In a ground-breaking step forward for the development of bhikkhuni ordination in the Theravada tradition, a Sri Lankan monk has pledged to establish a Pirivena (monastic college) for nuns. According to the Daily News, Venerable Kirama Wimalajothi Thera was planning to lay the foundation stone of the Pirivena at Dekanduwala Buddhist monastery, Horana, on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March. This will be the first time in the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka that a Pirivena has been established for Buddhist nuns.
From Kushal Chamath, the Daily Mirror
The ceremony was to be held under the patronage of Venerable Maduluwawe Shobhitha Thera, an outspoken supporter for the establishment of the bhikkhuni order in the Theravada tradition and an architect of the recent victory of Sri Lanka’s new president, and Venerable Bootawatte Saranankara Thera, the Adhikarana Sangha Nayaka of Malaysia.
Discussing the initiative with the media at Sambuddhatwa Jayanthi Mandiraya in Colombo, Venerable Wimalajothi Thera, who is also the founding director of the Buddhist Cultural Centre—one of the biggest publishers of Buddhist books in Sri Lanka—said that the establishment of the Pirivena would provide women with the opportunity to receive ordination as well as to study and teach the Dhamma. He protested about the longstanding neglect of women despite the first woman prime minister in the world having been from Sri Lanka and the island having had a female president. Echoing the Thera’s view, Councilor Chandana Gunawardena further revealed that women are not even allowed into some of the chambers at the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy and Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anurdhapura.
From Kushal Chamath, the Daily Mirror
The Daily News also reported Venerable Wimalajothi as stating that bhikkhunis will be trained as qualified Dhamma teachers and Buddhist counselors at the Pirivena within four to five years. According to the Thera, plans have been already made to train 100 to 150 bhikkhunis, including in languages like Pali and English, Pirivena management, and monastery administration.
Meanwhile, according to the Daily Mirror, 33 bhikkhunis were ordained on 31 January at Hettiyadeniya Sri Sudharshana Dharmanikethana in Gampaha under the tutelage of Venerable Dr. Kolonnawe Kusuma Theri, the chief incumbent of Horana Arya Kema Meditation Centre. Speaking to the Daily Mirror after the ceremony, the Theri stated that this was the largest number of women to receive ordination in the history of Buddhism on the island since 500 women were ordained under Arahant Sanghamitta Theri. Venerable Kusuma Theri also expressed her happiness at being invited to participate in the event, stating that although nuns had received the blessing of the Buddha and Arahant Mahinda on the earlier occasion, the latest ordination was a blessing from or an act of the gods.
From Kushal Chamath, the Daily Mirror
According to the Daily Mirror, besides the 33 women, 6 men were also ordained at the ceremony, under Sri Sudharshana Dharmanikethana’s chief incumbent, Venerable Ketawala Hemaloka Thera.
Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka by Arahant Mahinda, a missionary sent by the Indian emperor Ashoka, during the reign of King Devanmpiyatissa (306–266 BCE). The bhikkhuni order was subsequently brought to the island from India by Arahant Sanghamitta Theri. However, after a few centuries the bhikkhuni order declined, and has never been officially re-established. Although there have been several attempts to revive it, due to opposition from a number of conservative senior monks, there has been little progress to date.