Venerable Karuna Dharma

Venerable Karuna Dharma was the first woman to be a fully ordained member of the Buddhist monastic community in the United States in 1976. Her path to ordination was not easy. She was born a Baptist but later signed up for a Buddhism class where she met Venerable Dr. Thich- An. She helped Thich- An to establish the International meditation center (IBMC) to reach out to international communities. She took over the IBMC in 1980 after Thich- An’s death. Close to fifty other women were ordained as nuns or bhikkhunis in the three grand ordination ceremonies that she facilitated. These ordinations included the three main Buddhist schools, namely Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. She reached out to Scramanerikas, who desired to become bhikkhunis.

Karuna’s ordination has played a critical role for women who are denied full ordination in their temples. She consistently emphasized the need to reestablish the bhikkhuni order worldwide so that Buddhist nuns can be recognized. Her ordainment changed the role of Buddhist women in the temple and within society. For instance, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis are considered equal in America, courtesy of her teachings. She worked hard to establish and straighten the bhikkhuni order, which does not exist in some countries like Thailand.

Having Sangha in the United States was important to protect the dharma, reach out, and carry on Buddhist traditions. Nearly all traditions are well represented in America, unlike in Asia, where each country has a specific tradition. Most Asians think that Americans don’t understand Buddhism, which is mostly written in English. Having the community of monks and nuns ensures that any layperson becomes fully enlightened. There is gender equality in the United States compared to the other parts of the world; hence women would get better opportunities to participate in temples such as becoming teachers of dharma actively.