The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje has announced his support for restoring nuns’ vows in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The announcement was made during this year’s Arya Kshema Winter Gathering for nuns, which took place at Tergar Monastery in Bodhgaya from 8–24 January. There is currently no bhikshuni or full ordination for nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, which follows the Mulasarvastivada vinaya, or monastic code of conduct.
The 17th Karmapa. From kagyuoffice.org
“Many people might think I’m doing this because others want me to,” said the Karmapa. “But I’m not doing it to placate anyone or in response to anyone. No matter how others see it, I feel this is something necessary” (The Karmapa).
Earlier in the gathering, the Karmapa explained: “In order to have the complete practice of the three trainings, you first have to have the superior training in discipline. Then, on that basis comes the superior training in samadhi, and then the superior training in prajna. Within Tibetan Buddhism we might say that for women it’s not possible to have the complete training in the superior practice of discipline, and the reason is because there are no bhikshuni vows” (The Karmapa). Historically, the Buddha did allow the full ordination of women—he himself ordained his stepmother, Mahaprajapati. According to the Karmapa, although the bhikshuni vows can be given by “a single sangha,” in order to have a legal bhikshuni ordination it “is best to have the dual sangha” (The Karmapa)—in other words, the ordination should be conducted by both monks and nuns. At present, the bhikshuni vows remain only within the Chinese tradition, which upholds the Dharmagupta vinaya.
Nuns practicing debate. From kagyuoffice.org
The Karmapa went on to say that because of the absence of bhikshuni and novice vows in the Mulasarvastivada vinaya, they must be imported from a Dharmagupta lineage. “Starting next year, we can begin the preparations for a limited number of nuns from each nunnery to begin the process,” he declared. The nuns will first receive the “vows of going forth,” then the novice vows, and then the “training [shikshamana] vows,” which they must hold and keep without any violation for a specified length of time—usually a couple of years—before proceeding to full ordination. “Finally, in the fourth year we’ll be able to give the bhikshuni vows. Once we have bhikshunis it will then be another ten years before they will be able to give anyone else the bhikshunivows,” he added.
Next year, a group of 10–20 nuns from a nunnery renowned for its strict upkeep of the Dharmagupta vinaya will attend the Arya Kshema Winter Gathering to confer the first two levels of vows to a “small, select group.” This will ensure that the novice and training ordinations are “conducted in a proper and complete ceremony from an unbroken lineage” (The Karmapa).
The announcements, which were given in Tibetan followed by English translation, were met with thunderous applause from the monks, nuns, and laypeople in the audience.