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BUDDHIST WOMEN

Dalai Urges Introduction of Bhikshuni Vows into Tibetan Tradition A special report

Holiness the Fourteenth has known as , many Western spoken out strongly in favor of introducing full nuns practicing Tibetan have taken bhikshuni his ordination for women in . vows from these lineages. The Dharmaguptaka lineage of Addressing a packed audience of 1,200 people in July in the vinaya is distinct from the Mulasarvastivada lineage Hamburg, Germany, His Holiness said, "I am 100% sure that was transmitted to . if Buddha were here today, he would certainly give us Until now, His Holiness's position on this matter was permission for bhikshuni vows." not clear to the wider public, and some senior Tibetan In his statement, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, monks and have hesitated to encourage nuns to "The four-fold Buddhist community (of bhikshus, receive bhikshuni vows from the Dharmaguptaka lineage or bhikshunis, upasakas and upasikas') is incomplete in the to attend such bhikshuni ordination ceremonies them- Tibetan tradition. If we can introduce the bhikshuni selves. Others actively discourage nuns from taking such ordination, that would be excellent in order to have the higher vows. four-fold Buddhist community complete. ...Given that There could be a gradual change now: at the same women are fully capable of achieving the ultimate goal of conference, His Holiness officially recognized the bhikshuni the Buddha's teachings, in harmony with the spirit of the ordination of women practicing Tibetan Buddhism who modern age, the means and opportunity to achieve this goal have already received their vows from the Dharmagupta should be completely accessible to them." nuns' lineage. "There are already nuns within the Tibetan The statement came at the conclusion of a three-day tradition who have received the full bhikshuni vow conference on the issue held at His Holiness' request, bringing according to the Dharmagupta lineage, and whom we together over sixty vinaya scholars and senior recognize as fully ordained," he said. members from various Buddhist traditions worldwide. In a further talk with conference participants, His If Tibetans move in the direction His Holiness Holiness said, "The Dharmaguptaka nuns' lineage should suggests, this would mark a major milestone in the be Tibetanized." To that end, he called for the translation history of Tibetan Buddhism. Although women can of the main texts of the Dharmaguptaka lineage from receive novice (getsulma) vows, full ordination (known as Chinese into Tibetan. During the conference, His Holiness gelongma or bhikshuni ordination) is not currently avail- also suggested that nuns who practice Tibetan Buddhism, able to them in this tradition. Indeed, a bhikshuni order and who are already fully ordained in that lineage, could was never fully established in Tibet, even though a number gather in to perform the major monastic rituals of of individual bhikshunis (including Gelongma Palmo) the Dharmaguptaka nuns' lineage in the Tibetan language. visited from India, and some Tibetan nuns were ordained "All these should be conducted in the Tibetan language," by monks in isolated ceremonies, according to exhaus- His Holiness said. "Then it would become a living Tibetan tive research undertaken at His Holiness the Dalai Lama's tradition." request by the Tibetan government's Department of His Holiness explained that the absence of a bhik- Religion and Culture. shuni sangha in Tibetan Buddhism means that the place Because bhikshuni ordination is transmitted within where Tibetan Buddhism is practiced cannot be consid- Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese Buddhism through a ered a 'central land.' As such, practitioners of Tibetan Bhikshu/bhikshuni: fully ordained persons, male and female; Buddhism cannot be considered to have a precious human upasaka/upasika: devout lay practitioners, male and female , since this is one of the required qualifications. His

30 MANDALA October/November 2007 teacher whoisdoingherPh.D.onstoriesfromthevinaya.Withheadphoneslowerright,Ven.LobsangDechen,Co-directorofTibetanNuns Project. Among theconferencespeakerspicturedhereare(right)BhikshuniThubtenChodron,AbbessofSravastiAbbey,and(left)Ven.LhundrupDamch6, anFPMT betan monks:thatthepresenceoffullyordainedmonkswas Holiness dismissedthestandardexplanationgivenbymanyTi- not anissue.Thisis"notexact,"HisHolinesssaid."Itdoesn't the "mostimportantfactor,"andsoabsenceofnunswas Tibetan monks,soastoavoid thepossibilityofdissentor subsequent audience. sideration," HisHolinesstoldconferenceparticipants ina effort inintroducingthebhikshunivowTibetforthis con- really qualifyfully. made itclearthatheneeded toseebroadsupportfromthe a bhikshunisanghaintoTibetanBuddhism,HisHoliness also splitting thesanghaoverthis issue. Buddhist monasticcommunity traveledfromallovertheglobe Fulfilling HisHoliness'Wishes Vinaya specialistsandsenior membersoftheinternational "Actually thepreviousmonksshouldhavetakenmore Even ashestatedhisunequivocalsupportforintroducing expressed itsoverwhelmingsupportfortheintroductionof experts fromthemajorBuddhisttraditionsalsogave His day, apanelofsixteenseniorsanghamembersandvinaya bhikshuni ordinationintoTibetanBuddhism.Onthefinal to participateintheconference.Thisworldwidegathering Buddhism.HisHolinesshasparticularlysought out methods thatwouldbevalidaccordingtothevinayaingeneral. Holiness thegreenlighttoproceed,andofferedsuggestions for Tibetan bhikshuniordination, andintermsofordination observance ofvinayarules.DuringthepanelBhikkhuBodhi generally isthemoststrictamongBuddhistschoolsin its the viewsofseniormonksfromTheravadaBuddhism,which of thePalicanonandahighly-respectedscholarelderwithin said, "WeallsupportHisHoliness intheintroductionof methods, thevinayarulesare quiteflexiblebasedoncircum- 2 BhildchuisthePaliwordforbhiltshu Among thosewasBhildd - iu 2 Bodhi,translatoroflargeparts October/November 2007 MANDALA31

Photo: MoniKe llerm BUDDHIST WOMEN stances. We feel all the options presented are valid and can bhikshuni ordination for Tibetan nuns. [See panel below.] be justified." • Support from senior Tibetan Buddhist monks, however, has been far from unanimous, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama Warm Support and Fierce Resistance himself made very clear during the conference. At the conclusion of the conference, His Holiness His Holiness' statements generally carry special weight for requested that a similar conference be organized in India for such monks in the Gelugpa lineage within which His Holiness about 100 Tibetan abbots and senior sangha members to meet the Dalai Lama has great spiritual authority. As such, His and hear the views of the senior vinaya experts from other Holiness' own statements in Hamburg — both his official recog- Buddhist traditions who were present at the conference in nition of the Dharmaguptaka bhikshuni lineage and his public Hamburg and who had expressed strong support for a number support for full ordination for women in Tibetan Buddhism — of methods for validly establishing a Tibetan bhikshuni sangha could help pave the way for other monks and lamas in his according to the vinaya. lineage to come out in favor of women's equal access to the This upcoming conference may be needed to garner spiritual opportunities offered by full ordination. support for the new initiative. "I always favor the revival of the bhikshuni ordination," His Holiness said, "but then Uniting Lineages: A Nalanda Tradition resistance in some cases has been quite fierce, quite strong." A major concern in the discussions of introducing full Commenting on some monks' resistance to his measures, ordination for women has been to ensure that such an His Holiness emphasized that this was not due to "negative" ordination would be conducted in a way considered valid thinking on their part, but simply because they were "not according to the vinaya. After nearly thirty years of exhaustive yet habituated to this line of thinking." research, Tibetan vinaya experts found textual support for two Full ordination for women has already found firm support possible methods for introducing bhlicshuni vows into Tibetan within the and traditions. His Holiness the Buddhism according to the Mulasarvastivada vinaya under Seventeenth , , Tai Situ , current circumstances. Thrangu Rinpoche, Drikurig Chetsang Rinpoche, Drukchen One option is to exercise an alternate method of Rinpoche and other leading figures in the Kagyu and Sakya ordination conducted solely by Tibetan bhikshus without the lineages have expressed complete and emphatic support for presence of their female counterparts, the bhikshunis. This

His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa Buddha will be found. In the infinite ocean of () Lord Buddha's compassion, inconceivable means await us. Message of Support for Women's Full Ordination How to reestablish the ordination lineage of bhikshunis At the Conference: in various Buddhist traditions has been a challenging issue Dr. Janet Gyatso, Professor, Harvard University, USA of vital importance in our era. A feasible solution in accor- ... Buddhism is seen as one of the few alternatives in an dance with the Buddha Dharma has to be found to meet increasingly violent world caught up in power struggles, the needs of aspiring women in today's world. ... Efforts to sectarian violence and competition for scarce resources. reintroduce it in our lineage have been initiated with strong Buddhism is seen in many parts of the world as the religion support from our sangha. I am committed to the issue both that can help us live happily with less. ... Buddhist monastics as a lineage holder and as an individual who, in exile, represent self-discipline in arguably the most self-indulgent regards nuns with the love and respect he owes his own global society that mankind has ever known... mother. Given the increasingly egalitarian sentiments in many In such a pursuit, we should look to history for parts of the world today, for the Buddhist sangha to main- inspiration, but not be limited by it. We should respect tain an inappropriate bias against women's ordination or traditions, but should not hesitate to explore new possibilities. status would mean to grossly undercut the credibility of I am sure that, with pure motivation, perseverance, and Buddhism altogether in the modern world. I think that this imagination, a feasible solution in accordance with the motivation alone is a decisive reason for the bhikshuni order

32 MANDALA October/November 2007 His Holiness' own state- would result in a valid ordination, according to the vinaya, Bodhi voiced a ments... could help pave but bhikshus conferring the ordination incurs a nyeja or position echoed by numerous the way for other monks minor fault that can be fully purified during sojong (the others at the conference when and lamas in his lineage to confession ceremony held twice a month). However, in a he commented: "In my opin- come out in favor of paper presented during the conference, Lharam ion, in dealing with this issue, women's equal access to Rinchen Ngodrub also cited texts stating that according to the question that should be the spiritual opportunities the vinaya, monks would actually incur a fault if they do not foremost in our minds is this: offered by full ordination. give full ordination to qualified women who request it. 'What would the Buddha A second option entails inviting bhikshunis ordained in want his elder bhikkhu disciples to do in such a situation, now, the Dharmaguptaka lineage to participate in full ordination in the twenty-first century?' Would he want us to apply the ceremonies alongside bhikshus from the Mulasarvastivada regulations governing ordination in a way that excludes women lineage transmitted in Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This would from the fully ordained renunciant life, so that we present to allow the ordination ceremony to comply with the rule the world a religion in which men alone can lead the life of full requiring groups of both bhikshus and bhikshunis, but would renunciation? Or would he instead want us to apply the regu- involve bringing together two vinaya lineages. lations of the Vinaya in a way that is kind, generous, and After decades of research, the Department of Religion accommodating, thereby the world a religion that truly and Culture described the results of its findings in a letter embodies principles of justice and non-discrimination?" dated June 20, 2007: "No sources have been found which During an audience held the day after the conference state that a dual sangha of different Vinaya traditions is concluded, His Holiness said, "Those things which as an allowed to bestow the vows of bhikshuni to women. Neither individual monk I can do, we have done. Now certain things have sources been seen which state that bhikshuni ordination that are not in my power have to have consensus. That is now (las ma chags pa) if performed by a sangha is not accomplished necessary." * of different vinaya traditions. However, there are sources stat- ing that there were many bhikshus of different Vinaya tradi- Full text of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's statement, and the messages from His tions living together in monasteries such as Nalanda and Holiness the Karmapa, can be read at www.congress-on-buddhist-women.org Vikramashila." Proceedings of the conference will be published by Wisdom Publications. to be restored and supported at the highest level. Without conference, a sramanerika (novice nun) offered lunch to it, there is little chance for Buddhism to take up the role some of the Western bhikshunis. I found myself sitting at that it is poised to assume in the world today. a table with a group of extraordinary women: Bhikshunis , Lekshe Tsomo, Jampa Tsedroen, Jotika, At the Conference: Khenmo Drolma, and Tenzin Kacho. Ven. Tenzin Venerable Lobsang Dechen, Co-director of Tibetan Palmo has been ordained for forty-three years, two Nun's Project, Drolma Ling Nunnery, Dharamsala others for thirty years, and the rest over twenty years. It is commonly held that Tibetan nuns are not inter- Each one was learned, good-hearted, and actively ested in receiving Bhikshuni ordination. They seem to be involved in benefiting others by establishing monas- very content with the way things are. This is not the case. teries, teaching the Dharma, running Dharma centers, We are also human beings. We do not want suffering and and so on. This is indicative of how much the seek happiness. If there is a better way to escape from Buddhadharma in general, and the Tibetan community suffering, we would like to go for it. in particular, would benefit if Tibetan nuns were able to become bhikshunis and geshemas. I left feeling After the Conference: grateful and inspired by the joyous effort and abilities Bhikshuni , Sravasti Abbey, USA of these remarkable nuns and hopeful for the future of During His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings on nuns and monks working together to spread the Aryadeva's Four Hundred Stanzas that followed the Buddha's teachings for the benefit of all. *

October/November 2007 MANDALA 33