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Update on Ajahn Brahm and women's ordination
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The video to the left is an address Ajahn Brahm gave in April of '08 to a group of Bhikkhunis (Buddhist nuns). It is obvious from his language that the issue of women's ordination is not a new concern to him.
Despite the age of this video, the comments remain current considering the recent ordinations he performed in Australia that resulted in his church's expulsion from its parent Sangha in Thailand.
In a letter published today on the Buddhist Channel website, Ajahn Brahm makes clear the actual events before and during the meeting with senior monks at Wat Pah Pong in Thailand on November 1st.
He reports his conversation with Senior Patriarch Somdej Phra Pootajarn, during which he told Ajahn Brahm on the matter of Bhikkhuni ordination, "Thai Sangha law does not extend outside of Thailand." Ajahn Brahm decided to proceed, and the Committee of The Buddhist Society of Western Australia approved the ordination this past September.
During the meeting in Thailand which was hastily convened, he was asked to promise before the Sangha that he would not participate in any further female ordination. After he complied, they asked him to declare the ordination as invalid because the Thai Sangha had not approved it, but he refused. The Wat Pah Pong Sangha declared the Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery no longer a branch of their sangha as a result.
Previous report: Monk's expulsion may lead to new era for Buddhist women (video)
The letter from Ajahn Brahm on the Buddhist Channel website
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