Dual ordination

dual ordination; ordination by a bhikshuni and a bhikshu sangha—is optimum and prescribed by the Buddha himself.

In fact, sramanerika and siksamana ordination are to be given by bhikshunis, and nuns should do their confession and restoration of precepts (sojong) before the bhikshuni sangha.

How are these to be accomplished if there are no bhikshunis ordained in the Tibetan Mulasarvastivada tradition at present?

Chinese texts establishing the unbroken lineage of Dharmagupta bkikshus going back to the Buddha and of bhikshunis going back to the first bhikshuni in China in 357 C.E.

We have clarified the ordination procedures followed in East Asian countries and found them sound.

We have also found vinaya passages indicating that a monks’ sangha alone can give the bhikshuni ordination.

Therefore, we are proposing some options for Tibetan vinaya masters to consider.

Without going into the intricacies of vinaya,

(1) nuns could receive dual ordination by a Dharmaguptka bhikshuni sangha and a Mulasarvastivadin monks’ sangha, with the new bhikshunis receiving the Mulasarvastivadin precepts, or

(2) nuns could be ordained as bhikshunis by a sangha consisting of Tibetan monks of the Mulsravastivadin tradition alone.

In either case, after the new bhikshunis have been ordained twelve years, they will be qualified to serve as the bhikshuni sangha in a dual ordination procedure.