An equal chance at enlightenment

Since she was ordained as a bhikkhuni over 20 years ago, Jampa Tsedroen has been campaigning to give other Buddhist women the opportunity to pursue their faith

VASANA CHINVARAKORN

Humility is her most distinctive trait. Despite the significance of the work she's undertaken over the past two decades, the Venerable Jampa Tsedroen has retained her down-to-earth and friendly manner.

Yet her innate warmth is intertwined with a steely determination. In fact it is probably the balancing of these two qualities that enables her to do what she does so well, namely campaigning for women around the world to be able to pursue enlightenment as bhikkhuni - female Buddhist monks.

Her self-imposed mission has been far from easy; the German-born monk noted with a laugh that she often has little time for sleep. Also, the controversial nature of the issue she raises - that the majority of monks continue to resist the calls to admit women, while certain women's groups concerned either dismiss the topic or side with their male counterparts - means the Venerable Jampa Tsedroen must regularly tread with the utmost caution.

continued at BangkokPost.com

"An Equal Chance at Enlightenment" is an eye catching title but I don't think that becoming a monk or monkette necessarily improves ones chances at becoming enlightened.

Excuse me for repeating this story: When asked if any one of the monks at his monastery in Krabi had attained very high states of enlightenment, Ajahn Jumnien responded that none of the monks had gotten very far. They fight amongst themselves for recognition and power in the daily life of the temple and their egos get in the way. However, he had seen many housewife's in the vicinity of Wat Tham Seua reach very high states of enlightenment evidenced by the selfless generosity, caring and kindness in their roles as wives, mothers, grandmothers, householders, etc. They had no idea that they were attaining these high states, but he could see it.

I'm not against women wanting to enter the hierarchical web of buddhist church politics, but I suspect there is a trade-off to be made.

Please anyone: why are nuns here called monks? Why not use the word "fully ordained nun" or "bikk(sh)uni"? What is this? If a woman ordains first, she is a nun (mae si) and once she is fully ordained she becomes a monk?

Being a nun and being a monk are two entirely different things....not to say that being a nun for awhile wouldn't help in becoming a monk but really they are two different things....if someone calls a nun a monk then they are making a mistake.

Perhaps, she is a nunk?

Being a nun and being a monk are two entirely different things....not to say that being a nun for awhile wouldn't help in becoming a monk but really they are two different things....if someone calls a nun a monk then they are making a mistake.

>A monk is a monk and a nun is a nun!

>regards ex-monk