Can the Full Ordination of Nuns Be Restored?
Traditional Theravādin Buddhists often assert, by appeal to an ancient narrative, that the ordination of bhikkhunīs (Buddhist nuns) would reduce the life span of pure Buddhism to five hundred years. However, the Australia-based abbot, Ajahn Brahmavaṃso, contends that without a Bhikkhunī Sangha, Buddhism in the West wont last another fifty years. The big question, though, is how the Bhikkhunī Sangha can be revived when traditionalists claim that valid bhikkhunī ordination is impossible. In this monograph, originally presented at a 2007 conference in Hamburg on Buddhist Womens Role in the Sangha, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi attempts to tackle this challenging question. Taking up the arguments used to oppose reviving the Bhikkhunī Sangha, he closely examines the three main areas of contention novice ordination, the probationary training, and full ordination offering a positive approach to each. By adopting a broad and open-minded perspective on the Vinaya, he holds, Theravāda monks can permit, eve
