The Embodiment of Buddhist History: Interpretive Methods and Models of Sāsana Decline in Burmese Debates about Female Higher Ordination

The mid-twentieth century was celebrated in Theravāda civilizations as the halfway point five-thousand-year history of Buddha’s dispensation, sāsana. Around this time Burma, fierce debates arose concerning re-establishment extinct order nuns. While women were understood having a crucial role supporting and maintaining sāsana, without sanctioned means higher ordination, they excluded from its centre, that is, active agents sāsana history. In paper, I explore what at stake these by examining arguments two monks who publicly called for reintroduction nuns, Mingun Jetavana Sayadaw (1868–1955) Ashin Ādiccavaṃsa (1881–1950). will show both used enigmatic Milindapañha (Questions Milinda) to present their arguments, but more than this, drawing writings biographies, it be seen methods interpreting Pāli canon depended on unique models history, which ushering new era emancipatory promise. This promise premised practice vipassanā meditation lay men especially women, latter who, through participation mass movement, making strong claims dynamic players unfolding question whether nuns should revived therefore hinged larger not possible current age decline. Beyond aim is mid-twentieth-century around female ordination concerned very nature itself, either transcendent, timeless ideal, or bounded embodied