International Bhikkhuni Day, 2014 (Part 6)

Honouring Eminent Asian Buddhist Women in the Modern Era
B. Pioneers in Dhamma Propagation - Scholars and Teachers

   3.  Sri Lanka – Venerable Kusuma (1930 - ) is the first nun to receive full ordination in Sri Lanka. Known as Mrs Devendra before her ordination, she studied molecular biology hoping to answer her question on what was the beginning of life. When the answers did not satisfy her, she turned to Buddhism and obtained her Masters in Buddhist Philosophy and two doctorates in Buddhism. She also completed a degree course in Pali. She taught in a university for 20 years.

Plight of Dasa Sil Matas

Ven’s interest then turned to the nuns’ issue and did a research on the Eight Precept nuns or Dasa Sil Matas. She appealed to the then President of Sri Lanka, Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa to give them some recognition and privileges, for example, nun identity card which he eventually granted. A section for Bhikhuni affairs was also created in the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

She was then invited by Dr F. Lottermoser to Germany to research on the Bhikkhuni Vinaya which took them 2 years to complete.

When she returned to Sri Lanka, Ayya Khema came to stay with her. The former helped Ven to receive the Bhikkhuni ordination by the Korean nuns in Sanath in 1996 under the Dharmagupta lineage. She discovered that there was no difference between its Vinaya rules and the Pali Vinaya. Venerable was greatly inspired by the Sakyadhita Conference held in Sri Lanka in 1993 and did a second Bhikkhuni ordination in Bodhgaya in 1998. She did a research in the Bhikkhuni Vinaya Rules for one of her doctorate studies in Buddhism. One of her remarks is “The facts are stubborn and history cannot be altered.”