A capable defiler: redefining the body of the bhikkhuni

Focusing on the pacittiya offenses (minor rules) pertaining to the body of the bhikkhunis (Buddhist nuns) in the vinaya, the monastic law codes, the article argues that the vinaya’s depiction of the bhikkhuni’s ‘body’ reveals two important notions about women in early Buddhism. While the portrayal demonstrates the ‘intellectual’ and ‘soteriological capability’ of bhikkhunis that kept them on a par with the bhikkhus, or monks, it also presents how the female body functioned as the site of regulation, thereby emerging as a bigger ‘defiler’ than the monk’s body. Building on Alan Sponberg’s concepts on attitudes toward women in early Buddhism, the article argues that, on the one hand, the body of the bhikkhunis came to be defined in the vinaya text as upholding the principle of ‘soteriological inclusiveness’ of Buddhism. For example, the bhikkhunis look similar in appearance to the bhikkhus, signifying through their appearance (shaved head) and dress an equal intellectual capability for attaining nibbana, or awakening. On the other hand, the stringent regulations regarding the female body reveal instances of ‘ascetic misogyny’ and ‘institutional androcentrism. ’ I argue that while an attitude of ‘soteriological inclusiveness’ gradually diminished, ‘ascetic misogyny’ grew more prevalent over time. This shift contributed to the historical changes that led to the diminishing status of the bhikkhunis within the monastic order, which culminated in the disappearance of the bhikkhunis’ monastic order from almost all Buddhist schools.