The Bhikkhuni Order in China & Thailand

Discussion of ordination, the Vinaya and monastic life. How and where to ordain? Bhikkhuni ordination etc.
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plwk
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Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:14 am

The Bhikkhuni Order in China & Thailand

Post by plwk »

I was musing through some readings when certain 'inconsistencies' were spotted and wonder if anyone would know better...

On the Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha in China...
http://archive.cmb.ac.lk/research/bitst ... ticle2.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I would like to draw your attention to the facts put forward by the Most Ven. MadihePannasihaMahanayakaThero in his article ― Is reestablishing bhikkhuni order suitable for the time ?‖(in Sinhala) (20) in his article Ven. mentioned that to inquire about Theravada system in China Ven. Himself, Ven. Soma and Kheminda were sent to China in 1946 by Mahabodhi Society in response to the invitation of Most Ven. Taishu and his disciple Ven. Fan to inquire whether Theravada tradition is preserved in China or not. Though they went for five years period, because of the internal civil war in China this mission came to an end within nine months and three Venerables came back to Sri Lanka. According to the Most Ven. MadhiheMahanayakathero there were neither Theravada bhikkhus nor bhikkhunis in China. He further recorded that the bhikkhunis who met him and discussed with him are not aware of the historic incident of giving upasampada to Chinese bhikkhunis by Sri Lankan bhikkhunis. Ven. Mahanayake Thero wrote this article to Dinamina paper on 2nd January 1997.
http://inwardpathpublisher.blogspot.com ... ow-of.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Dr Hua Chee Min, a Chinese professor, in his book written in Sinhala, Theravada Buddhism in China, cited 40,000 Theravada Buddhists from 5,000 temples, many of which were in Yunnan. The lineage therefore has not been broken and it later spread to Korea, Japan and Taiwan
http://www.dhammadharini.net/theravada- ... ha-history" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
And the South China Theravada Sangha which included bhikkhunis did not disappear until well into the Cultural Revolution and subsequent Christian missionary aid activities quite recently.
On the Thai Bhikkhuni Order...
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/ar ... art_3.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Bhikkhuni Dr. Dhammananda (aka Prof. Dr Chatsumarn Kabilsingh), Abbess of the Song-dhamma-kalyani Nunnery, Thailand
Bhikkhuni ordination never arrived in Thailand.
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/ar ... ineag.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
King Ramkhamhaeng of the Sukhothai Kingdom in Thailand established Theravada Buddhism in Thailand from Sri Lanka at the end of the thirteenth century CE. Since a bhikshuni sangha was no longer available in Sri Lanka at that time, the Theravada bhikshuni ordination lineage never reached Thailand. Only the bhikshu lineage came.
http://www.dhammadharini.net/theravada- ... ha-history" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Theravada Bhikkhuni Sangha of Thailand was largely but not entirely eradicated by political means with the foundation of the Cakri Dynasty and the Kingdom Ayutthaya in the 14th century (see “Glimmers of a Thai Bhikkhuni Sangha History”on page 28 of Mining for Gold attached)
So, which is which now? :shrug:
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