This is a short film made by ASEAN Way about the position of bhikkhunis in Thailand and centres on the work of Bhikkhuni Dhammananda and her training centre Songdhammakalyani in Nakhon Pathom.
Ven. Dhammananda has been at the forefront of the bhikkhuni ordination revival in Thailand for over a decade by now, and being a former Professor in Bangkok is very educated and articulate and able to lead the movement.
There are now around 70 bhikkhunis in Thailand, but they have mainly been ordained in Sri Lanka as the Sangha there is more open to female ordination than in Thailand, which is still very patriarchal.
One interesting thing to note is that the film, despite being openly pro-Bhikkhuni, was made by the National News Bureau of Thailand and sanctioned by the Government Public Relations Department.
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to see an album of stills click here