Lankan bhikkhunis took Bhikkhuni Sasana to the world
A painting depicting the arrival of Sanghamitta Theri
Sri Lanka was the only country outside India where the Bhikkhuni Sasana was established when on a Unduwap Full Moon Poya Day in 236BCE, Sanghamitta Theri arrived in Sri Lanka and ordained Queen Anula Devi and five hundred women. The Bhikkhuni as well as Bhikkhu Order once established, thrived in Sri Lanka, whereas both Orders disappeared in India, the country where they were founded.
The Bhikkhuni Order founded by Gautama Buddha with much hesitancy six years after the founding of the Bhikkhu Order, lasted barely 500 years in India. However, if not for the determination and the persistence of the pioneers, especially that of Queen Maha Prajapathi Gothami, there would not be a Bhikkhuni Order.
In an essay titled, “The Unbroken Lineage of the Sri Lankan Bhikkhuni Sangha from the third BCE to the Present,” its author Dr. Hema Goonetilake, who holds a Ph.D in Buddhist Studies from the University of London and who had served in the United Nations in New York and Cambodia states that the Theravada Bhikkhuni Sasana which existed only in India and Sri Lanka, was spread to South East Asia by Sri Lankan Bhikkhunis. A Burmese inscription attests to the thriving of the Bhikkhuni Order in Burma until at least the 13th century.
With the Parinirvana of the Gautama Buddha, the Bhikkhuni Sasana appears to have declined in India as there are no records which mention of any Bhikkhuni activity. They were even excluded from participating in the first Buddhist Council convened by Mahakasyapa Thera, three months following the Parinirvana (passing away) of the Buddha. The Council was attended by 500 Arahants when Ananda Thera recited the Discourses which were delivered by the Gautama Buddha and answered queries on the Teachings. Upali Thera explained and answered queries on the Vinaya – the rules which governed Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis although there was no representation of Bhikkhunis at this very crucial Council.
With the great revival of Buddhism during the reign of Emperor Asoka, 235 years after the Parinirvana, there was a wave of ordination of women from royal families as well as from all social levels. Sanghamitta, Emperor Asoka’s only daughter was 16 when she married Prince Aggribrahama and had her son Sumana. Sumana later arrived in Sri Lanka with his uncle Mahinda Thera as a samanera (those who aspire to be a Bhikkhu.)
Both Sanghamitta and her husband entered the Sangha Order. Sanghamitta was ordained following Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, a lineage of Theravada which goes back to Gothami Theri. At the age of 32, Sanghamitta Theri had the courage to commence the Order in a distant land far away from her homeland.
Dr. Goonatileke who had made an analytical study of the Dipavamsa states as to what led Sanghamitta Theri to arrive in Sri Lanka. “When they (Queen Anula Devi and 500 attendents) had heard the most excellent Doctrine (when listening to the Discourses of Mahinda Thera) Queen Anula Devi, in whose mind faith had arisen, attained the stage of Sotapatti (the first step of the Path or Attainment) which occurred for the first time in Sri Lanka even before any male devotee. A few days later, when the Queen attained the second stage “Sakadagami,” she expressed the desire to receive Ordination.
Six months following Mahinda Thera’s arrival, Sanghamitta Theri, with 16 Bhikkhunis and many others arrived in Sri Lanka and conducted the Ordinations. The roles played during the mass Ordination by Bhikkhuni Dhammapala and Sanghamitta Theri’s Teacher Bhikkhuni Ayupala together with their ecclesiastical roles are highlighted in the Dipavamsa. The Bhikkhuni Order thus founded in Sri Lanka, completed the establishment of Buddha’s fourfold Sangha – Bhikkhu, Bhikkhuni, Upasaka and Upasika.
In Sri Lanka, as in India, members of the royalty were the first to enter the Order. Women of all social levels and from various parts of the country followed. With the Sacred Bo Sapling being ceremonially planted just prior to the establishment of the Bhikkhuni Order, the responsibility of the water ritual of the Sri Maha Bodhiya was given to the Bhikkhunis. This may have continued as a pillar inscription bears a record that seven leading Bhikkhunis from Nalarama monastery during Kassyapa 1V (898-914CE) were assigned with the daily duties of taking care of the Sacred Bodhiya. Lands from a village had been donated to the monastery to meet its cost.
Dr. Goonetileke says that Dipavamsa of the fourth century BCE authored by bhikkhunis, was the first Chronicle to have been documented in Sri Lanka and was a record of “her story” not only of Sri Lanka but perhaps of the world. It gives in detail the establishment of the Bhikkhuni Order, its history, development, expansion and the spiritual and intellectual successes of the bhikkhunis. This is in contrast to the documentation in the Mahavamsa written in the sixth century CE based on the Dipavamsa where Bhikkhu scribes had ignored the services of bhikkhunis except for the initial events and brief references. Dr. Goonetileke’s contention is that Mahavamsa which gives the “male history” of the Theravada fraternity, appears to be a deliberate effort to delegitimize the services of the bhikkhunis.
Bhikkhunis in the meantime, had not confined their services to the island. Bhikkhuni Devasara Thisarana (Tie-sa-ra) led a mission of eight to China during the reign of Mahanama (410-431CE.) She, in 429CE, went on board a ship captained by Nanda – a Lankan and ordained over three hundred in the city of Nanjing (Nanking.) In 433CE, Captain Nandi returned to the island to bring more bhikkhunis as eight was insufficient to perform an ideal dual ordination. The bhikkhunis in China had received ordination from bhikkhus which called for a dual ordination to ordain them as bhikkhunis. By the time the second group of bhikkhunis arrived in China, the first group of bhikkhunis had learnt the Chinese language. And with the arrival of the second group, the two groups conferred dual ordination to the 300 Chinese bhikkhunis – which speaks of detailed attention given on Ordination.
Dr. Goonetilleke points out that the sea voyage of Bhikkhuni Devasara took place about ten years after the Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hsien left Sri Lanka. While in Sri Lanka, he stayed two years at the Abhayagiri Vihara and bhikkhunis who went to China had been affiliated to the Abhayagiri Nunnery. Therefore, there is the possibility that Fa-Hsien who took residence in Nanjing (Nanking) took the initiative in getting down the mission to China. In Nanjing, he had undertaken translations of Sanskrit manuscripts – especially literature on Vinaya, into Chinese. Records also say that a Chinese merchant made an offering to the Abhayagiri Monastery. Bhikkhunis left for China in a merchant ship.
At the same time the mission left to China, bhikkhuni Chandramali led the second group to Tibet, described as a greatly hazardous journey. In Tibet, they translated six Tibetan texts from Sanskrit to Tibetan including the Tibetan Tripitaka which was called the Kanjur.
The division that took place 500 years after the Passing Away of the Gautama Buddha with Mahayana branching off from Theravada had its impact on the Bhikkhuni Sasana. According to scholars, even Dipavamsa was written by Mahayana Bhikkhunis and it has been claimed that Mahayana entertained a more positive attitude towards the role of women. The Bhikkhuni lineage founded by Sanghamitta Theri however, continued through an unbroken succession of Vinaya Teachers. But with the division, bhikkhunis did exercise their own version of the Vinaya together with the distinct tradition of interpretation.
The Bhikkhuni Sasana lasted till the end of the Anuradhapura Era. The final mention of a Nunnery in the Chronicles was during the reign of Mihindu the fourth (956-972) who built Mahawallaka Nunnery for Theravada bhikkhunis. The Chola invasion saw the end of the Anuradhapura Era and with it disappeared the Sangha Order with Vijayabahu the First (1055-1110CE) reviving the Bhikkhu Order in less than 50 years of the disappearance. He got down bhikkhus from Burma for ordination of bhikkhus in Sri Lanka. Professor Ranaweera Gunawardene mentions of a Burmese inscription which speaks of the existence of Theravada Bhikkhunis in Burma in 1196CE. Even in 1279CE according to inscriptions, Nunneries had existed in Burma.
Dr. Goonetilleke brings up the argument which is made today by many among the Sangha in Theravada countries that there is no possibility of resuscitating the Bhikkhuni Order as the traditional requirement of an appropriate lineage does not exist. However, she points out that it is not possible to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations as set out earlier for the reestablishment of the Theravada Bhikkhuni Order.
Yet, in 1966, she writes, nearly thousand years since the disappearance of the Bhikkhuni Order, Mapalagama Vipulasara Thera arranged in Saranath for Korean Bhikkhunis to ordain Bhikkhuni Kusuma with which was re-established the Bhikkhuni Sasana. In 1998, 20 samaneris (who aspire to be bhikkhunis) under the guidance of Sumangala Thera of Rangiri Dambulu Vihara, received higher ordination in Buddha Gaya from bhikkhunis of Theravada countries. Six months later, Sumangala Thera got these 20 bhikkhunis to confer ordination on 22 samaneris of Sri Lanka along with many from other countries.
This was in accordance with the original tradition of receiving ordination from a bhikkhuni of Dharmagupta Vinaya – the earliest branch of the Theravada which continued from 433CE when bhikkhuni Devasara established the Bhikkhuni Sasana in China. From China it had spread to Korea, Japan and other countries in SE Asia. Thousand years later, Sri Lanka received ordination from Chinese bhikkhunis conferred on them by Sinhala bhikkhunis in the fifth century.