Angela Emans
The Dhammadharini Monastery sits within a verdant forest at the foot of Sonoma Mountain in Penngrove, California. In this idyllic setting, a community of women have emerged as leaders in the Theravada bhikkhuni revival in the United States. The all-female sangha seeks to support aspiring monastics in their path to ordination as bhikkhunis, which is the Pali term for a fully ordained Buddhist nun.
Founder
Dhammadharini was founded in 2005 by Ayya Tathaloka Mahatheri. Tathaloka was born in Washington DC in 1968, to parents who encouraged her to develop a connection with the natural world. In 1988, when she was 19 years old, she experienced the death of a close friend. This led her to abandon her studies in college and travel to India to begin pursuing a monastic life. On the path to becoming a bhikkhuni, one starts as an anagarika, someone who has committed to full-time Buddhist practice but is not yet an ordained monastic. After two years of occupying this midway status between layperson and bhikkhu, Tathaloka undertook the Ten Precepts and became an ordained nun.
After gaining ordination, Tathaloka wanted to gain more insight into the ancient lineage of the Bhikkhuni sangha, so she connected with an elder Bhikkhuni mentor in South Korea. She trained with this mentor for ten years, and afterwards returned to the United States in 1996. Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Tathaloka realized there was a number of Theravada bhikkhunis in America who wished for a community. Thus, she developed Dhammadharini. Initially, it was a monastic hermitage community among the redwoods of coastal Northern California, but in 2016, she was able to establish a permanent monastic residence in Penngrove. As the founder of the Dhammadharini Monastery, she teaches the dharma, runs meditation practice, and mentors aspiring bhikkhunis.
In addition to building Dhammadharini, Tathaloka has also advanced the Theravada tradition in the West by becoming the first Western woman to be appointed as a Theravada Bhikkhuni Preceptor. In this position, she has fostered the ordination of over 50 women as bhikkhunis in countries such as the USA, Australia, India, and Thailand.
Community Members and Demographic Information
Because Dhammadharini is a monastery for bhikkhunis, it only accepts women into the sangha. There are nine bhikkhunis listed on the monastery’s website who teach and support the anagarikas who are training to become monastics. Out of the nine, five are White, three are Asian, and one is Black. All of the women were born in the United States, except for one who was born in Cambodia, and they all adopted Buddhist practices of their own volition, rather than being raised Buddhist. Although some bhikkhunis have only made a life being a monastic, others worked in a variety of jobs, ranging from aviation engineering to social work, before committing to a monastic lifestyle. There is no specific information about the anagarikas who are a part of the sangha, but one can assume there is a similar variety of life stories as seen among the bhikkhunis.
Although the bhikkhunis can be thought of as “convert” Buddhists since they are all Westerners practicing Buddhism, because they have committed to a Buddhist monastic lifestyle, I would consider them to be practicing in a way that is very true to the Theravada tradition. Many of the women have studied with Buddhist elders in India and Sri Lanka, and they all have adopted the shaved head and robe-clad aesthetic of bhikkhunis. They have sacrificed their previous jobs and lives to live in a monastery and devote all their time to the Dharma and support other women who wish to become bhikkhunis.
The sangha is very welcoming towards the laypeople who support the monastery. The monastics allows laypeople to stay at the monastery and immerse themselves in the monastic lifestyle for long periods of time. In the greater Penngrove area outside the monastery, the population is 88% White, 1% African American, 1% Native American, 2% Asian, 4% other races, and 4% multiracial. The percentage of Hispanic or Latino individuals of any race was 11%. While the Dhammadharini monastery does not publish any information about its laypeople on their website, this data can be used to infer that the racial makeup of their laypeople is primarily White people who have only known Buddhism in a Western context.
Practice
The monastery lists an example of the typical daily schedule followed by the residents. From the time one wakes up until 5 am, they are expected to meditate silently by themselves. Then, from 5-6:15, they participate in a group meditation, devotional, and sutra chanting. Afterwards, they engage in a silent mindful work period to prepare for breakfast and other tasks. Breakfast lasts for an hour, from 7-8 am, after which there is a morning meeting to learn about work assignments for the day. They work until their main meal, which they receive from the laypeople around 11 am. Due to their training, they cannot eat after the solar noon. After that, from 1-7 pm, they have flexible time, which can be used for personal care, studying the Dharma, and meetings. In the evening from 6-7, there is sometimes a social tea hour. The last event of the day from 7-8 pm is the evening devotional, sutra chanting, and group meditation. After this, there is silent time throughout the monastery until the women go to sleep. On the webpage they note that Mondays and Tuesdays have fewer activities scheduled so the women can devote more time for silent practice.
True to the Theravada monastic practice that was discussed in class, the women do not make their own meals. Instead, they collect offerings from the laypeople who provide for the sangha. Sometimes, they go begging at the local farmer’s market. In addition, the sangha is prohibited from handling money and driving, so they rely on laypeople volunteers to handle these tasks for them.
Events
The bhikkhunis live a structured lifestyle. On their calendar, they have weekly guided meditation and question sessions, as well as sutra studies, on Sundays. They also have dharma talks every Tuesday evening. Outside of these common events, they also celebrate Buddhist holidays. For example, they commemorated Kathina last month in November. Kathina is a festival that occurs at the end of a three month rains retreat. In practice, during this festival, the monastics receive new robes from the laity. This came to be because in the monastic code, there is a detailed account of monks keeping a devoted Buddhist practice even in the rainy season. They slept outside and their robes became dirty and worn out. At the end of the rainy season, the Buddha was very proud of their dedication, so he gave them new robes that were given to him by a laywoman. This story marks the importance of the Kathina tradition. Moreover, the bhikkhunis also host various retreats and mentor talks for their trainees.
The sangha also hosts community outreach programs. During day visits, they invite people to spend time mindfully in their pavilion outside the monastery. They welcome offerings, and in return the bhikkhunis participate in conversations with the laity in person, and offer Dharma teaching programs online. The nuns also welcome visitors who stay for visits lasting upwards of two weeks, during which they immerse them in monastic life. This opportunity is open to all genders, not just women.
How is the Community Funded?
The Dhammadharini monastery is funded by the Dhammadharini Support Foundation– a stewardship foundation that directs the financial gifts received by laity to the sangha. The funds assist in providing the “four requisites of monastic life:” food, lodging, robes, and medicine. It also supports transportation and teaching efforts.
Additionally, there are multiple links on the monastery’s website that allow supporters to make monetary donations. The causes include donating to pay the monastery mortgage, meals, the four requisites, renovating the monastery heating and ventilation system, monastery landscaping projects, and whatever else is necessary. There is also a large link to donate for Giving Tuesday that still remains on the website, as of December 3rd.
Since the bhikkhunis are not able to handle money and make food, among other requirements, this fund supports the sangha and allows them to truly uphold the precepts they were ordained into.
Relationships with Other Western and Asian Buddhist Communities
There was not much information that I could find regarding whether the sangha of the Dhammadharini monastery has a relationship with other Buddhist communities. The most I could find was a list of information and resources for other Theravada monasteries for men, and a few links to Tibetan and Soto Zen monasteries in the United States.
How do Members of this Community Understand Buddhism?
The Dhammadharini sangha states their vision is to support women who wish to become bhikkhunis. They strive to create a physical space and community that is conducive to a monastic lifestyle, the study of the Dharma and the Vinaya, and developing wisdom and liberation. The leader of the monastery, Ayya Tathaloka Mahatheri, is a devout Theravada Buddhist, who is also influenced by the forest tradition due to her training with Thai forest tradition masters. Her practice mainly revolves around the early Buddhist sutras and intensive meditation.
References
Dhammadharini Monastery: California. Dhammadharini. (n.d.). https://www.dhammadharini.net/
Kathina. Buddhism for Beginners. (n.d.). https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/kathina/