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Thai nuns fight for
rights
By Chayanit Poonyarat
BANGKOK - Buddhist nuns have been part of
Thailand's religious community for more than 300 years,
but they say that the ambiguity around their status
means they have yet to get the respect they deserve.
The Buddhist nuns or mae chi live in a
state of limbo - afforded a measure of social
recognition, but denied formal religious endorsement.
The state considers them part of the religious
clergy and, like Thailand's 300,000 monks, they do not
have the right to vote. But the official council of
ordained Buddhist clergy or Sangha does not
recognize mae chi - official statistics put their
number at 14,700 in 1997 - as full members. They are not
permitted to interpret the Dhamma (the teachings
of the Buddha), officially teach Buddhism or perform
religious rituals.
The Sangha is prepared
to recognize them only as disciples of the faith, which
means mae chi have a lowly status in the temple
hierarchy in Thailand, 95 percent of whose people are
Buddhist.
"We consider ourselves among the
clergy who learn and practice Dhamma, meditate and
provide spiritual support for society," said Mae Chi
Pratin Kuan-Orn, chairwoman of the Institute for Thai
Nuns, which has operated as a community service since
1969.
"Because of our unclear status and the
fact that we are not officially recognized, nuns can
neither legally receive means to live from Buddhist
followers, nor any support from the government for
studies and community-related projects," Mae Chi Pratin
said in an interview, referring to practices regularly
done by monks.
This means that nuns are
dependent on monks for daily support, as well as for
help in hosting community programs, adds Mae Chi Pratin,
who like all Thai Buddhist nuns wears white robes and
has a shaven head and eyebrows.
Mae chi
cannot be ordained as monks in Thailand. Mae Chi Pratin
explains that for the last 300 years, Thai Buddhism has
not allowed women to be ordained as novice monks, which
has meant that women interested in following the
Buddha's teachings only have the option of becoming
nuns.
But gradually, some nuns have been taking
a different path, looking to other Buddhist countries
like Sri Lanka, which follows the Theravada tradition of
Buddhism but allows ordination of women as monks.
Dr Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, a Buddhist scholar,
was ordained as a novice in Sri Lanka in February 2001
and then became Thailand's first female monk in the
Theravada tradition, assuming the name Dhammananda and
wearing saffron robes.
Samaneri Dhammarakhita
sparked outrage among the all-male religious
establishment, who accused her of violating Thai
Buddhist traditions when on February 10, 2001, she
became the first female monk, or bhikkuni, to be
ordained on Thai soil.
"Thai Buddhism is
regarded as conservative in outlook. It recognizes nuns,
but only men are allowed to become monks," she was
quoted as telling the British Broadcasting Corp at the
time.
Unlike ordained monks, who are expected to
follow five religious precepts and 227 other Buddhist
rules, nuns are expected to follow only 10 precepts and
80 Buddhist rules.
The fact that monks are
expected to hold higher ethical standards - by virtue of
the number of rules they must adhere to - is a good
indication that "being a nun is less valued than being a
monk", said Thai World View, a local website on Thai
society and culture.
Nuns also help maintain
temples, cleaning and cooking for the monks, eating
separately from them.
The nuns' lack of
religious recognition means it is difficult to have a
system to deal with problems such as women who don the
nun's robes and ask for alms or food from passers-by.
"This makes nuns look even worse in people's opinions,"
said Mae Chi Pratin.
In 1991, the Institute for
Thai Nuns and female activists tried to push parliament
to consider a "Nun Act", a set of basic regulations for
nuns. However, the response from the Department of
Religious Affairs was clear: "It is impossible. A nun
has never existed in a Thai Buddhist decree."
The Sangha "must have solid reasons why
it does not recognize nuns and female monks in Thai
Buddhism", said 39-year-old employee Saranya Suthiwan,
who considers herself a devout follower of the faith and
visits the temples regularly.
She says that even
with 227 rules and precepts to abide by, some monks
still misbehave. Saranya was referring to the rash of
cases of monks' impropriety, ranging from living
ostentatious lifestyles to having relationships with
women, to hit the press in recent years.
"It can
be even harder for nuns to guide their lives spiritually
with less precepts to follow," added Saranya. "If nuns
really want to explore Buddha's teachings and lead
peaceful lives, talk of legal recognition and status
should not get in the way."
But while the
pursuit of women's religious rights has its detractors,
many say it is now time to address religious inequality
in Thai Buddhism.
"Understanding and supporting
the religious rights of women is very important for Thai
Buddhism," said Tavivat Puntarigvivat, director of
research and development at the Bangkok-based World
Buddhist University.
Tavivat referred to the
Buddha's life, which he said clearly acknowledged the
sexes as being spiritually equal.
He says there
is room - and need - for women in the Buddhist
hierarchy. In an interview, Tavivat said that nuns and
female monks can, for instance, address social issues
that male monks often have difficulty with, such as
sexual abuse, prostitution and abortion.
Tavivat
says that ordained bhikkuni are well recognized
and play a significant role in Mahayana Buddhism, the
other major strand of the religion common in other
Buddhist strongholds such as Taiwan.
"It is nonsense
to say that having women is a violation of the religion.
We all know that if the claim that there has been a
decline in Buddhism is true, it is because of other
factors," he added.
Tavivat explains that nuns
and female monks would be more effective in promoting
Buddhism among female lay people, and that this could
discourage inappropriate relations that have been known
to happen due to the close contact between female
devotees and the male clergy.
"Embracing women -
who make up half of the population - as part of the
religion will allow Buddhism to work as a way to a
peaceful life, two times over," said Tavivat.
(Inter Press Service)
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