Monastic Discipline and Communal Rules for Buddhist Nuns in Myanmar and Thailand

This study explores the contemporary social reality of Buddhist precept nuns in Myanmar and Thailand through the lens of the monastic regulations and communal rules they adhere to, and how/if such rules inform their monastic discipline and communal cohesion. The concept of cohesion, in turn, may have much to tell us about nuns’ ritual practices and religious activities in relation to those of monks, as well as about their engagement with the outside world. The article also discusses nuns’ legal status in relation to the state; traditional norms for Buddhist women in various socio-religious contexts; the workings of hierarchy, authority and punishment in nunneries. In recent decades, some Buddhist nuns in both countries have expanded the size of their communities and enhanced their levels of education in part by upholding discipline and following Buddhist rules and norms. However, while thilashin in Myanmar have worked closely with monks by offering ritual services and are now fully integrated into the wider Buddhist community there, mae chi in Thailand have enhanced their education and spiritual development by making the most of their independent status outside the control of the sangha

Recovery and Buddhist Practices in the Aftermath of the Tsunami in Southern Thailand.

For most Thai people, Buddhism serves as a base for explanations about life and death. This article focuses on Buddhist practices and the importance of ceremonies in the recovery process after the 2004 tsunami in Southern Thailand. The tsunami had devastating consequences for most people in the coastal regions. First, through the loss of life, and second, through the damage to and loss of houses, fishing boats and means of livelihood. This article analyses informants’ experiences, narratives, interpretations and actions in terms of their Buddhist beliefs. The key findings of this article are that collective ceremonies form an important part of the recovery process. One finding revealed that, in cases of ambiguous loss, a Buddhist ceremony that was unknown to most people before the tsunami became an important element of the search for missing persons. Another finding is that the common Buddhist practice of communicating across the boundary between the living and dead became the most important ritual among the surviving relatives. The ethnography is based on a long-term anthropological research project with in-depth interviews, life stories and participant observation carried out in coastal villages located mainly in Phang Nga, the worst hit province in Thailan

Female Buddhist Authority and the Thai Sangha

In Thailand gender determines access to Buddhist ordination and women have never been granted membership in the Buddhist congregation, sangha. In spite of the fact that women are excluded from the possibility of being ordained by the Thai sangha women are active in the Buddhist field both as supporters of the sangha and as female Buddhist leaders. The Thai Buddhist nuns, mae chi, have existed in Thailand for centuries but their position is in certain circumstances ambiguous and they have not gained formal religious authority. There are about 20 000 mae chis in Thailand and there are examples of individual mae chis that are venerated for their high level of Buddhist development. During the recent decades, sections of the mae chis, have increased recognition and authority and the mae chis have improved their position through education, strict Buddhist practice and establishment of self-governed nunneries (Falk 2007). Women are not given bhikkhuni ordination (female monks’ ordination) by the Thai sangha and bhikkhunis ordained abroad are not accepted by the sangha in Thailand. Since 2001 Thai women are receiving novice and full ordination as bhikkhuni with assistance from female and male Buddhist monks from abroad. The re-established female ordination lineage and the female Buddhist leadership with bhikkhunis’ in the Thai Buddhist field are creating new female Buddhist authority. This paper addresses the recent decades processes of change in the Thai Buddhist field with focus on female Buddhist authority. The paper is based on anthropological research and gives examples of how Thai Buddhist nuns interpret and deal with authority in their position outside the Thai sangha