The Validity of bhikkhunī Ordination by bhikkhus Only, According to the Pāli Vinaya

This is a very irresponsible statement!
This is an encouragement for people to bend the rules as they wish.
Why don’t we throw the whole Vinaya into a dust bin so it will be much easier for a person like me to become a monk?

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I think this is a good advice for the protection of women. Generally, Asian women are much smaller than men. The last thing what you want to do is to go and challenge a nasty monk like Ven ? who is twice as big as you. (Unless you wanted to admonish him via text)
I wonder what is the Buddha’s advice for a nun as to how to handle a nasty monk.
I think what a nun should do is to get a layman to kick him out of the temple. (make sure you give the assignment to a stronger man)

Most monks, never forget, do this already. You have never in your life met a single monk who always keeps all the rules, so there’s no need for us to pretend we are living in a fantasy world.

There is a difference between informed and reasonable interpretation and indulgence and carelessness. The answer to laxity is not fundamentalism and rigidity, but wisdom, balance, and compassion.

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Now at that time the group of six monks, having uncovered their bodies … thighs … private parts, showed them to nuns; they offended nuns, they associated with nuns, thinking: “Perhaps they may be attracted to us.” They told this matter to the Lord. He said: “ Monks, a monk, having uncovered his body … thighs … private parts should not show them to nuns, he should not offend nuns, he should not associate together with nuns. Whoever should (so) associate, there is an offence of wrong-doing. I allow you, monks, to inflict a penalty on that monk.” Then it occurred to monks: … as in above paragraph … “Monks, that monk is to be made one who is not to be greeted by the Order of nuns.”

pi-tv-kd20
(emph mine)

A monk who is rude/offensive to nuns, does not have to be respected by the nuns.

A nun doesn’t have to be bigger/stronger than a man to provide this ‘penalty’. You just get him where it hurts most - his ego.

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Well, the rule is already there so what you are complaining about?

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Agree. That is why I am saying keep the rules let anyone want’s to break it do so. As Buddhist, we believe in Kamma.

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Many elderly monks are much frailer and weaker than younger monks, and yet there is no rule against elderly monks admonishing younger monks. So that doesn’t seem like a very good reason. Aren’t monks trained to respect seniority?

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I don’t think this is a very kind statement. Cara is trying to deal, intelligently and compassionately, with an issue that is difficult for her, and for many women. If we ever hope to eradicate the stain of sexism from Buddhism, and from our world, we must stop telling women to stop complaining. There are genuine issues at stake, and we must encourage this kind of inquiry, not dismiss it.

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Thanks Bhante.

Sorry Sarath, I didn’t understand what you mean which is why I didn’t reply.

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Sorry I did not mean Cara.
Thousand apologies.
:anjal:

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It’s no problem :anjal:

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Agree.
This is one of the conundrum in Buddhism.
Even an Arahant respect the seniors.
I take whole this thing as a positive thing for women than a negative.
I have a real problem bowing down to the ten years old monk in my temple.
But I just do it.
It helped me to eradicate my Mana.
In Japan bowing down is not a big deal.
When the train conductor enters the train compartments he bows to the people.
The funny thing about is he goes to the end of the compartment and bow again but nobody is facing him. When he passed me once, I just looked back to see what he is doing.
See, bowing down is not as silly as you think. :grin:

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@Akincana. Could you kindly provide the relevant comparisons and explain why a transmission to Chinese hundreds of years later would have relevance here. Thank you :seedling:

It can be said that EBTs strongly support the reading that contemplative life is definetely conducive to fruition of the path. DN2 is a landmark one just cannot ignore when trying to make sense of that is the ultimate model of livelihood the Buddha promoted as way of bridging the virtue effort, mindfulness and stillness factors of the path.

Hence, any formal commitment to endeavouring to the fullest to such model of right livelihood - id est the adoption of the Bhikkhu or Bhikkhuni vows - is definitely only going to support one’s cultivation of the path and eventual direct verification of the third noble truth.

:anjal:

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People have different priorities. … I told my sister in Germany that our 23 year old samaneri wants to undertake bhikkhuni ordination. Her spontaneous reply was:“What she is 23, and wants to become a bhikkhuni? Has she nothing better to do?” …
Your counter questions sound very much like the excuses given by (male) bhikkhus, when they want to persuade Burmese Thilashins, that full ordination is not necessary for them. — Or like the excuses of parents, that do not wish their daughters to take religious robes.

I think the robe may be a help, if it is taken seriously. But it is not everything. My first dhamma teacher was a lay man. He became a monk for a short time, but to me he said: “It is not the robe that makes you holy.” — The elderly Sayadaw who gave me the robe in 2008 said: "Of course, Vinaya is only panyatti (mere concept), it is not paramattha (ultimate truth), like Abidhamma."
As I have lived as samaneri for nine years now, and seen manymonastics, who are not so well disciplines, I can see the point. But the robe may help, it is a question of ethical conduct (siila).

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I spent a few years in Sri Lanka revising the English version of a book written on Bhikkhuni Vinaya by Ven. Bhikkhuni Kusuma, Ph.D. The revision was finished in 2015. The title of the book is “Code of Conduct for Buddhist Nuns (Bhikkhuni Vinaya)”. The bibliography lists over 20 titles that were included only in the revision. They include books written in Geman and in Burmese, and four titles written by Bhikkhu Analayo. The most important are:
2011a, Mahapajapati’s Going Forth in the Madhyama-Aagama, in: Journal of Buddhist Ethics. Vol. 18, p.269-316.
2011b: A Comparative Study of the Majjhima-Nikaaya. 2 vols., Taipeh, Taiwan.

Bhikkhu Analayo has spent many years on comparative work between Pali Suttas (often from Majjhima Nikaaya) and the translations of Suutras in Prakrits from North India, which were translated into Chinese.

These “Chinese” Sutras are NOT Mahayana Sutras. Their Indian originals were in PRAKRIT, and were older than Buddhist texts in Sanskrit and Hybrid Sanskrit. They are now lost. There are both similarities and differences to the Pali versions of these Sutras, and NOT ALL ARE LATER THAN THE PALI VERSION. One has to study the details.

The Sutra on the foundation of the bhikkhuni order is in the Madhyama-Agama (in Pali it is found in the Vinayapitaka -Cv X- and in the Anguttaranikaya.) … These old Chinese materials belong to the Sarvastivada school. This is a Hinayana school, like Theravada. For this reason these texts were not much studied by later Chinese scholars, - and also by other scholars of Pali, because they did not know Chinese.

This Sarvastivada narrative on the foundation of the bhikkhuni order has several important differences from the Pali narrative. (They are discussed by Bhikkhu Analayo. He has published more after 2011, but that was not available for me then.)

Regarding the eight Garudhamma rules, both versions show a mixture of earlier and later features.
MA rule 1 = Pali rule 6 (dual ordination for bhikkhunis)
MA rule 2 = Pali rule 3 (exhortation every fortnight)
MA rule 3 = Pali rule 2 (rains’s retreat never without monks)
MA rule 4 = Pali rule 4 (pavarana before both orders)
MA rule 5 = Pali rule 8 (nuns cannot ask questions on the scriptures without permission/ nuns cannot talk to monks, but monks can talk to nuns.)
MA rule 6 = Pali rule 7 (nuns cannot expose monks faults, but monks can expose nuns’ faults/ nuns should not threaten or revile monks.)
MA rule 7 = Pali rule 5 (serious offences of nuns require a fortnight’s penance before both orders.)
MA rule 8 = Pali rule 1 (All nuns must pay respects to nuns.)

Differerences:
The order of the rules differs. The first Pali rule is the final rule in MA. Coming first, it is emphasized.
A similar difference in position is also found in the Bhikkhuni Palimokkha rules. In the classes with many rules, the Pali version begins with the rules for bhikkhunis only, and this is followed by the common rules (for both orders). In the Bhikkhuni Patimokkha OF ALL OTHER UDDHIST SCHOOLS it is the other way round: first the common rules, then the rules exclusively for Bhikkhunis.

MA does not mention the sikkhamana, or the dual ordination by both orders. This seems to be an earlier version than Pali.

The fortnightly instruction of bhikkhunis by monks is mentioned, but not the uposatha ceremony for the recitation of the patimokkha rules. This recitation was introduced only in the 20th year of buddhahood, while the order of bhikkhunis was started in the fifth year of buddhahood.

Pali rule 8 has mystified translators. If it refers to teaching it becomes more meaningful. But the mention of Abhidhamma in MA is a late feature.

MA rule 5 is straightforward, while Pali rule 5 is ambigous. Garu(ka)-dhamma can also refer to Patimokkha rules of the sanghadisesa class. If so, there is no punishment for not observing the eight garudhammas.

MA rule 6 is clearer then Pali rule 7.
Pali has Pacittiya rules disallowing the spreading of information to the laity regarding wrong conduct of monastics.
(Regarding the prohibition for nuns to threaten and abuse monks … an innocent female hearing about this precept said: “Oh, but the monks are allowed to do this to the nuns? I thought monastics are not allowed to threaten or abuse anybody!”) ----

MA rule 5 and 6 differ considerably from their parallels in Pali (rule 7 and 8).
But the difference between MA rule 5 and Pali rule 7 may dissolve with a better translation of the term “ova.to vacanapatha”.

Enough, dear sisters!
Do not forget to pay respects to all (male) monks and novices, you meet during the day, and to all senior female monastics. By these acts of humility you will make much progress in understanding Anatta.

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Can someone give more details about this rule?
Permission from whom?

I believe this is Pācittiya 95 in the Bhikkhuni Patimokkha:

Should any bhikkhuni ask a question (about the Suttas, Vinaya, or Abhidhamma) of a bhikkhu who has not given leave, it is to be confessed.

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Thanks, what is the reason?
Can a Bhikkhuni ask a question (Sutta, Vinaya or Abhidhamma) in an internet forum?
How do you take leave?

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