Women in Buddhism: Questions & Answers

Question:

Is it true that if a person is enlightened, she must be ordained within 7 days?

Answer:

In the Pali Tripitaka there was a case of a man who was enlightened but could not find the robes and the bowl as required for ordination within 7 days. He died of an accident.

In Thailand, even if we have no women ordained as bhikkhunis, mae jis are considered leading a celibate life and hence should be included. It is explained that the enlightened mind is too subtle to remain in a coarse physical body of a layperson; hence ordination is required to prepare the body to help maintain the subtlety of the mind.