Reading Equality into Asymmetry: Dual Ordination in the Eyes of Modern Chinese Bhikṣuṇīs

This paper focuses on ordination procedures specific to women in Chinese Buddhism, and on the positions adopted by bhikṣuṇīs regarding the procedures’ asymmetrical nature in contemporary China. Dual ordinations, according to which aspiring bhikṣuṇīs must present themselves in front of both an assembly of fully ordained nuns and of monks in order to be “properly” ordained, were restored by Longlian (隆莲 1909–2006) in 1982. Śikṣamāṇā ordinations, which postulate that women should train for an additional two years before receiving full ordination when their male counterparts do not have to, have also become increasingly common since the 1980s. Based on fieldwork conducted between 2015 and today, both on-site and online, this paper asks whether asymmetry should be considered similar to subordination with regard to ordination procedures. It looks into Rurui’s (如瑞, 1957–) position on the matter, as Longlian’s student and one of the most influential bhikṣuṇī of her generation. While recent survey data will be useful in addressing the issue of representation, qualitative data will question the role of vertical networks in perpetuating a teacher’s legacy, ultimately leaving us to wonder if asymmetry might not be actively sought after by contemporary Chinese Buddhist bhikṣuṇīs in order to improve their status.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embodying Legacy by Pursuing Asymmetry: Pushou Temple and Female Monastics’ Ordinations in Contemporary China

Peronnet¹

2022

The Fragility of Restoring Full Ordination for Tibetan Tsunmas (Nuns)

Price-Wallace

2022

Drawing from interviews with tsunmas (Tib. btsun ma, nun) living and practicing in Geluk, Kagyu, and Sakya institutions in Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand, India, between March 2017 and February 2019, this case study foregrounds tsunmas’ heterogenous insights into the most ideal and acceptable ways for restoring gelongma (Tib. dge slong ma, Skt. bhikṣunī, fully ordained nun) vows. I argue that fragility, the quality of being breakable, underlies the history of gelongma vows in Tibet. Fragility, however, can also be generative. In this regard, fragility also signifies the possibility of restoring gelongma ordination for some tsunmas who are interested in receiving gelongma vows in India. This article examines Tibetan and Himalayan tsunmas’ perspectives on the possible ways of restoring gelongma ordination for women in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Since the lineage of gelongmas ceased in Tibet, some tsunmas see this fragility as prohibiting restoration of gelongma ordination unless there is a way to re-establish these vows through the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, the monastic code adopted in Tibet, whereas other tsunmas perceive this fragility as an opportunity for other possibilities for gelongma vow restoration through innovative ritual practices such as dual-Vinaya ordination.

Female Education in a Chan Public Monastery in China: The Jiangxi Dajinshan Buddhist Academy for Nuns

Campo

2022

The Great Chan Monastery of the Golden Mountain (Dajinshan Chansi 大金山禪寺) is a large monastic complex for nuns located in Jiangxi province in southeast China and belonging to the Chan meditation school. The Jiangxi Dajinshan Buddhist Academy for Nuns (Jiangxi foxueyuan Dajinshan nizhong xueyuan 江西佛學院大金山尼眾學院), established at the monastery in 1994, is one of the few institutes for nuns in China to be especially axed on Chan studies and practice. What are the pedagogical goals and agenda of the Jiangxi Dajinshan Buddhist Academy for Nuns? What are the specificities of this academy as compared to other female academies, and to academies for monks? Why do nuns enroll at Dajinshan Buddhist Academy? What does this case study tell us about the gender balance in Chinese Buddhism today? This paper, based on fieldwork, will try to answer these questions by especially considering enrollment and scale, students and personnel, and curricula and schedule of the Jiangxi Dajinshan Buddhist Academy for Nuns.