Monopolization of the Robe. For some reason the robe has been traditionally associated with male monks only. Some people have gone as far as to claim that it is blasphemous for a woman to wear the robe.When Ven.Bhikkhuni Voramai Kabilsingh was fully ordained or·dain tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains 1. a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on. b. To authorize as a rabbi. 2. in 1970s, people who were unhappy with her ordination blamed her and suspected that she would soil the robe (with menstruation menstruation, periodic flow of blood and cells from the lining of the uterus in humans and most other primates, occurring about every 28 days in women. Menstruation commences at puberty (usually between age 10 and 17). ) and hence make the sacred robe unclean. The association of menstruation to impurity im·pu·ri·ty n. pl. im·pu·ri·ties 1. The quality or condition of being impure, especially: a. Contamination or pollution. b. Lack of consistency or homogeneity; adulteration. c. has no place in Buddhist belief and practice. Menstruation is only a monthly flow of blood for women who are in fertile age. Should the robe get soiled, it needs to be washed. Unlike Hinduism, there is neither stigma nor taboo around menstruation in Buddhism. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many countries in southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. only men have access to ordination. Men have enjoyed this opportunity and privilege for so long that they comfortably monopolize mo·nop·o·lize tr.v. mo·nop·o·lized, mo·nop·o·liz·ing, mo·nop·o·liz·es 1. To acquire or maintain a monopoly of. 2. To dominate by excluding others: monopolized the conversation. ordination to male members only. The pioneer nuns in Nepal i.e. Ven.Bhikkhuni Dhammavati, Ven.Dr.Anoja after having been ordained in 1988 and 1998 respectively still cannot wear the civara (robe) when they returned to Nepal. They said the monks forbade them to do so. Also in Vietnam, the first batch of bhikkhunis ordained in Theravada tradition in 2000 are too afraid to wear the robe once they got back to Vietnam. In Myanmar, a samaneri was told by the monk abbot not to come back to his temple if she is ordained as a bhikkhuni. During my recent trip to India (Feb. 17-19) to attend the Buddhist Conclave conclave In the Roman Catholic church, the assembly of cardinals gathered to elect a new pope and the system of strict seclusion to which they submit. From 1059 the election became the responsibility of the cardinals. in Delhi and Bodh Gaya I was reprimanded by a Bangladeshi senior monk. According to him, it was not possible to receive ordination in Thailand, so I politely informed him that I was ordained in Sri lanka. He responded, "You can enjoy yourself in Sri lanka not in Thailand". I reassured him that I do live in Thailand and that the Thai Sangha sangha: see Buddhism. sangha Buddhist monastic order, traditionally composed of four groups: monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Established by the Buddha, it is the world's oldest body of celibate clerics. did not harassed me at all. To the contrary, many senior monks have shown much kindness to me, and the public are more and more receptive to female ordination. For sisters who have already taken full ordination, we must understand that we are only continuing the heritage given to us by the Buddha. Our ordination was given correctly by both the Sanghas. The robe was also allowed by the Buddha, no monk of any nation can deprive us of this rightful heritage. Do wear our robe with dignity and responsibility. ... editor |
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