In Thailand, according to a traditional proverb, women are "the hind legs of the elephant" -- docile followers of men, just one step behind. Certainly, it seems true in the Thai form of Buddhism, where white-robed nuns toil quietly as assistants to 300,000 male monks, and women are formally barred from membership in the clergy.
But a Canadian-educated feminist has sparked a revolution, of sorts.
Two years ago, religious scholar Chatsumarn Kabilsingh became the first woman to be ordained a monk in the Thai branch of Buddhism. She did it guerrilla-style, from the outside, in a ceremony in Sri Lanka. Then she returned fearlessly to a temple near Bangkok to wear the robes of a monk.
It was a taboo-breaking coup that provoked a wave of outrage from conservative monks. Since then, five more women have been ordained as monks in Thailand, a member of parliament has proposed laws to legalize the practice, and the most vociferous criticism from hard-line opponents is fading.
Even the supreme governing council of Thai Buddhism -- which had maintained a frosty silence on the issue -- has agreed to study the issue of female ordination.
"For 700 years, they ruled this country with absolute power, and this woman is causing them so much trouble," chuckled Ms. Chatsumarn, who studied religion at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., from 1968 to 1973.
"They would like to push me out of Thailand, but I am a Thai citizen. They think this Western-educated woman will corrupt them.
"They are really insecure. We have to be compassionate to them."
At 59, her goals are still ambitious. Within a few years she hopes to lead a temple of 20 female monks. She wants to perform all the ceremonies and rituals that male monks conduct.
Her boldness has sparked a debate on feminism and women's rights that is sweeping through the Thai news media and society.
"More and more women want to be ordained," she said in an interview. "They watched to see if the supreme council would do anything against me, and it didn't. I've opened up a space for Thai women to feel that things are possible. The door was locked for so long, and I opened it up for them to have a glimpse."
With her shaved head and saffron monk's robe, Ms. Chatsumarn is a shocking sight to most ordinary Thais when they realize she is a woman. Yet because of her appearance, she is routinely mistaken for a man, kicked out of women's washrooms and ordered into the male queues at security checkpoints. She accepts it all with humour.
However, many men remain seriously uncomfortable with the notion of her being a monk.
"It's weird," said Chatbun Suk Prasert, a 45-year-old taxi driver who was stunned when he saw her in robes. "The saffron robe is something holy, something sacred, and I can't accept a woman wearing it."
To justify discrimination, theories abound.
"Women are too emotional and they're always complaining," said Kasem Hunthani, the 53-year-old manager of a Buddhist foundation and youth camp in a nearby town. "They have short tempers and they can't endure as much as men. Monks have to work -- to be a carpenter or climb trees to do repairs on the temple -- and women aren't strong enough to do this."
One of Thailand's most famous monks, charismatic television broadcaster Bhuddha Issarak, hints delicately of his distaste. He suggested that Ms. Chatsumarn is an egotist who is primarily interested in fame. "She seems to be a cultural revolutionary."
One common argument in the past was that a menstruating woman would soil the monk's robe. "So what? Go and wash it," Ms. Chatsumarn responded. "The robe is not sacred."
When she was ordained in 2001, an army-controlled television channel refused to interview her. The country's biggest newspaper criticized her and she received anonymous hate mail. A conservative monk declared that female clerics would weaken Buddhism because they are vulnerable to attack and could be "raped."
But soon the worst attacks died down and she ventured out. The media swung in her favour, with one columnist denouncing the conservative monks for their "old-world feudalism."
The columnist noted the clergy is losing support because of increasing sex and corruption scandals.
This year, Ms. Chatsumarn was ordained as a full monk, and remains serene about the opposition.
To build international solidarity, she holds an annual retreat with female monks from Asian countries. This year, six women attended. She plans to invite 15 to attend next year's gathering.
"I want to show that I am not the only crazy woman," she joked. "We are internationally crazy."