Women's access to full ordination as Buddhist nuns (bhikṣuṇ?) is one of the most hotly contested issues in the Buddhist world today. Focusing on Sri Lanka and the Tibetan exile community in India, this article outlines the central issues of the debate, which range from the minutiae of Buddhist monastic regulations to the politics of national and ethnic identity. Topics addressed include Sakyadhita, ordination lineage (vinaya), alternative forms of female renunciation (e.g., maechee), feminism, and tensions between local and international visions of the Buddhist monastic community, which lie at the heart of the current debate.
