February 2, 2025
Ven Thāvirā Bhikkhunĩ (including writing and guidance from Ayyā Tathālokā Mahātherī)
on behalf of our whole Dhammadharini Community
Warm greetings all dear Venerables, Dhamma friends and Bhikkhuni supporters -
We welcome you to join us in “Anumodana!” rejoicing in the successful launch of a Vinaya-Dhamma Dāna printing of the Bhikkhu-Bhikkhuni Patimokkha Pāli - translated into the Indian Marathi language.
Marathi is the local language of the enormous mid-western Indian State of Maharashtra, where the majority of Indian Theravada Buddhists and Theravada Bhikkhunis live.
We share more below on why this book is so important, how this fits into Dhammadharini’s larger mission, and how you can participate.
But first,
Our Gratitude, and expressing our support for the Bhikkhunis of India
At Dhammadharini, one of the core elements of our #HerStoryOurStory mission is to look back, uncover, and share history of the ancient Bhikkhuni Sangha, and use this as inspiration for our own practice today. That ancient Bhikkhuni Sangha was, of course, from the land we now call India. When we recite the list of foremost arahant Bhikkhunis, all of those were women from the nations, cities and states of the vast land then called in Pāli Jambudipa (Sanskrit: Jambudvipa) — the “Rose Apple Continent” — now known in English as “the Indian subcontinent” and in India as Akhanda Bharat.
The Indian Bhikkhuni Sangha today, however, is in quite challenging circumstances. Although nominally “revived” back in 1998, and sincerely dedicated to this path of practice, there is a severe lack of training, support, and even basic education. (Learn more about this here in this Clear Mountain Interview with Ven. Bhikkhunī Vandanā, who joined Dhammadharini for the first time for six months in 2024.) As Ven. Vandanā reports, and we have seen for ourselves on our pilgrimages, the Indian Bhikkhunīs’ situation is significantly, severely demoralized and under-supported.
Why this time is important
2025-2026 is especially important for the revival of Theravāda Buddhism in India, and for the Theravada Bhikkhunis of India. This past December, the International Tipitaka Chanting in Bodhgaya handed the baton (in this case a small wooden Ashokan lion pillar) over to the Indian Sangha as hosts for the next two years (2025-2026). This has been years in coming, and is a very special and important time for the Indian Buddhist Sangha to rise up, as hosts, with the spotlight of the world upon them and the Indian Fourfold Sangha, which now includes more than three hundred Indian Theravāda Bhikkhunis, with perhaps double this number Indian Sāmanerīs.
It is our aim to channel moralizing and supportive resources to the Bhikkhunīs especially, in this coming 2-year period (2025-2026) that is so important for this ground-swell revival of Buddhism in India that is happening now.
This Vinaya-Dhamma Dāna Pātimokkha book printing is our first major effort in this initiative, taken up out of gratitude to India for the roots of Buddhism, in support of the healthy, bright and brilliant restoration of the Indian Bhikkhuni Sangha, in the Buddha’s own homeland.
Why this book is important
The Pātimokkha (which contains the basic Bhikkhu-Bhikkhuni precepts) is foundational for Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis to live the Buddhist monastic life in the Theravāda and Early Buddhist way.
For Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis with little formal education in Hindi, and often no education in Pāli or English, it is essentially important for them to be able to access the Patimokkha in their own language. This is especially important for Bhikkhunis – as girls have often been (and still frequently are) disproportionately withdrawn early from classroom education in India, many not completing primary school. Many of the older Bhikkhunis of Maharashtra, where the vast majority of Indian Buddhists and Indian Bhikkhunis live, speak only their local native language of Marathi.
Through exhaustive search, a rare, out-of-print limited edition existing translation of the Bhikkhu-Bhikkhuni Pātimokkha into Marathi was found: पातिमोक्ख डॉ. विमलकीर्ति, and Roza Vimalkirti Meshram (Bansod), the daughter and estate-holder of the late translator Dr. Vimalkirti gave permission for this book, originally sold commercially, to be re-printed and shared as a Vinaya-Dhamma Dāna - which led to the second edition being born.
The Dhamma Dāna printing of the second edition of this पातिमोक्ख Pātimokkha book now makes the Bhikkhuni Pātimokkha widely and freely available in Marathi, the native language of the majority of Indian Bhikkhunis and Sāmanerīs. This is a foundational step in a very positive direction, towards the healthy reconstitution of the revived Sangha.
Dedication
These Dhamma Dāna books are specially dedicated to the late great 12 -– of the 29 great Indian Bhikkhunī Mahā Therīs who comprised the first group to go for the revival of Bhikkhunī higher ordination in Bodhgaya, India in 1998 more than 25 years ago –- who have passed away before us. Together with dedication to all the Bhikkhunis rising up of the next generation. And to the late translator, his wife, and their daughter, with uncommon vision for the value of the Pātimokkha in our modern world.
Dedicated to the twelve of the first twenty-nine brave Bhikkhunī Mahātherīs of the Indian Theravāda Bhikkhunĩ Sangha who have passed away before us:
1. भिक्खूणी विशाखा Ven. Bhikkhunī Vishaka (Visākhā) of Nagpur,
2. भिक्खूणी शांतशिला Ven. Bhikkhunī Shantashila (Santasīlā) of Amarāvati,
3. भिक्खूणी चंद्रशिला Ven. Bhikkhunī Chandrasila (Candasīlā) of Akola,
4. भिक्खूणी सुमेधा Ven. Bhikkhunī Sumedha (Sumedhā) of Dongargarh*,
5. भिक्खूणी गौतमी Ven. Bhikkhunī Gautami (Gotamī) of Nanded,
6. भिक्खूणी धम्मदीपा Ven. Bhikkhunī Dhammadipa (Dhammadīpā) of Nanded
7. भिक्खूणी खेमा Ven. Bhikkhunī Khemā of Nanded,
8. भिक्खूणी विशाखा Ven. Bhikkhunī Vishaka (Visākhā) of Amarāvati,
9. भिक्खूणी खेमा Ven. Bhikkhunĩ Khemā of Nanded,
10. भिक्खूणी सुप्रिया Ven. Bhikkhunī Supriya (Supeyyā) of Aurangabad,
11. भिक्खूणी धम्मदीना Ven. Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā of Yavatmal, and
12. भिक्खूणी संघरक्खिता Ven. Bhikkhunī Sangharakshta (Sangharakkhitā) of Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh.
Ordained monastic names are given per common personal spelling first (followed by Pāli in parens). Photos are courtesy of the 1998 Bodhgaya Ordination Commemorative Book. *This photo courtesy of All India Bhikkhunī Sangha Mahāprajāpatī Education Foundation was missing in the Bodhgaya ordination book.
Printing and Distribution
Printing was completed of 1,300 copies of the Bhikkhu-Bhikkhuni Patimokkha in the Marathi language on January 31st 2025.
The पातिमोक्ख Pātimokkha Book Dāna distribution has begun now in India at Deekshabhoomi (दीक्षाभूमि Dikshabhumi), the site of hundreds of thousands of Indian people formally becoming Buddhists, this February 2nd thru 4th 2025, in Maharashtra, during the International Tipitaka Chanting: “Tipitaka Saddhamma Sajjhāyana” Nagpur program.
You may see a brief heartwarming video here of Ven. Bhikkhunī Vandanā offering these precious books to the attending Bhikkhunī Sangha of Maharashtra at Deekshabhoomi on February 2nd.
Venerable Bhikkhuni Vandana giving the freshly-printed Marathi Pātimokkha books to the Indian Bhikkhunis at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, Maharashtra during the Tipitaka Chanting on Feb 2nd 2025.
Five hundred copies are being distributed now in Nagpur, with additional copies to be distributed for the next suitable Dāna occasions throughout the year, including the December 2025 International Tipitaka Chanting in Bodhgaya, of which India will be the host. Two hundred additional copies will be distributed by Bodhipakkhiya Dhamma Foundation founded by Ayye Sakya Dhammadinnā and one hundred additional copies by the Mahaprajapati Gautami Educational Foundation founded by Bhante Suniti.
To best meet the need, this precious पातिमोक्ख Pātimokkha book is also simultaneously being offered in a free PDF e-book version of पातिमोक्ख डॉ. विमलकीर्ति for those who have mobile phones, tablets and/or computers, as well as a bi-lingual audio version of the Pāli followed by the Marathi translation of each Bhikkhuni Pātimokkha precept (भिक्खुणी पातिमोक्ख मराठी भाषांतरासह पाली), for those who are not readers and for whom oral learning is most supportive. Ven. Bhikkhunī Vandanā would like to express her deep gratitude to Ven. Bhikkhunī Kaccāyana and Ven. Bhikkhunī Thāvirā at Dhammadharini for their assistance and support in offering these very helpful additional learning resources.
Words of Gratitude and appreciation for Patimokkha Dana and Encouraging Fourfold Sangha from Wangmo Dixey of Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International from Awaaz India TV Live at Deekshabhoomi.
Appreciating the Supporters
We were planning to welcome your dāna in support of this initiative, but in the time it took us to prepare this email (very slowly and with other focuses during this winter retreat time), the printing of 1,300 copies was quickly fully supported, and the printing was completed! – “anumodanā!” to:
“I’m for World Peace Foundation” of Fremont (led by Ven. Bhikkhunī Sakya Hanh Tri),
the Upāsikās of Suññata Bhikkhunī Ārāma in Vietnam (led by Ven. Ayya Viditadhammā Mahātherī),
the Mahāpajāpatī Educational Foundation (led by Ven. Bhikkhunī Sunītī),
the Bodhipakkhiya Dhamma Foundation (led by Ven. Ayye Sakya Dhammadinnā), and
the Alliance for Bhikkhunis,
And Dhammadharini Support Foundation, thanks to a fast-acting friend and supporter of our Dhammadharini Bhikkhunī Sangha –
all of whom responded very quickly and positively when hearing about this project.
We would also like to express our gratitude to Upāsikā Roza Vimalkirtri Meshram (Bansod), estate holder of the late Pātimokkha translator Dr. Vimalkirti, who has faithfully supported and organized this special Vinaya Dhamma Dāna initiative from the get-go, together with Ven. Bhikkhunī Vandanā, who began dreaming of this project with Ayyā Tathālokā during our 2024 Vassa Bhikkhunī Vinaya Studies, and who has offered invaluable essential on-site organizational support. Ven. Bhikkhunī Vandanā expresses her deep appreciation to Ayyā Tathālokā and her Dhamma siblings at Dhammadharini, without whose encouragement she says this project would never have been possible.
May you join in “anumodana!” with us!
Noting–
Further opportunities to support coming up!
We have additional upcoming projects planned to support the Indian Bhikkhunis in 2025 and 2026; we invite you to support Dhammadharini’s efforts.
Please give the designation of your gift stewarded by Dhammadharini Support Foundation as “India Project.”
As the year progresses, we will also tell you (hopefully more timely!) about other specific initiatives as part of this 2-year special project, and welcome your joining in together, as they become available to support.
Going forward, we plan to continue sending information about this project to our mailing list. If you have special interest in helping and supporting the Indian Bhikkhunis, and wish to be more closely engaged, you may also join our dedicated mailing list for this project:
We are so joyful to have these opportunities to help the Bhikkhunis of India, in gratitude for the incalculable benefits we have received from the ancient awakened Buddhist women of the Buddha’s homeland, “the daughters of the Buddha” of Jambudvipa, the Rose Apple Continent.
We invite you to join us.
With metta,
Ven Thāvirā Bhikkhunĩ (including writing and guidance from Ayyā Tathālokā Mahātherī)
on behalf of our whole Dhammadharini Community