Editing Theravada (section)

===Bhikkhunis===
{{See also|Women in Buddhism|Ordination of women in Buddhism|Criticism of Buddhism#Women in Buddhism}}
[[File:Dhammananda09.jpg|thumb|[[Dhammananda Bhikkhuni]]]]
A few years after the arrival of [[Mahinda (Buddhist monk)|Mahinda]], the bhikkhu [[Sanghamitta|Saṅghamittā]], who is also believed to have been the daughter of Ashoka, came to Sri Lanka. She ordained the first nuns in Sri Lanka. In 429, by request of China's emperor, nuns from [[Anuradhapura]] were sent to China to establish the order there, which subsequently spread across East Asia. The [[prātimokṣa]] of the nun's order in [[East Asian Buddhism]] is the [[Dharmaguptaka]], which is different from the prātimokṣa of the current Theravāda school; the specific ordination of the early Sangha in Sri Lanka not known, although the Dharmaguptaka sect originated with the Sthāvirīya as well.

The nun's order subsequently died out in Sri Lanka in the 11th century and in Burma in the 13th century. It had already died out around the 10th century in other Theravādin areas. Novice ordination has also disappeared in those countries. Therefore, women who wish to live as renunciates in those countries must do so by taking eight or ten precepts. Neither laywomen nor formally ordained, these women do not receive the recognition, education, financial support or status enjoyed by Buddhist men in their countries.  These "precept-holders" live in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, and Thailand. In particular, the governing council of Burmese Buddhism has ruled that there can be no valid ordination of women in modern times, though some Burmese monks disagree. Japan is a special case as, although it has neither the bhikkhuni nor novice ordinations, the precept-holding nuns who live there do enjoy a higher status and better education than their precept-holder sisters elsewhere, and can even become Zen priests.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://lhamo.tripod.com/4ordin.htm|title=Resources on Women's Ordination|publisher=Lhamo.tripod.com|access-date=19 November 2010}}</ref> In Tibet there is currently no bhikkhuni ordination, but the [[Dalai Lama]] has authorized followers of the Tibetan tradition to be ordained as nuns in traditions that have such ordination.

In 1996, 11 selected Sri Lankan women were ordained fully as Theravāda bhikkhunis by a team of Theravāda monks in concert with a team of Korean nuns in India. There is disagreement among Theravāda [[vinaya]] authorities as to whether such ordinations are valid. The [[Dambulla]] chapter of the [[Siam Nikaya]] in Sri Lanka also carried out a nun's ordination at this time, specifically stating their ordination process was a valid Theravādin process where the other ordination session was not.{{sfn|Salgado|2013|pp=166–169}} This chapter has carried out ordination ceremonies for hundreds of nuns since then.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} This has been criticized by leading figures in the Siam Nikaya and [[Amarapura Nikaya]], and the governing council of [[Buddhism in Myanmar]] has declared that there can be no valid ordination of nuns in modern times, though some Burmese monks disagree with this.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Kawanami|first1=Hiroko|date=2007|title=The bhikkhunī ordination debate: global aspirations, local concerns, with special emphasis on the views of the monastic community in Myanmar. Kawanami, H. 11/2007 In|journal=Buddhist Studies Review|volume=24|issue=2|pages=226–244|doi=10.1558/bsrv.v24i2.226}}</ref>

In 1997 [[Dhamma Cetiya Vihara]] in Boston was founded by Ven. Gotami of Thailand, then a 10 precept nun; when she received full ordination in 2000, her dwelling became America's first Theravāda Buddhist bhikkhuni vihara.

A 55-year-old Thai Buddhist 8-precept white-robed maechee nun, Varanggana Vanavichayen, became the first woman to receive the going-forth ceremony of a novice (and the gold robe) in Thailand, in 2002.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~religion/thailand/ordination.shtml|title=Socially Engaged Buddhism in Thailand: Ordination of Thai Women Monks|last=Sommer, PhD|first=Jeanne Matthew|publisher=Warren Wilson College|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204105319/http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~religion/thailand/ordination.shtml|archive-date=4 December 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref> On 28 February 2003, [[Dhammananda Bhikkhuni]], formerly known as Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, became the first Thai woman to receive bhikkhuni ordination as a Theravāda nun.<ref name="thebuddhadharma">{{Citation |url=http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2003/summer/dhammananda.html|title=Ordained at Last|date=28 February 2003|publisher=Thebuddhadharma.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040206044757/http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2003/summer/dhammananda.html|archive-date=6 February 2004|url-status=dead|access-date=19 November 2010}}</ref>
Dhammananda Bhikkhuni was ordained in Sri Lanka.<ref name="bhikkhunis">{{Citation |url=http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/globalpers/gp051403.htm|title=Bhikkhunis: Ordaining Buddhist Women|author=Rita C. Larivee, SSA|date=14 May 2003|publisher=Nationalcatholicreporter.org|access-date=19 November 2010}}</ref> The Thai Senate has reviewed and revoked the secular law passed in 1928 banning women's full ordination in Buddhism as unconstitutional for being counter to laws protecting freedom of religion. However, Thailand's two main Theravāda Buddhist orders, the Mahanikaya and Dhammayutika Nikaya, have yet to officially accept fully ordained women into their ranks.

In 2009 in Australia four women received bhikkhuni ordination as Theravāda nuns, the first time such ordination had occurred in Australia.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.wa.buddhistcouncil.org.au/home/therevadan-bhikkhunni-ordination-in-western-australia/|title=Thai monks oppose West Australian ordination of Buddhist nuns|publisher=Wa.buddhistcouncil.org.au|access-date=19 November 2010|archive-date=6 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006003315/http://www.wa.buddhistcouncil.org.au/home/therevadan-bhikkhunni-ordination-in-western-australia/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was performed in Perth, Australia, on 22 October 2009 at Bodhinyana Monastery. Abbess Vayama together with Venerables Nirodha, Seri, and Hasapanna were ordained as Bhikkhunis by a dual Sangha act of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis in full accordance with the Pāli Vinaya.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.dhammasara.org.au/bhikkhuni-ordination.html|title=Bhikkhuni Ordination|date=22 October 2009|publisher=Dhammasara.org.au|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219112534/http://www.dhammasara.org.au/bhikkhuni-ordination.html|archive-date=19 February 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=19 November 2010}}</ref>

In 2010, in the US, four novice nuns were given the full bhikkhuni ordination in the Thai Theravāda tradition, which included the double ordination ceremony. [[Henepola Gunaratana]] and other monks and nuns were in attendance. It was the first such ordination ever in the Western hemisphere.<ref name="Boorstein">{{Citation |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sylvia-boorstein/ordination-of-bhikkhunis-_b_702921.html#s133846|title=Ordination of Bhikkhunis in the Theravada Tradition|last=Boorstein|first=Sylvia|author-link=Sylvia Boorstein|date=25 May 2011|work=Huffington Post}}</ref>

The first bhikkhuni ordination in Germany, the ordination of German woman Samaneri Dhira, occurred on 21 June 2015 at Anenja Vihara.<ref>[http://www.bhikkhuni.net/news/ Bhikkhuni Happenings – Alliance for Bhikkhunis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629140312/http://www.bhikkhuni.net/news/ |date=29 June 2015 }}. Bhikkhuni.net. Retrieved 28 June 2015.</ref>

In Indonesia, the first Theravāda ordination of bhikkhunis in Indonesia after more than a thousand years occurred in 2015 at Wisma Kusalayani in Lembang, [[Bandung]] in [[West Java]].<ref name="bhikkhuni1">{{Cite web |title=First Theravada Ordination of Bhikkhunis in Indonesia After a Thousand Years |url=https://www.bhikkhuni.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/FirstTheravadaordinationofbhikkhunisinIndonesiaAfteraThousandYears.pdf |access-date=30 September 2023 |website=www.bhikkhuni.net}}</ref> Those ordained included Vajiradevi Sadhika Bhikkhuni from Indonesia, Medha Bhikkhuni from Sri Lanka, Anula Bhikkhuni from Japan, Santasukha Santamana Bhikkhuni from Vietnam, Sukhi Bhikkhuni and Sumangala Bhikkhuni from Malaysia, and Jenti Bhikkhuni from Australia.<ref name="bhikkhuni1" />