Revolutionary faculty, a stepping stone for Bhikkhunis
Novice bhikkhunis paying homage to their mentor Ven. Kirama Wimalajothi Thera. Pix by Indika Handuwala
‘Herein our main goal is to revive our own system of education which has gone amiss’, proclaims a placard at the entrance to the Dekanduwala Bhikkhuni Training Centre and the Faculty of Buddhist Studies which is to be unveiled to the entire sasana of bhikkunis on August 4.
“I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done,” said Lord Buddha.
A true Buddhaputhra of our times, Ven. Kirama Wimalajothi Thera, is a living embodiment of the words of the Awakened One. Having set up the Buddhist Cultural Centre in Nedimala single-handedly to revive Buddhist canon in English, Ven. Wimalajothi Thera steered the Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Mandiraya in Colombo- a one-stop shop for many a need of Buddhists- both local and foreign. A rebel in robes for all the right reasons, Ven. Wimalajothi Thera became a catalyst of gender equality in Buddhism in Sri Lanka and spearheaded the setting up the Dekanduwala Dhamma Training and Meditation Centre for Bhikkunis in 1993.
The sprawling 20-acre dense jungle, he took under his wing 25 years ago is today a spiritual oasis. Affiliated to the Dhamma Training Centre, the newly built Bhikkhuni Training Centre and the Faculty of Buddhist Studies (housed in the same compound) is pledged to mould a generation of global ambassadors of Dhamma.
The Chief Bhikkhuni of the Dhamma Training and Meditation Centre, Mainnaluwe Dharmashanthi bhikkhuni
The Faculty, as Ven.Wimalajothi Thera explains, is an attempt to revamp the monastic education or piriven tradition which as he charges was “destroyed by social and political evils” which engulfed the country. “The place for the bhikkhu or bhikkhuni is not the university but the traditional piriven system which enabled a holistic upbringing for those ordained. The whole purpose of this venture is to promote Dhamma and Dhamma studies and not to get a passport to obtain a government job or sit a government exam,” reflects the Chief Prelate, whose latest spiritual labour envisages producing fully-fledged bhikkhunis. The staff, as the prelate explains will comprise both resident and visiting bhikkhunis and also other lay experts for IT and language skills.
The beautiful white three-storeyed building, entailing an investment of Rs. 80 million is cradled by the lush green environs of Dekanduwala. Merely sitting on the stiles surrounding the building is meditation for a visitor. The natural rock built into the pond and surrounding flora, intensifies its balmy effect.
Complete with fully equipped lecture rooms, an IT lab, lodging facilities for resident bhikkhunis and visiting scholars and a well-stocked library, the Bhikkhuni Training Centre is ready to usher a new era moulding leaders conversant in Dhamma discourses, correct intonation of pirith stanzas, counselling and communication of Dhamma.
A library of Buddhist literature
The Chief Bhikkhuni of the Dhamma Training and Meditation Centre, Mainnaluwe Dharmashanthi bhikkhuni who will also give leadership to the new Faculty has been a community leader for the past 13 years. A trained counsellor and mentor to both lay women and bhikkhunis, several of them have flown from India, Thailand, Indonesia and China to receive upasampada from her. Dharmashanthi Bhikkhuni notes that a fully-fledged bhikkhuni should be a catalyst of social change by providing leadership to the community and also managing Dhamma institutional affairs, all of which the newly put up Faculty aspires to achieve.
“At a time when bhikkhunis like us who have received upasampada are not eligible to our identity as a ‘bhikkhuni’ but only referred to as ‘dasa sil maatha’, this revolutionary exercise of our Nayaka Thera is a means of upholding the real teachings of the Lord Buddha,” she says.
The Buddhist Faculty which will also impart language skills, including English and Tamil is a gift to the entire region, says Patittadhasana bhikkhuni from Thailand and novice bhikkhuni Buddhadhari from India. “It is a motif of sharing and giving upheld by Buddhism,” they say.
The peal of a temple bell announces the time for the alms. As the bhikkhunis, with paaththara in their hands, take measured steps and descend to the danasalawa from their meditation huts, one is reminded of Lord Buddha’s words: ‘A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity…..’