After a hiatus of one thousand years, Theravadin women once more have the opportunity to ordain as bhikkhunis and thus become full members of the Sangha. Traditionally the Sangha is composed of fully ordained nuns (bhikkhunī), fully ordained monks (bhikkhu), novice nuns (sāmaṇēri), and novice monks (sāmaṇera). From the 3rd century BCE when King Ashoka’s son, Mahinda, and daughter, Sanghamitta, brought the ordination lineages of both monks and nuns from India to Sri Lanka, there was a long, … [Read more...]