Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition

[snoop1130]

Thailand's rebel female Buddhist monks defy tradition

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat

 

A devotee has her hair cut by a female Buddhist monk during a mass female Buddhist novice monk ordination ceremony at the Songdhammakalyani monastery, Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand, December 5, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

NAKHON PATHOM, Thailand (Reuters) - Boodsabann Chanthawong recently joined a growing number of women defying generations of Thai Buddhist tradition by becoming ordained as novice monks at an unrecognised all-female monastery outside Bangkok.

 

Leading a procession of 21 other women - from teenagers to senior citizens - to a chapel in the Songdhammakalyani monastery in Nakhon Pathom province, Boodsabann teared up as she prepared to exchange her white garments for the distinctive saffron robes otherwise seen almost exclusively on male monks.

 

"I'm going to overcome this obstacle and become ordained like I've always wanted," the 49-year-old businesswoman said before the ceremony on Dec. 5, where she would have her head shaved. She stayed for nine days at the temple.

 

For photo essay, please click on - https://reut.rs/2LPLCYQ

 

Officially, only men can become monks and novices in Thailand under a Buddhist order that since 1928 has forbidden the ordination of women. The country does not recognise female monks or novices.

 

One option for devout Thai women is to become white-clad Buddhist nuns, who follow a less-strict religious regimen than monks and are often relegated to housekeeping tasks in temples.

 

In recent years, more Thai Buddhist women seeking to become full-fledged "bhikkunis", or female monks, have been defying the tradition by pursuing the other option: getting ordained overseas, usually in Sri Lanka or India.

 

Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the 74-year-old abbess of the Songdhammakalyani monastery, flew to Sri Lanka to be ordained in 2001 as Thailand's first female monk.

 

Since then, she has helped women like Boodsabann join the Buddhist order as novices at the monastery's ordination ceremonies every April and December.

 

"It's been 90 years and the social context has changed, but they still don't accept us," Dhammananda told Reuters in an interview at the temple's library, where an entire shelf is dedicated to books about women's rights and role in religion.

 

"It's a shame that women aren't allowed to make decisions for their own lives. You have to rebel against injustice because this is not right," she added.

 

While Dhammananda's monastery ordains female novices, it cannot do the same for those seeking to become female monks. Such a ceremony would require not only 10 female monks but also 10 male monks, who are forbidden under Thailand's 1928 order to participate in it.

 

There are about 270 female monks across Thailand and they were all ordained abroad, Dhammananda said, adding that her monastery houses seven of them. In contrast, Thailand has more than 250,000 male monks.

 

Efforts in the past by advocates to undo the 1928 order have been futile. It has been officially upheld during meetings of the Sangha Supreme Council, the council of top monks, in 2002 and most recently in 2014.

 

The government says this is not gender discrimination but a matter of long-held tradition, and women are free to travel abroad to be ordained, just not in their own country.

 

"Women can't be ordained here, but no one stops them from doing that overseas. They just can't be ordained by Thai monks, that's all," said Narong Songarom, spokesman of the National Office of Buddhism.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-1-4

[aussie11950]

This is good.

Females cannot be ordained as monks, because only female monks can ordain females,  and the last female monk died a couple of hundred years ago.

The Sanga council has not budged on this technicality.

 

[DrTuner]

I don't really see the whole need for any temples or monks or other trappings, except to buy gulfstream jets for the leaders. Those with faith can just as well practise by themselves.

[ParadiseLost]

'Rebels' ????

 

Are there any women here today?

[Vacuum]

Scrap the whole monk thing.

[ParadiseLost]

47 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

I don't really see the whole need for any temples or monks or other trappings, except to buy gulfstream jets for the leaders. Those with faith can just as well practise by themselves.

Pretty much covers all religions, no?

[dcnx]

Good for them. They should be allowed to be duped and waste their time just as much as the males.

[DrTuner]

41 minutes ago, ParadiseLost said:

Pretty much covers all religions, no?

It does.

[from the home of CC]

like the women who basically carry this country on their backs, female monks could go a long way in the restoration of proper values in the temples...

[Justgrazing]

Sister's are doing it for themselves then .. As Annie Lennox once wailed .. 

[Number 6]

Women cannot be monks. This is ridiculous. Many farang women have become monks in Mahayana tradition. It's just a thing.

 

You can't alter the religion or it ceases to be the religion. If you don't like it, go start your own <deleted> religion or cult.

 

[Bluespunk]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The government says this is not gender discrimination but a matter of long-held tradition, 

Nonsense. 

 

Just because such rules have been in place for a long time, does not make them any less based in gender discrimination. 

[ratcatcher]

2 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

like the women who basically carry this country on their backs, female monks could go a long way in the restoration of proper values in the temples...

"....like the women who basically carry this country on their backs,..."

"One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free.."

Murray Head

[rkidlad]

7 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

Women cannot be monks. This is ridiculous. Many farang women have become monks in Mahayana tradition. It's just a thing.

 

You can't alter the religion or it ceases to be the religion. If you don't like it, go start your own f***ing religion or cult.

 

You can’t alter the religion? Seriously? Of course you can. Most just cherry pick what they choose to believe or how they practise it. 

 

I’m pretty sure Buddha would strongly condemn taking from the needy and keeping it for yourself - yet corruption here is a national pastime. 

[zzaa09]

4 hours ago, ParadiseLost said:

Pretty much covers all religions, no?

Certainly does...

Yet, will never come about, as the whole scheme is big controlling business.

[stanleycoin]

True equality.

Will they now be allowed to get pissed up, take drugs

and embezzle funds.

Come on, it's only fair. 

 

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, ratcatcher said:

"....like the women who basically carry this country on their backs,..."

"One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free.."

Murray Head

Talk about misheard lyrics!

I had always thought the line was: The bars are temples, but the girls ain't free.

It made perfect sense to me.

[stanleycoin]

1 hour ago, Justgrazing said:

Sister's are doing it for themselves then .. As Annie Lennox once wailed .. 

Reminds me of that old joke.

 

Two nuns in a bath. 
The first one says "Where's the soap"; 
the second one replies "Yes it does, doesn't it"

 

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, Number 6 said:

Women cannot be monks. This is ridiculous. Many farang women have become monks in Mahayana tradition. It's just a thing.

 

You can't alter the religion or it ceases to be the religion. If you don't like it, go start your own <deleted> religion or cult.

 

L. Ron Hubbard — the inventor of scientology: 'You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.'

It worked for him.

[kannot]

21 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Officially, only men can become monks and novices in Thailand under a Buddhist order that since 1928 has forbidden the ordination of women

you  just  gotta  love  ALL these dopey religions for their equality!

[zzaa09]

Matriarchal cultures subliminally rule the roost....

[geriatrickid]

Hey lady, if you don't like the rules, join a different religion or renounce it. You don't make the rules. It's like Roman Catholics who think they are  members in good standing even though they might practice birth control,  have same sex relations etc. You gotta play by the  rules of the game.

[Orton Rd]

Buddha was a rebel himself, he did not abide by rules existing practices or discriminate against women. He did leave his wife and kids though! 

[ChipButty]

There is only one religion in Thailand, That is Money

[HalfLight]

7 hours ago, DrTuner said:

I don't really see the whole need for any temples or monks or other trappings, except to buy gulfstream jets for the leaders. Those with faith can just as well practise by themselves.

Agree, and I will otherwise refrain from comment except to note that Buddhism, in common with all religions are much more to do with acquiring, accumulating and hanging on to wealth and power than they are at upholding their own mythologies. They have no use and are of no value whatever for the common man (or woman), they're just more folding money for the ATM's. Every single initiative from every single religion in the world is aimed at money and power, and only those in need of serious help fall for the Kool-Aid..

 

 

 

[Youlike]

7 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Scrap the whole monk thing.

Then who has to feed all the abandoned dogs at the temples? 

 

And who has to bless marriages, new homes, new cars and so on?

 

For the rest i have no idea what the monks contribute to Thailand...maybe they also should start blessing motocycles!

[HalfLight]

12 hours ago, Youlike said:

Then who has to feed all the abandoned dogs at the temples? 

 

And who has to bless marriages, new homes, new cars and so on?

 

For the rest i have no idea what the monks contribute to Thailand...maybe they also should start blessing motocycles!

 

Or the riders of motorcycles...

 

 

 

[seajae]

looks like the male monks dont want female monks to show them up, with male monks and temples being linked to corruption, sex, drugs alcohol etc the last thing they want is females that dont do any of those things. Female temples would fast become more popular without all the graft etc involved with the males and deprive the males of all their profits and financial ways of life, religion in Thailand is a total joke as very few monks abide by the rules set out for monks

[tingtong]

21 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Scrap the whole monk thing.

 

duh, then who would give the lucky lottery numbers?

 

[bluesofa]

21 minutes ago, tingtong said:

duh, then who would give the lucky lottery numbers?

The locals will just have to dream harder and faster.