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Making monks of women

By Murray Hunter - posted Friday, 27 December 2013


The Bhikkhuni struggle highlights gender discrimination in Thailand. As a 'farang' or 'westerner', it would be too tempting to interpret what Dhammakamala Bhikkhuni told me during our interview as an expression of feminism. However, their aspirations probably more likely have something to do with their feeling of the need to serve society in the way they believe is the best. The author genuinely believes that the Bhikkhuni's commitment to the cause of developing a strong Bhikkhuni Sangha in Thailand has more to do with their personal commitment to love and compassion towards the community around them, their love of the dhamma, and humility, rather than the expression of any political or social statement.

There is no anger present among the Bhikkhuni, as is in the 'western feminist stereotype'. Rather they seem to employ empathy and compassion as their driving energy. The Bhikkhuni seem to see their devotion to their cause as the important thing, and 'official recognition' is not their highest priority. Dhammakamala Bhikkhuni probably best sums their feelings up when she said "we don't ask for what can't be done right now".

The ordination of Bhikkhuni has not been a major issue of discussion for over a decade. However with the regular ordination of women occurring in the near future, a planned ordination is scheduled for November 29th 2014, it is likely that the issue will be debated once again. The biggest barrier to the ordination of women may lie in that it is a total affront to 'what is', and consequently seen as a threat to the establishment, which has existed under the same structure for over a century. Consequently conservatism rules to maintain the status quo rather than consider 'what could be'.

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Institutionally, the only consolidation is that the current small number of Bhikkhuni are generally left alone and have not been prosecuted.

However Buddhism in Thailand according to some, needs some revitalization and effort made to regain the confidence of the people after some of the scandals of late. The whole question of getting the dhamma across to a rapidly changing society needs a rethink. This requires some reconsideration about the entry of women to the Sangha or monkhood.

If Thailand is going to retain its leadership in the development and dissemination of dhamma, then it needs to appeal to all segments of the populace. These are challenges facing the Sangha Council which must address the institution of Bhikkhuni to maintain its relevance to society and prevent itself from becoming an institutional relic.

Unrecognized and unacknowledged women monks are at the forefront in dealing with Thailand's social problems, if even on the small scale, while many of their male counterparts have withdrawn themselves from society to stay within the temples of Thailand.

Ironically this issue appears to be as hard to solve as the ongoing political turmoil playing out on the streets in Bangkok. However the Bhikkhuni have a secret weapon with their charm and devotion that is winning the hearts and minds of many who come into contact with them.

The emergence of the Bhikkhuni phenomenon is a strong wind of change blowing across both the social and spiritual aspects of Thai society. Society may not be able to resist this idea, as its time may have come.

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Thailand is changing quicker than many would want to acknowledge.

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About the Author

Murray Hunter is an associate professor at the University Malaysia Perlis. He blogs at Murray Hunter.

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