Where women stand

Respected monk and scholar Phra Dhammapitaka discusses the place of women in Buddhism and the challenges they face, and what both men and women can do to make a difference. --

Bangkok Post - Thailand; Sep 22, 2001 - A STORY BY SANITSUDA EKACHAI

Calls to re-establish the Bhikkhuni-Sangha as the equal female counterpart to the Buddhist monkhood never fail to draw severe criticism from conservatives, who consider it an influence of Western feminism. But the ecclesiastical order cannot put off much longer giving proper consideration to the issue, considering its desire to win more acceptance in the course of "dhamma spread'' in the West.

The arguments against the re-introduction of Bhikkhuni Sangha vary from traditional claims of women's spiritual inadequacy because of their inherent "irrationality and sensitivity'' to the more concrete, practical problems of procedure.

According to Theravada Buddhism, which governs Thailand, the re-emergence of Bhikkhuni is impossible simply because there are no existing Theravada Bhikkhuni to ordain and continue the lineage which disappeared before Buddhism was introduced to this country.

But as more educated women become interested in Buddhism, they bring with them new questions they want the clergy to answer. Among them: Where do women stand in Buddhism? Are women really spiritually inferior? How should women's struggle towards equality in religious spheres be handled? And if the re-establishment of Bhikkhuni ordination is impossible, what is the best alternative answer to the needs of religious women who want to live an ascetic life?

Here are the authoritative views from Phra Dhammapitaka (P.A. Payutto), Thailand's highly respected monk and Buddhist scholar, whose book, Buddha Dhamma, is considered a gem in contemporary Thai Buddhist literature.

Apart from the Bhikkhuni controversy, the monk philosopher expresses his views on feminism and its strengths and weaknesses in terms of Buddhist thinking. He also gives advice on how society should elevate women's position in religion and how the Thai women's rights movement should incorporate Buddhist thinking in approaching problems.

What is the status of women in Buddhism?

This is obvious. Women, in the time of the Lord Buddha, had inferior status. Yet he established the Bhikkhuni-Sangha as a female counterpart to the male Sangha. They were equally and highly respected.

For example, we have Phra Moggallana and Phra Sariputta as Lord Buddha's principal Bhikkhu disciples.

As for Bhikkhuni, we also have Phra Khema and Phra Uppalavanna, whose excellence was on a par with that of the Bhikkhu disciples.

There were many other highly capable and wise Bhikkhuni. So, there is no question about women's spiritual ability to achieve Nirvana.

However, if we study the origin of Bhikkhuni, we will know that it did not come about without difficulty. And it was with great reluctance that Lord Buddha agreed to the ordination of women.

The question of women's ordination has to be looked at on two levels, spiritually and socially. Spiritually, Lord Buddha conceded that women, too, can achieve Nirvana and it was for this reason alone that he finally ordained Bhikkhuni, although at a social cost. Socially, women's ordination had the capability to weaken Buddhism because it made the religion, which was still young at the time, an easy target of attack.

There are also special problems springing from the nature of womanhood itself that make it more difficult and dangerous for women to live an ascetic life.

The host of complicated rules and regulations for Bhikkhunis were formulated in recognition of these difficulties. In the early phase, the Bhikkhuni roamed the forests alone in search of tranquillity, like the monks. But they were attacked. Lord Buddha then had to set rules requiring the Bhikkhunis to live in temples together with the monks.

Because of such difficulties resulting from social factors, Lord Buddha had to establish various preconditions for women who wanted to be ordained. As I see it, it was his own cautious way of making women realise the difficulty that lay ahead of them, and of ensuring the Bhikkhuni's own institutional strength.

Historically, however, the Bhikkhunis did not last very long. This may have been caused partly by the war-related disasters which had almost entirely swept the Bhikkhu from the Indian subcontinent. In Sri Lanka, the line of Theravada Buddhism was also once severed because of wars with Portugal. To continue the lineage, they had to summon Thai Theravada monks to perform the ordination.

This is the historical reality that we have to work with. In principle, women can be ordained since they, too, can reach the ultimate truth. We once had Bhikkhuni and they proved to be highly able.

    Today we have fewer problems regarding safety and women are enjoying a better status. What do you think should be done to help women who want to devote themselves to an ordained life?

Our ancestors faced the same question. That is why we have nuns as an alternative. Nunhood was established to answer the need of religious women who want to live their lives in search of spiritual truth when there were no Theravada Bhikkhuni left to ordain them.

Nuns don white robes and shave their heads to distinguish themselves from lay people. But socially, they are not seen as the equals of monks.

Lately, however the image of the nuns has suffered. They are generally thought of as heartbroken women seeking refuge or as down-and-outs with nowhere to go, using the nun's garb as a pretext to beg.

This is the problem that we have to solve. We have to elevate the status of nuns through educational assistance and institutional strength. Or, we can choose to set up a totally new institution like our ancestors did when they established nunhood.

In any case, even after organisational and educational improvements, nuns, in the Theravada sect, cannot be considered as equals to monks. As for those who are struggling for such status, there is still the alternative of ordination in the Mahayana sect. To be a Bhikkhuni is still possible.

- What do you think of the appropriateness of bringing up the issue of Bhikkhuni at the present time?

It's their right to do so. The problem is that if they are ordained in the Mahayana sect, they will be treated as such. It is like being a Chinese Buddhist monk in Thailand. But they cannot use the Mahayana ordination to make them Bhikkhuni under the Theravada observance.

This is where the problem arises. As I see it, we should accept the facts realistically. If we are ordained in the Mahayana faith, so be it. We must rely on our own practices and behaviour to win respect and recognition from the public.

- It was reported there have been some movements in the West to raise this issue and that those involved have already contacted some high-ranking monks in Thailand to ask for advice.

I don't know very much about this. I've heard, however, that women were also ordained in the temples in England, But they are called by a different name, not Bhikkhuni. This is one of the efforts to set up a new institution to answer women's religious needs. It is like our own nunhood but now under several different names such as "Dasasila-Mata'', meaning the mother with 10 precepts, or another group called "Sila-carini''. Such efforts are normal. When there exists a real need on the part of women to live an ascetic life and they cannot be Bhikkhuni, new institutions are set up.

So far, this new institution has not proven very successful in Thailand, but that might not be the case in England where the social environment is different.

The question of Bhikkhuni is twofold, involving both spiritual ability and social acceptance. The lack of social acceptance and the implicit unequal status, however, does not affect women's spiritual capability. In some places where social conditions are more favourable towards women, social acceptance of women's ordination can be a lot easier.Bangkok Post - Thailand; September 22, 2001