The History of Bhikkhunī Saṅgha
The four pillars
At the very foundation of the Buddha’s teaching (Dhamma) lies a clearly expressed vision of a balanced community. Gautama Buddha established four groups of followers who together uphold and sustain the living tradition:
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bhikkhu – fully ordained monks
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bhikkhunī – fully ordained nuns
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upāsaka – lay male followers
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upāsikā – lay female followers
This image is traditionally compared to four pillars supporting a single structure. If one of them is missing or weakened, the stability of the whole is compromised. In the same way, the Buddha’s teaching cannot be fully preserved if any of these components is neglected or suppressed.
Within this context, the bhikkhunī saṅgha—the community of fully ordained nuns—holds a special significance. Its existence is not a marginal addition, but an integral part of the Buddha’s original vision. The restoration and understanding of its history is therefore not only a matter of equality, but above all a return to the completeness of the Dhamma itself.
These four groups are not separate nor hierarchically superior to one another. Rather, they form an interconnected whole in which each part has its irreplaceable role.
Shortly before his passing into final cessation (parinibbāna), the Buddha addressed his close attendant Ānanda and emphasized a crucial truth: the teaching will endure as long as all four of these assemblies continue to exist. This points not only to individual practice, but to a living structure of relationships, mutual support, and shared responsibility.
Bhikkhunī and her origins
Initially, the Buddha hesitated. However, through the compassionate intervention of his close attendant Ānanda, a decisive question was asked: “Are women capable of attaining Nibbāna?” When the Buddha affirmed that they are indeed fully capable of realization, the foundation was laid for the establishment of the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha. Mahāpajāpati Gotamī thus became the first fully ordained bhikkhunī.
Following this, the Buddha established a framework of training rules for both bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs, preserved in the Vinaya. Although certain additional regulations for bhikkhunīs later became a subject of discussion and interpretation, the core principle remained: both communities were given the opportunity to practice the same path toward liberation.
This development was remarkable within the social context of ancient India, where the status of women was generally very low. The Buddha’s decision to establish a Bhikkhunī Saṅgha challenged prevailing norms and opened a profound spiritual opportunity for women.
A bhikkhunī is a fully ordained female Buddhist monastic. The literal meaning of the words bhikkhu and bhikkhunī is “one who lives by alms,” or “one who begs.” This reflects a life of simplicity, humility, and dependence on the generosity of others. Both bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs are disciples of Gautama Buddha, and within the Teaching (Dhamma), gender is not an obstacle to liberation. The path is open equally to all who practice sincerely.
The Bhikkhunī Order was established approximately five years after the founding of the Bhikkhu Saṅgha. The Buddha’s foster mother and aunt, Mahāpajāpati Gotamī, was a deeply devoted practitioner. Recognizing the monastic path as a direct way to liberation, she approached the Buddha with a request: that women, too, might be allowed to renounce worldly life and enter the monastic path.
In 1996, the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women played a key role in the formal revival of Theravāda bhikkhunī ordination. In Sarnath, India, eleven women from Sri Lanka received full ordination in a historic ceremony led by Dodangoda Revata Mahāthera and later supported by Mapalagama Vipulasāra Mahāthera of the Mahā Bodhi Society, together with bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs from the Korean Jogye Order.
Further momentum came in July 2007, when the international congress “Women’s Role in the Buddhist Saṅgha” was held in Hamburg. Scholars, monastics, and Vinaya experts from various traditions gathered to discuss the re-establishment of the Bhikkhunī ordination. A significant conclusion was reached:
In terms of communal life, both Saṅghas—the male and the female—were treated with fundamental fairness. Donations offered to the monastic community were to be shared equally. A well-known story illustrates this principle: once, a donor offered eight robes to the Saṅgha. At that time, there were four bhikkhus and only one bhikkhunī present. Nevertheless, the Buddha instructed that the robes be divided equally—four for the Bhikkhu Saṅgha and four for the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha—demonstrating that the two communities were regarded as equal recipients of support.
After many centuries, the Bhikkhunī ordination disappeared in some Buddhist traditions, particularly within the Theravāda lineage. However, efforts to restore it began to take shape in modern times.
“All delegates unanimously agreed that the Mūlasarvāstivāda bhikkhunī ordination can be reintroduced.”
This declaration was accompanied by the expressed support of 14th Dalai Lama, who had already, in 1987, called for the restoration of full bhikkhunī ordination, particularly within the Tibetan tradition.
The re-emergence of the Bhikkhunī Saṅgha thus represents not something new, but a return to an essential and original aspect of the Buddha’s dispensation—restoring the completeness of the fourfold community and reaffirming that liberation is open to all.
Support of the venerable Bhikkhunī Visuddhi and activities of the Association Karuṇā Sevena:
Bank account for donations:
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Account number: 6855679001/5500
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Account holder: Karuṇā Sevena Association
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IBAN: CZ49 5500 0000 0068 5567 9001
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Address: Slezská 3, 796 01 Prostějov, Czech Republic
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Email: karuna.sevena.en@gmail.com
The funds are used to cover the basic monastic needs of the venerable bhikkhunī Visuddhi
such as robe, food, medicine and abode this also covers transportation, accommodation, air tickets, etc.) distribution of books,
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Please state the reason for the donation with the following note "For the Association Karuna Sevena."
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