19/12/2021
Walking in the Sunshine of the Bhikkhunis: A Biography of Ranjani de Silva, the Woman Behind the Bhikkhuni Revival
“We vowed to resurrect the Bhikkuni order and now that is a reality” You can now read the remarkable story of Ranjani de Silva, who has been described as the person most responsible for making the revival of the Bhikkuni tradition happen.
December 8 this year marked the 25th anniversary of the 1996 Sarnath Bhikkhuni ordination, which saw ten Sri Lankan nuns ordain as bhikkhunis.. This was a pivotal ordination which changed the course of history for Theravada women, the flow-on effects of which are still being felt today.
Among the key figures responsible for the 1996 ordination, Ranjani de Silva’s contributions are noteworthy. She supported countless nuns and the Sakyadhita Centre which she founded was a key contributor to the growth of the local Sri Lankan and international bhikkhuni sanghas.
She now resides in Australia, in recent years at the Newbury Buddhist Monastery.
Sakyadhita International President, the University of Seattle’s Dr. Sharon Suh says this book is a “must-read” if you are interested in women and Buddhism.
We congratulate Ayya Suvira who after more than two years of research has written the story which is now available as a free download. See :https://mettarama.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Ranjani_bio_for_web_final_compressed-1.pdf
Donations welcome to the Newbury Monastery.
Print copies will be available at a later date.
