Support the Bhikkhuni Sangha!
Welcome to the Alliance for Bhikkhunis! As a lay organization, our mission is to support fully ordained Theravada Buddhist nuns (bhikkunis), who because of the Vinaya (code of monastic disciplinary rules), cannot directly ask lay practitioners to address even their most basic needs. However, lay people are able to invite (Pavarana) their requests and respond as they are able. At this time we are focusing on supporting specific bhikkhuni projects most in need of help. Click the button to learn about these projects and to donate.
The Practice
of Dana
“The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic human virtues, a quality that testifies to the depth of one’s humanity and one’s capacity for self-transcendence. In the teaching of the Buddha, too, the practice of giving claims a place of special eminence, one which singles it out as being in …
Learn MoreProjects Funded in 2024
Thanks to your generosity, AfB is delighted to have contributed funds to help these bhikkhuni requests and projects so far in 2024. Empty Cloud Italia Sirisampanno Monastery Transportation to Vinaya Campus Travel Dana Sri Gothami Arama Funded Projects Empty Cloud Italia Property Purchase Ayya Soma is leading efforts to purchase a forested property with buildings …
Learn MoreProjects
Funded
Two of Alliance for Bhikkhuni’s main goals are to raise funds in order to support fully ordained Theravada Buddhist women (bhikkhunis), as well as to educate the public about the renaissance of Buddhist female monastics. We are very grateful for the generous donations of our supporters which allow us to accomplish these goals. Contributions have …
Learn MoreAbout Us
As our mission is to encourage the growth of the International Bhikkhuni Sangha, our web presence not only facilitates bhikkhunis to apply for and receive financial support, but is also a venue for sharing their wisdom and their unique contribution of leadership in the Theravada Sangha.
Some of the features on our site include a library where you will find a large selection of articles by and about bhikkhunis, our projects page which highlights current bhikkhuni needs, and a directory of bhikkhuni monasteries and centers worldwide.
If you have any questions on the bhikkhuni sangha, feel free to email us at info@bhikkhuni.net
Photo Credits:
slide 1: Photo by Chase O’Flynn and Dominic McCarty. Ordination on Dec 3, 2017 at Dhammadharini.
slide 2: Bhikkhunis Hands Together – from Bhikkhuni Dhammakamala in Thailand Wat Thippayasathandhamma Koh Yoh, Songkhla
slide 3: Photo: Sampath Bandara. Photo is of the Upasampada for Ayya Santacari, Ayya Dhammavati and Ayya Vajira, on September 4th, 2016.
“New Documentary”: Photo by Małgorzata Dobrowolska, www.bhikkhuni-film.com.
Interview
Spring 2024 Interview with Ayya Soma
Ayyā Soma is cofounder, with Bhante (Ayya) Suddhāso, of Empty Cloud Monastery in New Jersey (USA). Ayyā Soma grew up in Italy and moved to New York for her career. While she had encountered the Buddha’s teachings previously, meeting Bhante Suddhāso became a turning point. As a lay woman she helped start Buddhist Insights in New York City and eventually followed her heart to ordain as a monastic. In recent years, family circumstances took her back to Italy part-time, where she discovered a hunger for the Dharma and the need for a monastery there, too. Ayyā Soma and others are now working to meet a June 2024 deadline to purchase an ancient forested property in southern Italy to create Empty Cloud Italia monastery.
AfB president Wren Withers interviewed Ayyā Soma in Spring 2024.
Alliance for Bhikkhunis (AfB): What initially brought you to New York City?
Ayyā Soma: I used to work in fashion and had lived in Milan and London. New York was a place I hadn’t yet been on the “fashion path,” so I moved there about 15 years ago. Back then I had already been introduced to the teachings of the Buddha, but I was still a “greed” type. I remember thinking, “Yes, there is suffering, but there are lots of good things. I’m sure I’ll be happy if I accomplish A-B-C…” Yet after a whole alphabet of accomplishments, I was still not satisfied, not fully happy. […]
Interview
Documentary Film
Read Alliance for Bhikkhuni’s interview with Małgorzata Dobrowolska, director of the documentary film, “Bhikkhunī – Buddhism, Sri Lanka, Revolution”. >>