Dear Dhamma Friends:     Last updated on 2014/2558 9 8, a full moon day;

Many of us, study Buddha dhamma, simply to learn and practice the dhamma and never look at the root of the dhamma, meaning the Theravada we are exposed to in Myanmar, usually took it for granted。

The Mahaparinibbana sutta reveals to us the true Theravada and its key factors that constitutes the pillars of the Theravada Buddhism。 Buddha in his last exhortation, said this:

     “The dispensation (sasana) that I left for you has four divisions of disciples, Bhikkhu, Bhikkhuni, Upasaka and Upasika。 The Theravada in Myanmar lacks one elements, the Bhikkhuni sangha。”

You all should look at the Mahaparinibbana sutta and see for yourself whether the Theravada we have accepted for granted has all the four elements?  The four elements are part and parcel of the Buddhism, since the time of Dipankara Buddha。 Each and every Buddha has : all the four elements – two Bhikkhu’s (for the chief disciples; and two Bhikkhuni’s for chief disciples – Their respective dispensation also has the four elements – Bhikkhu, Bhikkhuni, Upasaka and Upasika – in each of them。

However, if you look deep into the Myanmar Theravada, you will not see all the four elements – Bhikkhuni element is missing。 The Theela Shin in Myanmar is not equivalent to the true Nun – or Bhikkhuni, because they have not been ordained inside the within the Bhikkhu’s ordination ground, which in Myanmar called – THEIN”。

According to Theravada ideal, only Monks (Bhikkhu or Bhikkhuni) are eligible to attain arahatship。 Therefore, Theela Shin are just like lay householder, we can only attain – Sotapanna, Sekadagami or Anagami (but never arahatship)。

In the past, there were some Bhikkhu who proposed to revive the Bhikkhuni sasana in Burma, but was squashed by Bhikkhu in higher authority。 The were being accused of causing schism within the Sangha community which is punishable by going to HELL, like Devadatt of the past。 Just to tell the facts based on Mahaparinibbana sutta should suffer the punishment in hell, is just absorb and ridiculous as a means of suppressing the true facts finding。 Ask yourself, let alone ordination, women are not to step into the Bhikkhu ordination ground (Thein Mye), let alone stepping in for Bhikkhuni ordination?

Look at the time of Buddha, female arahats were flying in the sky, just like many male arahats。 Now, in the same dispensation, today, women cannot step in side the Bhikkhu Ordination ground (Thein Mye)。 These are just mundane superstitions or to cause fears on the women folks from entering the sangha order and has nothing to do with the spiritual development, Lokuttara, supermundane。

The Bhikkhuni sasana has been revived in most Theravada countries like, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia, only Myanmar was left behind the time, their objection was they uphold that the Pali literature shows no Bhikkhuni lineage exist in Myanmar today。

They said, there is no longer Bhikkhuni lineage exist in the world today。 Sri Lanka Bhikkhu through their research, found that the Chinese, Taiwanese Mahayana Bhikkhuni was originated from Sri Lanka in 429 AD 。 The Sri Lanka Bhikkhuni went to China, Nanking, transplanted the lineage in China in the Mahayana Bhikkhuni。 This Mahayana Bhikkhuni was the true Theravada Bhikkhuni lineage。 For that reason, Sri Lanka had used the Mahayana Bhikkhuni lineage to revive the Sri Lanka Bhikkhuni sasana, some two decades ago。 Even in Australia, they have Theravada Bhikkhuni sasana。

See the facts, as Buddha said in Kalama sutta。

Ananta Metta

Maung Paw

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