In return for the offerings that they will share with their fellow monks and novices back at the monastery, blessings are bestowed upon the almsgivers who kneel before them, heads bowed. A woman watches female monks pass by her shop on their morning alms rounds. Credit:Kate Geraghty Alms are not regarded as charity in Theravada Buddhism, the predominant form of the religion in Thailand, but are seen as a spiritual connection between the monks and the lay community. This may all seem quite normal for a majority Buddhist country like Thailand. Yet every footstep taken, every chant, prayer or ceremony performed by these female monks, or “bhikkhunis” as they are formally known, is in defiance of a 90-year-old ban on women being ordained in monastic orders. Nightly prayers at the Songdhammakalyani Monastery, the first centre for female monks in Thailand. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Bhikkhunis are not recognised by the Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand, the governing body that oversees approximately 250,000 monks and is the ultimate authority on all things ecclesiastical. In 2014, this conservative council of the country's highest-ranking monks reiterated the 1928 ban. Female monks descend from the prayer hall after a ceremony. Credit:Kate Geraghty Following their direction, Thai authorities have also banned the ordination of women on Thai soil, forcing the women to travel to Sri Lanka and India for ordination. Back at the Songdhammakalyani Monastery, chanting fills the temple grounds during morning prayers. The Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the abbess and the first Thai woman to receive full ordination as a monk, albeit in Sri Lanka, explains why the Sangha and traditionalists are reluctant to embrace these ardently faithful women: “They [the Sangha] are still following the order of the Sangharaja [supreme patriarch] of the 1928 order without considering the changing situation in our society.

Female monks at the Songdhammakalyani Monastery in Thailand's Nakhon Pathom province. Credit:Kate Geraghty “Traditional values are still very strong. They do not see women having a space in religion. We have no problem in practising and getting support from our laypeople. Problems come only when we have to deal with legal issues, as we do not have clear legal status. “Even [traditional female Buddhists] feel comfortable under such control, which of course is opposed to what the Buddha allowed.” Once ordained, we become change agents. As we appear in the public we are making a statement that ordination for women is possible. Dhammananda Dhammananda, a former professor of Eastern philosophy and Buddhism at Thammasat University in Bangkok for 30 years, also worked as a TV host for seven years on Dhamma Talk, a program of sermons on Buddhist teachings.

It was during her time as a TV host that she had what she defines as something comparable to what Christians would describe as a call from God. The Venerable Dhammananda, modern day Thailand’s first female Theravada Buddhist monk, leads a ceremony. Credit:Kate Geraghty “One day I was putting makeup on my face, and I asked myself, 'For how long am I going to do this?' "That was the turning point, when I decided to leave my high worldly success.” Seeing herself as an agent of change, Dhammananda has given temporary ordinations to more than 700 female novices, a ceremony performed at her monastery in April and December each year.

“Once ordained, we become change agents," she says. "As we appear in the public we are making a statement that ordination for women is possible.” Dhammananda in prayer in front of a blue Buddha at the Songdhammakalyani Monastery. Credit:Kate Geraghty On January 29, Dhammananda travelled to Bodh Gaya, in the north-eastern Indian state of Bihar,

where she was the preceptor, or mentor, of eight bhikkhunis from Thailand. Five of them were from Songdhammakalyani monastery, home now to 11 bhikkhunis and two female novices. It's a place not only for meditation and study, but where community projects have been initiated, such as their pastoral care to women in prison. “We also expand our love and care to women in prison. We have conducted interactive training courses for them for the past seven years, and last year it was the first time that our training program was recognised as the major leading program for the provincial prison in Nakhon Pathom." Female monks during a blessing before starting breakfast at the Songdhammakalyani Monastery. Credit:Kate Geraghty

According to Dhammananda, Thailand has 26,000 temples, but they are for male monks and very few are international. “Very few Buddhists in Thailand have really studied the text; therefore, their understanding still goes according to traditional belief. “Our temple is a unique place for socially engaged Buddhists. We are international and provide access to international women who are interested in practice and offer first-hand monastic experiences.” Loading