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 On August 1st 1984 two monks arrived at Amaravati from Chithurst to unlock the gates and open the site. A more striking entrance was made the next day by the entire group of nuns who had walked on pilgrimage from Chithurst carrying the relics that were later to be enshrined in the white stupa in the field. For historical reasons, the original training for nuns has fallen into abeyance in the
Theravada form of Buddhism that the Amaravati Sangha practises. The opportunities and
standards of training for nuns in Theravada countries is often secondary and inferior to
that of the monks. Such a state of affairs seemed inappropriate to import into Britain, but changing religious traditions is also a sensitive issue. In the early years women were given the eight precepts, but it became clear that this didn't provide enough support for living in a communal monastic situation, so a higher ordination was requested and the nuns training began to evolve. |
Initial guidance came from the Bhikkhu Sangha and then, after some years, the leadership of the nuns' community and the evolution of their training was given to the elder nuns to oversee. Since the 1980s the nuns have been called 'siladhara' (those who uphold virtue) and in accordance with their level of experience they occupy a position in the monastic establishment equivalent to that of the bhikkhus. |
