The Thai Bhikkhunī Movement: Conversation with Bhikkhunī Dhammananda, Thailand’s first fully ordained Theravada Buddhist nun

On Tuesday 3 September, 14:00-15:00, Seminarrom 418 at the Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion (Øysteinsgate 3)

Come and get introduced to Thailand’s first fully ordained Theravada Buddhist nun, Bhikkhunī Dhammananda. The event will take the form of an interview format between Associate Prof. Manuel Litalien who is visiting AHKR from Nipissing University, Canada, and (on zoom) Bhikkhunī Dhammananda, and a discussion between the audience and Dhammananda. Dr. Litalien has followed the development of the Bhikkhunī movement in the kingdom since the early 2000 (for a background article on the movement click here). The event will help you understand how Bhikkhunī Dhammananda managed to promote gender equality in an environment where religious orthodoxy is dominated by a patriarchal state Buddhism. As the year 2022 saw the celebration of Bhikkhunī (fully ordained nuns) in Thai society moving toward its third decade, we are taking this opportunity to delve deeper into what has been accomplished thus far, and what are some of the current projects, along with a reflection on what lies ahead in three distinct spheres, religious, political, and international.

It is also possible to attend the meeting through zoom. Please contact Alexander.Haven@uib.no for the zoom link.