her for that. I must also acknowledge my fellow graduate student and friend Grisel D’Elena for her help in times of critical need, her unflinching support on issues relating to school as well as life, the inspiration she provided by existing as a dedicated mother and graduate student, and lastly her patience with me as a (younger) friend and colleague. Her heart is the biggest I’ve ever encountered and her encouragement guided me through my work when I was unsure if I would finish. Finally, recognition must be given to my partner Jason and family, who always believed in me, rarely questioned me, and have been incredibly present and supportive throughout this entire process. Words will always fail when it comes to them, but in short, they are the reason I write. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 Transnational vs. Global Feminism ................................................................................ 4 Fieldwork in Myanmar ................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 1 A History of the Theravada Bhikkhuni Lineage: Disappearance and Revival ...........................................................................................................................11 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 11 Early History ................................................................................................................. 11 The Bhikkhuni Lineage Forms ..................................................................................... 13 Efforts for Revival ........................................................................................................ 23 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 2 Religious Mendicants in Myanmar-Burma: Comparing and Contrasting the Lives of Buddhist nuns (Thila-shins) and Monks ...................................................35 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 35 Religious Governmental Policies .................................................................................. 36 Thila-Nyunt Nunnery .................................................................................................... 42 Legal Status of a Monastic in Myanmar ....................................................................... 46 Female vs. Male Renunciation ...................................................................................... 52 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 61 CHAPTER 3 Ethics and Equality in Burmese Buddhism: Full Ordination for Women ...63 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 63 The Self in Buddhism ................................................................................................... 64 Attitudes of Monastics toward a Revival ...................................................................... 68 Karma and a Revival ....................................................................................................
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