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Dalai Lama Urges Introduction of Bhikshuni Vows Into Tibetan Tradition a Mandala Special Report

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Dalai Lama Urges Introduction of Bhikshuni Vows Into Tibetan Tradition a Mandala Special Report BUDDHIST WOMEN Dalai Lama Urges Introduction of Bhikshuni Vows into Tibetan Tradition A Mandala special report Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama has vinaya lineage known as Dharmaguptaka, many Western spoken out strongly in favor of introducing full nuns practicing Tibetan Buddhism have taken bhikshuni his ordination for women in Tibetan Buddhism. 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 Tibet. 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 lamas 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 sangha 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 India 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 rebirth, since this is one of the required qualifications. His 30 MANDALA October/November 2007 rm lle Ke i Mon to: Pho Among the conference speakers pictured here are (right) Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, Abbess of Sravasti Abbey, and (left) Ven. Lhundrup Damch6, an FPMT teacher who is doing her Ph.D. on stories from the vinaya. With headphones lower right, Ven. Lobsang Dechen, Co-director of Tibetan Nuns Project. Holiness dismissed the standard explanation given by many Ti- to participate in the conference. This worldwide gathering betan monks: that the presence of fully ordained monks was expressed its overwhelming support for the introduction of the "most important factor," and so the absence of nuns was bhikshuni ordination into Tibetan Buddhism. On the final not an issue. This is "not exact," His Holiness said. "It doesn't day, a panel of sixteen senior sangha members and vinaya really qualify fully. experts from the major Buddhist traditions also gave His "Actually the previous monks should have taken more Holiness the green light to proceed, and offered suggestions for effort in introducing the bhikshuni vow in Tibet for this con- methods that would be valid according to the vinaya in general. sideration," His Holiness told conference participants in a Among those was Bhildd-iu2 Bodhi, translator of large parts subsequent audience. of the Pali canon and a highly-respected scholar and elder within Theravada Buddhism. His Holiness has particularly sought out Fulfilling His Holiness' Wishes the views of senior monks from Theravada Buddhism, which Even as he stated his unequivocal support for introducing generally is the most strict among Buddhist schools in its a bhikshuni sangha into Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness also observance of vinaya rules. During the panel Bhikkhu Bodhi made it clear that he needed to see broad support from the said, "We all support His Holiness in the introduction of the Tibetan monks, so as to avoid the possibility of dissent or Tibetan bhikshuni ordination, and in terms of ordination splitting the sangha over this issue. methods, the vinaya rules are quite flexible based on circum- Vinaya specialists and senior members of the international Buddhist monastic community traveled from all over the globe 2 Bhildchu is the Pali word for bhiltshu October/November 2007 MANDALA 31 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 Kagyu and Sakya traditions. His Holiness the Buddhism according to the Mulasarvastivada vinaya under Seventeenth Karmapa, Sakya Trizin, Tai Situ Rinpoche, 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 Dharma will be found. In the infinite ocean of (Ogyen Trinley Dorje) 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..
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