A Garland for the Bhikkhunis of Perth

Published: Bangkok Post, 27/01/2010

In the winter 2009 issue of Parabola magazine there is an article in which Bhikkhu Bodhi shares the story of his chance encounter with the first Buddhist monk to cross his path.

As he watched the monk walk across the campus green, he was "struck with wonder and amazement at the sight of this serene, self-composed man, who radiated a lightness, inner contentment, and dignity I had never seen in any Westerner".

He went on to write about a second chance encounter with this same monk a couple of years later. This chance encounter with the monk Thich Minh Chau was to be Bhikkhu Bodhi's lovely and synchronistic first kiss of Buddhism that would waft gracefully in and out of his monastic career.

What sort of an impression is made on a young Thai boy watching a gentle monk with orange robes walking mindfully down a dusty street with his bowl in hand? A young boy can see his future in the face of a well-practised monk, turning him towards Buddhism more quickly than a million wise words.

What about our girls? What would it mean for the future of a girl to have her heart touched by hearing a dhamma talk given by a mindful, empowered, female monastic? How would it affect a girl if she could pour her heart out in the loving, listening presence of a bhikkhuni?