Unduvap poya and Bhikkhuni Sangha in Sri Lanka
By Ama H. Vanniarachchy
“Seeing the nuns not receiving the respect given to the monks is very painful. It is like having a spear in your heart”
Ajahn Amaro, Theravada bhikkhu of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
On the 26th of December, we will be celebrating the arrival of Arhat Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka, with the sacred Bo tree. This marks an extremely important event in the history of Sri Lanka and Buddhism. She was accompanied by a group of bhikkhunis (Buddhist nuns). The sacred Bo sapling was planted in the ancient capital Anuradhapura. Since then the sacred Bo tree has been considered as one of the holiest sacred objects and places in the entire Buddhist world. Yet today no woman is allowed to walk into the uda maluwa and bhikkhunis are not allowed in any sacred ritual performed to the sacred Bo tree which was brought by a woman.
The second important occurrence is the establishment of the Bhikkhuni Sangha in Sri Lanka by Arhat Sanghamitta. Thus the Unduvap poya (December full moon day) is the day to pay tribute to her and the nuns who joined her to establish the Bhikkhuni order in Sri Lanka. This is a day to reconsider one of the most important messages she taught us more than twenty-three centuries ago and to rethink where we are heading. This incident taught us about gender equality, a term that sounds ‘Western’ in today’s world.
The Bhikkhuni Sanghas of Sri Lanka sustained for more than ten centuries. It disappeared after the 11th century without any trace. Till recent times it was not the concern of many to revive the bhikkhuni ordination. Although things are changing now, at a very slow pace, the future is still uncertain as there are many obstacles. Many excuses are given against the idea of reviving the Bhikkhuni ordination.
Today, as we will be celebrating the establishment of Bhikkhuni Sangha in Sri Lanka, let’s understand the background of Bhikkhuni Sangha, what the opposing arguments are, and how validating they are.
When we say Sangha, bhikkhunis are included…
Sangha is the third noble triple gem in Buddhism after Buddha and Dhamma. Sangha includes bhikkhu and bhikkhuni. Also, the Buddhist society which is made of four potions, includes bhikkhu, bhikkhuni, upasaka, and upasika. No ‘sangha’ is complete without bhikkhunis and no fourfold community (Buddhist society) is complete without bhikkhunis. As it is mentioned in the Pali canon, for Buddhism to flourish these four groups are essential.
Therefore, as long as we do not have fully ordinated bhikkhunis, we do have complete sangha or a fourfold community.
Buddha liberates oppressed women
In a time when women were not allowed to practice religion, Gautama Buddha opened a new world for oppressed women. They were ordinated and the Pali canon records that he has said that women are equal to men in achieving spiritual enlightenment and their wisdom is not a thing to be doubted. This was rebellious at that time. Although we say he was ahead of his time, it is not unfair to say that still he is. Even today, in many parts of the world, women are deprived of religious rights. Some religions do not have nuns and some religious places do not allow women to enter or even study and recite religious scripters. Thus Gautama Buddha in the 6th century BC liberated the women who were considered impure, unwise, and inferior. As the Pali canon records it was his stepmother the former queen of King Suddhodhana, Maha Prajapati Gotami that requested the Buddha to ordinate them. It is said that she and hundreds of women walked a long distance to meet the Buddha and were adamant about her request. Therefore scholar Lona Devaraja says that this is the first time in recorded history that women paraded demanding equal rights.
This must have shook the contemporary society from top to bottom. Disputations must have arisen within the institution. Thus as long as Buddha was alive, things were smooth. Various new vinaya additions by Buddha suggest his concern about the safety as well as the dignity of the bhikkhunis.
Bikkhunu sangha in Sri Lanka
Arhat Sanghamitta arrived in Sri Lanka during the 3rd century BC. She was the daughter of Emperor Asoka and the sister of Arhat Maha Mahinda.
Anula Devi, wife of the Yuvaraj of Sri Lanka accompanied by five hundred women informed Arhat Mahinda about their consent to become Buddhist nuns. But as he couldn’t perform ordination to women without the presence of nuns, his sister Sanghamitta was requested to arrive. It is said that a group of bhikkhunis arrived with her. Deepavamsa, the oldest known chronicle in Sri Lanka records the names of these bhikkhunis. Anula Devi is the first Sinhalese woman to be ordinated as a bhikkhuni. Since then the Bhikkhuni Sangha spread all over the island and flourished. This is evident through the large number of inscriptions found bearing names of bhikkhunis and mentioned in the chronicles. Based on these ancient records scholars suggest that during the time of Anuradhapura, there was a large population of bhikkhunis that was almost equal to the population of bhikkhus. It should be noted that Deepavamsa is known to be a work of bhikkhunis.
Sinhalese bhikkhunis in foreign lands
It is recorded in Chinese sources that during the 5th century AD Sinhalese bhikkhunis arrived in China to introduce the bhikkhuni ordination. This incident is recorded in a Chinese book called Pi-chiu-ni-chuan dated to the 6th century. According to that in 429 and 432 two groups of bhukkunis arrived in China in a merchant vessel captained by a person named Nandi. The chief bhikkhuni was Devasara. More than 300 Chinese bhikkhunis were ordinated. It is surprising to see how this incident is not recorded in the local chronicles.
Professor R.A.L.H Gunawardhena states about a Sinhalese bhikkhuni named Chandramali who went to Tibet. His studies were based on ancient Tibetan and Mongolian sources. It is also believed that Sinhalese bhikkhunis traveled to many parts of India.
Decline of the Bhikkhuni order
In the 11th century, the Colas invaded Sri Lanka and they captured the capital city Anuradhapura. During these times, a large number of monks fled to India. It is not specifically recorded if or if not nuns also fled in this way. We do not know what exactly happened afterward as there are no records of bhikkhunis in Sri Lanka. Once Vijayabahu I reestablished the Sinhalese monarchy he focused on the religious situation of the country. It is said that he looked for bhikkhus all over the island and could find only one male samanera (novice). Therefore to revive the bhikkhu sangha he requested the Burmese king Anurduddha (Anawrahta) to send ordinated monks from Burma. The chronicles do not mention reviving the Bhikkhuni order.
In India the bhikkhuni sanghas vanished around the 8th century, and most likely in the 13th century in Burma. But the bhikkhuni order survives in China to date and in Mahayana-dominant countries like Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam. It is reported that Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma do not allow bhikkhuni ordination. Not only exterior factors such as wars and famines but also the attitude towards women is a bigger reason for the decline of the Bhikkhuni order.
Hope in recent times…
It is recorded that in the year 1996, the bhikkhuni sangha was revived when eleven Sinhalese women were ordinated in Saranath, India. The procedure was held by the venerable Dodangoda Reveatha and the late venerable Mapalagama Vipulasara. Bhikkhus and bhikkhunis from Korea also joined this event. It is reported that many women ordinated since 1996.
Since 2005, many ordination ceremonies for women have been organised by the head of the Dambulla chapter of the Siyam Nikaya in Sri Lanka.
Although today we are fortunate enough to witness the Bhikkhuni sangha order slowly blossoming, there are many hurdles within. One of the biggest arguments presented by those who oppose the idea of bhikkhu ordination is the eight garudharama described in the Pali canon. These eight points are used by them to point out that Buddha never accepted women to become bhikkhunis. Nevertheless, recent scholars (lay and monks/nuns) have questioned the authenticity and reliability of these garudhamma saying they could be later additions. Let us have a brief understanding of this.
The glass ceiling; eight garudhamma
Scholars question the authenticity of the eight garudhammas. The Cullavagga in which these are recorded, was committed to writing after a hundred years of the parinibbana of the Buddha. Eminent scholar Alan Sponberg firmly believes that the story that Buddha refused to ordinate women is a make-up story by later monks. The dispute monks had in their mind about Buddha allowing women to be nuns is evident in later texts. One such incident is during the first Buddhist council, the monks question and accuse Buddha’s faithful disciple and attendant Ananda. One accusation was that he supported Buddha’s decision to allow women to become nuns.
Venerable Urugamuwe Wangeesa is another local scholar who firmly believes that the eight garudhammas were not by Buddha but later additions to the Pali canon. In his scholarly work, Bhikkhuni Sasanaya, he very clearly and logically questions the authenticity of each eight garudhamma.
It must be noted that Mahaprajapati Gotami became a nun approximately 5-7 years after the enlightenment of the Buddha, and according to history, during this time Ananda was not the faithful attendant of Buddha. This historical fact is solely enough to question the authenticity of these eight garudhammas. Also, it is evident that these garudhammas reflect the attitudes of men toward women in contemporary society influenced by Brahmanism.
In retrospection…
Throughout history, men have feared the idea of liberated women. Therefore women were always oppressed. They were taught to feel inferior and weak. Their bodies were considered to be impure. Their wisdom was considered to be very low.
Today we study the past through documents written by men where the history of women has been erased; and deliberately ignored. Therefore we know very little about them through these documents. But, archaeology and folklore do not lie. They hint at a past where women were more liberated and even worshiped. This led some scholars to speculate about a matriarchal past. At one point in history, a paradigm shift occurred resulting in a far more male-dominant patriarchal society. This society controlled every aspect of the world. Women were looked down upon and oppressed. Their religious rights were forbidden. Buddha lived and preached in such a society.
The Bhikkhuni order liberated such women. It was a relief and refugee to them. It still is.
As Buddha has preached, the level of spiritual knowledge and ability to gain enlightenment by women and men are equal. It is mentioned in the Mahaparinibbana sutta, that soon after attaining Buddhahood, Buddha said that he would not pass away until he had bhikkhunis who are wise and learned. Thus by not allowing women into religious places and not allowing bhikkhuni ordination based on irrational beliefs, we are going against the philosophy of Buddha and continuing the beliefs of the system that Buddha strongly stood against.
“No matter how others see it, I feel this is something necessary. To uphold the Buddhist teachings it is necessary to have the fourfold community (fully ordained monks, fully ordained nuns, and both male and female lay precept holders). As the Buddha said, the fourfold community are the four pillars of the Buddhist teachings. This is the reason why I’m taking interest in this.”
Ogyen Trinley Dorje 17th karmapa
Uncategorized, Bhikkuni Sangha, buddha, BUDDHISM, Buddhist Nuns, religion, Sri Lanka, travel