temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
and
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's only Bhikkhuni temple W ...
,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. It was founded in 1960 by Ven. Ta Tao Fa Tzu (born Voramai Kabilsingh), the first modern Thai woman to ordain as a ''bhikkhuni''. The monastery was originally known as
Wat
A wat (, ; , ; , ; ; , ) is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State (Myanmar), Yunnan (China), the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Etymology
The word ''wat'' is borrowed from the Sanskrit ''v ...
Songdhammakalyani (the temple of women who uphold
Dharma
Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...
)."Songdhammakalyani Monastery Thai Bhikkhunis - Songdhammakalyani Monastery /ref>
Songdhammakalyani Monastery was founded by Voramai Kabilsingh, who became interested in Buddhism and meditation in 1954 after a meeting with Luang Pu Sodh, at Wat Paknam in Bangkok. In 1956, Voramai took the lower ordination, wearing yellow robes to distinguish herself from mae chi or
bhikkhu
A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community).
The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the pratimok ...
, and developed a following of other yellow robed women. In 1957, she purchased land in
Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's only Bhikkhuni temple W ...
to build Songdhammakalyani Monastery for women, which became a full temple in 1960. The monastery was the first Buddhist monastery in Thailand established by and for women, and operated a primary school for orphans, a printing press for Buddhist publications and provided social services for the poor. Voramai took higher ordination as a full ''bhikkhuni'' in a
Dharmaguptaka
The Dharmaguptaka (Sanskrit: धर्मगुप्तक; ; ) are one of the eighteen or twenty early Buddhist schools from the ancient region of Gandhara, now Pakistan. They are said to have originated from another sect, the Mahīśāsakas f ...
lineage in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
in 1971 with the monastic name ''Ta Tao Fa Tzu''. In 2001, Voramai's daughter took ordination as a ''
samaneri
A (Pali; ), is a novice male monk in a Buddhist context. A female novice nun is in , and in or . In Tibetan Buddhism, a female novice nun is known by the Tibetan language term , and a male novice monk is a .Dhammananda Bhikkhuni. Dhammananda Bhikkhuni was the first modern Thai women to be ordained as a ''bhikkhuni'' in the
Theravada
''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...
lineage, resulting in Songdhammakalyani Monastery becoming the first and only monastery in Thailand for modern Theravada ''bhikkhuni''. Dhammananda Bhikkhuni eventually became the abbess of the monastery.Buddhadharma Ordained at Last by Kristin Barendson (archived) /ref>
Varanggana Vanavichayen Varanggana Vanavichayen is the first Bhikkhuni ordained in Thailand.
Life
Vanavichayen worked as a translator, and then as a secretary. She was married and had two children, but divorced her husband in order to maintain a vow of celibacy. She beca ...
, the first female monk ordained in Thailand, was ordained in Songdhammakalyani Monastery in 2002.