Renunciation and Empowerment of Buddhist Nuns in Myanmar-Burma Social Sciences in Asia Edited by Vineeta Sinha Syed Farid Alatas Kelvin Low VOLUME 33 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ssa Renunciation and Empowerment of Buddhist Nuns in Myanmar-Burma Building a Community of Female Faithful By Hiroko Kawanami LEIDEN • BOSTON 2013 Cover illustration: Students memorising the verses. Photo by author. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kawanami, Hiroko. Renunciation and empowerment of Buddhist nuns in Myanmar-Burma : building a community of female faithful / by Hiroko Kawanami. pages cm. — (Social sciences in Asia, ISSN 1567-2794 ; volume 33) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-23440-6 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-24572-3 (e-book) 1. Monastic and religious life (Buddhism)—Burma—Sagaing (Division) 2. Buddhist nuns—Burma—Sagaing (Division) 3. Buddhist convents—Burma—Sagaing (Division) I. Title. 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CONTENTS Preface ................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures and Maps .............................................................................. xi Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 1 The Spectrum of Female Renunciation ............................................. 29 2 Motivations for Renunciation .............................................................. 51 3 Becoming a Buddhist Nun .................................................................... 79 4 Political and Legal Provisions .............................................................. 109 5 Religious Transactions with Society .................................................. 131 6 Scholastic Lineage and Nuns’ Education ......................................... 159 7 Nunneries and Nunnery Schools ........................................................ 193 8 Passing on the Legacy ............................................................................ 213 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 233 Glossary .............................................................................................................. 239 Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 243 Index ................................................................................................................... 251 PREFACE Myanmar is a difficult country in which to conduct research, especially for foreign researchers, due to its particular historical and political situ- ation, and self-imposed seclusion for almost half a century. But the early obstacles I encountered were mostly due to the fact that Myanmar was “unknown”; no one seemed to know how to access the field or obtain a research visa, or even whether it was possible to conduct fieldwork at all. Moreover, I had never visited the country before or knew anyone to guide me there, but, for some unknown reason, I was led to this fascinat- ing country, and this turned into an enduring commitment over the last decades. I am grateful to so many people in Myanmar who have helped me during my fieldwork and many successive fieldtrips. Their generosity and kindness have given me courage under the most sensitive and dif- ficult circumstances, and although some of them wish to remain anony- mous, I want to thank them all from the bottom of my heart. I wish to express my special gratitude to the former Director General of the Depart- ment of Religious Affairs, U Kyi Nyunt, and his wife Daw Aye Myint, who acted as my surrogate parents during fieldwork. I remember the hearty laughter of the late Daw May Kyi Win, the librarian at Yangon University Library, whose sense of humor gave me strength to persevere at the begin- ning of my research. Daw Tin Htar Swe and her parents provided me a place of respite to recover from the pressures of fieldwork. Ma Too and her parents offered me pastoral care whenever I needed it as I struggled in my newly found role as a nun. Most importantly, this book would not have been written without the cooperation of Buddhist nuns and monks in Myanmar and this book is dedicated to them. I sincerely hope that I have represented them in a fair and balanced way. I spent several months at Daw Nyanásari Thiláshin Sathin-daik nun- nery in Yangon, where I was introduced to the monastic way of life. I then stayed for a year at Thameikdaw Gyaùng nunnery in Sagaing Hill, in addi- tion to many short stays in several other nunneries. I want to thank the principal nuns, especially Daw Zayawati, Daw Kulápati, Daw Khinsana and the late Daw Wízethi, for being generous hosts. Daw Zanaka not only accommodated me, but also nursed me back to life from bad bouts of dengue fever. Sadly some of my closest nun friends and teachers are no longer with me. Ma Sanpaka was one of the most compassionate nuns; viii preface Daw Eindátheingi taught me about piety and devotion; and Daw Sarana- wati showed me the tremendous sacrifice nuns make for their faith. Dur- ing my long relationship with Myanmar nuns, many of the young students I initially met in 1980s have grown up to become accomplished dhamma teachers. Many ideas in this book have evolved out of lively discussions I shared with these inspiring nun teachers: Daw Kusalawati, Daw Pawa- nateri, Daw Pandita, and Daw Molini among many others. Daw Kethú- wati and Daw Sarawati helped me compile the statistics. Monk teachers also have been generous with their time whenever I visited them with questions and given me protection during my fieldwork. I owe much grat- itude to Hanthagirí Sayadaw U Nandawuntha, Insein Sayadaw U Tiloka- bhivaṃsa, Thubadayoun Sayadaw Nandamala-bhivaṃsa, and Oak Gyaung Sayadaw U Dhammapiya Lingala, and also the late Bodaw Aungteza. It has taken a long gestation period to get the manuscript written and published. This book would not have been possible without the help and generous support of so many individuals. I owe a special debt to the late Alfred Gell, who was a true inspiration in my early development as an anthropologist. John Okell and Anna Allott taught me Myanmar language, and Saya John in particular imbued me with his enthusiasm about a country of which I had little knowledge. Steven Collins and Ian Reader have read an early version and helped me refine it. U Nandamala- bhivaṃsa, Khammai Dhammasami, Cathy Cantwell and Geoffrey Samuel have all given me valuable comments on sections of the manuscript. I have also benefited from conversations with many of my friends and from their knowledge of Buddhist nuns: Nancy Barnes, Elizabeth Harris, Marja-Leena Heikkila-Horn, Ann Heirman, Noriko Kawahashi, Monica Lindberg Falk, Nirmala Salgado, Khin Thitsa and Jan Willis. I am grate- ful to my colleagues at the Department of Religious Studies and PPR at Lancaster University for allowing me to spend many years to complete the “never-ending” manuscript. Linda Finnigan has helped me refine my English, Chiu Tzu-Lung has drafted the tables, and Sophie Richmond has been a skillful copy editor. I also thank Patricia Radder and Kelvin Low, my editors at Brill, for having faith in my work. I extend my special thanks to Marjolein Schaake, whose editorship was indispensable for the final production of the book. My earlier fieldwork was funded by the Toyota Foundation and Central Research Fund of the University of London, and some of my later field trips were funded by the Evans Fund of Cambridge University. On a personal note, I have to mention my late parents; Junko and Masayoshi Kawanami, who have imbued me with tenacity and optimism. preface ix I hope the book has come up to the high standards set by my late father. My family; Hidemi, Motoko, Karuna and Mikki, have given me joy amidst the endless treadmill of research and writing, and Ko San Myint Aung, my husband, has always been there whenever I needed him with an unwaver- ing belief in the value of the manuscript. LIST OF FIGURES AND MAPS* Figures 0.1. Sagaing Hill where my fieldwork was conducted ........................ 14 2.1. Buddhist women are very pious in Myanmar ............................... 53 2.2. Nun Daw Saranawati in deep contemplation ............................... 60 3.1.