In the early days of Buddhism, the Buddha established an order of nuns and allowed women to become ordained and practice as monastics.
The order of nuns played a significant role in transmitting and preserving the Buddha’s teachings, and nuns were highly respected and revered in early Buddhist communities.
However, the ordination of nuns has not always been widely practiced within Buddhism, and in some traditions, it has been lost or significantly reduced. For example, the Theravada tradition’s lineage of full ordination for nuns, or bhikkhunis, was lost in the Theravada tradition and was only recently restored in some countries. In other traditions, such as the Mahayana tradition, the ordination of nuns has been maintained and continues to be an important part of the monastic community.
Today, the role and status of nuns vary widely across different traditions and schools of Buddhism. In some traditions, nuns may be considered equal to monks in terms of their spiritual attainments and the respect accorded to them, while in others, they may have a more subordinate role. However, regardless of the tradition or school, Buddhists generally view the ordination of women as an important part of the monastic community and a way for women to pursue the spiritual path.
