Introduction During the month of November, I stayed in Geneva, Florida, at a very small monastery—or what you might call a typical small three-bedroom house. Normally, the place is dormant and empty, but I was able to awaken this once-dormant monastery by going for alms, as I did in Kaua’i, ordinations, visitors and with my enthusiasm for teaching. About The Place: The three-bedroom house is supported by a very small group of Myanmar people on roughly 4 acres of land.

Introduction A Sayalay is an ordained nun in the Myanmar Theravāda Tradition. It is similar to a sāmaṇerī or 10-precept female novice monk. However, to be respectful to the Theravāda tradition, it is not connected or equal to a sāmaṇerī and it is not a stepping stone for a bhikkhunī ordination. In the Myanmar Theravāda tradition, ordaining as a Sayalay provides women with a distinct path to practice the Dhamma formally without stepping into the roles traditionally reserved for monks or fully ordained bhikkhunīs.

Copyright notice.. picture by Kim Traynor cc-by-sa Note: This post is not for everyone. Those who claim to be bhikkhunis and supporters of the movement, and monks and nuns in general will find this interesting. Did you know that bhikkhunis (nuns) are not allowed to sleep alone or travel alone and if they do, they are sentenced to 2 weeks of rehabilitation and lose their full status as bhikkhunis during this period?