DOCSLIB.ORG

The Zen Practitioner's Journal Fall 2016 Mother of All Buddhas

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Zen Practitioner's Journal Fall 2016 Mother of All Buddhas The Zen Practitioner’s Journal Mother of All Buddhas • Fall 2016 $10.00 / $11.00 Canadian Molly Ferrill MOUNTAIN RECORD (ISSN #0896-8942) is published quarterly by Dharma Communications. Periodicals Postage Paid at Mt. Tremper, NY, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send address changes to MOUNTAIN RECORD, P.O. Box 156, Mt. Tremper, NY 12457-0156. All material Copyright © 2016 by Dharma Com mu ni ca tions, Inc., unless otherwise specified. Printed in the U.S.A. The articles included and the opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, who are solely re spon si ble for their contents. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, positions or teachings of Zen Mountain Mon as tery or the Mountains and Rivers Order. Cover image: Monju Bosatsu by Kano Yasunobu (1613-85), courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA/Bridgeman Images. If a mother with many sons had fallen ill, They all, sad in mind, would busy themselves about her: Just so also the Buddhas in the world-systems in the ten directions Bring to mind this perfection of wisdom as their mother. —— Verses on the Perfection of Wisdom Vol. 35 No . 1 Fall 2016 Mother of All Buddhas 4 Your Rightful Place, Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei Prajnaparamita is the vastness, magnanimity, and courage of the bodhisattva. 15 Who’s Your Mama?, Suzanne Taikyo Gilman Editorial 16 The Perfection of Wisdom, Translated by Edward Conze Delving into emptiness and form, disciples clarify Prajnaparamita with the Buddha. 22 The Great Mother Prajnaparamita, Judith Simmer-Brown Grounded in non-duality, all dharmas come to life. 28 The Gospel of Mary of Magdala, Karen King Early evidence of a teaching apostle—a woman of wisdom and compassion. 36 Right View, Red Rust, White Bones, Allison Goodwin The Buddha’s teachings refute harmful beliefs, even if they are said to be his own. 44 Letter to my Mother, Barbara Kingsolver Wanting, needing, challenging—and finally meeting her, as the woman she is. 53 One Heart, poem, Li-Young Lee 54 Hate, Love, and Perfect Wisdom, Edward Conze A scholar’s impressions of the embedded energies in the Prajnaparamita Sutra. 61 Kuan Yin, poem, Laura Fargas 62 In Search of Buddha’s Daughters, Christine Toomey With Tenzin Palmo at the monastery for women she founded in India. 68 Facets of the Jewel, Hojin Osho & Zuisei Goddard, with Shoan Ankele A Conversation with Women Teachers in the Mountains & Rivers Order 74 Welcoming All of Our Ancestors; Brief Biographies of Zen Women How we can honor and celebrate the enlightened women of the Way who came before. 80 Receiving the Marrow by Bowing, Eihei Dogen Acknowledging a true teacher in her female form, in accord with the Buddha’s teaching. 90 The Dragon King’s Daughter, Translated by Burton Watson Is her transformation necessary, or does a girl have the innate capacity for enlightenment? 96 Mountains and Rivers Order News News and Happenings, Earth Initiative, Sangha Reflections, Reviews, Affiliate Directory 113 Resources and Services Klaus Stiefel Your Rightful Place Dharma Discourse by Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei 4 From The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines The Buddha said, ‘It is as with a mother who has many children five, or ten, or twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand. If she fell ill, they would all exert themselves to prevent their moth- er from dying, to keep her alive as long as possible, and to keep pain and unpleasantness away from her body. Because they’re aware that to her they owe their existence, that in great pain she has brought them into this world, that she has instructed them in the ways of the world. They would therefore look well after her, give her everything they could to make her happy, protect her well, make much of her, and they would hope that she be free from pain—derived from contact with eye, ear, nose, tongue body or mind or coming from wind, bile, phlegm, or a disorder of the humors, of stinging insects, mosquitos, or crawling animals, from men or from ghosts, from anything falling upon her, or tearing her asunder, or from a disastrous crash. In this way those children honor their mother by giving her all that can make her happy, make much of her, cherish and protect her, because they’re aware that she is their mother and begetter and that in great pain she brought them into this world. In just the same way the Tathagatas bring this Perfection of Wisdom to mind, and it is through their might, sustaining power and grace that people write, learn, study, spread, and repeat it. And also the Tatagathas who dwell in other world systems just now—for the weal and happiness of the many, out of pity for the many, for the weal and happiness of the great body of people, from pity for Gods, humans and all beings—they also all bring this Perfection of Wisdom to mind, and they put forth zeal so that this Perfection of Wisdom can last long, so that it may not be destroyed, so that Mara and his host may not prevent this Perfection of Wisdom from being taught, written, and practiced. So fond are the Tathagatas of this Perfection of Wisdom, so much do they cherish and protect it. For she is their mother and beget- ter, she showed them this all-knowledge, she’s instructed them in the ways of the world. From her have the Tathagatas come forth. For she has begotten and shown that cognition of the all- knowing, she has shown them the world for what it really is. The all-knowledge of the Tatagathas has come forth from her. All the Tatagathas, past, future, and present win full enlightenment thanks to this very Perfection of Wisdom. It is in this sense that the Perfection of Wisdom generates the Buddhas and instructs them in this world. 5 Pere Tubert Juhe he Perfection of Wisdom is the mother patience. We can imagine seeing all beings as of all Buddhas. This passage from the equal; having a great love, a great compassion Tsutra speaks about this directly, the for all beings; having a deep desire to be free of unity of wisdom and compassion. How do we all suffering. We can imagine an enlightened begin to reflect on and understand what is, by society. But those imaginings will still, to some its very nature, boundless in space and time? degree, be tethered to the same clinging mind How do we turn towards what is both form and that creates our sense of spiritual impoverish- formlessness, what is ordinary and mystical, ment. functional and completely beyond any appli- Though there are many aspects, many worlds cation? From within our ordinary, grasping within the secular life and the religious life, we mind, this is very difficult for us to appreciate. can only recognize and understand—we can We’re limited by our perceptions, beliefs and only experience and know to be true—what ideas, as well as our pervasive anxiety. We can the power of our liberating vision can show to be drawn to such a vision and possibility, but us. This means there are always aspects of this the very thought of such generosity, such self- present reality that we do not yet know. Yet lessness, such ease can also frighten us. And so having faith, hearing such teachings, and rais- throughout the ages teachers have used meta- ing such an aspiration, we practice to realize phors to try and convey this perfect wisdom, it as true. And in order to do this we have to just as the Buddha does in this sutra. both be inspired by that vision and at the same Dogen says: “When we view the four direc- time not grasp at it. Because when we grasp tions from a boat on the ocean where no land at it, it becomes something tangible and that is in sight, we see only a circle and nothing tangible-ness is our grasping, object-making else. No other aspects are apparent. However mind, not the liberating reality. What we con- this ocean is neither round nor square, and ceive in our mind will be limited by the reach its qualities are infinite in variety. It’s like a of our vision until we realize the limitlessness palace, it’s like a jewel. It seems circular as far of mind itself. So we have to both be inspired as our eyes can reach at that time. And like- by and aspire towards that vision at the same wise the ten thousand dharmas are like this. time that we cannot hold it in front of us or Though there are many aspects of the secular hold on to it, and that’s a very dynamic kind and the religious life, we can only recognize of thing. and understand what the power of our pene- So here the Buddha brings it down to a very trating vision can reach. In order to appreciate basic level: mother. It is as with a mother who these ten thousand dharmas we should know has many children. To her you owe your own that although they may look round, they may existence and you know that it is through her look square, the other qualities of oceans and own sacrifices that she brought you into this mountains are infinite in variety and further- world, taught you, nurtured you, took care more other universes lie in every quarter.” of you, gave what was needed. Being aware Dogen is offering us a way to imagine of this, we want to protect her, keep her Prajnaparamita, this mother of all Buddhas; healthy and strong, keep her alive and vital.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Cullavagga on Bhikkhunī Ordination
    Journal of Buddhist Ethics ISSN 1076-9005 http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/ Volume 22, 2015 The Cullavagga on Bhikkhunī Ordination Bhikkhu Anālayo University of Hamburg Copyright Notice: Digital copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no change is made and no alteration is made to the content. Reproduction in any other format, with the exception of a single copy for private study, requires the written permission of the author. All en- quiries to: [email protected]. The Cullavagga on Bhikkhunī Ordination Bhikkhu Anālayo1 Abstract With this paper I examine the narrative that in the Cullavagga of the Theravāda Vinaya forms the background to the different rules on bhikkhunī ordination, alternating between translations of the respective portions from the original Pāli and discussions of their implications. An appendix to the paper briefly discusses the term paṇḍaka. Introduction In what follows I continue exploring the legal situation of bhikkhunī or- dination, a topic already broached in two previous publications. In “The Legality of Bhikkhunī Ordination” I concentrated in particular on the legal dimension of the ordinations carried out in Bodhgayā in 1998.2 Based on an appreciation of basic Theravāda legal principles, I discussed the nature of the garudhammas and the need for a probationary training 1 Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg, and Dharma Drum Insti- tute of Liberal Arts, Taiwan. I am indebted to bhikkhu Ariyadhammika, bhikkhu Bodhi, bhikkhu Brahmāli, bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā, and Petra Kieffer-Pülz for commenting on a draft version of this article. 2 Anālayo (“The Legality”). Anālayo, The Cullavagga on Bhikkhunī Ordination 402 as a sikkhamānā, showing that this is preferable but not indispensable for a successful bhikkhunī ordination.
    [Show full text]
  • The Development of Prajna in Buddhism from Early Buddhism to the Prajnaparamita System: with Special Reference to the Sarvastivada Tradition
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 2001 The development of Prajna in Buddhism from early Buddhism to the Prajnaparamita system: with special reference to the Sarvastivada tradition Qing, Fa Qing, F. (2001). The development of Prajna in Buddhism from early Buddhism to the Prajnaparamita system: with special reference to the Sarvastivada tradition (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/15801 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/40730 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY The Dcvelopmcn~of PrajfiO in Buddhism From Early Buddhism lo the Praj~iBpU'ranmirOSystem: With Special Reference to the Sarv&tivada Tradition Fa Qing A DISSERTATION SUBMIWED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES CALGARY. ALBERTA MARCI-I. 2001 0 Fa Qing 2001 1,+ 1 14~~a",lllbraly Bibliolheque nationale du Canada Ac uisitions and Acquisitions el ~ibqio~raphiiSetvices services bibliogmphiques The author has granted anon- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pernettant a la National Library of Canada to Eiblioth&quenationale du Canada de reproduce, loao, distribute or sell reproduire, priter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of Gender Equality in Humanistic Buddhism
    《 》學報 ‧ 藝文│第三十三期 外文論文 A Study of Gender Equality in Humanistic Buddhism Chang Hongxing Ph.D. Candidate, Nanjing University Abstract Since Humanistic Buddhism was first proposed by Master Taixu, the issue of gender equality has gradually kindled widespread discussion in the field of Buddhism. During the Republican Era, Master Taixu and the female Buddhists of the Pure Bodhi Vihara have actively expressed their views on gender equality. Eventually, they reached a consensus of respecting a woman’s character, protecting her rights, and advocating equal status between men and women. After 1949, under the impetus of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, Venerable Yin Shun, Venerable Sheng Yen, Venerable Chao- hwei, thoughts on gender equality in Taiwan have made great strides. After 1980, the rejuvenation of Humanistic Buddhism in Mainland China in turn developed thoughts on gender equality. As a result, the overall status of female Buddhists in Mainland China has remarkably improved. Keywords: Humanistic Buddhism, gender equality, Taiwan, Mainland China 176 A Study of Gender Equality in Humanistic Buddhism Since the beginning of Buddhism, women’s issues have always received great attention. There are discussions in the sūtras and the Vinaya (collection of monastic rules) concerning issues such as female renunciation, women’s status, and gender relations. In a nutshell, the attitude of ancient Indian Buddhism towards women has always cycled between respecting women and rejecting women. After Buddhism’s spread to China, due to China’s domestic politics, economics, cultures, and various other reasons, there was no lack of flash points in Chinese Buddhism regarding women. On the whole, the discrimination towards women derived from ancient Indian Buddhism persisted.
    [Show full text]
  • Compassion & Social Justice
    COMPASSION & SOCIAL JUSTICE Edited by Karma Lekshe Tsomo PUBLISHED BY Sakyadhita Yogyakarta, Indonesia © Copyright 2015 Karma Lekshe Tsomo No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the editor. CONTENTS PREFACE ix BUDDHIST WOMEN OF INDONESIA The New Space for Peranakan Chinese Woman in Late Colonial Indonesia: Tjoa Hin Hoaij in the Historiography of Buddhism 1 Yulianti Bhikkhuni Jinakumari and the Early Indonesian Buddhist Nuns 7 Medya Silvita Ibu Parvati: An Indonesian Buddhist Pioneer 13 Heru Suherman Lim Indonesian Women’s Roles in Buddhist Education 17 Bhiksuni Zong Kai Indonesian Women and Buddhist Social Service 22 Dian Pratiwi COMPASSION & INNER TRANSFORMATION The Rearranged Roles of Buddhist Nuns in the Modern Korean Sangha: A Case Study 2 of Practicing Compassion 25 Hyo Seok Sunim Vipassana and Pain: A Case Study of Taiwanese Female Buddhists Who Practice Vipassana 29 Shiou-Ding Shi Buddhist and Living with HIV: Two Life Stories from Taiwan 34 Wei-yi Cheng Teaching Dharma in Prison 43 Robina Courtin iii INDONESIAN BUDDHIST WOMEN IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Light of the Kilis: Our Javanese Bhikkhuni Foremothers 47 Bhikkhuni Tathaaloka Buddhist Women of Indonesia: Diversity and Social Justice 57 Karma Lekshe Tsomo Establishing the Bhikkhuni Sangha in Indonesia: Obstacles and
    [Show full text]
  • In the Stream of Blessings: Ordained Buddhist Women in Britain
    In the Stream of Blessings: Ordained Buddhist Women in Britain Caroline Starkey Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science December 2014 2 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement ©2014 The University of Leeds and Caroline Starkey The right of Caroline Starkey to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 3 Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the support, guidance, and advice of a number of people and institutions. Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the University of Leeds, and to the Spalding Trust, each of whom provided vital funding. The School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science at the University of Leeds was extremely supportive, providing me with space to work, funding for conferences, and a collegiate atmosphere. A very special and truly heartfelt thank you is due to both of my academic supervisors – Professor Kim Knott and Dr Emma Tomalin. I am grateful for their attention to detail, their thought-provoking questions, and the concern that they showed both for my research and for me as a researcher.
    [Show full text]
  • The Depth Psychology of the Yogacara
    Aspects of Buddhist Psychology Lecture 42: The Depth Psychology of the Yogacara Reverend Sir, and Friends Our course of lectures week by week is proceeding. We have dealt already with the analytical psychology of the Abhidharma; we have dealt also with the psychology of spiritual development. The first lecture, we may say, was concerned mainly with some of the more important themes and technicalities of early Buddhist psychology. We shall, incidentally, be referring back to some of that material more than once in the course of the coming lectures. The second lecture in the course, on the psychology of spiritual development, was concerned much more directly than the first lecture was with the spiritual life. You may remember that we traced the ascent of humanity up the stages of the spiral from the round of existence, from Samsara, even to Nirvana. Today we come to our third lecture, our third subject, which is the Depth Psychology of the Yogacara. This evening we are concerned to some extent with psychological themes and technicalities, as we were in the first lecture, but we're also concerned, as we were in the second lecture, with the spiritual life itself. We are concerned with the first as subordinate to the second, as we shall see in due course. So we may say, broadly speaking, that this evening's lecture follows a sort of middle way, or middle course, between the type of subject matter we had in the first lecture and the type of subject matter we had in the second. Now a question which immediately arises, and which must have occurred to most of you when the title of the lecture was announced, "What is the Yogacara?" I'm sorry that in the course of the lectures we keep on having to have all these Sanskrit and Pali names and titles and so on, but until they become as it were naturalised in English, there's no other way.
    [Show full text]
  • The Revival of the Bhikkhunī Order and the Decline of the Sāsana
    Journal of Buddhist Ethics ISSN 1076-9005 http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/ Volume 20, 2013 The Revival of the Bhikkhunī Order and the Decline of the Sāsana Bhikkhu Anālayo Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg Dharma Drum Buddhist College, Taiwan Copyright Notice: Digital copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no change is made and no alteration is made to the content. Re- production in any other format, with the exception of a single copy for pri- vate study, requires the written permission of the author. All enquiries to: [email protected]. The Revival of the Bhikkhunī Order and the Decline of the Sāsana Bhikkhu Anālayo 1 Abstract In this article I study the revival of the bhikkhunī order in the Theravāda traditions and its supposed relation to a decline of the Buddha’s dispensation. Introduction My presentation begins with the contrast between the positive evalua- tion of the existence of an order of bhikkhunīs in early Buddhist discourse and the “prediction of decline,” according to which the establishing of this order would result in a decline of the Buddha’s dispensation (sāsana). Next I survey modern-day apprehensions that the revival of the bhik- khunī order constitutes a “Mahāyāna threat”; and then explore the “Theravāda sense of identity.” In an attempt to cover the legal issue of reviving bhikkhunī ordination in detail, I examine the alternatives of “dual ordination” and “single ordination.” Finally I turn to the current 1 I am indebted to Bhikhu Bodhi, Sāmaṇerī Dhammadinnā, Petra Kieffer-Pülz, Shi Kongmu, Kester Ratcliff and Martin Seeger for commenting on a draft version of the present paper and to Stefano Zacchetti for help in getting a needed publication.
    [Show full text]
  • Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women
    University of San Diego Digital USD Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship Department of Theology and Religious Studies 2019 Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women Karma Lekshe Tsomo PhD University of San Diego, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/thrs-faculty Part of the Buddhist Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Digital USD Citation Tsomo, Karma Lekshe PhD, "Out of the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women" (2019). Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship. 25. https://digital.sandiego.edu/thrs-faculty/25 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Section Titles Placed Here | I Out of the Shadows Socially Engaged Buddhist Women Edited by Karma Lekshe Tsomo SAKYADHITA | HONOLULU First Edition: Sri Satguru Publications 2006 Second Edition: Sakyadhita 2019 Copyright © 2019 Karma Lekshe Tsomo All rights reserved No part of this book may not be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage or retreival system, without the prior written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations. Cover design Copyright © 2006 Allen Wynar Sakyadhita Conference Poster
    [Show full text]
  • The Heart of Prajnaparamita
    The Heart of the Prajna Paramita Sutra http://www.io.com/~snewton/zen/heartsut.html Portland Zen Community Primary Zen Texts The Wider Zen Sangha Books to Read Random Thoughts Search these Texts Zen Buddhist Texts Home The free seeing Bodhisattva of compassion, while in profound contemplation of Prajna Paramita, beheld five skandhas as empty in their being and thus crossed over all sufferings. O-oh Sariputra, what is seen does not differ from what is empty, nor does what is empty differ from what is seen; what is seen is empty, what is empty is seen. It is the same for sense perception, imagination, mental function and judgement. O-oh Sariputra, all the empty forms of these dharmas neither come to be nor pass away and are not created or annihilated, not impure or pure, and cannot be increased or decreased. Since in emptiness nothing can be seen, there is no perception, imagination, mental function or judgement. There is no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body or consciousness. Nor are there sights, sounds, odors, tastes, objects or dharmas. There is no visual world, world of consciousness or other world. There is no ignorance or extinction of ignorance and so forth down to no aging and death and also no extinction of aging and death. There is neither suffering, causation, annihilation nor path. There is no knowing or unknowing. Since nothing can be known, Bodhisattvas rely upon Prajna Paramita and so their minds are unhindered. Because there is no hindrance, no fear exists and they are far from inverted and illusory thought and thereby attain nirvana.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to the Heart Sutra
    An Introduction to the Heart Sutra Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche This teaching was given by Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche at the Rigpa Center in New York City, 3 September 2013. It was preceded by introductory remarks and a recitation of the Heart Sutra in Tibetan. The English translation used here is by Ari Goldfield. An Introduction to the Heart Sutra The topic of the Heart Sutra is one of the most extraordinarily complex and profound topics. So, I thought it was funny enough asking me to say something about it (laughter), but to want to finish it in one evening—that’s even funnier or should I say extraordinary (more laughter). But let’s see what we can do. There are many wonderful translations of the mahayana text that we fondly call The Heart Sutra, or Prajnaparamita Sutra, as it is also known. If you have your own copy of the text, you can refer to it as we go along. Anyone who has any understanding of this text knows that it is not particularly material for study. The Heart Sutra is in part a recitation—not so much a prayer, as a verbal reminder of the quintessence of Buddhadharma. In this sense, it could be said to be the very core of the Buddhist teachings. When newcomers ask about what Buddhadharma is or what Buddhists are trying to do, a good answer would be to hand them a copy of the Prajnaparamita text. Of course, when they read that there are no eyes, no ears, no mouth, no nose, and so on, they might find this a bit “over the top.” They might say they don’t understand this at all—which is precisely the point! That’s what Buddhism is trying to do.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender, Lineage, and Localization in Sri Lanka's
    GLOBAL NETWORKS, LOCAL ASPIRATIONS: GENDER, LINEAGE, AND LOCALIZATION IN SRI LANKA’S BHIKKHUNĪ ORDINATION DISPUTE by TYLER A. LEHRER B.A., California State University, Sacramento, 2013 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Religious Studies 2016 This thesis entitled: Global Networks, Local Aspirations: Gender, Lineage, and Localization in Sri Lanka’s Bhikkhunī Ordination Dispute written by Tyler A. Lehrer has been approved for the Department of Religious Studies ________________________________________________________ Dr. Holly Gayley, Committee Chair Assistant Professor, Religious Studies ________________________________________________________ Dr. Deborah Whitehead Associate Professor, Religious Studies ________________________________________________________ Dr. Carla Jones Associate Professor, Anthropology Date _____________________ The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in religious studies. IRB protocol #: 15-0563 iii Lehrer, Tyler A. (M.A., Religious Studies) Global Networks, Local Aspirations: Gender, Lineage, and Localization in Sri Lanka’s Bhikkhunī Ordination Dispute Thesis directed by Assistant Professor Dr. Holly Gayley This thesis investigates many of the figures and events that have made full ordinations of Buddhist nuns (bhikkhunīs) both possible and contested
    [Show full text]
  • Farewell to Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda
    Volume 14 No. 13 Spring 2006 / 2549 On 31 August last, the Most Venerable K Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thera, Chief High Priest of Malaysia and Singapore passed away peacefully in hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Farewell to Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda from Azlan of The Malay Mail, posted on www.jeffooi.com As a news reporter with The Malay Mail between 1994 and 2005, I met Rev. Dhammananda several times - usually during Wesak Day celebrations he led at the Buddhist Maha Vihara (temple) in Brickfields and a few other occasions. Every time I bumped into him, I only asked a few questions just to get some quotes for my news report. Never did I have a proper conversation with him. I regret that now. I©d like to share what to me was a very special experience during one of my meetings with him. It was on Christmas Day in 1998 when my Assistant News Editor assigned me to cover a Christmas party for some 200 underprivileged children. It was quite a news-worthy item to cover as it was held at the vihara in Brickfields, organised by a group of Christians, the Santa Claus was a Hindu and the contributor for all the balloons adorning the party area was a Muslim! But what I will remember of that day forever was what the Reverend said and did. You see, Dec ©98 was also the month of Ramadhan, where (many) Muslims like me were fasting. By the time I arrived at the vihara, it was 6.30 pm and many children were already playing around, taking photos with Santa and being entertained by a clown, among others.
    [Show full text]