A letter published 11 September 1996

To The Bangkok Post Editors:

In addition to the controversial attempts highlighted in Sanitsuda's generally balanced article, Crusading for nun's rights (Wed. 4 Sept. 2539), I would like to point other important aspects of the situation concerning the legal status of the maechi and their approach to dealing with the issues.

At their most recent meeting (September 2 & 3), a representative group of maechi from throughout the Kingdom discussed various questions concerning the official status of maechi and relevant legal issues. For the first time, after a series of such meetings, they were asked to discuss what they themselves thought rather than being handed a document that they were pressured to approve with only minimal discussion. Thus, they were able to escape the myopic focus on what is merely one of various alternatives and paths.

1. Many maechi expressed their approval that at this meeting all , and I really mean all , of the maechi participated in brainstorming, discussing, and deciding, more or less according to their interest and capacity. This was felt to be a contrast to previous meetings.
2. Although some well educated people have tended to look down on many of the maechi as being ignorant, for the superficial reason that they lack so-called "higher education," they proved themselves to be intelligent, balanced, and mindful of Buddha-Dhamma throughout.
3. By the end of the meeting, the maechi were able to determine a course of action through which they themselves will take responsibility for their destiny, in order to evaluate the various proposals and suggestions being put forward by Khunying Khannittha, the Department of Religious Affairs Committee, and prominent citizens such as Dr. Prawes Wasi; and will then choose the most appropriate way to define the status of maechi in the best interests of all maechi, for the good of society as a whole, and in line with Buddha-Dhamma and the Vinaya.

This course of action involves the following major features:

1. Consulting as many maechi as possible, including those upcountry, in order to understand as well as possible the feelings and opinions of all maechi on the issues.
2. Collecting and studying documents and information concerning relevant laws, Dhamma-Vinaya, status of Buddhist nuns in other countries, status of nuns in other religions, etc.
3. Consulting with knowledgeable and interested parties, such as, monks, lawyers, MPs, government officials, feminists, scholars, and nuns in other traditions.
4. Educating as many maechi as possible, recognizing that most are unfamiliar with legal terminology and procedures, and the various implications of different approaches to defining the official status (both legal & religious) of maechi.
5. A carefully and democratically considered document will be prepared in time to propose it for the approval of the annual meeting of the Thai Maechi Institute next year.
6. A coordinating team was chosen to carry out this work, along with four sub-teams taking responsibility for specific areas (corresponding to 5. a, b, c, & d above).

In my mind, the maechi have taken a significant step in choosing how to proceed with the primary issue of formal status along with the subsidiary issues of legal documents, laws, and procedures. This is to be commended and respected by all. Note further that they are showing the capacity to tackle something that the monks have so far failed to do. It remains to be seen whether certain groups and individuals with their vested interests will refrain from interfering. If given the chance, I am confident that these outstanding women and representatives of Buddhism will reach a wise and practical solution.

Lastly, I should be open about my own bias in this meeting. I was invited by the Thai Maechi Institute to introduce certain techniques for facilitating such meetings with maximum participation and aiming for consensus decision making. While I did my best to keep my opinions to my self, I was very much involved in helping to encourage the above developments. In the end I am proud of what was accomplished and grateful for the opportunity to serve a group of Dhamma practitioners who are often taken advantage of by both monks and the laity. I hope I have paid back a little of the debt that we owe them and that intelligent people will support the process that has taken a significant and inspiring step these past two days.

Dhamma Metta Santi

Santikaro Bhikkhu