Thailand's Senate Committee Supports Ordination of Female Buddhist Monks

16 July 2002

by Daranee Duangmanee

Thailand's Senate committee on women's affairs on July 3, 2002 threw its weight behind a move to allow women into the monkhood. The panel's chairman, Senator Wallop Tangkananurak, said the ordination of women was constitutional and would help develop Buddhism without compromising national security. Buddhism stood to gain, said the chairman. The committee would continue to appeal to the National Intelligence Agency, which had aired opposition to the move. Results of studies and a public referendum would be submitted to the panel by the end of July, said Rabiabrat Pongpanich, who chaired the Senate subcommittee for women.

Phra Mettha Nantho of Ratcha-oros temple said allowing female novices and monks was not against Dhamma principles. Ruling monks and politicians should demonstrate open-mindedness and amend the Sangha Act to allow the change.

"If the state and ruling monks continue to reject the change, Buddhism in Thailand will remain elitist," he said. "Many monks reject the ordination of women because they want to maintain the status quo."

He suggested female monks from Sri Lanka and Taiwan be employed to ordain women in Thailand. Many monks had argued the lack of female monks in Thailand meant there was nobody to ordain women into the monkhood.

The ordination of women would benefit Buddhism, as female monks would make good teachers, he said, possibly better than their male peers.