Commentary

by Sanitsuda Ekachai

Inequality is part of being a nun

When I was young, I used to ask my mother why my brothers could be ordained, but I could not.

The sacred robe, as any Thai child was taught then, is for a pure soul. But my brothers?

On a scale of one to 10, I sincerely believed that we girls in the family fared much higher than the boys based on the standards set by adults. My brothers loved fish fights. They enjoyed smoking in school toilets. And they always came home with dirt-stained shirts.

In short, my brothers had all the fun. And I had to work so hard to be a dutiful, obedient girl. I didn't understand why I had to prostrate myself and wai my brothers when they were in the robes as novices while we girls could never enjoy such privileges.

When I grew up, I found out that I was not the only woman who questioned discrimination in Thai Buddhism. But we've learned to accept double standards as part of the reality of being a woman.

When Khunying Kanittha Wichiencharoen, a veteran women's rights advocate, became a nun four years ago, she believed she could set things straight.

Khunying Kanittha has been part of many legislative efforts to rid our society of discrimination, introducing laws which women of my generation now benefit from. I admire her can-do philosophy. But with due respect, I disagree with her Nuns Bill proposal.

The more politically-minded might think the bill, if ever it materialises, is an important step for nuns to eventually become equal to monks.

But do women shave their heads and forsake all worldly matters just to be the equal of monks?

Ask any nun, and most will tell you they entered the nunhood because they want to temper their greed, anger and delusion. They believe they can do this much better by leading a religious life rather than remaining lay women.

Unlike men for whom monkhood is part of tradition, something to experience for a few weeks of their lifetime, the nunhood for most women is a major life decision of religious commitment.

Should there be any laws giving nuns official recognition? In my opinion, we should instead ask what we should do to help make it easier for nuns to improve their inner lives. After all, this is the main aim of nuns.

I don't think the Nuns Bill proposal, which is based on the draconian Monks Bill creating a powerful clergy, can help nuns do that.

When Buddha agreed to ordain women as bhikshuni some 2,500 years ago, it was not because he believed men and women had equal rights. Nor because he was forced by any secular laws to ordain women as bhikshuni,the equivalent of monks.

Buddha was at first hesitant to allow women to lead the dangerous itinerant life of a cleric. But he eventually agreed when women proved their commitment through the serious practise of dharma despite the many obstacles. And because women refused to give up when he said no.

Most nuns now observe only eight precepts which make them devout Buddhists. Clerics must subscribe to hundreds of moral precepts.

No laws can force faith. One of the ways nuns can win a wider public respect is through their own willingness to observe stricter religious codes of conduct suitable for clerics.

And no matter what they call themselves - nun, bhikshuni or whatever - a woman's religious life will only benefit from stricter self-training.

What will I say when my daughter grows up and asks me why she cannot be ordained? I'll say: Discrimination is part of the reality of being a woman and whining is useless.

I'll say: Be a nun, be true to the religious life as a cleric, and be part of change.