In 2009, DNBF’s spiritual leader Ajahn Nitho, who was then a young monastic with the BSWA Buddhist association in Australia, was expelled from his group. This happened because the association also wanted to stand for women’s rights and a standard given by the Buddha, when four women carried out a full bhikkhuni ordination in Australia. More info on this page. In Europe, it is Amaravati in Great Britain that still stands for this regime, and DNBF is therefore outside that group.

Unlike Japan and Sri Lanka and other countries, a woman in Thailand is not allowed to take a full ordination as a bhikkhuni. Bhikkhuni ordination is the standard given for women, and bhikkhu is the standard given for men – but neither Thailand nor Tibetan traditions are willing to respect this standard given by the Buddha.

Remember, a bhikkhuni ordination is not just a title, but a system that ensures women a place of their own, economic freedom, freedom to make their own democratic choices, and creates female teachers and leaders – so that opportunities are equal for men and women, and women are not just servants of men who have secured all the power.

Buddhism started 2,500 years ago based on both democratic principles and equal opportunities for men and women – showing respect, empathy, compassion and kindness for all.

Bhikkhuni Dhammananda from Thailand therefore chose in 2003 to travel to Sri Lanka to be able to carry out a full-fledged ordination, and we would like to meet such a tough woman who is able to stand up to a hierarchy of power that does not want to. She now has her temple west of Bangkok, and trains both men and women towards full ordination.

On the outside of a discriminatory regime, DNBF can be genuine and help new exciting projects such as Anukampa – and of course we want to be on the right side of history!