is well known that the Bhikkhuni (nuns) order was introduced
to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. (BC
250 - 210) Since then this order flourished at Anuradhapura
for about 1200 years. With the fall of Anuradhapura to the Cholian
invaders in AD 1017 and the annexation of the Aunradhapura Kingdom
to the Cholian empire the Bhikkhuni order disappeared and became
defunct. The Order of Monks (Bhikkhus) also met the same fate.
But was later revived after King Vijayabahu drove away the Cholian
invaders. For this revival the King had to get down monks from
Burma. But there were no nuns in Burma, Siam, Cambodia or Laos
the other four Theravada countries. Hence the monks maintained
that the Bhikkhuni order should be considered defunct and not
restorable. During the time the Bhikkhuni order existed in Sri
Lanka it proved to be an asset to the religion and rendered
yeoman service to the Sasana. Details can be found in the Dipawansa
on which was modelled the Mahavamsa - the great chronicle in
50 years of Cholian rule, King Vijayabahu coming up from Ruhuna
expelled the invaders and assumed rulership over the whole island.
He shifted his capital to Polonnaruwa. During the Polonnaruwa
period which followed Sinhalese Buddhism came more and more
under Tamil, Hindu influence. The Tamil caste system of South
India was adopted and the monks took the names of their villages
as a prefix to their Pali names given at ordination. The Sangha
became the preserve of one caste monopolising the temporalities
in imitation of Hindu priesthood. The study of Sanskrit and
secular sciences associated with it came into vogue. Anti-feminism
and casteism were features entrenched in the Manu laws of Hinduism.
features found their way to Sinhalese society and its religion.
Therefore, in this milieu the revival of the defunct Bhikkhuni
order became anathema to Sinhalese Buddhism. There is permission
in the Vinaya Chullavagga for monks to ordain nuns. This permission
could easily have been made use of if the monks were willing
to restore the Bhikkhuni order. But since their wishes were
otherwise and they were more interested in maintaining their
monopolies, it suited the to take the casteist and anti feminist
line. They enabled them to avert rivalry from low caste men
in the Sangha and women in to Bhikkhuni order.
from the Polonnaruwa period right up to the British conquest
of the island in 1815 no one took up the issue of admitting
low caste men to the Sangha and women to the Bhikkhuni
order. Priestcraft saw to it that the Buddhist Sangha was the
preserve of the high-caste and that women were debarred from
leading the holy life of a Bhikkhuni as advocated by the Buddha.
The majority of people were ignorant and illiterate. They took
their Buddhism from the priestcraft of the Sangha and the Kings
who took their advise in matters of religion from the Sangha
a tradition to the effect that the Bhikkhuni order is defunct
and cannot be restored until the appearance of Martie Buddha
in a future aeon became accepted. Thereby the teachings of the
Buddha on appamada (diligence), samanatmata (egalitarianism),
Karuna, Metta, Artachariya etc were lost sight of. An anti-feminist
dogma prevented women from taking to holy orders in Buddhism.
This was the situation from the Polonnaruwa period right up
to the time the Sangha - King combine lost their control of
the nation in 1815 with the betrayal of the last King to the
the colonial period, under British rule, it was Anagarika Dharmapala
who was the pioneer of the Buddhist revival. He opened the first
nunnery in modern Ceylon at Darley Lane, Colombo. It was not
a success. He was followed by Miss Catherine de Alwis who went
to Burma and got ordained there as a Junior Nun without Higher
Ordination. She came back to Sri Lanka in 1903 and founded the
Dasa Sil Mata order of Buddhist nuns. Thus from 1903 onwards
these D.S.M nuns were the vestige and the representatives of
the Bhikkhuni Sangha of old. They seemed to believe in the theory
that half a loaf is better than no bread. Therefore they had
to be satisfied with observing the ten precepts of Junior Nuns
Buddhist leaders among the clergy and the laity realised that
the DSM status for nuns was really incongruous and incompatible
with the Buddhas concept of a four-fold division among
his disciples and devotees.
recognised only Bhikkhus, Bhikkhunis, male lay devotees and
female lay devotees. There is no room for a half way house between
lay women devotee and Bhikkhunis such as a Dasa Sil Matas. The
later term is an invention by apostates in the Sasana who wish
to keep down women renunciates from their proper place as Bhikkhunis.
the advocates for the revival of the Bhikkhuni order was Ven.
Pandit Narawala Dhammaratana Thero. He had led a delegation
to a peace conference in Peking, China. He studied the Bhikkhuni
order in China and found that it had been established on a firm
Vinaya footing by Sinhalese nuns from Anuradhapura in AD 429.
in his writings and teachings he advocated the revival of the
Bhikkhuni Order with assistance from Chinese Nuns. Other advocates
of the revival among our Maha Theras were Ven. Pandit Hedipannala
Pannaloka of the Vijalankara Pirivena, Ven. Pandit Henpitagedera
Gnanaseeha, Ven. Banbarende Seevali and several other progressives.
Among lay Buddhist leaders, Anagarika Dharmapala, Sir D.B. Jayatillaka,
H. Sri Nissanka, Dr. G.P. Malalasekera, J.R. Jayewardene and
many others encouraged the movement and spoke for it. Among
the living sympathizers and advocates were Ven. Mapalagama Vipulasara.
Principal, Paramadhamma Chetiya Pirivena, Ven. Pandit Inamaluwe
Sumangala of the Dambulla Raja Maha Viharaya, Ven. Talalle Dhammaloka,
Anunayaka Thero of the Amarapura Sect, Ven Dr. Kirinde Dhammananda,
Ven. Pandit Pathegama Gnanarama retired Principal Sudharmakara
Pirivena, Panadura, Ven. Porawagama Soma, Ven. Deegala Mahinda,
Tembiliyane Ariyadhamma etc.
the progressive monks called for and advocated the revival there
were reactionaries, conservatives and obscurantists who took
the traditional stand in Sinhalese Buddhism as a dogma, equating
it with pure Theravada Buddhism. Thus there was
division of opinion in the two camps, the conservatives sticking
to traditional anti-feminism and the progressives calling for
a revision of the traditional stand and a restoration of the
a sequel to the public interest created on this question Ven.
M. Vipulasara, Principal, Parama Dhamma Chetiya Pirivena and
President Mahabodhi Society came forward with the assistance
of the World Sangha Council and Sakyadhita International Organisation
of Buddhist Women and held an ordination ceremony on 8.12.96
at Saranath Temple, India. This was a grand and historic ceremony
- a red letter day in the annals of Theravada Buddhism. At this
ceremony 11 selected Sinhalese DSM nuns were ordained fully
as Bhikkhunis by a team of Theravada monks in concert with a
quorum of Korean Nuns. Thus for the first time after 980 odd
years the Theravada Bhikkhuni Order was revived in India.
the first time since the disappearance, the Bhikkhuni Order
was restored at Saranath India on 8.12.96. The Sinhalese Nuns
who received their Bhikkhuni Ordination there came back to Sri
Lanka after one year and two months at the invitation of the
Bhikkhuni Sasanodaya Society, Dambulla. On Medin Poya Day (12/3/98)
they ordained 23 selected Sinhalese DSM Nuns into the Bhikkhuni
ordination was confirmed and ratified by a quorum of the Theravada
Sangha as required in the Vinaya. Ven. Inamaluwe was the director
of the function and the master of ceremonies. He was assisted
by Ven. Mapalagama Vipulasara, Galkadawela Punnasara, Pandit
Tallalle Dhammananda Anu Nayakam, Ven. Prof. K. Vajira and Porwagama
Soma and a few others.
for the first time since the Anuradhapura days the Bhikkhuni
Sasana has been revived in Sri Lanka According to full Theravada
ceremonial. Sinhalese DSM nuns, Buddhist women feminists and
other advocates of the restoration of the Bhikkhuni Sasana will
have the satisfaction that one of their cherished dreams for
the Buddha Sasana has been realised.
Lanka became the caretaker and headquarters of Theravada Buddhism
since it was expelled from India. Other Theravada countries
such as Siam, Burma, Laos, and Cambodia has never had a Bhikkhuni
Order. There are movements in these countries for the admission
of women to the Bhikkhuni Sangha in the Theravada tradition
to which they belong. These countries border China and they
see that in China Bhikkhunis have been existing from the earliest
days of the introduction of Buddhism to that land.
their aspiration for entry to the Bhikkhuni Sangha will receive
a fillip on hearing and seeing that the Theravada Bhikkhuni
Order has been established in Sri Lanka. Though the Bhikkhuni
Order had never been introduced to any country except Sri Lanka,
Burma is an unusual exception. It had originally been a Mahayana
country. Therefore during the Mahayana days there were Bhikkhunis
in Burma. But once it was converted to Theravada Buddhism the
Bhikkhuni Order there became unrecognised. Hence there continued
to be the nuns with only Samaneri Ordination under the Ten Precepts.
Even today the position is the same. It is from these Samaneri
nuns (called Ma-Theelas) that Sri Lanka received its DSM order
that the Theravada Bhikkhuni Order has been established in Sri
Lanka it should be a matter of time for women renunciates in
these countries to come to Sri Lanka, or get down Sri Lankan
nuns to their countries and establish the Bhikkhuni Order in
their lands. Admittance to the Bhikkhuni Order to women was
granted by the Buddha himself. Womens' rights are a part of
human rights in the modern world.
the Bhikkhuni Order in Sri Lanka should be the spearhead for
the movement to establish the Theravada Bhikkhuni Order in these
lands. The Bhikkhuni Order cannot function properly in poor
and backward cultures which do not recognise womens rights.
That is why even in some backward Mahayana countries such as
Mongolia, Kirghizia and Tibet there never has been a Bhikkhuni
Order. Now that Sri Lanka is emerging from a backward Third
World country with a poor record of human rights to a modern
democracy which recognises womens rights the prospects
of the Bhikkhuni Order gaining its rightful place as in the
Anuradhapura period are bright and full of promise.
Island" Newspaper Colombo, Sri Lanka (4th April,