Bhikkhuni Bhikkhuni “>Dhammananda, Thailand’s leading Bhikkhuni (fully ordained nun) will be giving a talk for the Siam Society on Sat 7th November. The topic is the discovery of two sites in Northern India that claim to be Kapilavastu – the home city of the Buddha. Since the two discoveries the two sites have vied for authenticity as the ‘real’ site. Yet we know that during the last days of the Buddha he witnessed his home city destroyed by the warring Ariyan clans. Could one site be the old city, and the other site the new city rebuilt?
Old time members of ‘littlebang’ might remember she gave a talk for our group on this same topic just over 2 years ago.
The Discovery of Kapilavastu II
With Venerable Bhikkhuni Dhammananda
Ven. Dhammananda’s presentation will provide a background view on the controversial issue of the 2 sites of Kapilavastu, one in Napal and one in India. She will provide material to support the connection between the two sites and the important discovery of the relics at Piprahwa (Kapilvastu II). The first set of the relics were sent to Thailand during the reign of King Rama V. There is a question as to where those relics are located today. The talk will focus on the suspected excavation sites. The speaker will provide more information on the latest findings. Ven. Dhammananda (Dr. Chatsuamarn Kabilsingh) was born in 1944. Her father, Korkiat Shatsena, was a member of parliament, and her mother, Voramai, was a school teacher. Before she decided to take the route of spiritual service in 2001 by being ordained she had a family with three grown sons.
Ven. Dhammananda spent 27 years as a professor at Thammasat University. She has written and translated more than 70 books. She has a strong academic background in the history of Buddhism and has been involved in the bhikkhuni ordination procedure for more than 3 decades. In 2004 she received the UN Outstanding Buddhist Women award and in 2005 she received the Prestige Women of the Year award as an educator. In 2005 she was one of the 1000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Award. Her mother, Ven. Bhikkhuni Ta Tao Fa Tzu (Voramai Kabilsingh), founder of the Songdhammakalyani Monastery, was the first Thai woman to be ordained in the Mahayana tradition. In 2001 she became the first Thai woman to be fully ordained as a bhikkhuni in Theravada tradition. Though her ordained status is not recognized by the Thai Government, nor by the Sangha, she is well supported and runs her own monastery which is also an International Buddhist Studies Center just outside of Bangkok. Currently she conducts lower ordination for women at her own monastery.
7 November 2009 (Saturday)
10:00 a.m at The Siam Society, 131 Asoke Montri Rd, Sukhumvit 21
For more information, please telephone Khun Arunsri at
(02) 661 6470-7, fax (02) 258 3491, or e-mail info@siam-society.org
Office Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
Non-Members : Donation: 200 baht
Siam Society Members, Members’ spouses and children, and all students
showing valid student I.D. cards, are admitted free of charge.
LittleBang 
We will be there.