Insights from Southeast Asia. Multiple Approaches towards the Region, Volume 10

Shifting Images of Gender and Power in a Thai Buddhist Monastery for Women

Nicola Delia

• Publisher: Galda Verlag
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9783962033286
• eBook ISBN:
  9783962033293
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

This book investigates shifting gender dynamics in a Buddhist monastery for women in Northern Thailand. Based on ethnographic fieldwork with a community of female monastics in the province of Chiang Mai, the study explores women's agency in recently establishing, with success, the region's first known order of fully ordained Buddhist nuns (bhikkhun?). Central to the investigation are tensions arising from novel images of women's bodies clothed in saffron robes that have historically been associated with male power and prestige. The study asks how local veneration of charismatic nuns is reconciled with longstanding beliefs in a female capacity to defile or destroy sacred potency. Time-honoured notions of menstrual pollution are revisited, as are ways in which these are reproduced as well as reconfigured in the female monastery. Particular attention is also paid to solidarity from local monks with women's controversial ordination projects in Chiang Mai. The book draws on concepts of practice and performativity, ascetic charisma and protective power. In so doing it highlights processes by which female monastics in a Northern Thai context navigate fluid gender boundaries as they lay claim to Buddhist merit and spiritual potency of a kind long attributed in Thailand to monks. Inspired by a proposal put forward by Nicola Tannenbaum for the study of Thai gender, these findings are in turn linked to constructions of power and gendered access to it observed across Southeast Asia.ABOUT THE SERIESDevelopments in the field of area studies - goaded by the analytical deconstruction of world regions as such - have deeply affected the knowledge production on societies and cultures located in these politicized compartmentalization of the globe.With this series, the editors and authors wish to contribute to a reformulation of area studies that emphasizes the continuing epistemic value of contextualized knowledge production that is firmly rooted in concrete places.Starting with the notion of Southeast Asia, books published in this series will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of regionality based on a multidisciplinary approach.The series represents an oulet for young scholars intending to publish their degree theses and dissertations; and for established scholars who are looking for a place to republish out-of-print books, edited volumes or themed collections of their own papers and articles.We also invite scholarly collectives to publish collaborative works or edited volumes on topics that usually will not attract the attention of big presses due to their transdisciplinary orientation or the niche character of their topic.Our overall motivation is to maintain Southeast Asian studies as a critical and self-reflexive academic field.EDITORIAL BOARDDr. Benjamin Baumann, Chief EditorPD Dr. Daniel BultmannProf. Caroline S. HauProf. Vincent HoubenProf. Peter A. JacksonProf. Guido SprengerProf. Barend Jan TerwielDr. Xue Li

Table of contents

• About the Series
• Preface
• Choice of Terminologies
• A Note on Transliteration and Translation
• Acknowledgements
• Figures
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Gendered Access to Power in Thailand and Southeast Asia
• The Setting, the Community and a Way of Life
• Contextualising Gender and Defilement
• Reconfiguring Gendered Access to Merit and Power
• The Potency of Restraint in the Face of Contestation
• Bhikkhunī and the Power of Monks’ Protection
• Summary and Conclusions
• Glossary
• Appendix
• Bibliography
• figure  1 Heaving the chedi’s spire. Photo courtesy of Trassawin Thongthien and Nirodharam
• figure  2 Luang Pu Tong blesses the relics before they are enshrined. Photo courtesy of Trassawin Thongthien and Nirodharam
• figure  4 Nirodharam’s community of sāmaṇerī in March 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  5 One maechi (second from left) with three ubasika (maephram)
• figure  6 Female donor places a bucket of gifts on a gift-cloth (pha rap prakhen) extended by the monk
• figure  7 Sign ‘Ladies not allowed’ at entrance to ordination hall of 17 th-century Wat Ku Tao, Chiang Mai
• figure  8 Sign denying women access to inner area surrounding Wat Phra That Haripunchai’s stupa in Lamphun
• figure  9 ‘Women not permitted’ sign outside Chiang Mai’s city pillar shrine, here open to male worshippers during the Inthakhila Festival in May 2015
• figure  10 A maechi gives alms to a bhikkhunī and a sāmaṇerī during alms-round in Chom Thong’s municipal centre
• figure  11 Bhikkhunī Nanthayani explains abhidhamma using flow charts
• figure  12 (Left): Double-storeyed stone kuti at Nirodharam. (Right): Inside a kuti
• figure  13 (Left): Chedi in Lan Wimutti’s inner elevated circle. (Right): Walking meditation around Lan Wimutti’s outer circle
• figure  14 ‘Buddha Jayanti’ bhikkhunī uposatha hall, with part of the roof and spire of attached chedi-museum visible behind
• figure  15 Sala Nipphan (Nibbāna Pavilion) at Suddhajit Bhikkhunī Arama (Nirodharam II)
• figure  16 First rains retreat (2008) as a bhikkhunī saṅgha. Back row from right: Nirodharam’s five new bhikkhunī with their two bhikkhunī teachers from Sri Lanka. Photo courtesy of Nirodharam
• figure  17 Pabbajjā at Suddhajit (February 2008): Shaving the nāginī’s heads. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  18 After her hair is cut, a buat-chi candidate distributes strands in bark of tree
• figure  19 Pabbajjā at Suddhajit (February 2008): Kho Khama rite between nāginī and their relatives. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  20 Buat-chi ceremony at Nirodharam (July 2008): Candidates present white robe to monks and request maechi precepts
• figure  21 Pabbajjā at Suddhajit (February 2008): Nāginī receive novice robes from male preceptors. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  22 A pabbajjā ceremony at Nirodharam in 2012: Female preceptor binds cord that holds together set of robes around postulant’s neck. Photo courtesy of Trassawin Thongthien and Nirodharam
• figure  23 After donning the ochre robe, female pabbajjā candidates prostrate before their bhikkhunī preceptors at Suddhajit monastery as they request the ‘going forth’ on 29 th February 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  24 Sāmaṇerī at Suddhajit demonstrate the upper robe’s patchwork design
• figure  25 Sāmaṇerī Nanthayani (2007) during alms-round in Mae Tia village, Chom Thong
• figure  26 Bhikkhunī Nanthayani receives the upasampadā from a bhikkhunī saṅgha in Sri Lanka on 7 th June 2008
• figure  27 Nirodharam’s five freshly ordained bhikkhunī (front row) after receiving ordination certificates on 7 th June 2008, backed by bhikkhu preceptors and lay sponsors from Thailand and Sri Lanka
• figure  28 Meditating under a klot
• figure  29 Donor pours water (kruat nam) after giving alms as sāmaṇerī chant blessings
• figure  30 Bhikkhunī and sāmaṇerī collect alms in the villages of Chom Thong and Doi Saket Districts
• figure  31 Female monastics gather with almsbowls in the sala for pre-meal chanting
• figure  32 A bhikkhunī and a sāmaṇerī receive alms at Chom Thong municipal market
• figure  33 Observing seniority: bhikkhunī, sāmaṇerī and maechi line up at buffet table before the meal
• figure  34 Bhikkhunī and lay donors ‘ratify’ the dāna status of food offerings by collectively ‘holding’ a buffet table during an act of prakhen
• figure  35 Khau phansa and asalha bucha (2008) at Nirodharam: Dhamma talk during a retreat for the laity
• figure  36 Bhikkhunī and sāmaṇerī collect alms from lay retreatants during khau phansa and asalha bucha celebrations at Nirodharam in 2008
• figure  37 Lay women in Nirodharam’s Sala ‘Fuek Chai’ craft offerings to be used for a Buddhist feast with the nuns
• figure  38 Kuti donation ceremony with sāmaṇerī at Suddhajit using sacred white cord (sai-sincana) in 2007
• figure  39 Community of bhikkhunī proceeds to bhikkhunī uposatha hall to prepare for 2015 kaṭhina ceremony at Nirodharam
• figure  40 Traditional dance performance preceeding 2015 kaṭhina ceremony at Nirodharam
• figure  41 Lay procession proceeds to bhikkhunī uposatha hall for 2015 kaṭhina ceremony with bhikkhunī
• figure  42 Lay devotees clutch the raised kaṭhina robe during 2015 kaṭhina ceremony inside Nirodharam’s bhikkhunī uposatha hall
• figure  43 A student retreat at Suddhajit in 2008 at which boys were invited to occupy front rows in the sala
• figure  44 Bhikkhunī Nanthayani in meditation
• figure  45 Sāmaṇerī chant blessings after receiving alms from residents of Mae Tia village, Chom Thong
• figure  46 Preparing for her first pāṭimokkha recital at Nirodharam in 2008: Bhikkhunī Nanthayani (right) with her teacher Bhikkhunī Sumithra (left), and Bhikkhunī Supeshala (middle), both from Sri Lanka
• figure  47 Bhikkhunī Nanthayani on the day she received higher ordination in June 2008
• figure  48 Morning dhamma talk by Bhikkhunī Nanthayani at Suddhajit in 2015
• figure  49 A photo on display at Nirodharam: Bhikkhunī Nanthayani as young Maechi Roong Duan
• figure  50 A photo on display at Nirodharam: Maechi Roong Duan meditating on a wooden seat wedged into a steep rock face at Wat Tham Thong
• figure  51 Lay devotees in Bangkok offer meals to Nirodharam’s new bhikkhunī saṅgha in June 2008: in a commercial building (left) and in a private home (right)
• figure  52 After requesting discipleship with Bhikkhunī Nanthayani, freshly ordained sāmaṇerī receive the teacher’s blessings through the kho khama rite in the presence of Sri Lankan male and female preceptors and lay congregants. Photo courtesy of Khun N
• figure  53 Sāmaṇerī Matchima extends her covered alms-bowl as an intermediary surface for a male donor to offer bags of vegetables during the act of prakhen
• figure  54 (Left): Lay women wash the feet of bhikkhunī and sāmaṇerī, and (Right): Bhikkhunī Nanthayani places her hands on the head of a female donor in blessing. Photo courtesy of Khun Samran
• figure  55 Nuns, lay women and lay men work the gardens and plant seeds at Suddhajit monastery (Nirodharam II) in preparation for a grand ceremonial event in February 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  56 A few days after their pabbajjā at Suddhajit in February 2008, freshly ordained sāmaṇerī request discipleship with Bhikkhunī Nanthayani in a private ritual. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  57 Lay people present gifts to bhikkhunī and sāmaṇerī during khau phansa festivities at Nirodharam in 2008
• figure  58 Freshly ordained sāmaṇerī in March 2008 with their Thai teacher Bhikkhunī Nanthayani (front row, third from right), their Sri Lankan pavattinī Bhikkhunī Sumithra (front row, third from left) and her four fellow bhikkhunī from Sri Lanka. Photo c
• figure  59 On display inside Nirodharam’s chedi-museum: A selection of memorabilia from Bhikkhunī Nanthayani’s life
• figure  60 Five bhikkhunī pay homage to a local abbot in Chom Thong following their upasampadā in Sri Lanka in June 2008
• figure  61 The then still Sāmaṇerī Nanthayani gives an abhidhamma class for monks in 2006. Photo courtesy of Nirodharam
• figure  62 The sacred Buddha relic from Sri Lanka atop the butsa-bok that carried it through the streets of Doi Saket in February 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  63 Scenes from the relic processions in Doi Saket on 27 th February (above, photo courtesy of Khun Nut) and 29 th February 2008 (below) respectively.
• figure  64 Wat Phra That Doi Saket, 29 th February 2008: Using a gift-cloth (pha rap prakhen), the abbot presents the relic casket to Bhikkhunī Nanthayanibefore it is mounted atop the butsa-bok and carried to its final destinationat Suddhajit Bhikkhunī Ar
• figure  65 Groups of lay women clean plates and cutlery in preparation for meals served during the multi-day ceremonies at Suddhajit. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  66 A sāmaṇerī chants blessings over money trees donated by a group of locals tapping into the merit of the occasion
• figure  67 Devotees throw flower garlands and petals on the path taken by bearers of the relic casket as it is carried into Suddhajit monastery on 29 th February 2008
• figure  68 Inside Sala Nipphan: Elder monks Talalle Mettananda Thera and Amugoda Somananda Thera from Sri Lanka present Bhikkhunī Nanthayani with the relic plaque on 29 th February 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  69 After donning the ochre robe on 29 th February 2008, pabbajjā candidates re-enter Sala Nipphan to receive the novice precepts. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  70 Freshly ordained sāmaṇerī collects offerings from well-wishers following her pabbajjā on 29 th February 2008
• figure  71 Bodhimanda setting for buddhābhiseka ceremony in Sala Nipphan on 29 th February 2008.
• figure  72 Removing cloth and beeswax from the Buddha’s eyes and cooling the image with peacock feathers in the early hours of 1 st March 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  73 Alms-round with monks and nuns at Suddhajit on 1 st March 2008
• figure  74 Local ecclesiastic leaders receive gifts from lay sponsors on completion of the final dedication ceremony on 1 st March 2008
• figure  75 Bhikkhunī Nanthayani (front row, centre) with senior male and female monas-tic representatives from Thailand, Sri Lanka and Korea after collective light-ing of oil lamp on 1 st March 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut.
• figure  76 Introducing new members of Nirodharam’s then sāmaṇerī community to the ecclesiastic leader of Chom Thong in March 2008
• figure  77 Sri Lanka, 7 th June 2008: (left) Seven nāginī (five upasampadā and two pabbajjā candidates) prepare to ‘go forth’; (right) after completion of the first upasampadā ceremony with a bhikkhunī saṅgha, five novice nuns proceed to receive higher or
• figure  78 Bhikkhunī Nanthayani and Bhikkhunī Panyawari pay courtesy visit with ecclesiastic district leader of Doi Saket following their upasampadā in June 2008
• figure  79 Nirodharam’s abbess receives gifts from Khruba Ae prior to the pabbajjā of 13 women at Suddhajit on 29 th February 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  80 The morning after the pabbajjā of 13 women at Suddhajit: Nirodharam’s female monastics with Luang Pu Tong (centre left) in Sala Nipphan on 1 st March 2008. Photo courtesy of Khun Nut
• figure  81 The extended female monastic community in Nirodharam’s new uposatha hall following the pabbajjā ceremony for a group of temporary sāmaṇerī in 2012. Photo courtesy of Nirodharam
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