The Journey of Women Going Forth into the Bhikkhuni Order in Bangladesh: Part 2

An Interview with Samaneri Gautami By John Cannon and Jnan NandaBuddhistdoor Global  2015-09-25

Bangladeshi samaneris with Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (2nd from left), president of the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. From Sramoni Sangha Facebook

This article forms part of the “Buddhist Voices from the Land of Rivers” series, which is based on visits by the authors to Buddhist sites in Bangladesh and their meetings with leaders and activists from the Buddhist community.

When Samaneri Gautami publicly announced her intention to take novice or samaneri ordination, there were no objections from Bangladeshi monks; in fact they were very supportive. She and four other women from Bangladesh and two from Calcutta were ordained together in India. Subsequently, 18 other women, inspired by their example, also took novice ordination in India. “I was given the sangha name Gautami to represent my work leading the bhikkhuni order and the female community in Bangladesh, like the Buddha’s stepmother Pajapati Gautami,” says Samaneri Gautami.

Nalaka Sutta, Sn 3.11

Listen to the sound of water. Listen to the water running through chasms and rocks. It is the minor streams that make a loud noise; the great waters flow silently.

The hollow resounds and the full is still. Foolishness is like a half-filled pot; the wise man is a lake full of water.

The hermit can talk of many things with good sense and precision. He can describe the Way Things Are from a position of knowledge. There is much that he can talk about from that position.

But when a man of knowledge retains his self-control, when a man of knowledge speaks only a little, then you have found a man of wisdom, a man for whom that silence is appropriate and deserved.
Such a man has found the “silence of wisdom.”

Eight Essentials of Forgiveness

A mindfulness practice to help you forgive those who've hurt you the most.

By Mindful Staff | March 25, 2016We have all suffered hurts and betrayals. Choosing to forgive is a way to release the distress that arises again and again from the memory of these incidents—but forgiveness is often a long and difficult process.

Bhuridatta Jataka. 6.543

Why does he not to all give happiness?
Why do fraud, lies, and ignorance prevail?
Why triumphs falsehood — truth and justice fail?
I count your God one among the unjust , who made a world in which to shelter wrong.”

The Journey of Women Going Forth into the Bhikkhuni Order in Bangladesh: Part 1

An Interview with Samaneri Gautami By John Cannon and Jnan Nanda Buddhistdoor Global  2015-08-21 

Bangladeshi samaneris on their daily alms round. From Sramoni Sangha, FacebookThis article forms part of the “Buddhist Voices from the Land of Rivers” series, which is based on visits by the authors to Buddhist sites in Bangladesh and their meetings with leaders and activists from the Buddhist community.

There is an ongoing controversy within the Theravada tradition over the validity of bhikkhuni or female ordination. However, with strong support from some senior and influential monks within the sangha, the bhikkhuni order is now undergoing a revival. One such advocate is Venerable Ajahn Brahm, who participated in the ordination of four nuns in Perth in October 2009. In June this year, at the 14th Sakyadhita International Conference in Indonesia, Ajahn Brahm took the opportunity to remind bhikkhunis from all traditions of the Buddha’s last advice to monks—that the Dhamma and the Vinaya should be the teachers after him. Therefore, he said, if bhikkhuni ordination is performed in accordance with the Vinaya, bhikkhunis should not be overly concerned about the views of more conservative monks.

Culakamma vibhanga sutta

“All living beings have kamma as their own, their inheritance, their congenital cause, their kinsman, their refuge. It is kamma that differentiates beings into low and high states."

THERAVADA BUDDHISM IS SPREADING IN EUROPE NOW

THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN IN ITALY. THE ITALIAN BUDDHIST LAY DEVOTEES WERE PRACTICING THE OFFERING FOODS TO THE BUDDHIST MONKS. ALSO PRACTICING THE BUDDHIST MEDITATIONS FOR HAVING THE INNER PEACE IN THEIR DAY TO DAY LIFE.