i Sangha - the Order of Nuns - in the fifth year of the Buddha'sministry paved the way for full religious freedom for women. It was successful in the sense thatthere were many eminent nuns who were brilliant in the study and practice of t e Dhamma. In theeyes of the world, Buddhism rose hag highly. The Psalms of the Sisters (Therigatha) whichcontains 77 verses by individual nuns is one of the prides of u literature. h where The nuns were not restricted by the Buddha a the teaching and preaching of the Dhamma lconcerned. The Bhikkhuni Order produced a red f he number of brilliant preachers and exponentsof the Dhamma like Sukha, Patacara, Khema, and Maha Pajapati (the foster mother to Siddharta) According to Buddhism, a son was notessential for the father's passage to heaven, daughters were as good as sons, with the liberty tolead an independent life. By granting women an active share in the religious life, the Buddha alsohelped to raise their status in secular life However, the admission of women into the religious life was too advanced for that period.Because of the nature of the improvement being too advanced in thinking for that particular era,people were unable to adapt themselves thus causing a regression. Hence the period of theBhikkhuni Sangha was short-lived because the people failed to master the situation. The Brahminswho found their privilege in the caste system threatened was another factor which caused thedecline of the Order. They issued hostile propaganda against this 'new' attitude of granting womenreligious freedom. In Sri Lanka, the Order of Nuns flourished till 1017 A.D. in the reign of King Mahinda IV. Afterthat it Teared and was not revived. But the Order of Nuns was introduced into China by Sinhalesenuns, and it still exists there as- well as in Japan today. However, in the Mahayana tradition theyoccupy a subordinate position which is by no means on par with the monks. TOWARDS EQUALITY AND FREEDOM The advent of the ...
