The Doubts Concerning the Inequality in Permitting the Ordination of Bhikkhuni: An Analytical Study of the Buddha’s Decree on the 8 Garudhammas and the First Buddhist Council

Abstract

This research was a qualitative investigation using documentary analysis method. This paper anylyzed the doubts that led to the inequality in permitting the ordination of Bhikkhuni. However, the objective of this analysis did not focus on the discussion on each individual of the 8 Garudhammas, but concentrated on the decreeing of the 8 Garudhammas, the establishing of Bhikkhuni communities and the doubts concerning events that occurred during the the first Buddhist council. The issues also discussed whether it was true
that the Buddha did not want to have a Bhikkhuni community, or whether the existence of bhikkunis would cause a decline of Buddhism. Could the Buddha be a woman? Why was there no Bhikkhuni taking part in the first Buddhist council? Was the Mahākassapa the real author of the Garudhamma? Why was Ananda castigated for requesting permission from the Buddha to allow women to be ordained as a Bhikkhunis? These were carried out by a thorough review of documents mostly written by foreign scholars, especially their skepticisms in this issue. It was noted, however, that this issue might not be of major sigificance from the perspective of Thai Buddhism but it was worth to analyze and clarify the issue by basing the analysis on the Pali Buddhist Canon.

This research found that there were diverse and different interpretations of the Buddhist scriptures by scholars, and oftentimes came from the feminism perspective or that of lay people. It was essential to have a profound understanding of The Pali Buddhist Canon and its interpretation, together with the understanding the context of traditional Buddhism culture that still practised in Thailand to better understand the issue from the perspective of the Sangha. This could help elucidate the issues and tended to clarify that the 8
Garudhammas were evidently decreeed during the Buddha’s era and it was not Mahākassapa’s scheme in the first Buddhist council to exclude Bhikkhunis. It was not the Lord Buddha’s intention to oppress Bhikkhuni, but the Garudhammas were the basic principles for the Bhikku and Bhikkuni to peacefully cohabit and cultivate dhamma together in Sangha communities.