Songdhammakalyani Monastery ( th, ทรงธรรมกัลยาณีภิกษุณีอาราม; ) is a
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
and
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
of
Bhikkhuni in
Nakhon Pathom
Nakhon Pathom ( th, นครปฐม, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in central Thailand, the former capital of Nakhon Pathom province. One of the most important landmarks is the giant Phra Pathommachedi. The city is also home to Thailand's ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. It was founded in 1960 by Ven.
Ta Tao Fa Tzu (born
Voramai Kabilsingh Voramai Kabilsingh ( th, วรมัย กบิลสิงห์; ), also known by her monastic name Ta Tao Fa Tzu (, was born Lamai Kabilsingh ( th, ลมัย กบิลสิงห์; ; 6 April 1908; died 23 June 2003), was the first mod ...
), the first modern Thai woman to ordain as a ''bhikkhuni''. The monastery was originally known as
Wat
A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」 （w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...
Songdhammakalyani (the temple of women who uphold
Dharma)."
[Songdhammakalyani Monastery]
Thai Bhikkhunis - Songdhammakalyani Monastery
/ref>
Songdhammakalyani Monastery was founded by Voramai Kabilsingh, who became interested in Buddhism and meditation in 1954 after a meeting with Luang Pu Sodh, at Wat Paknam in Bangkok.mae chi
Maechi or Mae chee ( th, แม่ชี; ) are Upāsaka and Upāsikā, Buddhist laywomen in Thailand who have dedicated their life to religion, vowing celibacy, living an asceticism, ascetic life and taking the eight precepts, Eight or Ten Prec ...
or bhikkhu
A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...
, and developed a following of other yellow robed women. In 1957, she purchased land in Nakhon Phanom
Nakhon Phanom ( th, นครพนม, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northeastern Thailand, capital of Nakhon Phanom Province. The town covers ''tambons'' Nai Mueang and Nong Saeng and parts of ''tambons'' At Samat and Nong Yat, all in ...
to build Songdhammakalyani Monastery for women, which became a full temple in 1960. The monastery was the first Buddhist monastery in Thailand established by and for women, and operated a primary school for orphans, a printing press for Buddhist publications and provided social services for the poor. Voramai took higher ordination as a full ''bhikkhuni'' in a Dharmaguptaka lineage in Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
in 1971 with the monastic name ''Ta Tao Fa Tzu''.samaneri
A sāmaṇera (Pali); sa, श्रामणेर (), is a novice male monastic in a Buddhist context. A female novice is a ''śrāmaṇerī'' or ''śrāmaṇerikā'' (Sanskrit; Pāli: ''sāmaṇerī'').
Etymology
The ''sāmaṇera'' is a ...
'', or female novice monk, and in 2003, she received full ordination in Sri Lanka, which recently reestablished the ''bhikkhuni'' order, and became known as Dhammananda Bhikkhuni
Dhammananda Bhikkhuni ( th, ธัมมนันทา; ), born Chatsumarn Kabilsingh ( th, ฉัตรสุมาลย์ กบิลสิงห์; ) or Chatsumarn Kabilsingh Shatsena ( th, ฉัตรสุมาลย์ กบิ� ...
. Dhammananda Bhikkhuni was the first modern Thai women to be ordained as a ''bhikkhuni'' in the Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
lineage, resulting in Songdhammakalyani Monastery becoming the first and only monastery in Thailand for modern Theravada ''bhikkhuni''.[Buddhadharma]
Ordained at Last by Kristin Barendson (archived)
/ref>
Varanggana Vanavichayen, the first female monk ordained in Thailand, was ordained in Songdhammakalyani Monastery in 2002.
References
{{coord, 13.8142, N, 100.0927, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:TH, display=title
Buddhist temples in Nakhon Pathom Province
Buddhist nunneries