Key note speech by Bhiksuni Jampa Tsedroen http://www.congress-on-buddhist-women.org

Key note speech I by Bhiksuni Jampa Tsedroen

Ladies and Gentlemen, Venerable Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis, Venerable Mae-jis, Ven. Bhikkhuni Rattanavali, dear Dr. Tavivat Puntarigvivat,The Outstanding Women in Buddhism Awards Committee has asked me to speak for about 20 minutes on The Birth of the “Vajrayana Bhikkhuni” movementand also, since you are working within a southeast Asian context plagued by prostitution and AIDS epidemics, to offer a brief reflection on The Role of a Bhikkhuni in addressing an improved status for Women in SocietyBefore I speak on The Birth of the “Vajrayana Bhikkhuni” movementand summarize 25 years of efforts to revive the bhikkhuni ordination in Tibetan Buddhism, please allow me to make some general comments on the term “Vajrayana Bhikkhuni.”In actual fact, Tibetan Buddhists would never refer to themselves as “Vajrayana bhikkhus” or “Vajrayana bhikkhunis.” I remember that my teacher, the late Ven. Geshe Thubten Ngawang (1932-2003), spiritual head of Tibetan Centre Hamburg in Germany, was quite disconcerted when he first heard the term “Mahayana monks and nuns.” I think in Tibetan circles the reaction may be similar to that of Theravadin bhikkhus if they are referred to as “Hinayana monks.”Why is this?Tibetan Buddhism was transmitted directly from India to “the region formerly known as Tibet” between the 7th and 11th century. This is much later than the transmission from India to Sri Lanka (3rd cent. B.C.) and from there to Myanmar (3rd cent. B.C. to 6th cent.) and Thailand (6th cent.). Naturally, Indian Buddhism as a living tradition had undergone further development, especially from the point of view of philosophy.Tibetan Buddhism includes not only the Sravakayana, but also the Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings, which are ascribed to the Buddha and his Tripitaka too, if not literally, at least with regard to content. This means that the Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings are considered to be in accord with the thoughts of the Buddha and not to contradict the Buddha's basic teachings.Every qualified Tibetan Lama will tell you that you cannot practise Mahayana and Vajrayana without observing the basis, which is the Sravakayana.In scholarly circles, all the different Vinaya versions that have survived until today are considered to belong to the canonical scriptures of the Buddhist schools of early (conservative) Buddhism. The three living Vinaya traditions in the world today are those of ....
It was because the Buddha is omniscient and full of compassion, and not because Ananda pushed, that the Buddha decided in accord with his own prophecy given just after his enlightenment, that women may become bhikkhunis. This permission is still valid and is a right he gave to women. Nobody but the Buddha himself can deny this right to women. Whoever is familiar with the legal acts of the Vinaya knows that there are legal ways to ordain bhikkhunis even today. It is just a matter that needs some thought, because it is nowhere literally ruled as to how to do it in the best way in the 21st century, when the lineage in one's own tradition is broken.We need to ask ourselves, ‘What would the Buddha say today?’The teachings of the Buddha need to be interpreted in the light of his social-historical context. The Vinaya is a living tradition that must cope with the needs of today’s society. Buddhism must respond to today’s problems and answer the question: Can one follow Buddhism on the one hand and keep the Human Rights on the other hand?Violence, prostitution and so on are definitely not in accord with the teachings of the Buddha. Non-violence (ahimsa) is one of the main pillars of Buddhism, and prostitution is not only harmful for one's health and one's own spiritual development, but also harming relationships in their families, and therefore are not in accord with the five precepts of upasakas and upasikas. Yes, there were women in Buddha's lifetime who had been prostitutes and became bhikkhunis, but this does not mean that we can tolerate that young girls are made prostitutes and are sold into the slave trade. It would be wonderful to hear the voices of protest from the male Sangha against such degenerative developments, but it seems that such issues have not garnered much attention. Here too we see an important function that could be performed by a female bhikkhuni sangha.Reviving the Bhikkhuni Sangha does not mean that we modernize Buddhism or simply adjust it to secular needs. To revive the Bhikkhuni Sangha means that we go back to the roots and follow the attitude of the Buddha. I am very sure that the revival of the bhikkhuni sangha in today’s times, where women take leadership in all fields of society, will strengthen the Buddha-Dhamma and help make it last longer in these degenerative times. I am confident that if leading Buddhist monks in this country take up the issue bravely and seriously, they can guide the bhikkhuni movement in the best possible way. May this become true.Thank you very much!