Bhikshuni Sasana and equal opportunity for women
Do you recall the word ‘Bhikshuni’, the Sanskrit root of the Pali term ‘Bhikhuni?
Some of us may wonder whom this wonderful word refers to, because we may have forgotten or indeed not have known, that we had in the distant past within the Buddhist establishment – and indeed have now, for the last three decades or so- a female order equivalent to the order of the monks, the ‘Bhikshuni Sasana’. During this historic month of Poson in the Buddhist calendar (June), Sri Lanka as a country, celebrates the receipt of the most hallowed gift of all time -The ‘Buddha Dharma’ (The Buddha’s Doctrine). This, from a country we have considered for centuries as our noblest friend, India, and from no less a person than its Emperor, Asoka himself to our own King Devanampiya Tissa and his people.
A painting at Kelaniya temple depicts the arrival of Ven Sangamitta Thera
To make this gift so very special, Asoka requested his most illustrious son Arahat Mahinda who had dedicated his life to the service of the Buddha Sasana (the Buddhist Establishment) to carry the word of the Buddha to Sri Lanka. This took place about two to three centuries BCE, at which time, having no written scriptures the Teaching of the Buddha was still carried in the oral tradition. Given that no common method of expression was known to exist at the time between the two cultures, yet what Arahat Mahinda spoke was understood by the king. Subsequently, with the preaching of the Chulahatti Padapama Sutra (sermon), the king and his fellow citizens became overwhelmingly convinced of the validity of the Buddha Dharma to the human condition that they all became followers of the Dharma. From then onwards the country flourished in all respects and became known as the ‘dharma dweepa’- the ‘hallowed island’. With the endeavours of Arahat Mahinda and with local royal patronage, the Buddha’s Doctrine got rooted in Sri Lanka in no uncertain terms. This commenced a brilliant era of spiritual advancement in the ‘dharma dweepa’ from that most significant full moon day of Poson.
The women of Sri Lanka at this time, led by the royal ladies, did not take a back seat during this emancipating transformation. Their clamour to participate was clear, so Emperor Asoka was requested to send a female contingent too. On this occasion too, there was no better choice to lead this significant mission than his daughter, Bhikshuni Sanga-mitta (Arahat Mahinda’s sister), who also had renounced the world and had reached the stage of Arahatship. Accompanied by a retinue of other emancipated Bhikshunis, she arrived in Sri Lanka shortly afterwards, bringing with her the gift of a holy sapling from the original Bodhi Tree (Ficus species) under which The Buddha achieved Enlightenment.
This sapling is now a fully matured tree and still remains in the city of Anuradhapura as the authenticated longest surviving tree in the world.
Ven. Sangamitta was thus entrusted with the establishment of the Female Order – the Bhikshuni Sasana, in Sri Lanka. This event goes to confirm the gender equality in Buddha’s ministry, from the time of the Buddha, right up to this day, Sri Lanka being the first country in the world to elect a woman as its Prime Minister!
However all was not plain sailing, as the island was being harassed from time to time by the South Indian warriors and these wars resulted in significant destruction of life and culture. With these continuous devastations the Buddha Sasana gradually deteriorated leading to the decline of the clergy, so much so that the Bhikshuni Sasana completely disappeared. The only optimism that remained was that the women who were convinced of the relevance of the Buddha Dharma to life and wishing to renounce the world, continued to practise in a lesser capacity than as Bhikshunis. To them, though significantly few in number, we owe a great debt of gratitude for keeping the flame ablaze. Centuries after the annihilation of the Female Order in Sri Lanka (some 30 years ago), few brave women from Sri Lanka set out on a mission to re-establish the Bhikshuni Order with the help of another Buddhist State outside of Sri Lanka. Needless to say they faced unending discouragement from all and sundry but managed to maintain the trend, rekindling what appeared to have been lost for ever. Thanks to these few ladies, we are again blessed with a fresh Female Order, where everyone is equal and can aspire to any great height as they wished.
The re-establishment of the Bhikshuni Saasana brings to mind the fervent attempt made by Maha Prajapathi Gothami, Prince Siddhartha’s foster mother, who was the prime mover for the establishment of the Female Order in the first instance, soon after Prince Siddhartha became the Buddha. She and a large number of royal and other ladies received the Higher Ordination together and soon enough, as expected, they all attained Arahathood. Yasodhara, the wife of Prince Siddhartha, also entered the Bhikshuni Order and attained sainthood.
Just as much as Bhikshuni Maha Prajapathi Gothami deserves respect for bringing to the fore the case of the female disciple, special mention is due to two other illustrious Bhikshunis during the Buddha’s time who are an inspiration to all women, and deserve further reading: They are the two chief female disciples of the Buddha, who in modern times, appear to have been cast into oblivion, hence less known.
On the contrary the two male chief disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana are very well known. These two had been friends through many births in the past and roamed together through sansara (previous existences), seeking the Truth. They are well known due to their intellectual prowess and their exquisite grasp of the Buddha Dharma. While all respect is due to these two noble disciples, the two female counterparts are also worthy of special mention here. They are Bhikshuni Khema and Bhikshuni Uppala-vanna. Thankfully they are receiving well-deserved recognition since of late, through images and frescoes that are now incorporated into the decorations of some newer temples.
Just as in the case of Sariputta and Moggallana, it is said that Yasodhara and Prince Siddhartha had also been together in one or more previous existences, hence her attachment to him in the context of Prince Siddhartha’s renunciation of worldly life
One of the attributes of Arahathood is that, all attachment is dissipated by this stage, by which it means no further existence occurs thereafter. It follows then, that if there were no previous existences and none to face in the future – a position some tend to take – there is then no purpose in learning the Dharma. If that were the case, there is nothing to venture for, nothing to gain – the effort taken to re-establish the Bhikshuni Sasana may also be in vain. However, as the Buddha has alluded to throughout his Dharma, and as we recall Venerable Mahinda’s establishment of the Dharma in Sri Lanka at a time like this Poson, it is up to each individual to re-assess, using one’s own powers of intellect and inference, the significance of the Buddha’s Teaching. At Enlightenment the Buddha, acquired the knowledge of previous existences and indeed future existences. The only way out of this situation was the achievement of sainthood leading to Nirvana, after which rebirth ceases to exist.
The Bhikshuni Order gives the opportunity for all females to lead the path to emancipation and upholds equality with no gender discrimination. For this fact alone we owe much gratitude to the Doctrine of the Buddha which shows no partiality of any kind. It is up to each person to make one’s own mind up. No one needs to intervene in one’s decision-making process; it is entirely up to each individual to decide whether to ‘take it or leave it’.