[timgillmoreeztf]

I find Nuns so inspiring.

"May 7, 2011 marked an auspicious new chapter for the Aloka Vihara. Forty supporters gathered to celebrate the sisters' intention to take full bhikkhuni ordination on October 17 of this year and to then begin to create a training monastery for women in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition" (see MORE at http://www.saranaloka.org/whats_new.html)

Yay!

"The Sisters of the Aloka Vihara have just returned from England where they have taken official leave of the monastic community there in order to pursue bhikkuni ordination, which is not offered in the Thai Forest Lineage. Read an open letter from the Saranaloka Board which details the way forward and also announces the new Advisory Board for the Saranaloka Foundation" (see letter here: http://www.saranaloka.org/letter_jill-4-2011.html).

Double yay!

b@eze
bg

[egexgfczc]

Great.

Lets hope these "women" can undertake their ordination in a spirit of Emptiness, with pure minds, void of "I", "me", "mine", "us" and "them".

Let us pray



Bhikkhuvagga: The Monk: Bhikkhunivagga: The Nun:

360. Good is restraint over the eye; good is restraint over the ear; good is restraint over the nose; good is restraint over the tongue.

361. Good is restraint in the body; good is restraint in speech; good is restraint in thought. Restraint everywhere is good. The monk restrained in every way is freed from all suffering.

362. He who has control over his hands, feet and tongue; who is fully controlled, delights in inward development, is absorbed in meditation, keeps to himself and is contented — him do people call a monk.

363. [b]That monk/nun who has control over his/her tongue, is moderate in speech, unassuming[/u] and who explains the Teaching in both letter and spirit — whatever he says is pleasing.

364. The monk who abides in the Dhamma, delights in the Dhamma, meditates on the Dhamma, and bears the Dhamma well in mind — he does not fall away from the sublime Dhamma.

365. One should not despise what one has received, nor envy the gains of others. The monk who envies the gains of others does not attain to meditative absorption.

366. A monk who does not despise what he has received, even though it be little, who is pure in livelihood and unremitting in effort — him even the gods praise.

367. He who has no attachment whatsoever for the mind and body, who does not grieve for what he has not — he is truly called a monk.

368. The monk who abides in universal love and is deeply devoted to the Teaching of the Buddha attains the peace of Nibbana, the bliss of the cessation of all conditioned things.

369. Empty this boat, O monk! Emptied, it will sail lightly. Rid of lust and hatred, you shall reach Nibbana.

370. Cut off the five, abandon the five, and cultivate the five. The monk who has overcome the five bonds is called one who has crossed the flood. [24]

371. Meditate, O monk! Do not be heedless. Let not your mind whirl on sensual pleasures. Heedless, do not swallow a red-hot iron ball, lest you cry when burning, "O this is painful!"

372. There is no meditative concentration for him who lacks insight, and no insight for him who lacks meditative concentration. He in whom are found both meditative concentration and insight, indeed, is close to Nibbana.

373. The monk who has retired to a solitary abode and calmed his mind, who comprehends the Dhamma with insight, in him there arises a delight that transcends all human delights.

374. Whenever he sees with insight the rise and fall of the aggregates, he is full of joy and happiness. To the discerning one this reflects the Deathless.

375. Control of the senses, contentment, restraint according to the code of monastic discipline — these form the basis of holy life here for the wise monk.

376. Let him associate with friends who are noble, energetic, and pure in life, let him be cordial and refined in conduct. Thus, full of joy, he will make an end of suffering.

377. Just as the jasmine creeper sheds its withered flowers, even so, O monks, should you totally shed lust and hatred!

378. The monk who is calm in body, calm in speech, calm in thought, well-composed and who has spewn out worldliness — he, truly, is called serene.

379. By oneself one must censure oneself and scrutinize oneself . The self-guarded and mindful monk will always live in happiness.

380. One is one's own protector, one is one's own refuge. Therefore, one should control oneself, even as a trader controls a noble steed.

381. Full of joy, full of faith in the Teaching of the Buddha, the monk attains the Peaceful State, the bliss of cessation of conditioned things.

382. That monk who while young devotes himself to the Teaching of the Buddha illumines this world like the moon freed from clouds.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit...p.25.budd.html

[jisee]

Element (et al):
May we, in America, bring a sense of balance to the gender issues in monastic Buddhism. May monasticism in the feminine form flourish in America and provide opportunity for many more women to experience the joy of deep practice. May we all, women and men, nuns, monks, and lay people, be well and free from harm and danger. May we be at peace and bring heart and empathy to the issues at hand.

Jill Boone, Lisa Domitrovich, Wren Writhers
The Board of Directors, Saranaloka Foundation http://www.saranaloka.org/letter_jill-4-2011.html
Regards
bg

[peemovvie]

Dearest Element:
"We are not trying to confirm somebody's view about the Pali Canon, but using the Pali Canon to explore our own experience" (Ajahn Sumedho, Intuitive Awareness, p. 136).
b@eze
Bucky

[PebydataFeents]

Sure...my posts are for "exploring experience"

[Staillateno]

Exploring further, let us note the encouraging developments of the Saranaloka Foundation. The greater Theravadin community has come out in great support of their independence from the gender discrimination of the Chah-Sumedho lineage. As they note in Update on the Saranaloka Nuns’ Community (http://www.saranaloka.org/letter_jill-4-2011.html),

As we weathered the shifting sands of time and condition, the possibility of a strong advisory board emerged to guide us, when needed, to the next phase of a monastic nuns’ community and to keep us grounded in Dhamma. We have had an outpouring of support and encouragement and are happy to announce that we have created an advisory board of five: Bhikkhu Bodhi, Ajahn Pasanno, Thanissara, Jack Kornfield, and Gil Fronsdal. Collectively, they bring a deep understanding of the Dhamma, the history of Buddhism, impermanence, and the monastic community, and all this with a grounding of life in the West. The Board and the sisters are greatly appreciative of their guidance and care for our nascent community. They seem appreciative enough to me, Element.
plezeB@eze
Bucky

[Erexecike]

Dearest Element:
"With the Vinaya...the idea of trying to keep the Vinaya pure, the personality view attaches even to this: 'Is my Vinaya as pure as someone else's or not as pure?' Then your just using conventions to increase the sense of personal worth or worthlessness. If you think you're more pure than the rest, then that's arrogance, holier-than-thou.... Conventions...are limited..., [&] like anything else anicca, dukkha, anatta.... Theravada...is a convention...of Buddhism... [&] whether you find it all agreeable...or not [it] is a tradition with a lot of power..." (Ajahn Sumedho, Intuitive Awareness, pp. 122-123, my emphases).