Bhikkhuni Surindra

Thailand

Bhikkhuni Surindra

Thailand

Bhikkhuni Surindra was born in Surin province, Thailand in 1963. She grew up in a rural community of rice farmers. She went to school, planted rice and cared for the buffalos.
As a girl she dreamed of being a “Phra Phuying” female monk, also known as a Bhikkhuni. She credits this inspiration to her elderly uncle who had been a wandering monk, for many years and had sojourned to India. After he left the monkhood, he lived with her family and would tell her bedtime stories of Bhikkhunis during the time of the Buddha. He told her that Bhikkhunis travelled from India to Sri Lanka. Time passed. So, as a young girl, she requested and was granted ordination as a Samaneri and attended school in her saffron robes. She was the first in recent modern history to be ordained in Thailand as a Samaneri. She completed grade 4 elementary school. After her temporary ordination, she continued to plant the rice fields and care for the animals.

By the age of 15, she told her parents that she wanted to become a saffron-robed Bhikkhuni and her parents refused. So, she ran away from home. She sent a message that she would not return home if they did not agree. They agreed to her ordaining as an eight-precept, white-robed nun at her local village temple. She remained at Kok Buria Temple, Nai Muang, Surin until the age of 18 when she ventured to Bangkok and established residence at Chana Songkram Temple. She began formal studies at Maha Tat Temple, where she studied Dhamma, Abhidhamma and Pali for 3 years. She also completed High School grade 3 by non-formal education, and studied English levels 1, 2 and 3 at Wat Po in Bangkok.

She served as a translator of Sanskrit to Pali to Thai for the Bhumi Palo Bhikkhu Foundation of Sakeat Temple in Bangkok, and would travel regularly back to her village temple to engage in traditional holidays, ceremonies, and rural development projects.

Her childhood dream remained in her mind. She remembered the stories which her uncle told her of Bhikkhunis. So, she set the goal again to become a Bhikkhuni, and thereby complete the four-fold Sangha: Bhikkhuni, Bhikkhu, Laywoman, Layman. A woman’s movement began in Thailand, and by the age of 46 she was able to ordain as a novice and by the age of 49, she took full ordination in Sri Lanka.

She returned to her hometown, while also maintaining her monastic residence in Bangkok and began the process of consciousness-raising with her villagers. As the people knew her for many years, they were very happy to accept her and see her flourish as a fully-ordained woman. She provides the community with spiritual counsel and they likewise provide her with alms offerings. She has organized numerous activities for children, high school students and college students to come to the temple, share a meal together, and have Dhamma discussions and cooperative activities, such as feeding other people or planting rice. She frequently organizes activities with her local battalion of soldiers to come to the temple and make merit by maintaining the temple facilities. She also collaborates with the Humanities Faculty of Rajaphat University Surin to organize Love of Nation activities. Since ordaining, Bhikkhuni Surindra feels very proud. She is opening a path for society to know about Bhikkhunis, and opening the possibility and opportunity for women to ordain as Bhikkhunis in Thailand. She notes that equality for women is allowing women the opportunity to choose to ordain in order to fulfill the 4-fold Sangha.

Her teachings include: the Eight-fold path, and the Paticasammupada, connecting with peace of mind, and Anapanasati meditation.