“I teach people the same thing, whether bhikkhunīs or bhikkhus. I teach them to practice sīla, samādhi, and paññā.”

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart.

“I teach people the same thing, whether bhikkhunīs or bhikkhus. I teach them to practice sīla, samādhi, and paññā.”

Question:  “I was born in this life with fifth jhāna attainment which I experienced it in my childhood. Now I want to ordain as a bhikkhunī and I don’t know which teacher who will be good for me. I am afraid that no teacher will be able to help me to become enlightened because he himself is not enlightened. So I want to know if Ajahn Suchart teaching a woman who wants to become a bhikkhunī?”

Than Ajahn:  "I teach people the same thing, whether bhikkhunīs or bhikkhus. I teach them to practice sīla, samādhi, and paññā. If you have sīla, samādhi, and paññā, then you will be able to become enlightened. If you have jhāna, this is on the level of samādhi.

You still need to develop wisdom or insight. In order to develop insight, you have to contemplate. You have to contemplate on the nature of things that they are aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā. Once you see that everything is aniccaṁ, dukkhaṁ, anattā, you will become enlightened. Then, you will let go of everything."

………. 

Question:  “Does Ajahn ordain bhikkhunīs?”

Than Ajahn: “No, I don’t. I have nothing to do with ordination here. This Monastery don’t ordain bhikkhunīs. In Thailand we don’t ordain bhikkhunīs because in Thailand tradition we consider the tradition of bhikkhunīs has already ended and there’s nothing we can restart it. If you want to be ordained as a bhikkhunī, you have to go to some other countries. I heard in Taiwan or in Sri Lanka still have bhikkhunī ordination.

Once you’re ordained, you should stay with the temple where you’re ordained. If you go to some places else, they might not accept you because you are not practicing the same way that they are practicing. In the monastery, they need uniformity. Everybody has to practice the same way. If everybody chooses to practise the way he or she wants, it could be a chaos and disruption.

So, my recommendation is ordination as a bhikkhunī or not is not the prerequisite to your enlightenment. The prerequisite to your enlightenment is the practice of sīla, samādhi, and paññā. If you can stay wherever you are and practice sīla, samādhi, and paññā, you can become enlightened.

Nowadays you don’t have to go and study with the teachers in person. You can study on line. You can read their books.

If you have an opportunity, if you have questions, you can come and listen to my Dhamma talks. You can send in questions. 

I think trying to become a bhikkhunī can be an obstacle instead of being a help. It’s very difficult to be ordained as a bhikkhunī and to find a place where you will be accepted.

In Thailand, we don’t have any bhikkhunī. If you want, you have to become a mae chee, keeping the eight or the ten precepts. This is enough. It’s practising sīla. What you need is samādhi and paññā. You need a quiet environment to practice. This is what you should look for: a monastery where it is quiet and without any disruption or disturbances, where you are allowed to practice all day long, from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep. You might have to help with other work in the kitchen when you have to come and eat. Other than that you should be able to be free and practice. I think this will be sufficient for your enlightenment.”

Q&A, May 31, 2017.

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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