Controversy Over Ordination of Buddhist Nuns

The early sangha or Buddhist church was clearly divided into four groups laymen, laywomen, monks and nuns. However, the issue of ordination of nuns into Buddhist monastic life has been a controversial one since its foundation. Gender biased rules and regulations may have led to disinterest from female practitioners to enter the monastic life. Monasteries of nuns in many Asian countries and in many different schools of Buddhism have been unable to sustain themselves and merely disappeared. However, in recent years interest seems to be burgeoning from the female population and attempts have been made in many countries to reinstate ordained nuns. While this has been successfully accomplished in nations such as Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, controversy continues to arise as to the legitimacy and protocol appropriate in these ordinations. The controversy over the legitimacy of a nun's ordination is part of an ongoing debate, which can be traced to the first establishment of women as Buddhist monastics.

According to legend, Siddhartha Guatama originally established three branches to his sangha. Nuns were only later recognized after he was persuaded by his foster mother, Mahaprajapati Guatami, and his disciple Ananda. When approached by his foster mother and some other women Siddhartha told them that they should not wish to be admitted as nuns. This however did not deter the women, who found it a worthy cause to follow the Buddha despite his willingness to ordain them. They continued to follow the Buddha and to listen to his teachings until the disciple Ananda agreed to plead with the Buddha on behalf of the women.