At Sati Saraniya Hermitage, women train as nuns in the Theravada bhikkhuni tradition which was restored only in this new millenium after a lapse of more than 1000 years.
We are closely affiliated with a number of growing Theravada bhikkhuni monasteries in the USA including Aranya Bodhi Awakening Forest Hermitage and Aloka Vihara – both in Northern California – as well as other newly established Theravada bhikkhuni monasteries worldwide.
Here in rural Ontario, we are also closely connected to Tisarana Buddhist Monastery and participate in many community events with the bhikkhus residing there.
For women who feel moved to undertake this spiritual training, particularly in Canada, there is a gradual process of entering the community as a laywoman for a period of time before requesting anagarika or postulant ordination – a commitment of one year to try out the life wearing white robes and shaving one’s head.
Monastic life is a deep commitment which can profoundly impact us even if experienced only for a short time. The Anagarika Training Handbook describes more fully what’s involved in the initial steps of this training process.
