Bangkok Post » Post Blogs
Friday, November 13, 2009
Bhikkhuni and Western Sangha split
The late forest monk and meditation master Luang Por Chah was a true visionary.
While his peers did not bother with training Western monks, he did. And he did it seriously at his Wat Pah Pong forest monastery in Ubon Ratchathani.
Not only that. The far-sighted master also sent his fleet of phra farang to share with the Western world the gems of Theravada Buddhist practices and teachings.
Now, there are nearly 20 international branches of the forest monasteries in the Luang Por Chah tradition overseas.
True, the Ecclesiastical Council also sends Thai monks to ''spread Thai Buddhism'' abroad.
But the Thai-speaking monks primarily provide religious rites, rituals and a Thai cultural cocoon for Thai immigrants far from home.
In contrast, the strictly disciplined phra farang focus on the core teachings and the practice of vipassana meditation to help people fill their inner void with Buddhist spirituality.
When the Thai clergy is deeply buried in feudalism and ridden with misconduct, these phra farang are indeed a breath of fresh air.
They have proved that monks can indeed remain relevant in the modern world if they are just true to their monastic life and spiritual pursuit.
But success entails great expectations. The greatest expectation, and the most controversial, is the full ordination of women as Bhikkhunis.
For the Thai clergy, their position is clear: Stop dreaming about it.
Ask why, and here's the standard line: the lineage of Theravada Bhikkhuni has died out a long time ago.
With no Theravada Bhikkhunis around to ordain women, reviving the lineage is technically impossible.
Naturally, women who are committed to a monastic life shift their hopes to their phra farang teachers.
With stronger awareness of gender equality in the West and the already substantive research of the Buddhist canon to support the revival of Bhikkhuni ordination, they believe the Western-born phra farang will be more sympathetic and able to effect positive changes on foreign soil.
The ambiguity of the phra farang movement regarding female ordination has helped sustained that hope for the past 30 years.
That hope was shattered last week.
Shock and disillusionment reverberated throughout the Western lay community when they learned that the British-born Phra Brahmvamso, or Ajahn Brahm, was expelled by the Wat Pah Pong clerical community for engineering a Bhikkhuni ordination at his temple in Perth.
The expulsion was endorsed by the Western clergy.
According to Wat Pah Pong, the Western monks must adhere to the laws of the Thai Sangha and Thai state which oppose female ordination. Ajahn Brahm violated this ground rule. By concealing the ordination from the Wat Pah Pong elders both here and abroad, his action was tantamount to deceit, total disrespect, and a serious breach of trust and communal decision-making based on consultation and consensus.
When given the chance, he refused to declare the Perth ordination null and void and to downgrade the new four Bhikkhunis to mae chee or ten-precept nuns.
So he then must leave.
The open letters from Wat Pah Pong and Wat Pah Nanachat are at <http://tinyurl.com/yzqe32k> and <http://tinyurl.com/yd9lryc>. Ajahn Brahm's open letter is at <http://tinyurl.com/ydj7hn4>. For feedback, go to <http://sujato.wordpress.com/> and the Women & the Forest Sangha Facebook group at <http://tinyurl.com/yzdukao>.
Instead of feeling angry and disillusioned, we should be thankful. It is finally out in the open where the phra farang elders stand on female ordination.
The women with the Bhikkhuni goals no longer have to waste their time pinning hopes on the Wat Pah Pong clergy. Women just have to look elsewhere.
We should also feel humbled. If the elders who have practiced long and hard are still trapped in gender prejudice and clique mentality, it only shows how much longer, more ardous and trickier the path of spiritual liberation is for beginners like us.
In this sense, the elders remain our teachers. And regardless of the controversy, a monk in the Luang Por Chah lineage has brought about another positive change in Theravada Buddhism for women on foreign soil.
Indeed, Luang Por Chah was a true visionary.
Read comment
First of all - bhikkhuni ordination is not so legal as many westerners say. There is a huge point of controversy, that is why no bhikkhuni sanga had been established for the last 10 centuries not only in Thailand - but it ALL other theravadin countries.
Second - bhikkhuni ordination was a very bad idea, because this will bring huge problems in the future and can split all theravadin sangha into two pieces in the future - when bhikkhuni will grow in number. That will be a real schism - and not only between monks of all countries, but also between lay supporters - because for some bhikkhuni will be a field of merit, and for others - they will be lay-women who dress themselves up in monk robes. So conflict will be inevitable on all social layers.
Better for Ajahn Brahm and his supporters decaler a new school of buddhism, so that will be traditional theravada and neo-western-theravada or how you will call it.
Here it is:
Dear Sanitsuda Ekachai,
Please consider posting this:
There are numerous misconceptions surrounding the recent bhikkhuni ordination in Australia, and the subsequent break between Wat Pah Pong, the monastery founded by Venerable Ajahn Chah, and Bodhinyana Monastery.
Efforts have been made to represent WPP as an institution that denies women the opportunity to practice in the monastic form, but this is far from the truth. For example, over twenty-five years ago, the Thai Council of Elders (Maha Thera Samakom) along with the Supreme Patriarch (Sangharaja) of Thailand authorized Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Chah’s first Western student, to give the going forth to women in the Order of Siladhara. There are now many siladhara ordained and they are well respected Dhamma practitioners.
Regardless of whether or not Thai Sangha law applies overseas, the actions of international abbots of WPP branch temples are seen as a representation of WPP and the Ajahn Chah linage as a whole. They will inevitably affect the Thai Sangha. Therefore WPP’s refusal to accept the ordination arose from the need to remain in line with Thai law and the Thai Elders Council, not from a bias against women.
In truth, there are a range of opinions regarding bhikkhuni ordination within the WPP Sangha. But decisions within the WPP Sangha are made following the guidelines laid down by the Buddha: issues are discussed in a meeting of the Sangha, with respectful attention given to the elders, and a unanimous consensus must be reached before moving ahead with a major decision.
By conducting the ordination in a covert manner – in the face of vocal objection from the few elders he had chosen to inform a week prior to the ceremony – Ajahn Brahmavamso contravened these principles laid down by the Buddha.
Further information is available at
http://www.dhammalight.org/
Sincerely,
Paññavaro Bhikkhu
date : 14/11/2009 time : 12:33Dear janis,
Not all the temples like the one you mentioned. I agree, some temple are undisciplined bad monks. Then you should go and visit forest temple ( such as : Wat Pa Baan Taad - Udonthani , Wat Doi Dhammachedi - Sakhon Nakhon , Wat Tham Sahai - Udon Thani). Then you will receive the real buddhist teaching.
Re: Ajahn Brahm
I'm an Indonesian lay Buddhist ( lay woman) . But I used to visits many watpa in Thailand. And I'm a follower of Ven Luangta Maha Bua Yanasampanno. From my point of view, no matter what , than ajahn Brahm should follow Sangha order. What's the point of establishing Bhikkhuni Sangha ?. Ordination is only a matter in "name" and status. Look at khunme maechee kaew ( Ariya Savika - female arahant). She is only ordained as a maechee yet able to attained arahantship . She never complained of her status instead she diligently practice and become an arahant. Why bother with status ? Acharn Brahm should be 'able' to 'let go' his own desire........his 'hidden desire' . He should practice until reach the ultimate level first before making a 'hasty' decisions. I think even Luangta Maha Bua will not do something against Sangha will. Even Luangta respect Sangha. Because sangha is a 'representative' of Buddha.
date : 14/11/2009 time : 19:46In regard to the practice of monks, nuns and lay people who lack the strength to follow the teachings of Buddha, this should not be a reason to forsake a valuable philosophy; or to condemn Buddhism as a whole. One must remember that humans are weak; that Buddhism requires extreme self discipline to follow the path. Ask yourself why many Thai Buddhists, or most every Christian, cannot maintain their fundamental teachings; it is because they are human. There in lies the reason why a woman should be permitted ordination; not because they are a woman but because they have proven worthy of following the teachings or The Buddha.
date : 15/11/2009 time : 03:19Here's a brief discussion of the establishment, disappearance and reestablishment of the Bhikkuni order in Sri Lanka: http://www.buddhistfellowship.org/cms/index.php?/General-News/revival-of-bhikkuni-order-in-sri-lanka.html
date : 16/11/2009 time : 05:26I'm in full agreement with the sentiment that Bhikkhuni lineage can and should be revived, and that opposition to it is sexist and chauvinist.
date : 16/11/2009 time : 09:16It is unfair and vindictive to label Brahm as harboring hidden desire.
The fact that the female order existed in the first place should be enough of a precedent to reactivate the movement. It seems irrelevant that it died out. Thailand is lucky to have people who are prepared and dedicated enough to want to "serve".
There are massive recruitment problems for many other religious teachings elsewhere in the world.
I am personally disappointed at seeing the current state of affairs and the intransigence of a few!
date : 16/11/2009 time : 23:48It's past time that the Thai Sangha starts to practice equanimity [uppekkhaa] concerning this issue and cut it's attachment to the Thai cultural accouterments which have evolved around this issue.
It should also be remembered that there were still three legitimately ordained Bhikkhunis in Isaan yet in the 1920s.
date : 07/12/2009 time : 01:53Was there a Sangha Rajha during Buddha's time?
Was there an ordinations like the way they are doing now during Buddha's time?
The Thai Sangha should answer these
before they refer to Buddha's teaching.
DO UNDERSTAND IT!! (Indonesian, in Medan North Sumatra)
date : 24/12/2009 time : 05:49You need to study history a bit more I think. The Britsh didn't attack Sri Lanka in 1017! It must be the Tamils from southern India you are thinking of.
You also seem to be unaware of the existence of Bhikkhuni in Chinese lineages to the present.
Bankei
ps. there is also many references to Bhikkhuni in Thailand after the 1200s.
Comment feed for this postLeave a comment
Blogger info
- Name: Sanitsuda
- Email: sanitsudae@bangkokpost.co.th
- MSN:
- Entry: 53
Thailand is most certainly not a Buddhist country, if it ever was.