In a move that is bound to spark a controversy, a group of
Buddhist scholars said yesterday that - despite popular belief and ecclesiastic
law - Lord Buddha did not prohibit homosexuals from being ordained.
Although Thai monastic rules require a person to declare himself heterosexual during
ordination, the scholars cited one mythical case documented in the Tripitaka, a
compilation of Lord Buddha's teachings, as proof that Buddha did not object to
homosexuals becoming his disciples.
The case revolves around a man who felt sexually attracted to a good-looking monk
before finally being allowed to be ordained, said Kulavir Prapapornpipat, a
post-graduate student from Thammasat University, in his dissertation
"Thoughts and Ethics on Sexuality in Theravada Buddhism".
According to Kulavir, the Tripitaka stipulated that the man - who was married with
children - met the monk and wished that his wife looked as good as he did or
that he was his wife. As punishment for such thoughts, the man was turned into
a woman, who then had to leave "his" hometown and later married a
man.
But, on the advice of a friend, the transsexual sought spiritual remedy and, as a
result, became a man again. He then realised that sex is a transient thing and
sought, and was granted permission, to be ordained. The monk reached
enlightenment later on in life.
Phra Chai Voradharmo, a member of Saekhiyadharma group, or Buddhism for development,
interpreted the case to show that Lord Buddha did not prohibit homosexuals from
being ordained.
The dissertation - which touched upon various aspects of gender and Buddhism - is
based on the Tripitaka, as its primary source, and uses commentary from
Buddhist scholars as secondary sources.
The
dissertation asserts that sex in the physiological sense is no barrier when it
comes to achieving enlightenment because in meditative practice, the sex of
one's body does not matter. And the sex of a person is a temporary thing that
can change in later lives.
However,
Phra Sripariyattimoli of Mahachula Buddhist University cautioned that the Dalai
Lama, the spiritual Buddhist leader, has said that one can be a homosexual, but
the public should study the Tripitaka and be careful when it came to
interpreting it.
And on
the topic of women becoming Bhikhuni (female monks) through ordination, the
Vinaiya, traditional regulations for monks, states that a woman must be
ordained by Bhikhu (male monks) and Bhikhuni sanghas. But Phra Kosin Praripunno
of Plai Na Temple, Pathum Thani province, cited chapter seven, page 21, of the
Tripitaka, where Lord Buddha permitted the ordination of woman by male monks
only.